ॐ Panchakosha and Yoga Nidra

The Five Sheaths (Bodies) Meditation

 

Our body does not just consist of the visible physical form; we also possess other subtle sheaths. There are five “bodies” or KOSHAS, together they form PANCHAKOSHA.

These five Koshas are:

 

These layers are referred to as "bodies" and include the physical, energetic, mental, intellectual, and bliss bodies. Yoga Nidra provides a framework to experience these layers individually and allow the practitioner to rest in conscious awareness.

Exactly how the stages of Yoga Nidra correspond with each kosha and related to the stages of meditation was described by the sage Patanjali.

These stages are — Asana (poses), Pranayama (breathing exercises), Pratyahara (exclusion of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi.

Understanding the koshas is an important aspect of the yogic energetic body work, it is not something that can just be thought of theoretically; it is something that needs to be experienced, and practiced.

The koshas take us on a journey from the outside in; they teach us that there's more than the physical, that the energy flows through our bodies, and that the manifested world is in a close relationship with the unmanifested, and that actually there is no duality between them.

 

Annaymaya Kosha, The Physical Body

The physical body is correlated with the Annamaya Kosha and is directly linked to the third limb of yoga, Asana. As humans, we first and foremost experience the world through our physical bodies. This is why it is one of the first limbs of yoga, it is the starting point.

During Yoga Nidra, there is only one posture used: Savasana (corpse pose). You can use props to support yourself as you will lie there for anywhere from 20-45 minutes in a typical Yoga Nidra session.

Lie on your back.
Bring your feet wide and your hands a few inches away from your body, palms facing up and fingers relaxed.
Close your eyes and relax your whole body.
Breathe calmly while holding the pose.
If you have trouble relaxing or being still, try performing a few rounds of more intense Asana to tire the body out for complete relaxation.
Stop inner dialogue, and start witnessing.

 

Pranamaya Kosha, The Energetic Body

Here is where we begin our relationship to our life force energy, or Prana, as well as the emotional body. The energetic body is linked to Pranayama, breathing practice, and the control and expansion of life force energy.

Yoga Nidra includes conscious breath awareness and various breathing practices designed to relax the nervous system, slow the brain waves from their waking beta-state to the meditative states of alpha and theta, and finally to the deep sleep stage of delta by the end of the practice.

First, just witness the breath without changing anything. From there, various practices can be utilized, such as:

Sama vritti (equalized breath at 4 or 5 counts)
4 count inhale/8 count exhale ratio
Anuloma viloma (alternate nostril breathing)

 

Manomaya Kosha, The Mental Body

This level encompasses the next 2 stages of meditation, Pratyahara (exclusion of the senses) and Dharana (concentration), which directly correlate to the mind. This is called the Manomaya Kosha.

During Pratyahara, you withdraw your chitta, or consciousness, away from the five sense organs. This is done through the process called the rotation of consciousness. This is essentially a body scan where you focus of different body parts, and move your attention from body part to body part (head to toe) with awareness and nonattachment.

This prepares the mind for the next phase, Dharana, which means concentration, one-pointedness towards a single object, and it can only be achieved once the body, breath, and consciousness find stillness through the other practices.

 

Vijnanamaya Kosha, The Intellectual Body

Dhyana is meditation without an object, stopping of inner dialogue, void of thought, correlated with the Vijnanamaya Kosha. At this stage the true meditation begins to occur, duality begins to dissolve and the barrier between subject and object disappear. It is here that deeper understanding takes place as a result of concentrated focus.

 

Anandamaya Kosha, The Bliss Body

At this level of realization you reach early stages of Samadhi, which is correlated with the Anandamaya Kosha, the "bliss body". At the core of every being is this innate bliss, timeless stillness and absolute ecstasy of the source, oneness with everything.

In order for this to occur in Yoga Nidra, the practitioner must remain awake. This is the tricky part because the brain is used to sleeping when in the delta wave state. It takes dedicated and consistent practice to train your consciousness in this way.

 

 

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Is Yoga Nidra a hypnosis?

Some state that Yoga Nidra is not hypnotic, but in fact, dives deeper — "In terms of sleep stages and brain waves Yoga Nidra will go deeper than hypnosis."

 

 

Sankalpa

Sankalp (Sanskrit: सङ्कल्प) or sankalpa is a resolve or intention that is specifically (traditionally only) made during the practice of Yoga Nidra. Sankalpa means an intention formed by the heart and mind — a solemn vow, determination, or will. In practical terms, a sankalpa means a one-pointed resolve to focus both psychologically and philosophically on a specific goal. Sankalpa is a tool meant to refine the will, and to focus and harmonize mind and body.

A diligent guru emphasizes the significance of sankalpa. It’s like asking the higher power for a boon and therefore one has to be very careful what one wishes for. The great masters yogi teach us that "Anything in life can fail but not the sankalpa made at the beginning and at the end of Yoga Nidra". They further advise for an all comprehensive and absolute resolve. That means the resolve must be formulated as a statement of the end result you want to achieve. It must serve your ultimate purpose. And in order to work right it must be general and universal enough in order to lead to the solution of all your issues.

Sankalpa is a short phrase or sentence, clearly and concisely expressed, using the same wording each time, to bring about a positive change in one's life. Ordinarily, the word sankalpa means the resolve to do, that is, to perform to achieve an objective, as a vow or a solemn promise to oneself. Sankalpa also means concept or idea; a concept is an idea. It is the determination, or the will in the mind which precedes all actions. It is considered to be creative in character and superior to ordinary thought because it activates the body; it makes one perform a predetermined act in order to achieve a pre-set goal.

The practice of Yoga Nidra allows the sankalpa to go very deep in one’s psyche. Sankalpa is a call to awakening. It makes one able to direct consciousness through the chakras. It's like a resolution, a determination that you commit to focus on, that is then repeated so that your mind becomes receptive and may recall the instructions in your subconscious mind.

 

 

Yoga Nidra Meditative Visualizations

The Visualization process described by Swami Shivapremananda in "Yoga for Stress Relief":

"Visualize a clear blue sky, a symbol of the infinite spirit, of love and goodness, enveloping you.

Then an open field, with its light- green grass. It is your subconscious.

In the distance, dark-green woods surround it. They are your unconscious.

Imagine a gentle breeze, the universal energy, smoothing out the grass, all inner conflicts, and penetrating into the woods, ventilating the deep recesses of the unconscious, purifying and sublimating its nature.

Relax your mind, and remain detached for a while.

Now plant into your subconscious three intentions, which you can choose to suit you, such as:

 

ॐ

OM