A meditation to move your awareness through the subtle layers of self,
Your koshas,
Beginning on the outer layer and working our way in.
Find a lifted seat against the wall.
Sit straight without straining and feel the heaviness of your bones.
Settle your hands comfortably.
Exhale evenly,
Feeling the lower body descend and the heart and ribs expand.
Exhale fully as the chest,
The belly,
And the heart descend and the spine stays straight.
Close your eyes or fix your gaze.
Bring your awareness to your head,
Shoulders,
Chest and waist,
Back,
Abdomen,
Arms and legs,
Your physical body,
The anamaya kosha.
Feel the density of each part.
Feel and breathe and relax.
Maybe move a bit if you want.
Feel the intricate function of each part,
Your skin,
Muscles,
Sense of touch,
Smell,
Your heart beating,
Your lungs moving,
Your digestive system,
The taste on your tongue,
Your shoulders,
Collarbone,
Neck,
Jaw and brow,
Softly relaxing.
Bring your attention to the point between your nostrils and feel yourself breathe.
Find some stillness and see if you can feel the energy that permeates the physical body.
Breathe deeply,
Slowly and smoothly.
Feel all the channels that this energy flows through and bring balance to your breath,
Making it a bit stronger than normal.
Become aware of how your breath is making your heart,
Lungs,
Stomach and brain function.
It is the force behind the movement,
The pranamaya kosha.
Bring balance to the top and bottom of your torso,
To the right and left sides,
And to the front and back of the body.
Even sensation and awareness in these areas.
Find the divine here at the depth of your breath.
Move your attention to the center of your brain.
Acknowledge any mental chatter in this moment.
The manamaya kosha can feel like a swarm of thought and feeling,
Constantly changing and moving,
Sometimes more inflamed,
Sometimes more still.
Take a moment to withdraw from any distracting thought or sensation or message that your brain is providing.
Notice if this layer feels energized or exhausted.
Say hello to your swarm,
Your mental energy today,
And use your breath to settle it down,
Soothing with the breath,
Washing that mental energy up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
Let your breath be loving,
Restful,
And provide some relief for the exhaustion of mental chatter,
Up and down.
Deepen and cleanse with each breath as things gradually quiet.
As we quiet,
We feel what is contained beneath and start to sense not just what we think,
But what we know.
Lift your awareness higher in this goal now to the place that made the decision to participate today and is helping you to complete this exercise.
Recognize the value of expanding your self-awareness and let go of any judgment of yourself,
This exercise,
Or your reaction to it.
Find ujjayi breath,
Gently constricting the back of your throat as if you were fogging up a mirror and make your inhale and exhale a little louder.
Take long,
Loud breaths in and out as fullness.
As we move into our wisdom kosha,
We realize that we can think anything and there is a steady unwavering,
A dense knowing.
Your belief resides in this dense space.
Breathe here.
This is also the spot where misconceptions of self or what you deserve can reside.
Breathe room into this heavy space,
Room to shift and grow.
Don't try to fix anything,
Just breathe into the deep body of your conviction.
Let there be space here,
Anywhere where you're not sure.
Breathe in wisdom as mystery.
Feel the dense space of your wisdom,
Your vijnanamaya kosha open.
Let it be more observant.
Let it witness and allow it to become the container for the experience of soul.
Center your awareness in the heart.
Breathe smoothly and evenly.
Take as much time as you need.
Breathe in and out through all the subtle layers of yourself.
At the center of the vijnanamaya kosha,
Find the covering made of bliss.
In Sanskrit,
This is the kosha that covers and is closest to the soul.
Ecstasy comes from the soul itself.
This untouchable place between you and the divine.
It is always present,
Not dependent on anything external.
When you see something beautiful,
You take it in through your eyes,
But you may also notice that union is experienced through your whole being.
Recall a moment of deep joy and sense the inner radiance of that memory in your spirit,
Free from your body and mind.
From that freedom,
There is bliss,
Ananda.
Invite the glow,
The warmth into your whole being.
Keep moving into this spot,
The source inside the ananda,
This place of soul,
Your true self,
Ecstasy without cause.
Pull back from this soul spot and experience once again the shimmering,
Dancing electricity of the ananda kosha.
At the center of the breath,
Notice a deep inner radiance.
Become aware of whatever it feels like to you with no sense of lack,
Fear,
Or desire.
Notice and stay with yourself here,
Staying with your awareness.
Be restful here for the next few breaths.
When you're ready,
Return your attention to your breath.
Take a big inhale,
Slow,
Smooth,
And even.
Exhale fully,
Evenly.
Breathe energy from the soles of your feet to the top of your head to the palms of your hands.
If you would like,
Bring some gentle movement to the body,
Blink your eyes open,
And take a few minutes to absorb the experience.
If you wish,
Jot down a few thoughts.
The goal of this kind of kosha focus and meditation is to bring all five layers into a surrendered and trusting balance.
Much of the time,
We notice the first three layers with some awareness.
When we also notice the fourth and fifth layer,
We have a deeper awareness of all five.
With this realization,
We start to throw off the false self.
When we are living from our true self,
We are not afraid.
We are not offended.
We are present and loving,
Giving,
Firm,
And balanced.
