Yogic Mysticism: The Body, a brief nod.

We open our emails or turn on the TV to get the news of the day; 'Hubble telescope takes pictures of new galaxies,' 'Apple releases new iPhone,' ' Tensions with Russia increase.'

The world keeps turning.

We feel amazement over Nasa's new photos, eager for the updated devices and tech advances, and then stressed about impending war, all in a matter of seconds. These times we live in, these headlines, its hard to stay centered and maintain a sense of peace and equanimity. Our gaze is constantly turned outward to the world. What if we stopped, even for a second, to appreciate what is around us? Or, even dare to contemplate on our existence...

Have you even thought about the body? What is this body made up of? .... or What purpose does it serve? Have we ever thought to approach the body as more than just a pile of flesh, bones, or even cells? Let's try, shall we?

The body can be explained as an onion...

Yogic thought describes many a phenomena of the body. Let us peel back some of the layers.

Before the modern era of calorie counting and step counting 'Fit Bits,' ancient India put emphasis on the subtler aspects- our mind, hearts, and sense of 'aliveness.' Conducting an exploration of the inner world is known as The Reverse Path. 'The Reverse Path' is the path of the Saints, away from being constantly consumed with materiality and towards the mergence with one's essence. i.e. away from Weight Watchers and iWatches, and plugging oneself into the "inner-net." This 'Reverse Path' was trekked by great souls, and the knowledge was passed down verbally through the ages, known as the 'Guru Mandala' or parampara. Many have trodden it, many still continue, and many will come.

We all reap the gifts on their self-attained knowledge. They were researches, and scientists known as 'Rishis'. Researchers of the cosmos and of their own being. I ask: What is more fascinating than the mechanics and inner workings of this chemical-factory-body, the most advanced expression of evolution on this planet?

Here are some of the Rishis findings about the 'Body.' The Chakras The Koshas The Sariras

Lots of books focus on one of the three more than the other, this article is a brief nod to these three systems, Chakras, Koshas and Sariras, of the body from a Yogic perspective. 

by Harish Johari

Seven Chakras

We have the 7 chakras, wheels, that start from anus and go up to the crown of the head. The seven chakras align themselves with different systems of the body from reproductive to endocrine. These chakras, or wheels, are spinning energies on the spinal axis. They have been likened to flowers by the way they open upon activation and each have significant petal number that is has connection to occult practices. We could go into all the esotericism of the Chakras, but though super fun, this is beyond the scope of this article.

The Five Koshas

We have the 5 Koshas, or sheaths, defining the body as a vibratory onion. The most physicalized being the food-body ( made up of flesh and bones) to the expanding energy 'bodies' of the mind-body, intellect-body, breath-body, and bliss-body. Through interacting with one 'body,' we can alter the other.

ex. By receiving physical bodywork, your emotional body can be effected as well, and likewise, by avenue of somatic therapy or conducting emotional release therapies your posture can change. It is all connected, it's just a matter of preference and availability that determines the therapeutic avenue.

Similarly, methods of interacting with these subtle bodies can be via the food we eat, how we breath, our thoughts and our felt sense of interconnectedness. Alot of this knowldge can seem pretty far out, but what if I was to say that you have probably experienced this, just never knew it had a name... A kind of meeting of someone before actually talking with them...

Some have suggested feeling or picking up on a sense of someone before the physicalized handshake. A meeting of them 'energetically' before coming into close contact with them phsycially. This mingling in an energy value of a person before the physical, is an example of relating to a person on a subtler level. We all have the capacity, its a matter of accessing our subtle selves. This could explain how some people can lock eyes across a crowded room and just have ' a sense' about other? These Koshas also influence the coloring of the aura.

The Three Bodies

Then there is another line of yogic thought, breaking the body down into 3 'bodies' and 4 states of being.

1. Gross Body 'Sthula Sarira'

2. Subtle Body 'Sukshma Sarira'

3. Causal Body 'Karana Sarira'

4. Turiya*

*Turiya is considered a 'state of being' beyond the Vedic concept of body, although some lines of thought still hold that the turiya is in a way a 'body' in a loose sense of the word. Kaishmir Shaivism asserts a 5th state called Turiyatita, that is beyond this 4th state and is experieneced as void or 'shunya.'

Gross Body 'Sthula Sarira'

The gross body is comprised of flesh, blood, bones, tissues other organs etc. Similar to the Annamaya Kosha or 'Food -body' in the last section. The gross body can only experience the waking state of existence, and is not taken with us after death. Of the 'sheaths', the gross body only contains the 'Annamaya Kosha' or the 'food body.' What we eat, we will directly experience in the gross body.

The gross body is forgotten about when we sleep and dream at night, thus its importance does not follow into these states of existance.

This would be the area of a surgeon and physical therapist would work on.

Subtle Body 'Sukshma Sarira'

The subtle body is comprised of the intellect, breath, and the emotions. This encompasses the Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha and Vignanamaya Kosha from the last section. This is essentailly our mental and emotional process and where memory is storied over many lives; our likes, dislikes and predispositions. This colors our 'aura,' or the energetic frequency that surrounds each person that transmutes itself into colorful representations. This subtle body is responsible for the dream state, where we forgot our physical form and live in a world of imagination.

Sensations of satisfaction, desire, anger, grief, jealousy, etc. all reside here.

This would be the area of a psychologist would work.

Causal Body 'Karana Sarira'

Then we have the causal body. This is where the last sheath of Kosha of the '5 body sheaths' resides, the Anandamaya kosha or bliss-body. This is an area of complete forgetfulness and contentment. We may liken this to the soul level of the body, beyond the emotional fluxations and beyond the realm of likes- and-dislikes. To experinece the causal body is to experience deep sleep or REM. How do we know if we have had a restful night sleep? by seeing how long we can forget ourselves/our existance completely in deep sleep. No dreams, no mental impressions...

One may liken this to a 'void' state. As one peels back the layers and becomes a more subtle being, taking out the trash of emotional, mental impressions and triggers, we are left with a clean slate, or a highly reflective mirror at this level that is 'void' in concept but experience is much more profound.

I will continue to add and refine this article as research provides new insight.