In my experience, the most significant value Ayurveda has to offer in today’s dynamic world is its insight into the nature of life. It provides an excellent theoretical and experiential framework that can structure a profound understanding of the nature of our existence and of Creation around us.
Practically speaking, this framework also allows us to understand the Laws of Nature of this Earth and to live a more conscious, deliberate, and healthful life. What foods, drinks, lifestyles, climates, relationship, and career dynamics best suit us? Ideally our approach to life and health is holistic, and does not exclude any dimension of life - inner or outer.
Understanding is empowering. Ayurveda teaches us that the very Knowledge and Awareness of an imbalance is medicine. Why are we angry on a regular basis? What is the nature of our depression? Where is my sluggishness really coming from? This science provides a beautiful, holistic and altogether self-contained perspective on the operations of our human mechanism.
One of the most profound offerings of Ayurveda is the liberating insight into the subtle, sophisticated, and non-material structure of this incarnation that you inhabit. We find this nicely presented in the concept of the “5 Sheaths of the Soul” - or in sanskrit, the Pancha Maya Kosha. Pancha - 5, Maya - subtle or illusory, Kosha - body.
Anna Maya Kosha - physical body. Anna means food, our physical body is in fact made of food - but this body is just one layer of our existence.
Prana Maya Kosha - Prana body. Prana means life-force or life energy. This body is one of the many non-material energy bodies which channels and conducts our life force. The condition of this energy body, like all of the others, is an important assessment to make as an Ayurvedic practitioner. Ideally, Prana is free flowing throughout this Kosha.
Mano Maya Kosha - Mental body. Mano means mind, and this subtle energy body is the unfathomable dimension of our being wherein we find the innumerable activities of the mind and emotions. From the Vedic perspective emotions and thoughts are essentially the same vibrations of the mind but in different modes. It is in this energy body that we find psychological health or ill-health, happiness or misery, excitement or anxiety, motivation or anger etc.
Vigyana Maya Kosha - Knowledge body. Vigyan means knowledge. This is a level of our being wherein our intellect functions. This a higher perspective on the concept of the intellect than what we find in conventional psychological literature. This is the very subtle function of our being which has the capacity to determine the true Nature of our experience. The condition of this body determines the power of our discernment and integrity in action as it operates many mechanisms involved in the perception of Truth.
Ananda Maya Kosha - Bliss body. Ananda means bliss. Often referred to as the Causal Body, this sheath or layer of our existence is the level on which the essence of our experience permeates. The most refined frequency in our incarnations experience can produce waves of bliss in our innermost being. The Ananda Maya Kosha is said to be one of the closest koshas to our Soul.
One way to understand the technical and mechanical benefits of spiritual development is in the context of the healing, cleansing, and empowering of these subtle bodies. In truth, there are countless layers to the Koshas, countless Chakras, and countless spiritual anatomical structures to any incarnation’s existence. This Vedic perspective on the subtler dimensions of our being does indeed provide a more cosmic appreciation for the technical sophistication of our operation, and as such can inspire us to persist in our efforts towards health, healing, and higher consciousness.
Thank you
