Checking in With the Koshas

the layers of our being

“...Asana is inherently about alignment. Not the alignment of muscles and bones, as is commonly referred to in modern asana practice, but rather, the alignment of the physical, energetic, and mental layers of the body.”

-How to Advance your Yoga Practice, According to the Yoga Sutra, Ashley Zuberi

Going to pieces

When everything seems to fall apart (which, with little ones, seems to be at least 5-10 times a day:), I try to zoom in to the parts of me: my body, my mind, my emotions. Last Friday I wrote a post about Ustrasana, a.k.a. Camel Pose, where I mention give a little example of how we can use the idea of the koshas to explore the layers of our being as we do yoga postures.

If you’ve been with me on this newsletter for a while, you’ve heard me say a few times (or maybe even a few dozen times) that yoga is more than just a collection of postures. Let me revise that now. Even the postures are more than just physical. Let’s say you revisit the post linked above to explore Camel Pose. Some of you really want that specific information on alignments and how to get in and out of it. Others might be much more experienced and want more of the subtle guidance, maybe some focus on where the breath expands in your body as you hold the pose, what happens to your mental or energetic state as you practice, and more.

If you don’t know about the koshas, or know just a little bit, I just want to say that learning about them is not as simple as reading a few paragraphs defining and describing them. As you practice, over time you’ll have ‘aha moments’ about the koshas. They are meant to be experienced, and not just understood intellectually.

Anyways, I didn’t want to just leave you with that little teaser in last week’s article, nor do I want to do a lengthy dive into the koshas right this moment. I find it’s better to chew on this type of information piece by piece, so I invite you to try some of the variations of Camel from last week’s post if you didn’t already. As you practice, ask yourself these questions: How does it feel? Did you discover anything I didn’t mention in the post or the video from the post?

I thought it would be valuable to check in five or so days after that post to see where you all were at and also to offer a few more tidbits to make Camel Pose even more accessible and simple to include in your busy day.

Yoga breakdown

When we come into a pose like Ustrasana, there are lots of moving parts: the shoulders rotate externally, the shoulderblades come together as we reach the arms back, the hips might shift forward slightly as the core engages and allows you to lower the hands to the feet or ground (or a block, or table, or whatever you might use to modify the post). Oh yes, and the chest opens, that glorious, proud opening in the heart area that makes this pose so striking. And so hard, for so many people. And last, maybe the head lowers back to look up at the sky or behind you. But if not, the chin stays tucked into the chest with the gaze forward.

That’s a lot of detail and we haven’t even gotten into the mental and energetic layers of the pose, either! First, though, you gotta do the pose to dive into those layers and sometimes that calls for an even more simplified version. Maybe we don’t have time to warm up for the full pose — in its fullest expression, it’s a huge back bend. Or perhaps you only have time to pause for 30 seconds or a minute to get the opening that Camel has to offer. Also, you might not have a yoga mat or blanket set up, or whatever you use to do postures.

What if, you just had a moment of pause and maybe a table or chair nearby. What if that was all you needed to inspire you to visit this exuberant posture during your bustling, chaotic day? This is me, being your Yoga Mama checking in on you and nudging you to get creative so that your life becomes yoga. 

And then, of course, check in with yourself before, during, and after the pose. How was/is your energy level? What was/is your train of thought? What did/do you feel in your body? This is how we go beyond just the physical aspects of the postures. It’s simple, but often easy to forget.

I hope this helps you bring some yoga pauses into your day. I know I need it. You deserve it, too, Mama:)

 

Stay tuned for this Friday’s post on the breath. Here are the August and September posts on breath to get you started, or just jump on board this Friday with a simple practice that I’ll be offering to everyone.