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the five mayas
by robert birnberg excerpt from the recovery sutras part one |
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| Yoga presents the human system as an ever-evolving matrix of five interconnected dimensions, or mayas, each of which affects and is affected by the others. (Though some early influential commentaries inaccurately referred to the levels as koshas, literally “bags,” the Taittiriya Upanishad, the actual source text, describes these interrelated components more appropriately as mayas, or “that which extends throughout.”) The Five Mayas progress from gross to subtle, beginning with the physical body, or anna-maya. The second Maya, the energy or prana-maya level, is linked to breathing and the physiological functions. Next, we find the senses and outer mind, or mano-maya, followed by the deeper mind, the values-shaping vijnana-maya level. Finally, at the deepest heart of the person is the emotional level, the ananda-maya, expressed as the inherent potential to experience a lifetime of sustained joy. Yoga uses the Five Mayas model to understand and treat health and disease holistically. Thus, a physical problem might have its roots in the mind, an emotional trauma could affect digestion or other physiological functions, and behavior that conflicts with our core values could negatively affect our emotional state, the regularity of our heartbeat, and the shape of our spine. In later articles, we will explore yoga’s various tools for treating the mayas, including asana for the physical body, pranayama and chanting for the prana-maya, meditative tools for the mental levels, and the loving support of a kind, honest teacher as a primary tool for cultivating positive, flowing emotions. |
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