One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Douglas Brooks :
“Out of the sky of consciousness grace descends, crosses the threshold of the body, touches the earth, only to rise again.”
The Elements
This mirrors the elements and the way that they unfold in their natural state. We begin with space, then earth, water, fire and air. There is deep order and reason to the scientific alignment of our Universe. This alignment is the boundary that holds…space and earth…consciousness and the power of consciousness. Shiva and Shakti, Anandamaya kosha and Anamaya kosha.
The Food Sheath
This brings me to the Koshas… Anandamaya, Anamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vijananmaya. Anamaya kosha being the food sheath, the Earth element. If we have problems with this sheath…the circuit is broken. We experience problems on all levels…so now what?
What is Nourishing?
Repair the damage, fix the problem…how? Through living more simply, taking better care of our earth body…evaluating what really is necessary. What is nourishing, what is important, what is food? A lot of things are considered food, but better yet…. what is cuisine? What is delicious enough for us to allow it to enter our bodies?
Prana
Our food contains prana, vital life force energy. In other words, we are what we eat, the closer we eat to the earth the more connected and grounded we become. This is the foundation, the point of entry, by aligning our physical bodies through the practice of yoga and healthy nutrition we begin to access the subtler Koshas and begin the journey toward Anandamaya Kosha….the chewy, gooey, blissful center at the core of our being.
The Tootsie Roll Center
How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center? I guess it depends….it can be a slow process, or we can chomp right in, bite down and begin breaking the barriers that hold us back from experiencing consciousness…Shiva…Anandamaya Kosha.
The Boundaries
Space, Consciousness, Shiva, Anandamaya Kosha must have Earth, Power of Consciousness, Shakti, Anamaya Kosha to complete the circuit. These are the boundaries that hold, allowing us to experience the brilliance of this human embodiment. So, in this earth body, we are the power of consciousness…we are the creative expression…we are the Shakti!
Anamaya Kosha, feed it well, love it up and remember it’s the foundation!
Megan Panchinin is now teaching the yoga she loves on her favorite beach in Costa Rica. To learn more about Megan subscribe to her updates on her personal blog at www.solalunayoga.com and you can also find her Yoga Videos onYouTube offering free information relating to yoga, nutrition, philosophy and more!
