Blog

The purpose of this article is to explain the relationship of ashtanga yoga and hatha yoga as described by Patanjali in relation to panchakosha. My intention is to explain to you how they come together and to give you example of my understanding regarding their relationship. First, I would like to explain what panchakosha is. “Pancha” means 5 and “kosha” means bodies or vehicles of consciousness. This figure provides you with a visual representation for clear understanding:

Before coming to the ashram, I thought meditation meant sitting in silence and coming up with possible solutions to current problems in my life. I was far from it, meditation being “the art of going within and experiencing the power and presence of God”, as Guruji likes to simply define it. I learned from him the desired result of meditation is to go outside the mind and body and experience your divine Self that exists in each one of us.

What is seva? "selfless service", work or service performed without any thought of reward or personal benefit. I learned Seva is one of the most profound and life changing of practices. However we chose to express our own unique seva practice, when we do so, we ultimately test our altruism and put our knowledge of the divine spirit into action. Seva can be as simple as providing directions to someone in need or as difficult as feeding and caring for hundreds of people in need.