Hi Reader,

It’s now June and really starting to feel like summer. Things are slowing down, it’s friggin humid, and the town (if you’re here in Athens) is a bit quieter. It’s my favorite.

I wanted to take a moment to share some of my intentions for these emails with you. Here’s my one-take unedited self:

Seriously. Thank you for being here.

Without further ado...

In my last email, we explored pranamaya kosha—the energy body that lives beneath our physical experience. But here's what I've come to understand: the physical and energetic bodies aren't separate. They're intimately connected, constantly influencing each other.

Let me quickly remind you of all five koshas:

• Annamaya kosha (physical body)
• Pranamaya kosha (energy/breath body)
• Manomaya kosha (mental body)
• Vijnanamaya kosha (wisdom body)
• Anandamaya kosha (bliss body)

We often describe the koshas as layers - which they are - but some mistake them to be mutually exclusive or hierarchical. Instead, try to think of them as tangible >> intangible. And instead of experiencing one at a time, we can think of them always alive, always present. Sometimes I picture them more like a hologram. Layers that are constantly shifting in and out of my awareness.

After over a decade of teaching, the koshas have my heart. I'm constantly looking for ways to use the physical body to awaken the energy body. It's not just about getting students into shapes - it's about using those shapes as vehicles for feeling more whole and connected to themselves.

Two Examples to Consider:

Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana) - Wave of the Spine. When teaching this shape, I often cue students to wave their spine into (and sometimes out of) the shape. Think lengthening on inhales, hinging and folding on exhales. Cueing fluid movement before static hold is one way we can generate energy. Then the *magic* happens when you cue students to notice the echo of the wave of breath, the echo of movement that continues to resonate throughout their torso amidst the sensation they’re feeling in their hamstrings.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana) - Hold >> Release. We don’t always have to generate energy using movement - we can also generate by holding a shape for several breaths. When cueing students into a strong engaged locust pose, energy builds. It gets big, bright, warm, loud, and intense. Then the *magic* happens when you cue them out of the shape and to find the opposite - to find rest, ease, stillness. Inviting them to allow all the energy they built in the shape to slowly settle. It’s an opportunity to get really close to their energy body.

This Week's Try-On

Choose one class you teach this week where you focus on riding the wave of the spine or hold >> release. This could be in:

• Wave into and out of a forward fold. Think nhale = lengthen, exhale = fold. Try this in Seated Head-to-Knee Pose (Janusirsasana A) or Wide Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottonasana)
• Hold a strong shape and then release. Try this in Chair Pose (Utkatasana) >> Soft Mountain Pose (Tadasana) or Plank Pose (Phalakasana) >> Belly Down Rest Pose (Prone Savasana).

Both of these techniques help students generate energy - energy that they can then feel, watch, and allow. When they soften, ask students to notice the echo/ripples of energy continuing to move and change in their bodies. It’s *in these moments* where students connect with their pranamaya kosha.

Of course, try this on in your own body first. See what you feel and notice. Jot down some language to use in your next class.

Much love.

// Kate

This is the second email in a series exploring how to teach through all five koshas. Find past emails here.