•Day 7• The Annamaya Kosha

•Day 7 of 365•
The Skin You Wear or Taking Off The First Coat
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We spoke a few days ago about the concept of embodiment. In order for something to be embodied there must first be something to take on this representation which is the soul, the unchanged, the divine, the Self, the Atman. This is your light. In order to uncover who we really are we must methodically disillusion each of the Mayakoshas, the first of which being: The Body.
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Anna means "foodstuffs" or "organic matter" (water, proteins, DNA, etc. which make up the physical body), Maya means "illusory" and Kosha means "house" or "sheath". Together the meaning is "the illusory sheath of the physical body that appears to separate us from the whole.”
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Although the body must be maintained in nourishment and wellness for life to exist, living only through this layer limits the potential of a human being. Identifying only with the skin, flesh, fat, and bones will eventually illuminate how those gifts of the physical shell - beauty, perceived ability, and outward success - cannot lead to enduring happiness. The body is impermanent. As the body is made from food it will inevitably go back into the cycle of food upon death, and without development of the other koshas what is left is an empty shell.

Wisdom helps us discern the Self beneath appearances to realize the Atman is always there. With Yoga Asana the body can be purified allowing the internal light to shine and overall health can increase; the benefits are plenty. But the development of the Annamaya Kosha must be in service of developing profound insight of the Atman if true happiness is to be experienced.

How do you connect to your physical shell, and in what ways does it serve or act as a barrier to who you are?
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The next time you are in a yoga class, going on a date, or looking at yourself in the mirror take a moment to look at your Annamaya Kosha with this new understanding, perhaps for the first time, and know that you are more than what they eyes can see.
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Nourishment: Food, organic matter
Element: Earth
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#LifeLikeAYogi #YFL365 #annamayakosha#foodstuffs #asana #selfcare #Atman