Back-Body & 5 More Bodies! (The Koshas)
Unlock Your Back-Body Strength: The Key to Movement & Balance in Daily Life
Written by LJ
Let’s be Funkin’ real, many of us spend a good chunk of our days hunched forward, tethered to: screens, steering wheels, cutting boards, you name it. Over time, this hunched-posture-party can invite a not-so-celebrated guest: Upper Cross Syndrome. What the Funk is that?? Upper Cross Syndrome is a postural imbalance where chest muscles tighten, while the upper back and neck muscles over-lengthen. This less-than-optimal body pattern can lead to discomfort, unsupportive posture, and limited mobility. Fear not! Your yoga practice holds the antidote and this month at Funky Buddha Yoga we’re backing up *wink* our daily movements with back-body strength!
Why the Funk does Back-Body Strength Matter?
Think of your back-body as the sturdy, reliable foundation that keeps you upright and moving with ease (It’s like the studs in a wall!). Strengthening muscles like the rhomboids, lats, and spinal erectors doesn’t just support your time on the mat (or in the gym); strong, supported back-bodies create more optimal posture, can reduce any general aches, and improves your ability to tackle life’s twists and turns (literally and figuratively!). When these muscles are strong, everyday activities like lifting groceries or reaching for the top shelf become smoother and safer.
Reversing Upper Cross Syndrome: Your Yoga Toolkit
1. Chest Openers & Heart Expansions: Tight chest muscles can pull your shoulders forward, creating a slouched appearance and limiting range of motion. We can counteract this by lengthening these overworked muscles through incorporating chest-opening yoga poses like:
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Any variation of bridge pose can do wonders for creating space along the front body. Check out our blog post for more on bridge!
Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Try out Fish pose at home with a rolled-up towel or a few small pillows! A gentle Fish pose can be the perfectttt way to tend after a long day. Try your arms in a Cactus shape for added stretch!
2. Strength-Building Backbends: Backbends not only improve spinal extension, but they also activate the muscles along your back body that tend to weaken with Upper Cross Syndrome/non-optimal movement patterns.
Locust Pose (Salabhasana): Try making this a dynamic movement (also known as Supermans) to activate your back-body! Feeling extra spicy? Bow Pose strengthens your spinal erectors and opens your shoulders simultaneously.
Upward Dog (Urdhva Mukha Savanasana): You know it, you love it, and boy is Up Dog great for the back! Ease into the backbend with Cobra Pose, targeting those upper-back muscle groups- perfect for some morning spinal movement!
Funky Tip: Try to focus on small, controlled movements; it’s not about how high you lift but about maintaining stability and finding what supports YOUR body.
3. Planks for Posture: Plank poses build core strength which supports your back-body and stabilizes your shoulders! A strong core helps support everyday movement and more optimal posture!
Forearm Plank (and all its variations!): From High to Forearm to Supported Plank Poses, these are a powerhouse for building optimal posture patterns. Check out our blog to learn more!
Reverse Plank (Purvottanasana): Reverse Plank and Reverse Table Pose are amazing for counteracting our slouchy patterns. These 2 postures open the front-body, activate the back-body, and build stability! Win, win, and win!
4. Back to Breath: Breath awareness is a cornerstone of both our yoga practices and daily life, so whether you’re on or off the mat, a conscious deep breath may be just the pause you need.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: Allows your ribs and core to expand with breath, rather than your shoulders and chest rising with inhales (which can exacerbate upper cross syndrome). This style of breathing helps you activate your calming systems while allowing your chest and upper shoulders to chill, so many benefits!
Moving Forward with Awareness
The next time you unroll your mat, take a moment to observe your posture—on and off the mat. Are your shoulders creeping forward? Is your head jutting ahead of your body like it’s trying to win a race? Gentle adjustments, combined with a Funky focus on back-body strength, will do wonders for your yoga practice and your day-to-day life.
The 5 Koshas, or 5 Bodies
Written by Larissa
As we are learning about body patterns (upper cross syndrome, and ways to reverse it!), we’re also going to learn about the Koshas: the bodies we exist within in the yogic system. From the Upanishads, we are taught that we live in 5 bodies, not just 1, which is sooooo refreshing! Why? Because we can recognize we are not only this physical form, not only our emotions, not only the thoughts we think. When we can differentiate these different layers of ourselves, we can make wise choices to tend to each layer in a nuanced and supportive way.
When someone asks you in passing, “How are you?”, we usually say something like, “Doing good!” or “I’m just fine.” Or maybe with the right person at the right time, we say things like “Tired, but surviving.”, “I’m struggling right now.”, “I’m loving this season I’m in.” Whatever the answer, we usually have one answer.
Try this 3-Part Check-in: Take a moment to ask yourself, “How is my body right now?”. Sit with that for a moment. Maybe a word or phrase appears. Then ask, “How is my mind right now?”. Then finally, “How is my heart right now?”
It’s very likely that you had a slightly, or very, different answer for each part of you. When we slow down and really listen to ourselves, we find there are many, many layers to how we feel, what we are experiencing, and how we see the world.
Sooo what are the 5 Koshas?
First, let’s look at understanding the concept of the Koshas.
Kosha: sheath, layer, vessel | The most common translation is covering or sheath. The yogic system teaches us that we exist within 3 main bodies:
1. The Gross Body (physical form)
2. The Subtle Bodies (the middle 3 Koshas, non-tangible forms)
3. The Causal Body (the essence of us, our true self)
The 5 Layers of Body – The Koshas
1. Physical Body: The Annamaya Kosha is the physical sheath that composes the outer layer; this is The Gross Body and includes what we eat/food.
Anna = food, nourishment. Maya = illusion, creation. Literally, “Layer made of food.” (Which I find rather amusing! Anytime I’m being unkind to my body, I try to remember, I’m just a being made of food, and the laughter lightens any judgement 🙂
2. Energy Body: The Pranamaya Kosha is the vital energy, breath, or life force sheath. This is one of 3 Koshas in the Subtle Body and includes the vital (energy) force in our body not visible to the naked eye.
Prana = energy, life force, breath. Amaya = to extend outward, lengthen, expand. Layer made of energy, Vessel of expansive energy.
3. Mental Body: The Manomaya Kosha includes our thoughts and emotions, knowledge, memories and impressions. This is the second layer in the Subtle Body and includes what we consume mentally.
Mano = mind, spirit
4. Wisdom/Intuition Body: The Vijnanamaya Kosha includes intuition and inner wisdom (not the same as simple knowledge). This Kosha is the last, or third, layer of the Subtle Body.
Vijnana = wisdom, consciousness
5. Bliss Body: The Anandamaya Kosha is the peace, love, joy and contentment we experience/live within. This Kosha encompasses the Causal body and is with us all the time!
Ananda = bliss, joy
Perhaps the most refreshing thing about the Koshas is seeing that our Bliss Body is right here, all the time, and accessible in any moment. It’s not something we have to chase after, nor a state of being we are trying to get to. It’s simply right here. We can access this through things like supportive movement, connection with loved ones, or through enjoying a really great meal. That said, we do not need to be doing something ‘fun’ to access our Bliss Body. The more we can practice contacting our Bliss Body in the mundane, the more we can experience that part of us on the regular.
Remember the 3-Part Check-in from earlier? Take a moment to tell each part you are listening. Give yourself permission to feel whatever you feel as you check in with yourself. Now take a deep breath, let your body relax as you exhale, and say, “I also give myself permission to simply enjoy this breath.” Keep relaxing into your exhales, as many times as you need, until you feel a moment of softening, no matter how small. Joy and bliss often exist in the tiniest moments of the day, and when we practice paying attention to the small things, we can experience our Bliss Body more easily, and more often. To the best of your ability, look for the good today. What you look for is usually what you find <3
If you’d like to dive deeper, we invite you to join us for our monthly meditation circle!
Check out our Youtube for an overview of these concepts or a meditation practice to try them on <3
As always, we hope that you join us M-F at 7:30am for Funky Buddha Yoga’s free, live, virtual meditation to learn more practices, nuances, and dive deeper into a plethora of tools that can bring your practice off your mat and into your daily life <3
