“Yoga is serving the connection with that which causes suffering. Yoga should be practiced with insight and with an unperturbed heart”
-Bhagavad Gita VI. 23
Yoga has been around for thousands of years and has reached the world outside of India in a very special and impactful way. The beginning of its expansion started in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, where it was stated “For those who have an intense urge for Spirit and wisdom, it comes quickly.” In other words, those who run to the Divine, receive the Divine. In this article, we will be discussing yoga as a life practice and its vital impact on our heart and soul bodies.
The Encasements of Our Soul
Us human beings are more than physical bodies. We are a collection of different “bodies” of our soul. We will specifically focus on 3 main types of soul bodies according to yogic philosophy.
1.The Magnetic Sphere of the Soul – The Spiritual Heart
The seat of the soul is mainly attributed to the heart. But besides the mere organ, there is also a spiritual heart within everyone. Located within the chest, the spiritual heart is the place from which the soul comes forth into the world. There is a magnetic force of our soul, working through the heart, that holds us at a level of complete balance where all disturbances of the external are transcended. The soul has 3 wills that can never be replaced or taken away: the will to be truth, the will to see the truth, and the will to be happy. The soul is an illumination that we cannot help but gravitate towards.
Coming from this very divine place, the soul initiates our motivation, pursuit, and drive. The effect that the soul has on our lives is a very good one, but sometimes we manage to get in its way or disrupt it. That could look like us engaging with things that aren’t aligned with the true nature of our soul. So how do we nourish this place of our soul-heart and allow it to be?
Nourishing our yoga life and seeing the way of yoga as this:
A practice of connecting with the ultimate connection – our forever unsevered tie to the divine and Atman (our True Self).
At this time more than ever, the pursuit of this connection is needed. Just as years ago when yogis’ internal pursuit led to the development of a new spiritual system, we still need that pursuit. Whether it looks like practicing the purifications, reciting mantras of peace, or incorporating certain foods, environments, and situations to help with your dosha-type.… all are ways of paying attention to your soul. All are ways of including more Sattva in your life. All are ways of engaging with more light and the likes of your soul.
2.The Subtle/Astral Body
The auric field of the mind and senses also known as the astral body includes an electrical force that draws other currents from the outside world. In Sanskrit, this electrical force is vidyut shakti, meaning “lightning.” This energy of the soul breaks off into 2 polar energies which in turn generate 2 pranas. These 2 pranas branch into 5 pranas that effectively represent different directions of energy. Prana – inward, apana – outward/downward, samana – balancing, vyana – expansive, udana – upward.
These 5 pranas affect our sense organs and our senses. These electrical forces can function at low, high, or even transcendental levels. For example, at a low level our senses can feel dull or heavy. At a high level, a yogi may feel these senses as lightning echoing in all directions, making many connections and penetrating through all levels of consciousness.
Why is all this important?
Because the source of physical disease comes from imbalances within the astral body (Frawley,1999). The astral body energizes the physical body, nourishing the nervous and respiratory systems with life force energy. It is as if the subtle body is the vehicle for the soul’s light into our tissues, organs, and senses. Ayurveda and yoga can help to balance the delivery of this electricity. Ayurveda works to support the body’s natural power to heal itself. And yoga works on spiritually equipping the “vehicle” (the astral/subtle body) to become a better vehicle.
3.The Elemental Body
And let’s not forget the physical body itself. Derived from the electrical force coming from the astral body, the physical or elemental body is manifested as a gross collection of the previous bodies discussed. Our physical bodies can be conceptualized as rain water collected after a rain droplet has gone through its water cycle. Naturally, the elemental body blocks the light and magnetism of the astral and soul bodies. That means our bodies, as a state, deflects and opposes our true state (our soul-heart). Our bodies are constantly breaking down on us– we get sick, we may develop weak immune systems, and so on but as mentioned earlier, the soul state is a state of truth that is above our external disturbances. That’s why we must strive to pay attention to the soul and heart. It is through yogic practices of body purification and higher awareness development that this blocking of the other bodies can be overcomed.
The Science
Here are some scientific results that show how yoga supports rejuvenation of the physical body.
In one study they found that yoga poses that twist and compress the organs helped rejuvenate immune organs and channels (Arora, et al., 2008). Key poses that can create specific benefits to improve immune function:
- Kurmasana (tortoise pose) supports the thymus gland.
- Inversions/forward bends improve the flow of the sinuses and help flush mucus from the lungs
- Chest and lung openers, such as Ustrasana (Camel pose), Bhujangasana (Camel pose) and yoga mudras increase lung mobility and flush out the lungs
- Restorative yoga poses provide healing benefits during low periods of energy
Researchers also found that yoga practice is great for cardiovascular health. In a study with CAD patients, the incorporation of a yoga-lifestyle contributed to the regression of coronary lesions and improvement of myocardial perfusion (Sivasankaran S. et al., 2006).
In a controlled group study, those in the yoga group showed progressive improvements in pulmonary functions and a reduction in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction compared to the control group (Vempati R. et al., 2009).
Conclusively, we can see that yoga as a way of life can help us bring our three soul bodies into balance and harmony with each other. When we pay attention to our physical, mental, and spiritual it awakens us to the ultimate goal we have been pursuing. Whether the pursuit has been a conscious or unconscious endeavor, we always stumble upon the truth that lies within. The soul wants our heart posture to be the love that it is–strong, vital, and showing up in the world. The soul wants us to succeed in finding it. It wants our gaze to never leave its face.
ॐ
Hari Om Tat Sat
Sources
“Yoga and Ayurveda” by David Frawley
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482773/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17007170/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19643002/
7/25/24
Article by Alysha Evans
