by Beth

Mind/Heart by Kazuaki Tanahashi*

This post on the mental/emotional body is the fifth post in the series on the five-layer Kosha model of the human being. (The physical body, Annamayakosha, the breath/energy body, Pranamayakosha, and practices for each were covered in previous posts, which are available from the Yoga for Healthy Aging archives.) The mind—our mental/emotional body (Manomayakosha)—is that intangible part of ourselves consisting of thoughts, emotions, ego, personality, attitudes, beliefs and imagination. We can explore the mind through wakeful awareness, dreaming awareness and meditative awareness.

Yoga philosophy contains many references on the importance of understanding and working with this Kosha. Here’s what Patanjali said in the Yoga Sutras:

1.1 Atha Yogānuśāsanam: Now begins the study of yoga.

1.2 Yogaś citta-vrtti-nirodah: Creating harmony by stilling the fluctuations of the mind

1.3 Tadā drastuh svarūpe vasthānam: So we rest in our true nature and experience peace.

1.4 Vrtti-sārūpyam itaratra: Otherwise we struggle and create unhealthy patterns that can lead to stress, suffering, imbalance and illness.

These interpretations are based on translations by I. K. Taimni, The Science of Yoga and T. K. V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga. 

For me, these four sutras express the heart and soul of what yoga is and what benefits we can realize from our practice and study of yoga. The sutras are like blaze markers on hiking trails, landmarks for driving directions and instructions for trying out a special recipe. They point the way toward the goal of realizing our true nature when we make the commitment to follow them. 

Working with the mental/emotional body (Manomayakosha) provides us one way to do that. It’s important to understand how our thoughts, emotions, ego, personality, attitudes, beliefs, and imagination work together to both nourish and challenge us. Our asana and pranayama practice can lead us toward optimal physical health. Contemplative practices can help us focus our work with the mind and emotions to enhance our mental and psychological health. Joseph LePage addresses this when he writes: 

“Our feelings and thought patterns are based on years of family conditioning and centuries of cultural conditioning that involve the whole human species. For this reason our personality is not even really personal but a collection of thought patterns and reactions into which we have been programmed. We need to become aware of and transform the patterns of conditioning in order to become authentically human. To begin de-programming, or re-authenticating, we need to name and identify the emotions and thought patterns we are experiencing.” — Joseph LePage, 10 Steps to Freedom 

It helps to have an example of how to use your yoga practice to work with the mental/emotional body (Manomayakosha). So here’s how I’ve been working to identify my thought patterns, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs to work through a personal issue. 

I, like many others, experience back pain. Mine is centered in my low back and right hip. It flares up when I’m under stress. However, it has been a pointer leading to deeper self-awareness. Initially I understood the connection between stress and pain but not the connection to an unhelpful core belief that was hiding out in the deeper levels of my mind. I began to connect the dots by asking myself a series of questions. 

1. Why is stress affecting my low back and hip instead of causing headaches, panic attacks, or high blood pressure? 

To find an answer, I made appointments with a chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, reflexologist and sports medicine doctor. But all I got was temporary relief, a smaller bank balance, and no diagnosis. Then, on the advice of a friend, I saw an orthopedic surgeon who took an X-Ray and told me that I had spondylolisthesis, a condition in which one of the spinal vertebrae slips out of place onto the vertebra below it, often pressing on a nerve and causing localized and referred pain. Mine, according to the doctor, was likely caused by an old trauma or accident. AHA! I flashed back to 1992 about four weeks post-op from a total hysterectomy. I had gone out to get the mail and on the way back to the house, slipped and fell hard, right on my butt. Okay, first question answered. There was a weakness in my spine that made this location a handy target for stress to manifest physically and get my attention. 

2. Is there an emotional pattern behind the ‘issues in my tissues’? 

At one time in my fifties, (I’m in my seventies now), I sought therapy to deal with the unpleasant side effects of perfectionism and co-dependency. Let me be clear: I was not aware that I was a perfectionist or that I was co-dependent. I went into therapy because I was in a troubled marriage, and I was anxious, irritable and unhappy. Two therapists later, I had a diagnosis of perfectionism and co-dependency. That was some wake-up call but it helped me understand my struggle with the marriage and with less important situations that elicited the same reaction (waiting in lines, cocktail party small talk, or being stuck in traffic). Turns out that a lot of my anxiety and irritability were based on a perception of feeling powerless and not in control. Oh, right! Control issues are part and parcel of perfectionism and co-dependency. 

3. Is there a deeper emotion connected to my stress reactions? 

Of course there is! Over time, I recognized that my reaction to stressful situations was layered and under the anxiety and irritation was a layer of—wait for it—fear! Now, I was getting somewhere. Next question. 

4. Where did that fear come from? 

My reflection process hit pay dirt when I realized that the fear was rooted in not feeling free enough to take advantage of the choices available to me in situations that left me feeling stuck, blocked, or trapped. After all, I can change lines at the supermarket or the bank, take an alternate route in traffic, and use communication skills to manage or exit an uncomfortable social or relationship situation. Those are rational choices that would give me control over my responses, so why wasn’t I exercising my choices instead of feeling powerless? 

Eventually I traced that “why” to a fear of embarrassing myself in public, being rude, making a scene, disappointing others or being seen as “other”—clearly hangovers from my perfectionism, (see Yoga Therapy for Perfectionism,) and my “good girl” training as a black woman, raised to be over qualified, doubly hard working, and in every way a “credit to the race,” (see Enough). AHA! 

5. What, if anything, am I doing to still my fluctuations? 

I become aware of stressful situations more quickly and transform unproductive stress reactions into productive responses. I change lines at the supermarket or bank, take an alternate route in heavy traffic or cultivate patience and wait. After all, will the world end if I have to wait a few minutes before moving on to the next item on my ‘to do’ list? No it will not. And really, can I control the outcomes of difficult social and relationship situations I may find myself in? No, I cannot. I can practice patience, choose my responses carefully and ‘go with the flow.’ After all, they say the best way out is through. Or I find a graceful way to exit. I can do this in spite of the residue of fear that still exists. I can do this because the fear has been recognized and its power over me is greatly reduced. 

Shift happens! By understanding how yoga views this Kosha and applying that knowledge, I was able to work through many of the connections and relationships between my thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs to find a deeper self-awareness. Finding a contemplative practice that you are comfortable with can amplify the benefits of your asana and pranayama practice and lead to greater peace of mind. My next post will share the practice I used, which is based on Steps 4 & 5 from, “10 Steps to Freedom” by Joseph LePage. 

For all of us, personal work with Manomayakosha is another way of using the niyama Svadhyaya (self study) to help us live wiser and more balanced lives that will be easier to navigate. (For information, see The Power of Svadhyaya (Self-Study), Part 1 and Part 2.) 

For information about Beth, ProYoga Therapeutics, and Beth’s book and CD, see proyogatherapeutics.com.


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