Yoga is Union

Olympic National Park

According to Deepak Chopra in his book ;The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga, the essential purpose of yoga is to integrate all parts of your life. This includes your environment, and as a feng shui consultant, I couldn't agree more with him. The physical, emotional and spiritual body is the core component of yoga practice. 

Yoga is a practical system to awaken the human potential, a way to directly access the wisdom of life. Yogis know the mind and body are ever changing with the ebb and flow of the universe, but the soul remains untouched, beyond the world of change. 

According to Adi Shankara, ninth century sage, he elaborated the layers of life that cover the spiritual self. In yoga we refer to these layers as the Koshas, meaning "coverings." By and large, we spend most of our time and energy on the most outer layer, or the physical(anamaya kosha). There is a never-ending supply of energy and information that we ingest through our senses from our environment. We are all responsible for our environment, and collectively, the global environment. Part of this layer is influenced by the air that we breath or the breath body (pranamaya kosha). It is the sheath of vital energy - life force.

There are five  seats of prana that move energy to parts of the body (head, throat, heart, stomach and pelvis). When prana moves freely throughout the cells and tissues, vitality and creativity is abundant. This sets the foundation for a sound mind. However, yogis realize the mind is not who we are. The mind (manomaya kosha)  is simply another layer covering the true self. The mind simply acts as a repository of sensory impressions. There are layers to the mind where we discern things, make choices  and distinguish the real from the unreal.  The real can't be lost but the unreal is anything that has a beginning and end to it. Knowing the difference is the essence of yoga.

The causal body is the field of pure potentiality. This is the domain of the spirit. It gives rise to our thoughts, feelings, dreams, desires and memories. There are several layers within the causal body. Shankara believes, each person arrives on this planet with a specific purpose and unique set of talents and skills. Given the right environment, the seeds sprout, and we become capable of serving others with our gifts. 

Yoga encourages us to write our story and expand our sense of self to embrace the domain of our soul. 

Learn more ways you can embrace your soul by taking control of your personal happiness, health, environment and more by visiting my publications page.

Om!

Mary Jane Kasliner - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com