The Pranamaya Kosha
Photography by Michael Patrick Studio
“Man and woman, beast and bird live by breath
Breath is therefore called the true sign of life.
It is the vital force in everyone
That determines how long we are to live.”
The Western world does not describe subtle vital energy as well as the Eastern world. In the East, there are many metaphors and concepts that explain or describe energy. The Western world does have some widely used interpretations of the word “energy” based in science; for example, the electrical energy of our nervous systems and the chemical energy transported by our blood system. The focus of this article will be India’s ancient philosophical take on energy from the Upanishads. The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older and primary Vedic texts most likely composed in 6th century BC. This Sanskrit text has been noted to be culturally important and influential.
I have been exploring energy for a long time with many different teachers, but got really curious about the energetic layers of the body in the recent year. I always lead a version of grounding in the beginning of my yoga classes, whether it’s a short meditation or a body sensing exercise. I noticed I usually begin by asking students to identify where their body is in space first. However, not every person is able to drop into their body first. I acknowledge that it is a useful practice to orient a student to their body: to the supports and floor beneath their body and to source the comfort of the space around them. That can be true and it is also true that some folks drop into their body by acknowledging their present thoughts or emotions first.
Even though I have been practicing yoga and energy work for over 15 years, I battled through my thoughts and emotions to reach my physical body. If I didn’t sift through my emotional and mental layers, I could not access the more subtle parts of myself. I talked about this phenomena with my mentor, Linda Oshins, who first assured me that my experience was common. She then said that my approach was relatable because she is an analytical overthinker, too. Acknowledging the mind and thoughts (which move much faster in than the body), instead of ignoring them to force myself to notice my body helped me tremendously. This was the pathway to my breath, energies, and my body.
Swami Krishnananda says, “The human individual is a microcosmic specimen of the entire creative process of the cosmos. The layers, or degrees of reality, that constitute the universe are also to be found in the human individual in the form of the koshas, or the sheaths, as they are called: the physical, vital, mental, intellectual, and the causal. These are known in the Sanskrit language as annamaya kosha, pranamaya kosha, manomaya kosha, vijnanamaya kosha and anandamaya kosha… It is only when we go inward that we have access to the subtler layers of our personality, not otherwise. The Taittiriya Upanishad details the five-layer model of the human body known as the koshas; and the Mandukya Upanishad, which is another important Upanishad, sometimes considered as the most important, deals with the very same koshas in a different way—namely, by way of the elucidation of the involvement of consciousness in these koshas.”
Because the physical body is the outermost sheath and is the largest of all of them, it tends to take up most of our consciousness. The second layer of the body is beneath the physical layer — the pranamaya kosha. Without even having to measure or test it, many of us know we are not only our “physical” self. I wanted to write about this because all my dharma talks in the last month have been related to the koshas with a focus on the pranamaya kosha in particular.
Swami Krishnananda also says, “Our journey now takes us beneath our physical manifestation so we can investigate the vital energies of the body and learn how yoga affects these energies.”
In yogic philosophy, the second layer of the body is said to be where prana resides. Prana is the Sanskrit word used to describe our vital life force energy. It is the energy of the entire universe. In the way that it’s described, the pranamaya kosha is the vital sheath of the body that stores life. Yogapedia not so delicately says, “the existence of pranamaya kosha is what differentiates the living from the dead.” The yogis describe prana flowing in the body through energy channels called nadis and 72,000 of them make up the pranamaya kosha.
Although we separate the layers to explain them, they are all inseparable and interact with one another. The pranamaya kosha permeates the entire organic body and does so in two ways: through energy and breath. So, we can work with this kosha by performing pranayama meaning breath exercises.
The pranayama kosha, like all the koshas, is interactive and dependent upon the other layers of the body. Working with breath practices can positively influence other koshas, too. Practicing yoga asanas similarly influences the outer layer primarily but will also have an effect on the breath. It is all related!
The breath is the aspect of the pranamaya layer that is best understood — it’s rooted in all of our everyday realities and is with us infinitely while we are alive. Most people are familiar with the respiratory system and how we need nature to breathe oxygen. We may be able ti know the other aspect of this kosha, our subtle energy, by understanding the breath. As you study and practice pranayama, you may be able to perceive your own energy with greater ease. Your energy can feel like tingles, bubbles, vibrations, waves, sparkles, buzzes, or surges. In my experience, I know I am immersed in the subtle energetic layer of my body when my mind has taken a back seat and I can feel sensation coursing through my body as if I am connected to a larger universal nervous system.
There are many practices to nurture this layer of our bodies. Breath exercises can transform stress, release tension, and balance energy. Below is a practice called “Box Breath.” You can do this practice if you are just getting started on accessing your energetic layer and want to activate your parasympathetic nervous system.
Sit in a comfortable upright seat, preferably with support beneath you.
Take a deep inhale and deep exhale.
When you are ready, inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath at the top for 4 seconds, exhale for four seconds, and then suspend at the bottom of the exhale for 4 seconds.
Repeat for at least 10 more rounds.
When your practice is complete, commit to sitting in silence for a few moments to return to your nature rhythm of breathing.
Spending time to explore the power of the pranamaya kosha can help bring understanding to the subtle layer that exists in all beings. The more we practice, the better equipped we are to modify and direct our energy where we need it to go.
“It has to be clear that you cannot just increase the volume of anything as volatile and explosive as pure energy without taking steps to contain, harness and direct it. If you were to suddenly to triple the strength of the electrical current arriving in your house, you would not think the kettle would boil in a third of the usual time and your house lights burn three times brighter. You know you would immediately burn out all the circuits and be left with nothing.
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