3.3 The Physical and Pranic Bodies
Our physical body (annamayakosha) is our vehicle on earth. This body is created from the food that we consume. Thus the sanskrit name, annamayakosha (anna-maya-kosha). Anna means food, maya is creation and kosha is body.
Our physical body functions through the perception of the five senses ( sight, hearing, taste, smell and feel or touch ) and physiological processes. The basic nature of the physical body is that of survival instincts. Without guidance or control over this body, baser impulses of fear, anger, domination, jealousy and hatred can be the ruling forces in our lives. However these latent impulses in the physical body when properly guided by wisdom create great will to do what is righteous and noble.
The pranic body or pranamayakosha,
is fused with the physical body. It is the body that gives vitality and health to our physical body. While the physical body uses food to create tissue and organs in our body, the pranic body imbibes the life-force contained within the food.While we breathe our body absorbs oxygen while the pranic body absorbs the life-force (or the ionic charge) within the air. This life-force is called prana. Prana is also derived from performing spiritual practices such a meditation and hatha yoga which opens ourselves to our soul force, which is also a source of prana. It is by learning to imbibe prana through spiritual means that yogis are able to keep revitalising their pranic body and maintain their physical body even though they may be in constant meditation and not be eating or drinking water for days on end.
The pranic body gives us vigour in life. A person with strong pranic body generally has a positive outlook in life, is healthy and is naturally driven to achieve goals. A weak pranic body is generally the cause for bleak outlook on life, depression, laziness and lethargy. Fresh foods, especially fruits and freshly cooked foods, clean air and pure water are all filled with prana. Exercising, swimming and doing yoga exercises all increase prana in our lives and gives us a greater zest in enjoying life.
Living in stale, air-conditioned spaces most of our day, eating too much junk foods and fast foods, and watching too much television decrease the strength of our pranic body and subsequently also our immunity to diseases.The physical and pranic bodies lasts only for one lifetime on earth.
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