Human body is the most sophisticated piece of machinery on this planet. The very source of creation is functioning within you, which is way beyond the logical mind.
When we talk about us, what do we really mean by us? What do you mean by 'me'? You might think "me" means my body and my mind. But our Ancient texts suggest beyond that.
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| Patanjali's Yoga Sutra |
Yoga and Patanjalic text tell us that we are actually composed of five sheaths, or layers, or simply-bodies. It leads us from the gross to the subtlest levels of reality.
Kosha means "sheath" in Sanskrit. In Yoga, the term is used to describe metaphorical layers within the human body. This meaning comes from the ancient Hindu texts called the Upanishads.
We are made of these 5 Koshas:
The second layer is the Manomaya Kosha, or the mental body. Today, doctors are talking a great deal about psychosomatic ailments. This means that what happens in the mind affects what happens in the body. This is because what you call "mind" is not just the brain. It is not located in any single part of the body. Instead, every cell has its own intelligence, so here is an entire mental body, an entire anatomy of the mind.
Whatever happens in the mental body happens in the physical body, and in turn whatever happens in the physical body happens in the body.
The physical and mental bodies are like your hardware and software. Hardware and software cannot do anything unless you plug into quality power. So, the third layer of the self is the Pranamaya Kosha, or the energy body.
If you keep this Kosha, or the energy body in perfect balance, there will be no disease in your physical or mental bodies. Today there is scientific evidence to show that the impact of genetic memory on the human being is not absolute. Except the fundamental aspects of the DNA, everything can be changed including the genetic trends of susceptibility to ailments. Infectious diseases happen because of external organisms, but chronic diseases are manufactured daily by human beings. When your energy body is in full vibrancy and proper balance, chronic diseases cannot exist in the body.
These three dimensions are essentially physical in nature, though each is more subtle than the preceding one. It is like a lightbulb, electricity, and light - all these are physical. One you can hold in your hand; the other you can feel; and the third takes a sensitive receptor, like the eye, to experience. But they are essentially physical which is why you can experience them through your sense organs.
However, there is a fourth layer called Vignanamaya Kosha, or the etheric body.
This kosha is comprised of your wisdom, intuition, and perception. Meditation is also the key to this layer. Gnana means "knowledge."Vishesh Gnana means "extraordinary knowledge"- that which is beyond the sense perceptions. This is a transient state. It is neither physical nor non-physical. It is like a link between the two.
5. ANANDA-MAYA KOSHA
The fifth sheath, the Anandamaya Kosha, which is beyond the physical entirely. Ananda means "bliss." It has nothing to do with the physical realms of life. A dimension that is beyond the physical cannot be described or even defined. When a person touches this dimension beyond definition, the impact of time and space is obliterated. This accounts for the many stories of yogis sitting unmoving for incredibly long periods of time. This is possible not because of physical endurance, but because in these states, they are no available to the process of time. They have touched a dimension beyond all the contradictions of here and there, now and then; a limitless ocean of emptiness where there is neither bondage nor freedom- an existence beyond existence.
"Inward is not a direction, it's a dimension."
Sources: Sadhguru
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