Annamaya Kosha is what we are continuing with on our blog series on the Koshas, which are the five bodies that belong to you and complete your total makeup that reaches out beyond the physical body.
In this blog, we will be discussing the first of these bodies, or layers and their interconnectivity. We know from our previous blog that all of the five bodies are connected to your deepest soul and why this is the reason each of us must strive to create the balance between body and mind, and by so doing create a connection with our soul self.
As mentioned in our previous blog your soul knows exactly what your purpose is here on Earth, and it knows exactly what it is you should be doing. In essence, your soul self is your highest self.
Today’s blog post is going to focus on the Physical Body, known in Yoga as Annamaya Kosha.
The body that you are most familiar with is your Annamaya Kosha, it is the body you see daily in the mirror, the body you have known your whole life so far, the one you use to perform physical feats like jumping and waking and also the one where afflictions and illnesses manifest, like the flu or a serious skin rash. Of all the five bodies that belong to you, it is the only tangible one, it is made up of bones, muscles, organs, tissues, water and blood.
What Annamaya Kosha Means
The name Annamaya can literally be translated to the term “comprised of food”, because, as you know you literally are made up out of what you eat. Whilst your physical body or Annamaya is your most rudimentary and basic form, it is still vitally important, as it is the body with which you experience all of the others and it serves as the foundation and anchorage of your spiritual practice. If you are not physically healthy, then it is not possible to gain access to your more subtle layers or bodies.
This is one of the reasons that the science of Ayurveda advocates eating healthily, making sure you are getting enough sound sleep, partaking in the practice of yoga, drinking tea and getting plenty of fluids and spending time in outdoors, amongst its many other numerous suggestions for prime physical health.
One of your first priorities is to take care of the vessel you reside in, in order to ensure that you can experience the bliss that life has to offer. When you are truly and deeply connected with your Annamaya kosha, you feel at ease and comfortable within your physical form. This takes place when you take care of yourself, exercise, maintain a sense of sexual balance and have confidence in your body.
When you experience a sense of disconnectivity from your annamaya kosha, in turn, you create a sense of disassociation from your physical form. This can cause a variety of negative actions such as excessive drinking, binge eating, drug abuse, laziness, addictions, eating disorders and self-harming.
There are many ways of connecting with your annamaya kosha, to mention a few there is the practice of eating mindfully and doing so in tune with your bodies needs. Performing Abhyanga self-oil massage, the dedicated practice of yoga or some sort of physical exercise or activity and daily meditation.
