ready to face the future fearlessly, and we are able to handle whatever
it may bring. We also can control the dualities and conflicts within our
selves. This allows us to reserve all our energies for dealing with life's
inevitable challenges, its ups and downs, and its sorrows and joys, with
increasing equanimity and less and less emotional upheaval.
The pranamaya kosa, the energetic sheath, is not only where we
work with breath but also where we work with our emotions. You
have no doubt noticed that your breath is deeply affected by your emo
tions. Perhaps crying is the most obvious example of how your
breathing is altered by your emotions. For any serious work with our
breath and with the energy of the body, we must face the six emotional
disturbances.The Six Emotional Disturbances
Through yoga we are able to lessen the six emotional disturbances that
cause us so much anguish: lust, pride and obsession, anger, hatred, and
greed. They are called negative emotions by Western psychology or
deadly sins by Christianity, and indeed these emotional reactions are
the enemies of spiritual growth when they are beyond our control.
However, each of these emotions exists for a purpose and can be used
wisely. For example, the same emotions are transformed and expressed
in sentimental terms, gestures, and poses in the composition of Indian
Classical dance. Indeed, our feelings have a great deal of energy, which
when not directed outward at the world can be cultivated for our In
ward Journey.
Religions tell us to get rid of these emotions, but we cannot. They
are human emotions that we will feel whether we want to or not. Sup
pression does not work. George Stevenson invented the steam engine
because he noticed that the steam in a boiling kettle lifted the lid. The
force was irresistible. Yoga is about channeling and transforming that
energy to higher purposes, just as Stevenson used the energy of steam