Panchamaya Kosha Session Three

This session dealt with the MENTAL-EMOTIONAL BODY. Through various Yoga moves and breathing exercises, ending up with a Yoga Nidra rest, we looked at this part of ourselves.  This is a level deeper in our BODY/SELF than the outermost PHYSICAL BODY and then the next in ENERGY BODY.

Corinne talked about emotions, using joy and sorrow as examples, on a continuum. I have used this model of thinking about emotions for a while now so it was welcome to hear her interpretation.

As we experience and live our life, we are in constant motion back and forth on the continuum between JOY and SORROW, that is part of being human.

If we are too far to the side of JOY the emotion becomes ANXIETY. If we are too far to the side of SORROW the emotion becomes DEPRESSION.

If we accept that we are in CONSTANT motion we can try to keep a balance of our emotions.

If we feel the need to CONTROL the emotions or bring them to CENTER, we add more STRESS to the emotions. 

We can and should allow ourself to embrace and experience the emotions and to look at what they might be trying to tell us.

We can and should also allow ourself to postpone the feelings and place the emotions on hold until we are ready to take a closer look.

During this third session, we practiced feeling joy and then feeling its opposite, sadness. When Corinne suggested we feel both at the same time, I struggled and felt it could not be done. 

But then I pictured the two emotions dancing together in circles and realized that while difficult, it could be done.

Next Corinne guided us to see where on the continuum, as we switched back and forth between JOY and SORROW, we were feeling each emotion. Interesting was that I was feeling their location slide up and down, NOT left and right on a continuum. 

I felt JOY in my heart, chest, and lungs. I felt SORROW in my gut, my stomach, my bowels. As we switched back and forth I felt my focus raise and lower.

Finally, another ancient secret way of counting. This one takes you up to 12 or 24 with both hands. (By counting in a spiral you are also embracing the circle of life.) 

The handout says: "... a helpful way of keeping your attention focused on your practice ― insuring that your mind stays with the present moment rather than drifting into thoughts of the past of future."

P.S. Last week, when we began our Yoga Nidra rest, Corinne suggested we think about making an INTENTION for the practice. 

At first I was going to have it be for Gregory, who just before the session had a traumatic experience trying to take a hot water shower for the first time at Lieberman. Up until now he had been given "navy or sponge baths." 

I wanted them to try a full shower and was there to help. He panicked, became hostile, and we immediately discontinued our effort to get him into the shower. 

He calmed easily, received a sponge bath, was put into clean clothes and by fifteen minutes later was OK again.

But interestingly enough, instead of setting the INTENTION for him, I decided that Gregory was OK, being well taken care of.  

With my own recent growth and life changes regarding my body and health,  I made the reclaiming of my body and health the intention for that practice. 

Parallel to the decision I realized what an amazing spurt of emotional, mental, and physical growth I have shown over the last month of so. I was nurturing myself and that felt good.

Panchamaya Kosha Session Two

Feels good to have committed to something and to be following through. Session one provided a look at the PHYSICAL body. Session two looked at the ENERGY body.

By becoming more aware of the life force that "runs" the body, the body becomes more aware of itself.

All of our body could be likened to an energy machine that is run by the "computer" brain, nourished by the digested food, signaled and moved by the "electric" wires called the nerves.

Through breathing, one becomes more aware of the functioning of the energy, Chi, and can conscientiously raise or lower the energy level.

For example before a strenuous day, one might want to "energize" oneself. At the end of a stressful day, one might want to calm oneself down in preparation for sleep. These are the kinds of breathing activities we worked on today.

One absolutely new thing I learned amazed me. It was like the revelation of an ancient secret, only known by a few.

How many brand new adventures does one have in their life at almost 70 years old when the propensity is to think one knows everything?

What I learned was a new way of counting repetitions which also serves to help one maintain one's focus on breathing and thereby maintaining the focus on meditating.

On your left hand, place your thumb at the base of the pointing finger and as you inhale at the pace you desire slide it up to the tip of the finger making a circle.

While at the "circle" pause for the length of time you desire then as you exhale at the pace you desire slide the thumb back down to the base of the finger. This is the count of one and two.

Move the thumb to your middle finger and repeat. Count three and four. Next, ring finger, five and six. Finally pinkie finger, seven and eight.

Now repeat the process on your right hand to increase the count to 16. An added benefit of this way of counting is balancing left and right body.

Another brand new thing I learned from Corinne, was that breathing actually has four phases. I knew about breathing in and breathing out, who doesn't? I also knew about doing that slowly or quickly.

What I didn't stop to realize is that there is a transition point between the in and out, the length of which can also be regulated! So you inhale then hold on to the transition between in and out before you exhale. Next you exhale and hold on to the transition between out and in.

So many things happen when you are aware of your breathing: You become more aware of your body and therefore yourself, it helps you to keep a focus which is probably the key to mastering meditation, breathing can help energize as well as calm, there are four phases to breathing (in-transition-out-transition etc,) when paired with yoga movement it engage your entire brain both left and right hemispheres.

So now lets practice our breathing. Do so at a pace that is comfortable to you (Corinne always makes one feel comfortable with their level of ability.) Do so sitting down, or lying down, or as you execute a yoga move.

Breath in, moving your thumb to from base of pointer finger to tip of pointer finger making a circle, hold your breath as you make a circle with your thumb and your pointer finger, breath out as you slide you thumb back to the base of your pointer finger, hold your breath as you land at the base and move to the middle finger.

Etc, etc, etc