Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra – Natalie Ullmann

March 1, 2026

The elements: an overview

स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः

sthūlasvarūpasūkṣmānvayārthavattvasaṃyamādbhūtajayaḥ

For some mysterious reason I am not well educated about – this sutra is sometimes listed as 3.44 and sometimes 3.45 of Patanjali Yoga Sutra.

/*One-pointed meditation upon the five forms which every element takes, produces mastery over every element. These five forms are the gross nature, the elemental form, the quality, the pervasiveness and basic purpose.*/ tr – Alice Bailey

/*By Samayama on the gross and subtle elements and on their essential nature, correlations and purpose, mastery over them is gained.*/ Satchitananda 3.45

Yoga asana develops a tremendous amount of will which unfolds into exceptional discernment. Through the discipline of our practices, learning to concentrate, to be aware in a moment and choose, we learn the potency of our choices. Yoga is fun, and we don’t want to lose that, but to be aware of the potency of true practice opens the way for us to design a practice which will be most effective to suit our purposes. Potency, wedded with intention, emerges as effectiveness and the kind of refined intelligence that is commonly called “wisdom”. The word wisdom can be connected with inspiration and upliftment. But well-done yoga results in a quality of discernment which supports a functional knowledge that transcends intellectual exercise. I have a very different day when my practice is consistent and in order than I do when my practice is chaotic. With balanced practice emerges a steady and healthy lifestyle which unfolds in personal well-being.

We continue now to explore the Sankhya chart with a discussion about the elements.

Our exploration began with the senses, which are also on the ground floor of the chart. We learned that yoga has a variety of tools to discipline the senses so we can use them effectively and come to an elevated state of consciousness as a result of doing that. In yoga, discipline and elevation are intimately connected. The senses can pull us into the confusion that envelopes the world or they can support us in our journey to rise above that confusion and live effective lives.

Sankhya Chart adapted from Vasant Lad's Chart, Illuminating the Elements — Sankhya Chart adapted from Vasant Lad’s Chart, Illuminating the Elements

The elements share the ground floor of the Sankhya chart. They bridge the external and internal worlds and through them we come to know ourselves as a part of the natural world. The flow of water and the flow of emotions, the stability of earth and our capacity to stand tall, the transformative essence of fire and our ability to turn food into our bodies and logs into warmth, the breath of air which supports the flight of birds, moves rain filled clouds and enters our bodies as life sustaining breath, and finally ether which ignites the sound of music within us and carries it across time and space to be heard by another. Ether is also associated with the womb of the universe wherein the silent Om blooms forth into the struck or heard sound of OM which then gives birth to infinite worlds again and again – Om heard millions of millenia ago and heard now.

I invite you to get started with the exploration of the elements by just noticing them around you. Earth, water, air, fire, ether. What qualities do you note about them in a variety of locations and forms? What happens when you interact with them? Which element are present often? Which don’t seem to be part of your life? Some good practices for this are: spending time with nature whether it be potted plants and urban trees – or, if you are so blessed – going out on a hike. Observing food is another elemental awareness tool. What is watery? What is fiery? What is airlike in your diet? Are there certain colors or smells, sounds or textures?

Blessings and thanks,

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December 7, 2025

Why practice ?

Classical yoga is designed as an intentional practice where the body is used as a vehicle to know ourselves, to realize ourselves in our whole true nature. This true nature is also referred to as the state of yoga, and it arises as we cease identifying with the fluctuations of the mind. When that happens….

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥ १.३ ॥

tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe’vasthānam || 1.3 ||

(3) Then the seer abides in His Own Nature /*tr. Swami Satchitanada*/

Our true nature is understood to extend beyond the limits of our physical form, and so we could think of the practices as tapping into, unlocking or accessing understanding, wisdom and creative capabilities which are beyond the firings of the neurons in our brain. This experience of the state of yoga releases the time bound functions of ourselves, of the cells of the body, revealing the brightness of the mind. This occurs without force. Alignment of the body mind spirit in practice opens the portals. When that occurs we discover potential – Our true nature or pure organic potential. It’s mystical and it’s not religious. These capacities extend beyond the individual self so there is a recovery of knowledge. There is also recovery of our connection with what we might call the universal mind and that in turn illuminates our connection to all other minds. (Sutra 4.4 personal translation) It’s also described as yoking to God – an old fashioned word for something which is still contemporary and relevant. There are many ways to parse out this experience.

As yogi’s we are invited to travel the path to these results in a very personal way.

The nature of discipline called for to achieve these ends is self-discipline. Yoga is a study in self-discipline which, as it evolves, opens into a realm of refined and elegant personal sovereignty. Like any other craft, such a discipline invites us to do a little planning, a little strategy. Yoga is not a “do your own thing kind of freedom” as much as it is a “refined structure revealing the deeper nature of personal freedom and potential” thing, and so it requires a little thought, a little work, a little investigation. And so every year as I prepare for the practice of the coming year I ask myself – why practice? Why practice in this way? Why not throw it all away and take up pickleball like everyone else?

First I tend to approach this intention setting with an understanding of what’s happening. What am I called to respond to?

The world around us is currently in overdrive. There is nothing peaceful and still about it. In the world of business in particular – globalization, technology and competitive drive has created an environment which is sharp, deceptive, requiring of constant attention and agility , adaptation and perpetual learning, and study. That what we are dealing with – if not for ourselves, for our children. How can we craft practice goals for the year within that chaotic landscape?

This is how I see it, your place in the landscape is unique, You will have your own unique constellation of chaos. But the question the practice raises remains the same. And the faith piece is discovered through practicing in unlikely landscapes. The landscape dictates the curriculum. I encourage you not to make it all about fixing the chaos, but instead, about aligning you more deeply with your heart. It requires a relinquishment of the shoulds. “I gained weight this year. I should do a hard sweaty practice. My heart responds no, actually you need to relax, rest your nervous system and go out for walks, and maybe paint some yantras…because they are fun!” The new year is an invitation to tune into your heart and listen to what it longs to do. The faith piece or shraddha is the faith that that all the different shapes of yoga are designed to support us. So we might ask – what does yoga do and how can I work it to apply it in my present circumstance? What is my central intention? And what tools in my toolkit will help me fulfill that intention?

Establishing a clear intention to pursue the bountiful rewards of yoga – that accessing of an infinite well of understanding, creativity, healing, joy, love and accomplishment- supports a swifter approach the goal. Patanjali tells us:

Yoga Sutra 1.21: Tīvra-saṃvegānām āsannaḥ

तीव्रसंवेगानामासन्नः ॥ १.२१ ॥

tīvrasaṃvegānāmāsannaḥ || 1.21 ||

/*To the keen and intent practitioner this Samadhi comes quickly.*/tr. Swami Satchitananda

/*Success is nearest to those whose efforts are intense and sincere.*/tr. Osho

Samadhi, this full consciousness of the yoga – nothing lacking, is realized most quickly when we embrace that fullness as a goal. When we know where we are going (having intent) will get us there faster. Yes, Samadhi is a meditative state to be attained, but if sustained we can be in it all the time. After all Swami Satchitananda, a renunciate, built Yogaville, Om’d at Woodstock and changed the landscape of American thought – no small feat. Osho – having attained Samadhi at an early age rocked the world with his radical upending of spiritual norms. And so did Gautama Buddha. A well-structured yoga practice supports a well constructed life. We may not become celebrities, but our impact is vast nonetheless.

So, our intentions are critical for they will contribute to the world in a bigger way than we might imagine.

Because of the subtle and vast nature of yoga, I’ve found it works best to set a subtle intention for the year, i.e. to understand peace or creation or backbending rather than to stop being angry, manifest a stack of gold and do urdhva dhanurasana. Being specific in that way can also yield quick results but the subtler intentions bring effective long term healing and transformation. For starters you may want to peruse Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, third padah, The Vibhuti Padah. This entire section of the book speaks of attainments in yoga. Used incorrectly they can be obstacles to the larger goal of samadhi, but the study of their nature will give you an idea of how yoga works. It’s a list of what you might concentrate on, and the result that comes from concentrating in that way. By focusing on an elephant, you gain the strength of an elephant and so on. An intention is no more than what you will concentrate on, invite in, seek out and look for. Maitri or friendliness, how about that for an intention!

Because yoga is affilitated with the realms beyond desire, I invite you to craft your intentions beyond desire. Consider it as the study that it is, and trust that what the practice will evoke and bring forth from you and for you will grace you with sublime understanding of that which you seek to be creating.

Scroll down for some thoughts about posts the coming year. For in depth commentary on some of the aspects of the blogposts, please sign up for the newsletter. This isn’t for marketing, ever. It’s designed to be thought provoking and inspire you to practice yoga!

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We will continue our journey through the map of the Sankhya Philosophy in the coming year, with a resurrection of the “About the body” teachings and some structured discussion on asana.

It took us a year to get through the senses. Of course it did, the sense organs are anchored into dense physical reality totally bound by the slowest vibration of earth. Slow is not bad…but we are talking the material world, very dense – which is also not bad. But as we move our way up the chart to the highest states of consciousness the subtleties of energy, mind and beyond – we become lighter, less time bound. It’s a science fiction idea, but something the human race is embracing. Time is fluid and can be our tool rather than our master. As we explored the senses we discovered means to manage them, and to purify them. These sense directed practices continue as long as we are practicing, although we may engage with them differently along the way. In January we will begin with our exploration of the elements, also materially but molecular and energetic as opposed to solid. If you have ever had acupuncture you’ve worked with your elements. And now, acupuncture is a common feature of medical practice. We are all lightening up!

January 12, 2025February 4, 2025

2024 Why Practice?

/* hello friends, my apologies – these posts somehow ended up in drafts when I thought I sent them. Call forth a study of awareness and one clearly meets their own unconsciousness!! They are best read before the new year posts. Thank you for reading!!*/

As the new year begins we will embark on a journey through a leisurely study of Sankhya philosophy as a tool to enrich our personal yoga practices. Sankhya is a philosophy rooted in India. It’s prevalent in the bhakti yogic text of the Bhagavad Gita. It’s foundational for the understanding of yoga’s sister discipline – the healing art of Ayurveda. When I attended teacher training – we had to learn it. But in practice I found it, limiting, laborious confusing, even as I understood on some deeper level that my assessment was off because I never gave it due attention.

So I’ve decided to spend time in my practice now exploring sankhya within my daily practice…and I thought you might enjoy being with me on that journey. It’s complex, and like our exploration of the koshas will unfold over months.

When working with the dimensions of the classical root teachings around yoga – I find it imperative to practice with a teaching – in order to really understand its relevance to the practice. The intellectual exercise alone is not sufficient.

For me that means not a simple one-time design of a sequence – but a dedicated period of time that I practice with it daily. A proverb from my teacher “through repetition, the magic is forced to rise”. This is true in all aspects of our practice.

Why would we want to deepen our practice by digging into the realms of philosophical thought and then trying to apply them on the mat?

Through the classical practices of yoga we yoke to the infinity of mind. From Patanjali Yoga Sutras:

तदसंख्येयवासनाभिश्चित्रमपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात् ॥ ४.२४ ॥

tadasaṃkhyeyavāsanābhiścitramapi parārthaṃ saṃhatyakāritvāt || 4.24 ||

Yoga Sutra IV.24 The mindstuff itself reflects the infinity of the mind and acts as the unifying agent of the countless individual manifestations.

As we go through practicing Sankhya we will uncover the pivotal nature of the mind stuff and the higher mind. This sutra touches on that…As we get clear – our mind will not reflect our neurosis, our insecurities or our fears. Our mind will reflect the infinite state of consciousness. At the point that it reflects that it generates a perception or union rather than division. Of “one” rather than a multitude. In that state we become super high functioning.

What does that have to do with asana? What will be revealed in an intimate way is that your physical body is intimately interconnected with the infinity of mind. Yep. Think healing on a grand scale.

What does that high functioning unified state look like?

Good meditation

Staying calm and effective while in turbulent or painful conditions.

Finding creative solutions

Inspired action and direction.

Becoming true.

Transforming the body.

I like becoming true best. In the moment of yoga when we experience union we know who we are – not just spiritually but what we are here to do physically. And to keep this out of the abstract – let’s say it clarifies purpose, it renders understanding in our lives, it opens possibilities- to experience the truth of who we are in tangible direct ways.

It’s tempting to think we know who we are. But the identity – the truth of ourselves is ever expanding, constantly changing and beyond any cultural definitions. The world will always tell us who it wants us to be. Yoga will always draw forth who we can be. With discipline, understanding and wisdom yoga reveals a pathway through which those two apparently differing identities can be yoked together and cultivated as a pathway of personal growth and mastery.

The gift of approaching a study like Sankhya is that it becomes a tool through which we can tweak and adjust and fine tune our journey into and through this kind of dynamic expanding grounded Self-expression.

In the map of Sankhya we will discover the poles of higher consciousness (simplicity) and grounded physical experience (complexity). The fulcrum between the two is the mind. So we will discover – as Patanjali shares with us in the sutra above that what occurs in the mind reaches into the experiences of the most fundamental sensory and action-based functions – and also reaches into the depth of what is often called the “Self”

We can experiment with this. Meditate for 5-10 minutes before doing your self-practice. Observe your experience on the mat from a sensory perspective with and without meditating first. And then continue that. Maybe try it for a week, and then take a week off. Listen for a rhythm of your own which helps you explore what meditation does for your asana practice. It’s not unusual to have physical breakthroughs after deepening your meditation practice. For this exercise you would probably want to consider working with a classical form of meditation like Vipassana.

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Why practice? What’s the point of incorporating the teachings from the so-called source texts.

Not relevant.

I have heard this many times as a teacher and a student. That the classical teachings are not relevant. Before we set sail on the ship of sankhya, I thought it would be helpful to consider why “Not relevant” is not the answer. For this it’s helpful to revisit the folklore around the development of hatha yoga, and turn our vision towards how a so called “sacred text” can influence our practice in a significant way – a way worth the time it takes to incorporate such study into our practice.

Hatha Yoga was said to emerge among the untouchable caste in India sometime ago. The untouchable caste was not permitted to attend or be in association with those who were performing sacred rituals. They weren’t permitted anything at all of the spirit. They weren’t permitted to honor God in any way that was known or acceptable at the time. Humans do this. They exclude.

There is a lot of power in spirituality. To know and have a relationship with “God”. People with power like to restrict access to that to a selective group. And so, in India it is said that Lord Shiva (a a God who had some physical existence as well) taught Hatha yoga to the untouchables as a form of worship that could be secret, and that they could not be prevented from performing. Note: this is very rough explanation of a very complex historical, social phenomenon. It suffices for a paragraph, but I do encourage greater study.

The point I’d like to make is that Hatha Yoga was designed to connect people with sacred truth – which is beyond our intellects, beyond our brains, beyond our imaginations. It’s only found through revelation. Hatha Yoga is an equalizer. Anyone can practice in such a way that the doors to revelation can open. The importance of lineage – if you have heard of that – is that it ensures that the practice descends from teacher to student in such as way that the sacred opening is still available. It’s not obscured. Once again, it’s very likely that there are those out these who would like those doors to relevation to be obscured or want to claim the power of the practice for themselves. But staying true to the sacred truth – the essential truth ensures that you will be moving towards the truth.

What does that have to do with sacred texts? And by that, I mean texts that have some connection to those original sources. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, The Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and so on.

By studying them yourself…it reinforces that your will move you in the direction of the truth. When we were told we had to study Sanskrit in my teacher training in 1999 – we questioned this. Isn’t it a dead language (well, I think it’s being resurrected by the worldwide yoga community)? There were a few points made in the conversation:

By reading these texts, we didn’t have to rely on anyone else’s interpretation.

Even if we didn’t study Sanskrit, we were told that we should read at least four different translations to experience the broad scope of meaning contained in the original worlds.

Sanskrit is said to be vibrational – it came into being when people were first trying to use the sounds of the voice to communicate. Because of that – the feeling behind the words can be experienced. It opens the door to a supra-verbal understanding of the human in the cosmos.

The texts open up different ways of seeing life and practice our place in the cosmos and the power that each and everyone of us has to transform ourselves and the world we live in. The study creates experiences in the mind reflective of what asana creates in the body. The body is also a reflection of what we access with the mind. They are deeply interwoven.

In practice – reading sacred texts, even in our first languages – is difficult. Because the truth contained in a true source text is so vast it’s like a holograph – it contains everything in each microscopic unit. At first we may not be able to read it at all, because on the surface no meaning comes through. As we practice – we gain clarity and the meaning of the texts becomes more accessible.

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July 26, 2024January 24, 2025

Deep Asana: Igniting the power of prana through grounding and focus

sthira-sukham-āsanam ||46||

Patanjali’s famous sutra – the posture should be steady and joyful

The process of grounding in the science of electricity clears fragmented electrical charges and releases them into the earth where the charge is absorbed, allowing the main stream of electricity to flow to its useful destination -say- igniting a light bulb. Grounding in an asana allows misdirected prana to be absorbed into the earth facilitating effective circulation of the well-directed prana. Misdirected prana is a result of our being swayed by the fluctuations of the mind (fear, desire, distraction). Combine steady focus with a stable connection to the earth and your asana becomes a powerhouse.

When pranic channels are flowing it is easier to cultivate alignment in a posture – there is less stagnancy and resistance. Good alignment is actually a sound relationship between the organic forces in the universe (Gravity, centrifugal forces, centripetal forces, wind, temperature and so on). When our inner forces (focus, prana, breath) unify with the external forces there is union, yoga and the electrical charges within and without are amped up in a harmonious fluid, balanced way. We are joined with the universe.

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The previous stages of Deep asana – where we develop our kinesthetic awareness are essential to developing mastery of energy (prana) in asana. And this, we learn from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika,is the heart of the practice. When we can master our energy we can direct the prana to travel up our main pranic circuit or nadi – the sushumna nadi – igniting various energetic structures which awaken deeper self-awareness and understanding – eventually opening into the experience of realization – where we operate consistently with a level of deep self-awareness and understanding of the forces operating around us. Wisdom. Mastery. Understanding. Empowerment.

June 10, 2024September 22, 2024

Pratiṣṭhāyāṃ: A Path to Deep Asana प्रतिष्ठायां

/* To be established in a posture is not about the first time you attain it (although that is to be deeply celebrated). It’s about accessing it – in an aligned fashion – consistently enough that you can grow your alignment within it.*/

Pratiṣṭhāyāṃ – to become established in, is a fundamental concept in yoga practice as described in Patanjali Yoga Sutra. It’s pervasive; we are guided to become established in focus, established in asana, established in meditation, established in practice, established in the experience of yoga and more. Once you are established your path is clear and unfolds quickly. Yoga does not peak with the experience of a flash of insight (although that’s a valuable thing – it’s not the heart of the practice) it’s about establishing oneself in an internal landscape where insight continuously fosters understanding. To be established in a posture is not about the first time you attain it (although that is to be deeply celebrated). It’s about accessing it – in an aligned fashion – consistently enough that you can grow your alignment within it. You are relating to the posture. Deep asana then becomes about that capacity to deepen the alignment of the posture over time. There is an eternal, never-ending quality to establishment.

/*All postures become deep postures through the practice of inhabiting them in time with greater alignment and understanding.*/

Deep asana then is relative to one’s own body – built into the practice over time and emerges with stability and ease. It’s always advisable to step back in practice when one cannot stay stable in the posture with relative ease.

A first mode of deeper alignment which unfolds in deep asana is internal – at the level of the ManomayaKosha or mind body. Presuming you have placed yourself well to begin with in a posture, discomfort is first addressed in the mind. This does not mean that sensations are ignored – on the contrary paying attention to them is awakening into the posture. But, for most of us, placing our bodies in these unusual positions is…odd. So, there is likely to be psychological discomfort and an opening up around that is very powerful.

For those with backgrounds of dance, gymnastics or similar – expectations take the place of the psychological discomfort of the novice. They are constructs in the mind that obscure new levels of awareness. For the physically experienced deep asana is an invitation to shift into a new awakening, into a different kind of bodily experience – experiencing the shape without judgement, competition or preconceived ideas about how the body should inhabit the shape. Discomforts, expectations and conquests are often mental constructs which obstruct our ability to deepen an asana in a fresh, organic and transformative way. They are subtle forms of fear and resistance. If we meet them with spaciousness we come to know and understand ourselves and the posture differently .

/*Discomforts, expectations and conquests are often mental constructs which obstruct our ability to deepen an asana in a fresh, organic and transformative way. They are subtle forms of fear and resistance.*/

Tuning in is a second mode of shifting into deep asana. Feeling the body holistically in space and time. Inner body scans, proprioceptive or kinesthetic exercises and relaxing around resistance deepen the holistic sensory experience of an asana – not once, but continually.

A third mode of establishing into deep asana is time – time in the posture and consistent practice of the posture daily, weekly, or monthly – over months, years, or decades. Doing less, more consistently will yield a deeper result than doing a lot intermittently. It’s seldom a linear process, but the intention to consistency will do much for establishing your practice. A general rule for this is that your posture should always be stable and easeful. So, find your edge at 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and so on. Work the mental resistance first. Begin to identify what your mental resistance looks like.

Example: I’ve been working a 10 minute Virasana, and 10 minute Padmasana (5 minutes each side) sequence for months now. In those postures I’d been meditating in a whole new way. A new proprioceptive awareness (my body in space) of my pelvic girdle began to emerge. This week as I take the postures for practice my mind bounces all over the place – it’s hard to get on my mat to begin with and there is no peace. Breakthrough time – time to step back a little and cultivate the stability of mind that I need, that I can reside in consistently enough to experience the breakthrough. I modify the postures slightly in consistent, strategic ways. A little extra propping, a little extra warming up. I reduce my time in them at the beginning of practice and then engage them again for a short time at the end of practice.

This kind of strategic approach to asana, while analytical, lays the ground for being your own teacher in a personal practice in an illuminated way. You may find other ways to bring strategy and discipline to your practice, but I encourage you…gently…to experiment with modes of deepening your understanding of your practice. It leads to deep healing and a different flavor of progress.

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April 4, 2024September 22, 2024

Designing an Integrated Practice using the Map of the Five Koshas

*note – there are links to previous posts about the koshas below for your reference*

Moving towards the experience of yoga will always involve a bringing together, a yoking together, an integration. After journeying through an anatomical map like the koshas, there is benefit from integrating the information into our practice. Such integration brings individuality to our practice – no two people integrate ideas into their practice the same way. Consciously integrating the koshas into your practice will create your own beautiful personal yoga mosaic –an array of harmonious proportions uniquely adapted for your life.

The classic teachings of yoga – taken holistically – are an invitation to develop skillful means. To learn through practice to rein together the forces acting within and without – to become artful and harmonious co-creators. A sustainable and integrated practice is built on working with our practices in harmonious proportions. The advantage of a sustainable practice is longevity – it stays with us our whole lives. In classical yoga practice this is ideal as it provides an enhanced relationship to our bodies and lives through times of change. The golden ratio establishes harmony and ease. It’s about a state of interrelationship which -like architecture -brings strength and stability. In sutra 2.46 of his Yoga Sutra, Patanjali calls this the stable joyful seat. (tr. The seat should be stable and joyful).

What does this have to do with the koshas? A practice designed to address each of the koshas will create a stable practice in which all dimensions of ourselves become integrated.

To do this, we can construct a chart of the practices we want to explore that will develop each of the koshas. These are practices to bring the other parts of yourself into your practice is deliberate way.

Then select practices for each kosha that you would like to develop at a given time. Then, decide how much of each is appropriate to start out with and adjust it based on your needs at a given time – maintaining the presence of all five. Examples – when I was teaching yoga full time asana was 1.5 hours a day and everything else was 5-10 minutes a day – or once a week or month. Now, my life needs less physicality and more inner peace. I meditate 45 minutes and my asana practice is sometimes only 20 minutes. You know that the practice is out of balance by your experience of the koshas. So, if I try to do 1.5 hours a day of asana right now – my mind chatter increases dramatically. If I tried to do an hour of meditation in my teaching days, I would fall asleep. Now, meditating awakens me. It’s important to note that it also needs to be in proportion to your lifestyle. When I worked in corporate America, I also needed very intense asana.

You will know you are succeeding in creating a harmonious balance if your practice is sustainable (meaning – you are able to fulfill the personal commitment you have made over time) – and you will experience the wondrous personal transformation that is the promise of yoga – and that will occur not only on your mat but also in your relationships, your work, your creativity your passion.

Introduction to the Five Sheaths

The AnamayaKosha

If you would like to explore ways to work with the physical body to integrate the koshas, my associated newsletter will be posted on my facebook page for NatalieteachesYoga. To receive future newsletters with alternate approaches to what is shared in the blog post, please sign up below. I promise you will not receive marketing emails from me. These are designed to be educational.

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January 23, 2024March 18, 2024

The Field of Mind & Yogic Anatomy: The Manomaya Kosha

“Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha” Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.2 :

The state of yoga is achieved when we cease identifying with the fluctuations of the mind.

The mind as understood in the context of yoga anatomy is distinct from the brain. The brain doesn’t determine it’s function or condition. It is part of the subtle realms of consciousness which are distinct from the five senses. Some yogic scholars identify the mind as a sixth sense. The mind field, or what is called the Manomaya Kosha in the yogic anatomy maps of the five sheaths consists of conscious, unconscious, and super conscious thoughts, beliefs, concepts and ideas — imagination, fantasy, projection, delusion and intellect. In considering this sheath as a field we step into a realm of expansion revealed through the practices of yoga: asana, meditation, observation, study. Unlike the realms of prana, or wisdom or bliss the Manomaya Kosha sits in our awareness all the time. Some of it’s functions are more easily identified than others. It interprets and defines. It assigns meaning. It governs perception. The world culture is permeated with instruction manuals for its management. Just as we can become absorbed in the experience of the body to such an extent that everything else disappears (in sicknesses, deep pleasures or pain) we can become absorbed in the mind to such an extent that we lose sight of everything else (obsessive compulsive disorder, excessive worry, pessimism, delusion, illusion, fantasy).

Becoming aware of what happens in the ManomayaKosha, when we lose ourselves in it and what we can accomplish by managing it is a key development in our yoga practices. So essential is it in the practice of yoga – that the first line of Patanjali Yoga Sutra (which heads up this blog post) references it directly. Like the food body (Anamaya Kosha) and the pranic body (Pranamaya Kosha) can be clear and healthy and flexible and strong – so can the mind body (the Manomaya Kosha).

The Manomaya Kosha sits at the juncture between what is human nature and what is spiritual nature.

There are two primary tools for working with the Manomaya Kosha in our yoga practices. The first is observation and the second is the mastery of the “seat”.

In yoga, our observation training consists of concentration on the breath, observing thoughts as they arise, consciously training to calm those fluctuations as we practice, and disciplining the body through focusing the mind. There is association between the depths of postures and the depth of clarity in the Manomaya Kosha. A deep posture being one where we are fully present (not lost in fantasy or topor or competitiveness or worry) and working deeply (relative to one’s own capacities) the tissues of the Anamayakosha (the muscles, bones organs skin – all of it – being squeezed and stretched and pressed upon.

We might work the observation piece like this:

Decide to awaken to what is in your mind
Establish a state of stepping back internally and witnessing (this can be the tough part)
Observe it objectively – meaning without getting involved – just “watch”. You will observe the arising, existing and falling away of a thought.
Keeping attention partially in the breath can facilitate the state of witnessing

The seat or connection to the earth is a foundation through which we master the mind in our asana practice. It’s not unusual for awareness of our connection to the ground to be non-existent. In all asana, and especially the classical meditative seats, there is a relationship to being grounded and experiencing a lifted spine. This lifted spine is thought to work like an antenna for higher states of wisdom. If you are fortunate enough to see a buddha statue with a pointed hat…you are seeing his antenna!

The classical seats I’d like to illuminate today are Virasana = the hero and Padmasana the lotus. I encourage you to explore both of these with physical teachers (in person) and through your own research. These postures often become accessible only after considerable yoga practice.

Virasana the hero is taken with the knees together, sitting between the heels with the sitz bones grounded. The knees together – drawing inward – create a powerful gathering and focusing of energy which supports concentration and focus – practices required for managing the mind. The focused energy also creates a stability which lifts the spine.

Padmasana – the lotus – is unique in it’s combination of deep grounding and expansiveness. The sitz bones are rooted into the earth, the knees are out to the side and the shins cross so that the soles of the feet face the sky. When the shins cross a powerful acupressure point known as SP6 – the juncture of three major “yin” channels -Liver, Kidney and Spleen is toned. Yin draws the energy inward. As with Virasana this inward energy creates a stability that lifts the spine. Any posture with knees open to the sides will create openness and spaciousness. With Padmasana we master our capacity to remain focused and steady in more and more expansive states of consciousness. Padmasana allows us to sit with the experience of enlightenment.

Want a little more “woo” in your life? No? Me neither. But yoga philosophy approached with wisdom is grounding and empowering. The philosophical elements are explored in my newsletter. I promise…it’s not a marketing email although I do suggest readings and music. You can sign up here. They are also posted simultaneously on my facebook business page – NatalieteachesYoga. Thanks for reading!

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January 10, 2024March 18, 2024

The Five Dimensions of You: The Yogic anatomy of the Koshas – The PranamayaKosha

The study of yoga and yogic anatomy is a slowly evolving process of ever deepening understanding. There is a difference between “knowing” yogic anatomy on a visceral level and memorizing the vocabulary. Why is this relevant? Self-Mastery. As we explore these different modes of viewing ourselves through yogic anatomy, we open ourselves to new depths of understanding physically, psychologically, and spiritually. We gain an illumined understanding of ourselves, our purposes and our pathway. We become wise enough to navigate subtler realms as mapped in the concept of the sheaths or koshas (Yogic Anatomy – The Five Koshas,). The sheaths or koshas are interwoven and not distinct, like oxygen and helium molecules in the air – or dimensions as mapped by mathematics and science. Experiencing them is like opening a portal to a universe similar to the one we live in “normally” but, it’s different. . One moment we feel dull and confused and then an inner portal opens and we experience elevation – organically. We access wisdom, knowledge or subtle sensations of the body – and understand our wholeness differently. Last post we explored the concept of the food body or Anamayakosha. Today I’d like to open the portal to the pranamayakosha – the pranic or breath body. It’s near and dear to all of us, and we experience it all the time. We might not be aware of it. Exploring the pranamayakosha we step into the subtle realms of yoga. It’s the first of the subtle koshas that many practitioners experience, which tells us that it’s connected the food body. It’s impact on our psychological well-being tells us that it’s connected to knowledge, wisdom and bliss as well. Just as becoming aware and awake to our physical body requires some understanding and attention, becoming aware and awake to our pranic body requires some understanding and attention too. This is why the pranamaya kosha is so important in our yoga practices – it’s where we start to explore a world beyond our usual perceptions. When the pranamaya kosha is clear – not muddied – it’s easier to experience the other bodies or sheaths with clarity.

It’s hypothesized that prana (subtle energy – like human electricity) flows through the fascia. We don’t know for sure. We can’t yet measure it; we can only observe its effects. This could change – science moves towards understanding yoga all the time.

Within the pranamayakosha, the ancient yogis discerned a vast network of tiny channels which they called the nadis There are hundreds of thousands of nadis. One portal which opens the yogi’s perceptions of the pranamayosha is the breath. Consider how breath is processed by the physical body: an invisible substance – air travels through a physical network of tiny tubes and sacs in the lungs through which the invisible substance of oxygen is absorbed and the invisible substance of carbon dioxide is released. Prana is like this – it’s absorbed from the universe around us and it permeates and moves through the physical form –nourishing and cleansing it. When the prana moves we are awakened, energized and healed.

Within the pranamayakosha are numerous structures formed by the intersection of the nadis. The chakras are vortexes located at key junctures of the nadis and the physical nervous system. There are three primary nadis which bracket the chakra system– the ida, pingala and sushumna. The prana moving through these three nadis governs the process of spiritual evolution. When it moves clear and unobstructed we plug into knowledge, wisdom and bliss.

A first pathway to working with the pranamaykosha is to unclog the nadis and get the prana moving. All asana will unclog the nadis. Vinyasa yoga will get the prana moving quickly. .

A second pathway to work with pranamayakosha is pranayama. Pranayama is is a practice of restraining the breath in order to unclog the nadis. This is most effective when asana has been practiced consistently for a long time. Asana clears superficial levels of congestion – so the work of pranayama – deep and powerful breathwork – is not obstructed by more superficial congestion. Pranayama is a transformative healing practice. It’s best to prepare for it.

A third pathway to working with the pranamayakosha is sound. The familiar sound and symbol of OM is called the “nadam”. The ancient rishi’s or wise ones observed that Om purifies the whole system, like an ultrasound which accesses deep internal caverns of the body below the surface. My experience with this is that working with classical Indian sound practices is the most effective means of actually clearing the nadis. Yogi’s chant the sound of OM, they meditate on the sound of Om, they listen to the sound of Om. This would also include listening to or studying and learning Indian classical music which is designed around an understanding of OM. A fine experiment would be to explore different kinds of music when you practice. At first what you are used to listening to may prove to be very energizing, but as you grow more adept at working with prana and sound, you may notice that Indian classical music is a distinctly powerful complement to your yoga practice.

A fourth pathway for working with the pranamayakosha is ”managing your energy” and in the yoga practices this is accomplished through attention. A starting practice is focusing the breath or the gaze in your asana practice, with an intention to understand what your attention does to your energy and your postures. Too weak of a process of reigning in attention leads the energy to scatter. Too powerful of a restraint will be too harsh for the tender pranic channels.

Four modes of creating a relationship with the pranic body:

Yoga Asana
Pranayama (advised for well experienced practioners)
Sound
Attention

A last note about the pranic body – The ancient yogic texts speak of the adamantine body formed by the hatha yoga practice. This is distinctly related to and an outcome of the management and toning of the pranic body. When the pranic body is well cared for – clear and moving and strong we become incredibly resilient. The texts say all dis-ease is eradicated. As contemporary yogis we can say that our immune system becomes incredibly potent in response to the health of the pranic body. This, as the article included here indicates, is a result of consistent, well-done practice.

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December 28, 2023March 18, 2024

Digesting Trauma: The powerful medicine of Hatha Yoga

“PTSD is the inability to forget” Dr. Ellen Kirschman ¹

Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.1

Yoga is the ability to digest and transform our thoughts, feelings, memories, experiences so that our clear and sacred selves will shine through.

Yoga is the experience of peace that emerges when our afflictions have been overcome.

Yoga is the freedom that arises when our past has been processed and we are fully present.

Some experiences are very difficult to forget. If, at the moment of trauma, we are unable to fully process and digest what is happening, that experience can be held in the physical body (also identified as the “Food Body” or Anamayakosha in the yogic anatomy map known as the koshas) Sometimes food and experiences are indigestible – uncomfortable, painful, difficult to absorb and process. The blockage caused by the undigested matter can obstruct our access to the other dimensions of our being – our knowledge, wisdom and joy. Through understanding this we can use our yoga practices to digest and heal traumatic memories stored in the physical body.

There is an inherent wisdom in the process of yoga practice. We can buzz along in our lives just fine, and then, one day the blockage becomes apparent and it’s time to heal it. We’re not defective if we have issues. It’s pretty normal to have a degree of trauma in the body. Yoga is a fairly sophisticated method of dealing with the residue of trauma due to this potential for digestion and transformation. We could just manage our symptoms. But we are invited – in the deeper levels of yogic experience – to transform what was not processed into insight and wisdom. It takes deep willingness, an open mind and considerable bravery. But the rewards are ample.

There are multiple approaches to processing trauma through our yoga practices. We may be experiencing the impacts of the trauma on the psychological level, and our yoga practice restores equilibrium. But going further - by breathing and feeling and observing arising memories on the mat – if we are spacious enough – the memories are released from the physical body and new understandings of experiences awaken. The experiences are digested. We can use those same techniques in the presence of physical symptoms which can range from tightness to chronic misalignment to pain or acute injury. Wise presence in yoga asanas can resolve physical trauma through wise practice. This can be approached well by experimenting gently with specific postures that intuitively, or as a result of research and study, we believe will be related to the anatomical structures involved.

As we use the tools of yoga to train ourselves to be calm, objective and present to reawakened memories of traumatic feelings and experiences, we mitigate the cycles of recurrence. We move from the experience of being bombarded by the repetitions of memory and subconscious patterning to creating new relationships with the stories we have lived. The charged quality of the memory becomes neutralized and laid to rest. We may never “forget it” – but we can transform it into a tool for awakening, empowerment, deepening and opening to ourselves.

Just as digested food nourishes the cellular structure of the body, digested experiences nourish the stability and robustness of our neural landscape. They transform the very mechanisms through which we understand the world. We become less fragmented, less dissociated and more integrated. We become whole. In this way well-practiced yoga can be a powerful tool in the management and healing of PTSD. Some tips for practice are:

Work with the quality of your breathing. Begin with gentle but focused breath and explore how the different qualities of breath impact the physical experience of a posture. Look for the quality of breath that is in effect when you feel a muscle release.
Work with the quality of your attention. Begin with gentle but focused presence. You can train specifically in this – take a posture and maintain your gentle receptive attention on the bones, the flesh, the skin. The moment when a memory arises and you stay present rather than becoming lost in it is a power point for healing.
As you train in this way, it’s important to notice your reactions to the awakening of trauma in the body. The most common reaction is to attempt to control it by pressing it down – psychologically, physically – a kind of powering through. This will interfere with the release of stress pattern in the body. Allowing is key to healing. Assuming you are practicing with moderate intensity – you can practice staying present to discomfort. Of course – don’t force.

.Through a carefully cultivated yoga practice we reintegrate the parts of ourselves that have been locked away through trauma. No longer fractured in this way, we become whole, and the experience of PTSD can be transformed into a process of healing. While the knowledge of the experience still remains, we are now no longer bound by it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT40YKvLBTg ↩︎

Each blog post is associated with a related newsletter with related commentary, suggested reading and maybe a song or two. You can find past newsletters (and the current one )on my Facebook page NatalieteachesYoga. Sign up below to receive newsletters in your inbox. No marketing, I promise! Just content that I hope will open your mind to deeper levels of yoga practice.

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July 23, 2023September 5, 2023

About the Body: Headstand

Let’s not take a headstand out of the yoga practice! Find a good Iyengar instructor and learn it from them!

Around 2012 there were rumors that yoga teaching insurance would no longer cover classes where headstand was taught. It was a rumor. A threatening one to us old school teachers who were under the gun at the time. But headstand is a posture which is open to debate. In the classical schools it is the king of all postures. In more modern accommodating classes, you may not ever encounter it.

I am in the first group. I studied and taught Jivamukti Yoga which has roots in the Krishnamacharya lineage. Krishnamacharya was the root guru of three notable traditions originating in his students – Ashtanga (associated with K. Pattabhi Jois), Iyengar (associated with B.K.S. Iyengar) and yoga as taught by T.K.V. Desikachar which he called “yoga”.

At Jivamukti we practiced headstand for five minutes a day, and it was taught in almost every class. I feared it deeply. When K. Pattabhi Jois came to New York to teach I walked through my fear and took some of the classes the classes. The first day he singled me out and did not let me run to wall during headstand. He held me off balance in the posture for 12 very, very long breaths. I was sweating bullets and seeing my life pass before my eyes. The next day, he walked over, put in me in the headstand in a balanced way, and then walked away. From that moment forward it was a favorite.

This was how it was taught in those days. For me, this was very effective.

I’d had a long-standing issue in which my cervical spine would lock up and cause much pain to me. Going to the chiropractor helped but nothing really changed.

I walked out of the Puck building that day and stopped on the sidewalk to stretch my post headstand neck. As I stretched my neck the spaces between the cervical vertebrae expanded and my neck elongated in a way I’d never felt before. I was already sold on yoga, but with that opening I was sold in a new way. My curiosity about Patanjali, ancient sage of yoga and so called “jungle doctor” had been unleashed in my practice in a whole new way. There was healing to be found in yoga. The world looked a little different.

As a body worker and Shiatsu therapist I suspect in a casual unproven way that the pressure on my cranial sutures released some stress patterns in deep levels of my fascia. (but don’t try this at home on your own, find a good teacher!).

Remember headstand is just Tadasana, mountain posture turned around. The posture is famed for the capacity to uproot all those places where we are stodgy and stuck in our ways. It’s a fabulous transformer

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