USING YOGA PHILSOPHY TO UNDERSTAND DEATH AND DYING

In yoga philosophy, we are encouraged to view our existence through many different lenses.  This module will explore three different lenses that can allow us to better understand death and the dying process.  Module Four will give us opportunities to use this knowledge combined with practical yoga tools to serve our clients during the dying process.

 

The lenses we will explore are:

• Pancha Maya Kosha 

  • The Pancha Maya Kosha model describes five illusory sheaths (pancha = five, maya = illusion, kosha = body or sheath) encasing the authentic self, relating to the stages of dying.  The dying process can be understood as a journey through the koshas, with the sheaths and their associated elements dissolving, ultimately leading to the realization of our authentic self which is at the core.

• Chakras

  • Chakras (Sanskrit: wheel) are described as points of physical or spiritual energy in the human body.  The dying process can be understood as a journey through the chakras, with the energy gradually withdrawing from the lower chakras upwards towards the crown chakra. This process involves the dissolution of the elements associated with each chakra, ultimately leading to the soul's departure from the body through the crown chakra. 

• Pancha Prana Vayus

  • The Pancha Prana Vayus are the five vital energies that govern different functions within the body and mind. These vayus, or "winds," are thought to be subdivisions of the overarching prana, the life force that permeates all of reality. Each vayu has a specific direction and plays a distinct role in physical and subtle processes.  The dying process can be understood as a journey through the vayus, as each vayu recedes.