Conscious Being

The Kosha model starts at the outermost level from the Anna-maya Kosha, which is the most obvious material level, to the Ānanda-maya Kosha which is the most subtle.

These levels could be viewed like:

• Russian dolls stacked one within another, or 

• like layers of a (sweet!) onion, but 

• in actuality they all refer to the same thing - a unitary Conscious Being revealed at increasingly subtler levels of perception.

A simple Example

Also we give correspondences to how this experiencing is happening in the Psychic OS model.

Let's say:

• we need to move our hand - the actual movement occurs in Anna-maya-Kosha, the material body.

  • initially it's a purely physical experience, so no correspondence to the psyche

  • so just What is it that's being done, factually ?

• the energy to move the hand - it flows from the Prāna-maya-Kosha, the energy body

  • corresponds to the Indriyas and the psychic probes

  • How are we doing this ?

• the thought to initiate action - occurs in the Mano-maya-Kosha, mental body

  • corresponds to Manas

  • When/Where are we doing this ? Bounded by Time/Space.

• determining if this is the right action - a choice made in Vijnyana-maya-Kosha, Knowledge body

  • corresponds to Buddhi

  • Why are we doing this ? The bigger picture.

• the satisfaction of doing this - occurs in Ānanda-maya-Kosha 

  • corresponds to the level of Purusha 

All of this is the total experience happening.

This is describing only a simple action but when we scale it up to the level of a Yoga story, then the experience of consciousness becomes evolutionary.

Maya

The word maya means being made of, in this case, the particular psycho-material substance of that particular Kosha.

That is, each Kosha is made of its constituent psycho-materials.

These psycho-materials, could relate to qualia in consciousness literature, enable the Conscious Being to experience the world.

Incidentally, Maya is not the same as Māyā that refers to the energy that makes stuff, so Maya is what we get when Māyā has her way, in a seemingly illusory way.

Annamaya Kosha - material body

Our material body that we sense at the physical level, is the most obvious characterization of who we are, and it's actually the physical container for the whole Mind.

In the beginning it all just feels like solid physical atoms, and is the most dense layer, so hardly worthy it seems of giving it so much importance.

But the Annam of which it is made, we will see, actually becomes pure consciousness.

Since we may not yet be fully conscious, Annam at its purest level is hard to detect, so it has to be generated.

Thanks to Biology, we are all gifted with a little bit of personal Annam, and then through Yoga practice, as we go through the subtle Kosha layers outlined in these stories, we keep increasing the level of Annam so we become increasingly Conscious Beings, to the level of the Purusha.

Prānamaya Kosha - energy body

At the next subtle level, we consider that our whole body is being energized by the life force of Prāna.

In the context of the storytelling model, by deep contemplation on characters in our psyche, we imbue Prāna in these characters, such that we have a distinct sense they have come alive within us.

Observing these feelings in the energy body in Yoga practice engages a fundamental neuropsychological process known as interoception, kind of like a subtle sixth sense to feel what is happening internally.

We are playing here with both the nervous & endocrine systems from the perspective of Yoga psychology.

Prāna Vāyu energies

There are considered five main types of Prāna Vāyu life forces, each with a different quality, that course through the body-mind complex.

• Prāna Vāyu- the main one,  incoming & uplifting

• Apāna Vāyu - the main counter, outgoing & descending

• Vyāna Vāyu - all circulating

• Udāna Vāyu - ascending in the head to the top, for the key evolutionary jump

• Samāna Vāyu - the abdominal circulating, for the digestive fire

When Prāna leaves the body finally, usually through the Apāna, is death.

There are also considered to be five minor Prānas, like sneezing, itching, etc. - generally, any feeling of energy movement in the body, noticing them so as to cultivate sensitivity in the nervous system.

Nādi network

Prāna, meaning all types of them, flows through psychic Energy channels like a psychic Intranet, called the नाड़ी Nādi network.

There are supposedly 72,000 Nādis, and 72,000 = 2^3 * 3^2 * 10^3 indicates a combination of 

• elements of duality, 

• elements of trinity, and

• spanning three dimensions of existence, which is our immediately experienceable world,

these get engaged as needed in our practice when confronted with any of these challenges.

Nādis can transport our awareness to any part of our Mindful Body at will, of which 3 are most significant:

• Ida Nādi - Intentional Mind

इड Ida Nādi, predominant on one side of the body, is the seat of subtle Intentional processes and thus considered translucent in color, willing to coexist with other Thought forms - useful to flower without conflict but too pliant by itself.

• Pingala Nādi - Purposeful Mind

पिंगळ Pingala Nādi, on the other side of the body, is the seat of determined Purposeful processes, and thus considered red in color, unwilling to give ground easily to other Thought forms - useful to push through in necessary situations but disruptive when not integrated with ida.

• Sushumna Nādi - Balanced Mind

The सुषुम्न Sushumna Nādi: along the central spine and through the head, is the central channel, through which our Prāna flows when we harmoniously balance our Ida & Pingala Nādis.

Chakra hubs

Our चक्र Chakra centers are Nādi interconnection points, primarily of the Ida & Pingala Nādis, which in their confluence form whirling psychic Intranet hubs that define aspects of our personality.

When we say that a particular Chakra is “stuck” we mean that the Prāna in that aspect of our personality is not flowing freely - this is when Rākshasas and Asuras form.

Conversely when a Chakra is “aligned” we mean that that aspect of our personality is expressing itself properly - this is conducive to the formation of Devas.

Chakra centers are actually available all over the body, wherever we choose to place our attention, although different systems have evolved. 

In Tāntra derived practices 

we get Rākshasas, and Devas of course, and the focus is on the 7 chakras along the spine, our Mindful Body having feelings that help us localize what we are experiencing, so we can process any situation using the whole mind-body container.

We first see the lower five Chakras, each associated with the 5 psycho-material substances, and thus their correspondences to the 5 psychic probes of the Psychic OS.

Mūlādhāra Chakra

• मूलाधार Mūlādhāra at the base of the spine, 

• influenced by Prithvi, the Earth element,

  1. • thus, corresponds to Gandha, smell

• lurking around in the subterranean caverns of our psyche are raw reptilian energies,

• mastery over base emotions like fear, survival, hunger, thirst, sleep, leads to grounding us firmly,

• but when out of control makes us unable to hold any sense of direction.

Svādhishthāna Chakra

• स्वाधिष्ठान Svādhishthāna in the lower abdominal region,

• influenced by Āpa, the Water element,

  • • thus, corresponds to Rasa, essence 

• splashing around in its waters are the most sensual of अप्सर Apsara beings, distracting us from our practice, similar to Grecian sailors like Odysseus entranced,

• giving us mastery over cravings like sex, or other addictions,

• but when sexually violated our core sense of bodily Self (Sva) is damaged and makes it difficult to relate properly with other bodily Beings.

Manipura Chakra

• मणिपुर Manipura around the navel region, in the solar plexus,

• influenced by Agni, the Fire element,  

thus corresponds to Rupa, form

• dancing in its flames are divine Beings that promise and can deliver anything to us,

• giving us the energy to accomplish our earthly purpose,

• but when de-energized we just don’t have the get-up-and-go to get up and go get things done.

Anāhata Chakra

• अनाहत Anāhata around the heart region,

• influenced by Vāyu, the Wind element,

  • • thus corresponds Sparsha, touch (interestingly Anāhata means the unstruck sound)

• caressing us in its breezes are the pristine qualities of Love,

• giving us mastery over relationships, 

• but when the Love is conditioned binds us with silken fetters and makes us unable to ever see the Truth. 

Vishuddhi Chakra

• विशुद्धि Vishuddhi in the throat region

• influenced by आकाश Ākāsh, the Space element,

  • • thus corresponds to the Shabda, sound

• resounding in its depths are fundamental vibrations of the Universe,

• giving us mastery over inspiring speech,

• but when blocked by the poisons that arise in any Yajnya it is only Shiva the ultimate energy transformer known as the blue-throated नीलकण्ठ Neelakantha who can purify us.

The remaining two transcendental Chakras are beyond material substances and embody a different dimension of perception altogether.

The five psychic probes of Sankhya can only take us so far, the rest of the journey is purely internal.

Ājnya Chakra

This is exactly the unexplainable emergence of Novelty in the evolutionary process.

• आज्ञ Ājnya in the forehead region,

• our “Third Eye” beyond the material dimension

  • • which internally releases a psychedelic substance called Aushadhi

• activated by the indestructible seed sound ॐ Om

• showing us that psychological Time is but a mental concept, 

• consequently, that cause & effect are embedded in each other,

• therefore we cannot be judgmental of others, for we are the cause of what we experience!

Sahasrāra Chakra

This is exactly the establishment of evolutionary change.

• सहस्रार Sahasrāra slightly above the head,

• Sahasra means 1,000, and the 3 zeros simply indicate the transcending of the material dimensions to totally break all conditioning,

  1. • which creates and becomes the Annam of pure consciousness

• activated in the presence of Infinite silence.

In Vedic derived practices 

Here we get the Deva/Asura beings because Vedic model resonates inherently in the head space, and being stuck in the head is how we get ideologies, however Asuras are supposed to be in the space below the body which cannot be in the legs (no glands etc), hence it has been usually interpreted as somewhere in Australia or South America - so contrary to the Yogic model that the cosmos is within!

However, this gets sorted out totally when we do a head-stand - the Asura chakras are indeed then directly below the Deva chakras. This is corroborated by the Kalpavriksha tree of knowledge which has its roots in the skies, its branches below, and the leaves model the hymns from the Vedas.

So now, mapping chakras to the head space, would result in:

• Mūlādhāra - in the nose area, since associated with smell, and deep memories

• Svādhishthāna - in the tongue area, since associated with taste, and sexuality

• Manipura - in the eyes area, since associated with sight

• Anāhata - in the ears area, since associated with hearing

• Vishuddhi - is probably the same, in the throat.

And the Ājnya and Sahasrāra makes sense to map identical to the Tantric version.

Remember that the mind is neuroplastic and we are using the technique of plausibility to map all these psychic concepts to the nervous (& endocrine) system.

Manomaya Kosha - mental body

In as much as we saw interoception in the previous body, now begins the process of introspection.

This is the Kosha for Thought forms, and of course, our Yoga story is formed here.

Now we make a casting call and the actors have auditioned and been selected for the play of Life, that's playing out in our psyche. 

Even subtler, now our psyche starts to operate on a continual basis with the particular Yoga storyline, cast with psychic beings as characters, and a plot that has been fashioned, specifically to map to a universal story of Life.

Although we are indeed the director of this play, for we own the stage, it's critical to acknowledge that these characters have independent agency, for each to fulfill their own life purpose, each their own Sva-Dharma.

As the characters play out their roles, our storyline flowers into a full story.

It is typical to see that any Yoga story is nested/linked with other other sub-stories that explain why certain characters behave in a certain way, and there is an infinite chain of inherited & circumstantial reasons that impel their actions.

The Yoga happens, when we observe all this with the acceptance of an open Mind, without judgement, for they are actually us. 

Of course, we reiterate, although we are giving them complete agency to fulfill their script, but at the same time our actual felt condition depends on how we have cultivated our inner terrain to be sensitive to these energies, and thus the outcomes actually hinge on our personal practice.

It is key to be honest about we feel, and we could label these feeling energies in different ways, like happy/sad/fearful/bold etc., understanding that such labels are only temporary.

Space

Conscious Beings operate in a certain mind space with others.

There is one notion of Space in the Mind which is a map used to help us navigate the physical world of objects, which we are only tangentially concerned about here.

Primarily we are looking at a mental workspace in which all of this processing happens.

Emotional

Our notion of psychological space, is called खम Kham in Sanskrit, which in turn derives the words:

• सूख SuKha - a happy space

• दुख DuKha - a sad space

We can choose to move into these spaces, or not, and it all depends on our mental conditionings. As such, since it is a choice, either of these is but temporary.

That is, we generate the emotional state we wish to have.

Incidentally, there is an advanced Hatha Yoga technique called खेचरि Khechari = 

• Khe (in the space of kham) + 

• Chari (to walk), 

which practice consists of rolling the tongue back in the head incredibly far back & up, which indicates the ability to activate whatever biochemicals internally for whatever kind of joy we are seeking! 

Since we are talking of Rāja Yoga though, this intense Khechari practice may be unnecessary, as the same effects could be engendered through meditation alone.

Psychic Space - Lokas

The Sanskrit लोक Loka and its plural लोकाः Lokāh are direct cognates of English “Location”.

The Vedic models from which this is derived also has seven Lokas.

It is easy to observe that there could be a one-to-one equivalence between a Loka and a Chakra, as a particular type of Chakra attracts a particular type of psychic Being into its hub of energy.

These locations are abodes for psychic Beings, our living mental constructs that reside at different levels of consciousness, from the most obvious ones to the most subtle.

In this model, there is seen at first 3-levels of Lokas, making it easier to discuss at the world of normal experiences :

• Bhu: an obvious material Loka - populated by Human Beings like us

• Bhuvah: a subtle Loka, populated by beings of nature, and 

• Svarga: a deva Loka, for our psychic intelligences

And next, a 4-level model we will see when we talk of the conscious universe.

Incidentally, Asuras occur in correspondingly 7-levels of Lokas "below", actually in the head space as seen earlier, and they have their own flows of fossilized life energies, and have serious societal impact.

Hence corresponding to the Vedic lokas for Devas, the same locations have Asuras when we have fossilized ideologies so typical of being stuck in the head.

This lens of looking at subtler levels helps us to understand that there are always causes within causes, thus not getting immediately judgemental about situations.

A popular chant in Yoga classes at their end is:

लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु 

Lokāh Samasthāh Sukhino Bhavanthu

This means “may all (beings) in all worlds be in a good space (happy)”

What this really means is that all the psychic Beings within our psyche should all feel fulfilled and thus at peace, such as:

• Devas, that their psychic intelligence has been thoroughly instilled within us, and not abused for their powers in that we should not get addicted to them and be willing to give them Moksha at all times,

• Rākshasas, that the root of their cravings have been recognized as stemming from our own past Karma - yes, we take full responsibility for the cause and solution of our sufferings, that they transform into Devas, and

• Asuras, that the seeds of their ideological propaganda exist in some form to keep us aware of the larger machine-like forces but they no longer control our Natural intelligence - yes, we take full responsibility for the societal ills that surround us too.

Physical Time

There is indeed physical time, which moves in linear fashion, one-way into the future - at least that’s what current Physics accepts, until we possibly tap into Faster-than-Light particles then the future state of the Universe can communicate with us in the present - but that state of Physics is still in the future - so to speak!

Physical Time is established by the Earth revolving around its Sun once a year, and this Sun itself revolving around the center of the Milky Way galaxy which occurs in very long time scales.

But this is different from psychological Time, from the perspective of Yoga.

Psychological Time

काल Kāla, from which incidentally comes the word Calendar, is the Sanskrit word for Time which can move backwards as we extract memories of the Past, or move forward as we project ideas into the Future.

Kāla also is cyclical in the sense that old patterns force us into continued movements of Thought in the same mould. 

Because Kāla repeats, and can move back/forward is how we can understand rebirth, and also that anyone we encounter is actually a reflection of our own self, in a different lifetime.

When we are able to still the Mind in the ever-present Now moment, then we get the psychic evolutionary jump.

Vijnyānamaya Kosha - knowledge body

A deep internalization of these characters lets us have a conversation with them at a subtle level, not necessarily verbally which could seem to border on madness, but in some deep way there is an actual communication beyond the level of conscious Thought, thus truly listening to an inner voice.

When we absorb the lessons from these idealized characters, understanding that the storyline is actually our own life story in action, it creates a deep knowledge base, not of mere facts, but of what is the essence of who we are in the play of Life.

Then we are able to engage the discriminative faculty of our Buddhi properly.

Ānandamaya Kosha - bliss body

Annam started off as simply food for the Being, but now we will see it as actually consciousness and is what eventually makes up the Koshas.

These Koshas of consciousness are instilled to evolve from the coarsest to its subtlest expression :

A meditation practice that internalizes this model results in the creation of psychedelic substance in the brain called Aushadhi, loosely translated as medicine, where Ausha derives the English ash because ancient preparation techniques involved reducing many herbal plants into ash form.

The aushadhi drips within, courtesy of the Ājnya Chakra.

Finally this results in the creation of Annam, and the flowering of the Sahasrara Chakra.

This is the substance that makes up the Conscious Being - the Purusha to be aware of its true nature.

Annam is described in detail in the Taittiriya Upanishad, where: 

• it is considered pervasive in the Universe 

• we are enjoined to never abuse it, never turn it down (because it is how we make the nervous system sensitive)

• to keep spreading it

Now when we head from these ethereal planes back to the most dense material plane of the Anna-maya-Kosha we find it transformed completely because all these Kosha-bodies pervade each other, and we realize that we actually are a Conscious Being. 

The consciousness that is much debated nowadays is in fact Annam itself, when it is thus transformed.

At this point, Annam is not just food for the body but refers more so food for the Conscious Being.

We are at our most heartfelt since everything has dissolved in wave of Annam.

At the most subtle level, we are now living in a state where our entire Being is filled with Consciousness, and life just flows, for we are liberated totally from all our mental fetters. 

In fact, liberated too are the characters that have populated our life, and we move beyond all stories - to just Be who we actually were meant to be in the first place.

In this process, new synapses form which increases our consciousness capability, for that is an emergent property of neuropsychology. 

Kundalini 

From a neuropsychological perspective this is where we now experience synesthesia, that is the sensory portion of our nervous system becomes so highly sensitized that they coalesce into one continuous feeling tone, so we can 'hear' colors, 'feel' energies, and so forth, and thus the famous kundalini is said to awaken. 

The infamous Kundalini rush happens when the Prāna from the base of the spine rushes up, dismantling all psychological constructs on the way, until there is an explosion of energy in the head, and the whole nervous system.

This exiting of the Prāna through the top of the head is described in the Taittiriya Upanishad as the ideal manner in which practitioners leave the body at death - whether this “death’ is momentary in the sense of the old personality, or the final one when we permanently leave the body. 

We mention this here to show the intimate connection between the ostensibly sanitized Vedantā literature and the purportedly wild aspects of Tantra.

After the Kundalini rush nothing is ever the same again, as the Mind has fully expanded into the Conscious Being.

Kundalini effect is similar to taking in psycho-active substances, except we are internally generating the same effects so the effects could be much longer-lasting.

Kundalini is pictured symbolically as a 3 and a ½ coiled serpent lying dormant before it rises, because the 3 represents the three dimensions of material existence, and the ½ represents the transcendent domain.

Sometimes advanced Yogis can transmit this Kundalini Shakti in a process called Shakti Path, which could be the result of mirror neurons or some other as yet unknown psychic mechanism.

We will soon see that this type of psycho-active biochemical rush can be equally well reproduced in a more controlled manner with the pure psychic Energy approach of Rāja Yoga.