KOSHAS nadis gunas granthis

Question 1

Waht are the Koshas

Answer 1

KOSHAS

According to the Taittirya Updanisa, there are five layers, sheaths of koshas to our seemingly individual existence. Prana, life force or kosmic energy moves between all of the five layers and always keeps them connected.

Annamaya Kosha – our physical/material body. Comprises and fuelled by the food we eat. Earth Element.

Pranamaya Kosha – which is our astral body. Surrounds the physical body that flows around it as energy. Water element.

Manomayama Kosha – which is our mental body. Consists of the thinking mind and emotions. Fire Element.

Vigyanamaya Kosha – which is our higher overmind. Home of inner knowing and wisdom. Air Element.

Anandamaya Kosha – the blissful sheath. Ether/Space element.

Question 2

what are the gunas

Answer 2

Gunas

The Bhagavad Gita, and Patanjali’s sutras present the three gunas as the basis of the universe.

RAJAS. Energy. Have you ever been on the go from morning to night, then can’t switch of. This is Rajas.

TAMAS. When you can’t get up from sleep, feel unmotivated and drag yourself through the day. This is Tamas, intertia, lethargy.

SATTVA. Harmony. A day when tranquillity prevails, when you feel calm and clear, in the flow.
All objects in the universe consist a combination of the Gunas. Understanding the Gunas provides opportunities for spiritual enquiry and personal development. On a practical level, the gunas reflect states of mind that manifest as moods and behaviours. Through awareness and discrimination we have the possibility to become a master of their fluctuations.

Question 3

what are the granthis

Answer 3

Granthis

The Sanskrit word granthi means “knot” or “doubt” and also means “an especially difficult knot to untie.”
Granthi prevent prana from moving freely up sushumna nadi. Granthi bind the soul; they lock us to our misperception of reality (avidya) and self (asmita). They hold us to our preferences (raga and dvesha) and root us in fear of death (abhinivesha). Knowledge (jnana) is a key component to transcend fear, and together with action (karma) they give wings to our spiritual desires – the rise of Kundalini.

Brahma Granthi is located at the base of the spine between Muladhara Chakra and Svadhisthana Chakra where primitive brain functioning like the “fight or flight reflexes” guarantee survival. Fear of death, anxiety about food, shelter or clothing, or general lack of grounding, all manifest as Brahma Granthi. When you experience fear in an asana like handstand or split, and the fear itself prevents success, this is Brahma Granthi. Lack of spare time can be part of this knot. When your bills and rent payment keep you at work and away from yoga, that is Brahma Granthi.

Vishnu Granthiknots energy betweenManipura ChakraandAnahata Chakra. ThisGranthiis a knot of individual ego and power. Our clinging to ego, self-cherishing and the quest for personal power can slow spiritual success. Fear of being ignored or of loosing prestige may plague our spiritual growth. This is a knot of power and manipulation, but it is also the knot of accumulation. Accumulation of power, possessions, and fame, all tie us to this level of consciousness. In order to transcend this level of consciousness we must “give up the love of power, for the power of love!” The degree of vulnerability that we show in life – the ability to put our façade aside and challenge our own status quo, untiesVishnu Granthi.

Rudra granthi is knotted between the Anahata and Ajña chakras. The attractiveness of heart centered action and the experience of serving others can distract the yogi who desires to “Be Love” – not just experience it. Serving others is a completely satisfactory way to spend your life, but this service could become your cross to bear, where you hold resentment against others, and view them as lesser beings. We must strive to transcend otherness and experience the “oneness of being” in the highest levels of consciousness, and then complete the circle by bringing that consciousness into our compassionate actions. When we are free from the illusion of otherness our actions emerge spontaneously from Love. Jalandhara Bandha enables this leap of consciousness.

Question 4

Waht are teh nadis

Answer 4

NADIS

Nadis are energy channels that do not have a physical component. For practicality we can think of the nadis as electrical patterns of the nervous system, but not the structure, however this is still not an entirely accurate description as they function at a level more subtle than this.

An awareness of the three nadis is satisfactory for another way of understanding how to achieve energetic balance.

IDA (left) and Pingala (right) Nadis.
Ida is the left channel, denoted by left side breathing and right hemisphere brain activity.

Pingala is the right channel, denoted by right side breathing and left hemisphere brain activity.

Sushumana Nadi
Sushuma Nadi is the balance of these two nadis. Sushuma is the central channel for Kundalini to rise through the chakras to generate awakening.