Namaste and thank you for joining me.
Today we are exploring another layer of the 5 Koshas,
The ancient yogic map of human experience.
As we move beyond body,
Breath,
And the activity of the mind,
We begin to discover a quieter place within us,
A place of clarity,
Discernment and inner knowing.
This is the Vijnamaya Kosha,
Often called the Wisdom Sheep.
It is the part of us that can observe our thoughts without becoming lost in them.
That senses truth beyond habit.
And that gently guides us toward wiser choices.
Take a comfortable breath.
Soften into this moment.
And let's begin our journey together.
Vignanamaya Kosha,
The Wisdom Sheet.
Few years ago,
A friend told me about a moment that changed her life.
She was about to send out an angry email.
You know those those kind of emails that you type fast and you have this resentment that's built up and you're so certain you're right you just want to fight back and she was ready to hit send.
But something inside her paused her hand.
She took up that.
She read the email.
And she realized that the message was more about her hurt,
More about how she was feeling than about the truth of that whole matter.
She deleted the email.
That small pause.
The inner voice of clarity.
This was not logic and neither was it emotion.
This was wisdom.
It was her Vijnanamaya Kosha speaking,
Her wisdom sheath speaking.
In yogic philosophy,
Vignanamaya Kosha is the sheath of wisdom and discernment.
It is the layer which is beyond the restless mind.
Vignana means knowledge,
Knowledge that arises from inner awareness,
Not from textbooks,
Not from opinions.
And this kosha,
It governs our intuition,
Our insight,
Our conscience.
The quiet knowing that senses truth even when logic is uncertain.
We have the Manomayakosha which is the mind sheath.
Which is responsible for the way we react,
For the way we think and the way we react.
The Vijnanamaya Kosha,
It reflects back to us.
It is the inner witness that observes our thoughts,
Our emotions,
And our actions without judgment.
And it guides us toward right understanding.
In our modern world.
The world we live in today.
We are constantly living in the mental sheath.
We are constantly living in the sheath where mind is the active player.
We have endless scrolling.
We have these decisions that we keep making.
We have all this noise that is coming in,
Noise from the media,
Noise from people's opinions.
And then we have all these comparisons happening between people among our peers,
Among our friends.
And most of the time.
.
.
Be the act without reflecting.
We know more information than ever.
We have access to and we know more information than ever.
The Neville.
But somehow we feel less gladdening.
This cool show.
Vignanamaya Kosha It invites us to move from information to insight.
Followed by the action.
Do the flexion.
It is what?
It is what helps us pause before speaking.
Question our assumptions and choose wisely instead of automatically.
So you can think of how Vijnanamaya Kosha works.
The mind says I'm angry.
The Wisdom Sheet It says,
So what's beneath this angle?
Or the mind says I should do more.
The wisdom sheath that whispers,
Or maybe you need rest.
So when the Vijnanamaya Kosha is clear,
When the Vijnanamaya Kosha is active,
We feel calm confidence even amid uncertainty.
We feel that sense of inner alignment.
Our decisions they feel right.
They don't feel forced.
And intuitive understanding,
We experience intuitive understanding that goes beyond logic.
When it is clouded.
We experience self-doubt,
Confusion,
Overthinking.
We experience emotional turbulence which is disguised as intellectual.
We also have difficulty distinguishing truth from fear.
So how do I nurture the wisdom sheath?
How do I nurture Vijnanamaya Kosha?
Firstly,
Yoga Nidra is one of the practices,
Meditation and stillness.
Because wisdom arises in silence.
You spend a few moments,
A few minutes,
Observing your thoughts,
Like clouds passing in the sky.
This helps you to access the witness who is doing the observing.
Dendes Swader.
Which is self-study.
Reflecting on our reactions,
Reflecting on our behaviors,
Reflecting on our choices.
Asking yourself,
What can I learn from this?
The experiences that take place to us during the day,
Whether it's a positive experience,
Whether it is a negative experience.
Asking ourselves,
What can we learn from this?
What's the lesson here?
And then there's journaling or studying sacred texts,
Studying them with contemplation.
This nourishes our discernment.
Then there's mindful decision making.
Before you make a big choice.
Pause.
Feel the body.
Because the body has a way of sending us signals.
Feel the body.
Feel young for that.
Ask yourself whether this decision feels expansive or whether it's feeling contracted.
This Kosha,
The Vijnanamaya Kosha,
It speaks more true felt sense than true thought.
And then there's satsang and deflection.
Surrounding yourself with wise company,
Whether it's people,
Whether it's books,
Whether it's teachers.
Surrounding yourself with wise company,
Where you get elevated in your perspective.
Because wisdom ripens in good company.
Some examples.
You're scrolling late at night.
You're mindlessly scrolling.
And a quiet voice says,
Enough.
You listen to that voice.
That's it.
The Wisdom Sheet.
When you're in an argument.
Mid sentence you sense the energy dropping.
You choose silence instead of winning the fight.
That's wisdom.
You are chasing every task,
Every goal.
And then something inside you says,
What am I really seeking?
That is your wisdom awakening.
And this sheath,
It doesn't simply reject logic.
It refines it.
It helps the mind become a tool rather than a master.
So imagine standing at a busy crossroad.
Cars honking,
People shouting.
Lights flashing.
That's the mind.
You're standing at a busy crossroad,
The cars honking,
The people shouting,
The lights flashing.
That's the mind,
How it works.
And now imagine you step onto a quiet hill that is overlooking the same city,
That's overlooking the same crossroads.
And from that higher view,
Everything is visible.
But it looks so peaceful.
And that hilltop.
That is your Vijnanamaya Kosha.
That is your vantage point of awareness.
So something simple that you can do during the day.
A simple tree step pause during the day.
Stop.
When you feel reactive,
Rushed or uncertain.
Just stop.
Breathe.
Three slow breaths to centre yourself.
And then listen.
What does your inner wisdom say beneath the noise?
And sometimes wisdom doesn't give answers.
It gives clarity of space.
So this Kosha,
This sheet,
The Vijnanamaya Kosha,
It is the voice of that quiet truth which is within you.
It is a compass that always points towards harmony.
When we nurture the We move from reacting to responding,
From thinking to knowing.
From chaos to clarity.
So as you move through your day,
As you move through your week,
As you move through your month,
As you move through your life,
Remember.
Information fills the mind.
But the flexion awakens the soul.
Your wisdom sheep.
Your Vijnanamaya Kosha is always there.
It's waiting for silence?
It's waiting for bread.
And it's waiting for you to listen.
Thank you for listening.
As we come to the end of this reflection.
Take a moment to notice what has resonated with you today.
These teachings are not simply ideas to understand.
They are invitations to experience yourself more deeply.
If you're continuing with the accompanying Yoga Nidra practice,
You'll now have the opportunity to move beyond understanding and into direct experience.
Thank you for sharing this time with me.
Until we meet again.
May you move through life with greater awareness,
Compassion and peace.
Namaste.
