Are You Stuck In A Kosha?

In our own personal evolution, we all get stuck somewhere. Some of us cling to our yoga mats like lifeboats, convinced that if we just nail that next posture, enlightenment will follow. Others spend years unpacking childhood memories in therapy, circling endlessly through the mind’s terrain. And then there are the meditators — determined to sit every single day even when the practice starts feeling more like punishment than presence.

Each of these patterns points to a kind of imbalance — a getting “stuck” in one of the koshas, or layers of our being. The yogic model of the self describes five of these layers and offers practices for each:

• Annamaya Kosha — the physical body - movement and poses

• Pranamaya Kosha — the energetic body - breathing

• Manomaya Kosha — the mental/emotional body - chanting and inspiring text

• Vijnanamaya Kosha — the wisdom/intuitive body - meditation

• Anandamaya Kosha — the bliss body - ritual and surrender

Ideally, these koshas interweave and inform one another if we have a balanced approach to healing and growth. Unfortunately, however, when we have success in one of these koshas, we often forget about the other ones. Sometimes, we don't even know about the other ones. And despite making progress, we end up in a rut, never evolving.

Here are some signs you might be stuck in one kosha or another:

• You’ve mastered 100 yoga poses, but resist sitting still for five minutes.

• You’ve turned nervous system regulation into another self-improvement project.

• You're totally a yoga person, but you're still angry/anxious/depressed all the time.

• You treat awakening like a degree to earn.

• You feel “above” the world’s messiness.

Does this sound like you? Is your yoga practice not very well-rounded? A yoga therapist can help you discover practices that get at the core of your needs as an individual. Set up an appointment today and discover what might be missing from your yogic journey.