The Five Koshas: A Meditation On The Layers Of Self

Welcome to your journey of shedding the cautious.

Before we begin take a moment to settle into stillness.

Find a quiet space free from distractions and sit or lie down comfortably somewhere your body can soften.

Allow your hands to rest easily and your eyes to close gently.

This practice is an inner unfolding and remember you're not here to become someone,

You're only here to remember what you already are.

The yogic teachings speak of the five layers that veil the self called the kashas.

These layers are not obstacles,

They're experiences each one bringing you closer to the essence that is already whole.

We will move gently through each kasha,

Body,

Breath,

Mind,

Wisdom and bliss and with each you're invited to feel,

To listen,

To notice without needing to fix or change anything.

So let your breath arrive,

Take a clearing inhale through the nose and sigh it out and let presence gather.

Take a few more deep inhales and full exhales and so we begin.

We start with the outermost layer,

Anamaya kasha,

The physical body.

This is the part of you made of matter,

Of skin and bones,

Muscle and breath that is sustained by food,

Water and sleep and changes ages and aches.

So as muscles grow and weaken,

Hair turns gray and skin wrinkles,

This body allows you to experience the world but it is not the one who experiences.

So let's begin by noticing the contact between your body and the ground.

Let your awareness gently spread across your skin and notice where there's tension,

Where there's softness.

Feel the clothes on your skin,

The air brushing across your face,

Your heartbeat against your chest and maybe if you listen closely you can hear it.

Maybe you can feel the warmth of your blood or the cold air as it enters your nostrils.

Now bring your palms to your body,

Perhaps your belly,

Your chest and let your hands rest there,

Not to adjust but simply to feel.

You might gently press or stroke your skin,

Not to change anything,

Just to remember your body is here.

This is your form,

This is the layer you wear.

Inhale,

Feel the body expand beneath your hands and exhale,

Let the weight of your body drop a little more.

And now mentally say,

This is my body but I am not only this body.

And imagine setting it aside like a garment and see what's beneath.

Now we draw inwards into Pranamaya Akasha,

The energy body.

This is subtler than flesh,

It is the vitality that animates you,

The pulsing in your fingertips,

The warmth in your chest,

The buzz behind your eyes.

It is felt more than seen,

It is the movement of life itself.

You may know it as Chi or Prana or life force.

So again bring your attention to your breath,

Feel it entering and leaving,

No need to deepen or control,

Just notice.

You might start to notice that breath is not just air,

It carries a quality,

A rhythm,

A subtle presence and as you inhale feel a gentle rising and as you exhale a soft release.

Now let yourself scan the body again,

This time not for structure but for flow.

Where does your energy feel open,

Where does it feel stuck,

Tired or dense?

Now bring your palms just a few centimeters apart,

Facing each other and without touching slowly move them closer and apart.

Can you feel the space between them,

The subtle magnetic pull?

That too is Prana.

Now breathe into the spaces where your energy feels low,

No fixing,

Just soft attention.

And then gently ask within,

If the energy changes,

Am I the energy or the one who senses its movement?

And then stay here quiet and aware for a few breaths.

This is your energy body and I imagine stepping just beyond it.

And so we turn towards the layer of thoughts,

Of emotion,

Of memory,

The Manamaya Kosha.

This is the layer that speaks without words and dreams without effort.

It includes your mental chatter,

Your inner stories,

Your felt emotions.

It reacts,

Evaluates,

Plans,

Worries,

Remembers.

So take a moment to simply watch the mind now.

Watch and listen as though you were listening at the edge of a river,

Not diving in,

Just observing.

Notice any thoughts that arise and know that you don't have to follow them,

Just let them pass through like clouds.

So what arises?

Is it a thought about today?

A memory?

A plan?

And can you see it without being it?

And if a strong emotion is present,

Name it gently.

Acknowledge what is there with no judgment.

Now ask softly within,

What happens when I stop believing every thought,

If I stop engaging and don't attach?

And for another brief moment we stay in stillness.

Thoughts may continue but you remain unmoved,

Breathing gently.

And now watch how the clouds begin to drift.

Thoughts passing,

Soft and slow,

Until only a clear blue open sky remains.

And so we enter Vijnanamaya Kosha,

The sheath of wisdom and discernment.

This is the quiet clarity beneath thought.

It is the part of you that knows but does not argue,

The higher aspect of the mind that is free from attachment,

Fear and ignorance.

It's knowing doesn't come from books but from direct seeing.

It's knowing something deeply,

Not mentally but intuitively,

It watches the mind without being entangled in it.

Let's drop into the space behind your forehead,

A soft awareness,

Calm,

Spacious and clear.

And let yourself rest in that space where you are able to observe sensations,

Flow,

Streams of thoughts,

Emotional waves,

Images,

Desires,

Like the sky watching the weather,

The silent background of all your experiences.

And notice there may still be thoughts but your awareness is not caught in them,

It simply sees.

Let yourself connect to that frequency now.

It does not shout,

It simply reveals.

And then you may ask inwardly,

What distracts me from this quiet knowing?

There's no need to answer,

Just ask and listen inwardly,

Like an instrument listening for resonance.

And now we shed this kosha by laying down a map you've been holding on tightly.

No more directions,

No more needing to know where you're going.

You step into presence,

Beyond questions,

Beyond answers.

And so we enter the innermost layer,

Ananda Mayakosha,

The sheath of bliss.

Not the bliss of pleasure or peak experiences,

But a deep contentment,

A quiet joy,

And a restful being.

This is the layer nearest to the self,

Transparent,

Formless,

Peaceful,

And untouched by the material world.

So drop beneath even thoughts,

Beneath understanding,

And feel the quiet that is already here.

Here is not something you must achieve,

Just something to recognize.

It's like a still lake,

Untouched by the wind.

And it's not about feeling good,

It's not about feeling anything,

It is about resting in being.

It's about the joy that comes not from something,

But from nothing.

And let yourself rest here now,

No need to do,

No need to understand,

Just a quiet presence and natural ease.

And now ask within,

Who is here when I stop trying to be someone,

And rest in this.

And like mist dissolving in the morning sun,

There's nothing to shed,

Only to soften,

And you let even bliss melt,

Until only pure being remains.

And beneath all these layers,

Beyond the body,

Beyond energy,

Beyond mind,

Beyond identity,

And beyond even bliss,

There's something that cannot be peeled away,

The one who witnesses it all,

The still and silent presence that never changes,

The Atman.

Again,

It's not something to become,

But something you always are,

It's always here,

Always whole.

So experience this for a moment.

And now gently,

We begin to return.

First,

Feel the bliss that surrounds you,

Anandamaya,

Still presence,

Soft and quiet joy.

And then,

Let your sense of self arise,

Vijnanamaya,

Your discernment,

Your clarity,

The one who makes meaning.

Feel the return of your thoughts,

Your feelings,

Manomaya,

Your mind,

Your emotions,

Flowing again.

And then draw in energy,

Pranamaya,

The breath,

The pulse of life,

The rhythm within you.

And finally,

Return to the body,

Anandamaya,

Your form,

Resting here,

Alive,

And held by the ground beneath you,

Safely.

Feel the breath again,

As it rises,

As it falls,

Your fingers,

Your toes,

Soft movements,

Your body movement returning.

Let yourself return slowly,

But take with you the quiet clarity of the deeper self.

The kashas are not obstacles to get rid of,

But layers to understand.

You're not a body,

You're not a breath,

You're not the thoughts,

You're not even the wisdom.

You're the one who is aware,

The one who sees,

And that self is always here.

And when you're ready,

Gently open your eyes,

Readjust to the light,

To the space you're in.

And if you wish,

Then write,

Not to analyze,

Just to remember,

And live your day remembering who you are.