The 5 Elements of Ayurveda, the 5 Koshas of Yoga, and the Urge (?) to Purge
Our first week here in India has been nice and slow. I’d say sweet too, with long easy walks through the hillsides, picking flowers, and visiting the cow that gives us the milk and ghee (clarified butter) for the retreat. There are daily chats with Dr. Sundara about my overall health, covering everything from physical body issues to what’s going on in my mind, to memories and traumas, to the food I’m eating and what each bit means to my physiology and overall well being. I’m here a for a full month with my dear friend, Karin, who is the most wonderful travel partner and such a sweet sister to me; and John, my “brother from another mother” and co-leader in our 3-week retreat that begins tonight here at Mountaintop.
So it’s been so good. And a little bit hard too.
I’m just through a 5 day ghee and purgation week, and I’m telling you, Panchakarma is no joke. What is Panchakarma, you ask? It is a specific group of Ayurvedic therapies that involve the five (pancha) karmas (actions) that aid in cleansing the body of accumulated toxins (ama) with the purpose of restoring one’s health and vitality. Sound good? It is! But I’ll admit, there are challenging moments along the way. In the midst of purgation I have told myself “That’s it. This is the last time.” Now don’t get me wrong. I love ghee. I eat copious amounts of ghee each day at home, slathered on my toast. omg, so good! But when you are drinking it straight up with herbs… it’s a bit of a different story. My first day was 30 mls or 2 tablespoons. No sweat for me. The next day 60 mls. The next day 90. Then 120, the most I’ve ever had. Swallowing that last bit was tough, but I sent it down the hatch with love, knowing this medicine is wise beyond my understanding. Moving my body got a little harder each day as we added more ghee to my morning medicine. It literally slows you down as it saturates your cells. A simple walk became a slow-mo stroll, and with such a lovely view.
When doing the ghee cleanse, each day lunch consists of a little pot of kitchari (a thick stew made of lentils and rice), some lime, and rock salt, and for dinner there is a brothy soup and another little bowl of kitchari. After 5 days of kitchari, broth, and hot water, my tastebuds were even tired! Yesterday was purgation day, and that means, well… you need to be near your bathroom! And that’s all I’m gonna say about that.
But when you come out the other side of the cleanse, it’s like having been a caterpillar turning to a pile of moosh inside a cocoon, and then miraculously emerging as a brand new beautiful butterfly. Today is the first day out of that cocoon, so I’m feeling tender, but joyful. I know I’ve let go of things on every layer, and I feel lighter, sweeter, clearer.
I’m excited for the next leg of the PK journey, which is to deeply nourish body, mind, and soul–to replenish the being on all levels. This rejuvenation is called Rasayana, and it works from the macro to the micro-cellular level as it restores the vital fluids of the body, boosts our vital life force, or Ojas, and nourishes the immune system, which enhances our body’s innate wisdom to protect us from illness and disease, and gives us greater access to health and longevity as we age. At age 54, I’m all about that!
Back to the cocoon for a second. The way I see it, we can either choose to do the deep physiological, emotional, and spiritual work we are meant to do on this planet and evolve, or perhaps not. Ayurveda and the deep dive cleanse of Panchakarma help facilitate this unraveling, transformation, and replenishing. Think of it this way: our beings are multilayered and complex: we are a densely-packed field of energy, and each layer is essential to our survival as a spiritual being inside a human body. In yoga we look at the five Koshas, or sheaths (picture one of those Russian dolls layered one inside the next). And we have things to purge on every level of our being, not just in our physical bodies. If you don’t know much about these layers, they go like this:
- Annamaya-kosha (food sheath, Earth element)
- Pranamaya-kosha (vital sheath, Water element)
- Manomaya-kosha (mental sheath, Fire element)
- Vijnanamaya-kosha (intellect/intuitive sheath, Air element)
- Anandamaya-kosha (bliss sheath, ether/space element)
Annamaya is the most dense layer of our being. It is everything we can palpate: skin, bones, muscles, organs and tissues. This kosha is responsible for our survival, and it is through this layer that we experience the physical world and are able to interact with all of Nature.
Pranamaya is the next subtle layer, synonymous with the energy being. This is the level of the chakras. When we breathe we not only bring in oxygen for all the tissues of our physical body, but we take in Prana, vital life force energy, and this feeds our subtle body system, allowing life force energy to flow throughout the body. As a result, Pranamaya kosha is often called the “vital” sheath, as it plays a prime role in all of our essential body functions: breathing, digestion, and circulation.
The Manomaya is the layer of our emotions, consisting of our feelings, thoughts and memories, and even our imagination. Mano means mind, and so anything our mind filters moves through this sheath. It is our ability to perceive, reason, and process all things.
Vijnamaya is the Intuitive Body. Think of this as the higher mind… the mind that communicates with and can receive directly from Source. It is beyond the emotional thinking mind which can get bogged down with patterns, habits, and triggers, and is instead about our intuition and the inner wisdom that allows for spiritual growth and a sense that we are supported by the Universe in all we do.
Anandamaya is the Bliss Body. This is the thinnest veil of all the Koshas, and it is where we connect to our highest self or Atman. Here we abide in peace, joy, love and bliss. It is where we tap into the truest, purest aspect of what we are: Spirit. It is here we experience our interconnectedness of all things and truly understand we are not the body or the mind–we are a Soul.
Moving through these four days of drinking ghee and the fifth day of purgation helps us to become more aware of the koshas. During the process, I am so aware of my body and the shifts that occur each day. The first day or two, the ghee is working on the most gross layers: plasma, blood, muscle, fat. The Dr. takes my Ayurvedic pulse and he can feel what tissues the ghee has saturated. Then we get a little deeper in the structure: bones and joints. Again the pulse tells us what layers the ghee has soaked into. By the third and fourth days, the ghee has penetrated the nervous system and reproductive system, and finally, as Dr. Sundara tells me on day 4, “it is now on the level of the chakras.” How is this possible? This liquid gold ghee made from butter made from milk made from the grass Lakshmi the cow ate which was nourished by the five elements: earth, water, fire (sun), air, and ether is now in my subtle body. Dr. Sundara tells me it’s even working on purifying my mind and any karmas I carry, but that’s for another post perhaps.
When I awoke this morning a thick band of clouds was pouring into the valley below. Within minutes It become a dense bank, followed by a gray-white mist that swept up and over the tea fields, and then suddenly it all dissipated into blue sky and sunlight. What was shrouded is now in the light. What was cloaked deep inside my physiology has had the chance to purify. I am amazed every time I go through this process what is possible on every level of my being. And this is just the first week!
The reward after purgation is a plate full of papaya! Oh man was it good!
With guests arriving every couple of hours, my hat shifts from being solely a patient here to one who helps to create this sacred and safe container for others to experience the jewels of Ayurveda and its healing blessings. How lucky am I?
with love,
Katie
Dragonfly Yoga Barn, Studio & Retreat 