We are obsessed with our identifiers, aren't we? We think that who we are, our personality/identity, are things like our work status, relationship status, family role, gender, race, nationality, physical attributes, religious beliefs, political views etc etc. But this is not the whole picture because there is more - we are more than what our egoic mind is telling us.
So I'm diving into the ancient yogic scriptures with fellow yoga teacher Debs Albon to find out what wisdom is offered there about who we really are and why we are here. And what we find described in the Taittiriya Upanishad (500-600 BC) is a map we can follow that will enlighten us: the Pancha Maya Koshas (Five Sheaths).
We are all made up of five layers (think Russian doll) that together make up our whole being: the physical body (annamaya kosha), the breath/energy body (pranamaya kosha), the mind/ego (manomaya kosha), the higher mind/intuition/deeper wisdom (vijnanamaya kosha) and bliss body (anandamaya kosha). It's just a case of cultivating and deepening our awareness of what each of these offers which ultimately will give us a sense of freedom. Because being controlled and driven by our own and others' expectations is exhausting!
The good news is that we all have this capacity within us, no need to be a "special" guru. This is a level playing field we can access in this lifetime.
Debs and I are excited to be offering the Pancha Maya Koshas as the theme for a retreat being held in Kerala, India 19-29 March 2024 at the Neeleshwar Hermitage Hotel, along with author and meditation teacher Alistair Shearer! Go to my website Home Page for more info - do join us!
Find Debs:
Instagram: @yoga_with_debs
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