Annamaya Kosha, The Five Hindrances (Part 1) and Hafiz
January 5, 2025
8 min read
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Newsletter
{Body}
The annamaya kosha
This is Part 1 of 5.
In yoga, the term kosha refers to the different "layers" or "sheaths" of your being. It’s like an onion: each kosha (layer) represents a different aspect of you. And by peeling them back, one by one, you get a better look at your core, or true identity.
Accordingly, your outermost layer is what’s known as your annamaya kosha, or “physical sheath.” This is your material body — the atoms, molecules, DNA, cells, tissues, and organs that form your human chassis.
Take a moment to look at your hands or torso and marvel at the fact that what you see is the product of everything you’ve consumed in this lifetime. The food you eat, the water you drink, and the air you breathe are all transformed into the structure of your body.
For this reason, yogis often refer to this strata as your “food body.” The electrons in a sip of coconut water flow through your veins; the glucose in a banana fuels your brain; the protein from spinach becomes part of your muscles.
You are, quite literally, what you eat.
But hardware alone doesn’t make magic happen. Stay tuned next week as we peel back another layer of the onion to explore your prānamaya kosha — the electrical, energy body that animates it all.
{Mind}
Hindrances during meditation
This is Part 1 of 5.
During his life, the Buddha outlined various obstacles, stages, and revelations encountered on the Path to enlightenment.
In one of his well-known teachings, he describes "the Five Hindrances" — mental obstructions blocking the development of one’s meditation practice (a critical vehicle for attaining enlightenment).
The first of these hindrances is known as Kāmacchanda, or sensual desire, and you know it well…
This is the obstacle that arises when you sit down for meditation and think to yourself, “I’d really rather be watching Netflix.”
Or when your mind starts wandering, picturing the perfect snack — complete with all the fatty, salty, sugary indulgences you crave.
Or even when the sound of a bird chirping outside suddenly stirs a longing for the freedom of a walk in the woods, far away from your cushion.
Kāmacchanda’s entire purpose is to convince you that you need more to meditate properly. More sights, more sounds, more tastes, more smells, more sensations, more experiences.
More, more, more! Give me something other than whatever this is!
The Buddha recognized mindfulness as the antidote to Kāmacchanda. Rather than indulging in these desires or trying to suppress them, he suggested that we simply observe them. Watch the craving arise, recognize it for what it is — a passing thought, a fleeting sensation — and let it go.
He also encouraged practicing contentment through simple living. Simple belongings, simple foods, simple work, simple relationships. Through this, the grip of desire slowly weakens, and the mind becomes clear, paving the way for ever-deeper concentration and insight.
{Soul}
What do all of your problems have in common?
You!
Crashed car, failed relationship, fat, broke, lost cat — misfortune takes many forms, but you are there for all of it. You are the constant. You are the common denominator.
Make the choice to purify the Self of yourself. Today! Let go of selfishness. Release your insatiable need to fulfill every desire. Serve only God, and watch your sorrow disappear.
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