The Koshas | Cultivating presence through practice
- Josephine Warren
- Jun 5
- 7 min read
“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
Thich Nat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that by being fully present and attentive to those we love, we can deepen our connections and create a sense of safety and trust. When we offer our loved ones our undivided attention and presence, we create a space for genuine intimacy and understanding to flourish.
At Echo, we are leaning into this space, for ourselves and for our connections, our community, global family and Mother Nature.
This June, there has been a calling to slow down, to use a variety of teachings to cultivate presence and focus.
The deep folds of attention that lie beneath the busyness, the online world, the distractions, waits patiently, it is our truth, our inner light. Whether that’s tears shed for our own grief or for the world, or maybe it’s a swell of creativity and flow, to allow us to be ourselves.
Summer is magical, but can be overwhelming for sensitive souls. So at Echo this month, we will harness the energy of summer, but moulding it into one of feminine energy, abundant, warm, soft, holding, steady, being, round, soothing, knowing, slow, rhythmical, sacred, wise, kind, and that of love.
I am coming back to my books, my teachings, philosophy and more, for when this world is loud, I find that spirit will always guide us home, not only to ourselves but to each other.
*When I refer to the feminine, I hold the intention of my teachings gently; this isn’t about gender roles, but about the energy of the feminine, the womb space, the lunar, and the night light. Everyone holds this energy within them.
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So, as I dive back into my yogic philosophy books this year, I've found such stability and grounding through the Koshas.
So what are the Koshas?
Kosha translates as sheath, they are the layers that make up our entire being. If you are familiar with Eastern philosophy, there is a symbiotic relationship between with Koshas and the Chakras, but they do differ. Imagine the layers of an onion or the multiple cases of a Russian doll, these are the kosha 'sheaths'. Whereas the Chakra system contains spinning wheels of energy that relate to how we are on an energetic scale and where we are in our lives.
1st, Anamaya Kosha: our physical body, the muscle, blood, bone, face etc, when we hurt ourselves, it is felt in the physical body. It is our outermost layer, superficial, the thing that capitalism tries to make us feel bad about(!) in order to make money off us. I accidentally got political there, sorry, but it's true.
How can we relate this Kosha to being more present?
Becoming aware of sensations in the body, without judgment. Noticing heat, sensations, tingling, pain, softness, the feel of our clothes on our skin, the air on our cheeks, our breath in our nose. Greeting our body without harmful words, just noticing and accepting it as it is.
2nd, Pranamaya Kosha: Our energetic body, pranic body and our breath, the subtle body. This is our prana or Qi in the body, you might think of this as a deeper knowing, such as a 'gut reaction' or feeling calm and connected to someone because of their presence and energy. You can also experience this energy when doing a spiritual practice, Qi-gong, Yoga, Soundbath etc.
How can we relate this Kosha to being more present?
Giving ourselves a moment to do a body scan, tune into how the body feels energetically, if you feel very settled within your meditation, you can test the water by running different scenarious through your mind, for example, bring to mind a beautiful sunny day, calm sea and a wonderful swim, this might make the energetic body react with feeling calm and at home. You can also do this with a situation that you might be trying to solve, you can bring it into your mind and listen to your body's natural reaction to it, often the body knows before the mind does. For exmaple, you've been wanting to book a specific trip but you're not sure on the place you've found or the person you've chosen to go with, run through the scenario and pay close attention to how the body reacts.
*A side note, this is quite an advanced practice, if you're managing trauma or dissociation from the body, perhaps just stay with running comforting images through the mind, eg a sunset, a hug, a cat, rainfall.
3rd, Manomaya Kosha: The mental shealth, the mind stuff, the inner voice.
There can be layers of the mind found in this shealth, in some teachings, you have the higher voice, one of calm reason, steady and true. And you also have a lower mind sheath which can be the ongoing chatter, and sometimes the voice that is unkind, untrue or incessant. This sheath is a big one, it is often the reason many of us start a yoga practice(it was mine) and why meditation can be so powerful, in the teachings of Patajali "Yogas chitta vritti nirodha" is a key concept in yoga, which translates to "Yoga is the cessation(ceasing or stopping) of the fluctuations of the mind".
How can we relate this Kosha to being more present?
It is virtually impossible to clear the mind; we might have moments of nothingness, but unless we are practising meditation for hours every day, it is very hard and can put unhelpful expectations on our practice(I get so many clients telling me they aren't good at meditation, which makes me sad). We can think more in line with focus and presence rather than an empty mind. Practising yoga, in a way that feels stimulating or calming, can be great for mental clarity, and building a meditation practice lends itself to mental strength. I often say that focusing the mind is just like lifting weights; our mind can be powerful, strong and difficult at times to harness and control, but that is the journey and the practice.
Think of a few things you do, or can do in your life that really involve your focus(that's not on a screen if you can). A sport, activity, art class, reading, learning, meditating. This will be a great way to bring your attention to this Kosha.
4th,Vijnanamaya Kosha: We can think of this sheath as our layer of wisdom, higher self, connection. When we can remove ourselves from our thoughts, our journey, our narratives, our losses, grief, successes and more. Vijnanamaya is linked closely to the third eye, where we can cultivate expansive awareness when we reside in this kosha.
How can we relate this Kosha to being more present?
This Kosha holds our ability to release the ego, I tread very carefully around this, as people (and cult leaders) can weaponise this part of the practice and use it as a tool for gaslighting(eg: tell you that you're not hurt your ego is etc). But I want to think on this idea of being the witness, of floating just above ourselves, seeing the steps we've taken, the roles we play, the pressures from society, it can be hard to disconnect from the ways we've been conditioned our whole life. But I think this is where some of the most incredible art and culture has come from(bear with me), the most profound moments of genius or rebellion have come from those who have disconnected from the 'norm' the ego, or what they have been told their whole lives.
The Beatles wrote some of their best music when meditating in India.
So, meditation again can be great to bring awareness to this kosha, for me personally, this is why I practice with sound regularity, and why I sing. I am removed, lifted, exposed and shown my truth. Music, and sound, for me is liberation from the ego.
5th, Anandamaya Kosha: Bliss body, unity, profound connection. The merging of everything, similar to Samadhi, where we unite with the cosmic consciousness, the divine, the mother. This is a huge concept and one we can be practicing towards our whole life, I think of this Kosha as small glimmers for many of us, perhaps you attend an exstatic dance, drum circle, and stumble out of the yurt to witness an orange sunset, this could be a pure moment with the divine, or maybe when you give birth, not something i've done but I'd imagine it's close. It can be thought of as the pure light inside you, your essence, soul. Others suggest this is when we die, the moments before, or when we leave the physical body.
How can we relate this Kosha to being more present? I've set myself up here, this is a challenging concept to bring presence to, but maybe even knowing, being aware of this pure, brilliant, light within you, that is always calling to the divine, could be enough. Maybe meditate on this, visualise your light and it being connected, to everything, so hum, I am that, you are not just your body, your mind, you life, your story, you are everything in one, you are made of the stars, the seas, the rivers, you are life, you are death, you are wonder, art, love, freedom, loss. You are it all.
The Koshas are not clean lines; they blend, merge, can be worked on, and can fluctuate. But I think they hold so much wisdom. Whenever the wellness world gets loud, overwhelming and I start to feel lost, I come back to these teachings. It's like coming home. They don't discriminate, they don't ask you to change, they just ask you to find the layers of you within, and the connection to the world.
I hope this post has brought you a moment of insight and reflection.
All my love, Josephine x
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July/July EVENTS
Private soundbaths are curated specifically for you, they are a truly magical experience.
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Sat 14 Jun
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Join Josephine at The Yurt, For a special evening of Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Extended Soundbath, Aromatherapy and tea. Each session is built around the energy of the time, the changing cycles of the seasons and Radical Compassion.
Sun 08 Jun
Slake, Worthing
3-5.15pm | Reset Retreat | £57pp | Space for 7 only | An intimate bespoke event, guided meditation, releasing breath-work, extended soundbath, tea, cards and free gift
Sat 12 Jul
Chichester City Arts Centre
Sound Retreat | £35pp | Space for 12 only | Welcome to your monthly sound retreat, incorporating guided meditation, immersive extended soundbath, tea, cards.
Sun 22 Jun
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Step out of the fast pace of life and find rest, peace and calm in nature. Meditation & Breathwork, somatic flow practice, full Soundbath, tea & nibbles, cards, aromatherapy & floral waters
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