The Yoga of Art: How Art-Making Engages Every Layer of Being

Art is a way for deepening embodiment, offering a pathway to connect with ourselves beyond the intellect. Like yoga, art works on interwoven layers of being, guiding us towards harmonizing our experiences of existence.

Embodiment.

We live in a culture that prizes logic, speed, and productivity, often at the expense of presence, intuition, and emotional awareness. In this kind of environment, it’s easy to drift away from ourselves. That internal disconnection then shows up in our relationships, our creativity, and our overall wellbeing.

Embodiment is the practice of returning to ourselves - of inhabiting our sensations, emotions, and energetic experiences with awareness. To em-body is to become whole. More and more, people are rediscovering that the body carries information and wisdom we can’t always access through language or analysis. It’s not simply that the mind influences the body; the body also shapes the mind. They communicate constantly, in both directions, forming one integrated system.

And yet, many of us move through the world feeling fragmented, disconnected, or live “from the neck up.” Even our language concepts like “mind-body” suggests separation. But the mind lives within the body, and some would say it also extends into our relationships, our communities, and with nature herself.

This is why art is a powerful pathway.

Creative expression naturally brings us back into contact with sensation, movement, intuition, emotion, and spirit. Through mark-making, image, rhythm, and gesture, we begin to access parts of ourselves which have been shut-off and shut-down. Creative embodiment uses art not just as self-expression, but as a practice that gently guides us back into presence, helping us reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the wisdom we carry within.

Leveraging Yogic Philosophy

Ancient yogis have understood embodiment for ages. They even have a framework for it which defines 5 layers of existence. In understanding the vast benefits of art for embodiment and healing, we can honor and lean on sage wisdom to help us make sense of they many ways that art facilitates embodiment and put us on a path towards union with the soul.

Ancient yogic philosophy describes the human experience through the kosas: five interwoven layers of being. These layers of being are described as sheaths of existence which start with the physical body, progress through the mental body, to penetrate the center of our being: the soul. The goal here is to journey inward so the soul can shine outward clearly. These layers are to be integrated and to work in harmony together. It is through that integration and harmony that one accesses their innate wholeness.

Imagine these Kosas as Russian nesting dolls. Each layer resides inside each other. Moving from the physical body inward towards the bliss body.

The 5 kosas

• physical body (annamaya)

• the energy body (pranamaya),

• mental body (manomaya)

• wisdom body (vijnanamaya),

• bliss body (anandamaya).

  
  

Here's where art kicks in: art actively involves the mind, the body, and the soul. Art influences our aliveness and accesses our wisdom. By it's very nature, it's an embodied, whole-being experience. I've observed (and the research has been growing) that by engaging in creative expression we can activate and harmonizes each of these layers, supporting a holistic approach to healing. Let’s explore the wisdom of ancient sages to understand creative embodiment.

Annamaya Kosha: Physical Body: The Earth

"Action is movement with intelligence" - B.K.S. Iyengar

The annamaya kosha represents our tangible, physical form. The body is "the only instrument and the only resource we are provided with in which to embark on the Pursuit of Liberty." (Iyengar, pg.26) In yoga, you are aligning your layers of existence (emotional, mental, and spiritual) to align the physical body in an asana (yoga pose). It starts with awareness which is developed through your inner eye (proprioception & interoception).

By engaging in art-making, we are having an active motor-output, our body moves into action. We need to coordinate our movements in space to produce an effect. Let's look to ceramics to illustrate this. When you are throwing on a wheel, there is a specific step in which you need to center your clay. This often involves engaging specific muscles, holding and moving the clay in specific ways to facilitate the clay to center on the wheel. Your mind cannot be thinking about a fight you had with your friend or what you will eat for dinner. You must be present within your body to have the correct motor-output to produce the effect you want. The art demands that we are present in the here-and-now and attune ourselves.

Engaging in art, whether painting, sculpting, or even moving an inky pen across paper, creates a sensory experience that brings us back to our body. Studies in neuroaesthetics have shown that making art activates the motor cortex, enhances fine motor skills, and lowers stress responses (Bolwerk et al., 2014). Even the simple act of holding materials, engaging in rhythmic movement, or using color and texture can heighten body awareness and provide grounding. Grounding is key here, as it brings us back to the Earth.

Pranamaya Kosha: The Energy Body

The pranamaya kosha is the layer of life force energy/ vital energy. It's often understood through breath (a common translation for prana), circulation, and vitality. "Prana is the energy permeating the universe at all levels...it is the hidden and potential energy in all beings....vigor, power, vitality, life and spirit are all forms of prana.... it is special because it carries awareness. It is the vehicle of consciousness." (Iyengar, pg 66-67).

Art-making has been seen to regulate the nervous system, reducing cortisol levels and promoting relaxation (Kaimal et al., 2017). The process of mark-making, color mixing, and fluid movement can help release stored tension, restore energetic balance, and support emotional flow. Practices like breath-infused painting or movement-based drawing invite deeper attunement to our internal rhythms.

In my clinical work, I've observed art-making to have an effect on our breath and energy. Often when I work with folks who come in with low energy, I may offer a gentle art-making activity with the intention of supporting upliftment (increasing their energy and accessing their internal energy reserves.) Afterwards they share with me, "I feel more awake now. More alive." This is vital energy.

Manomaya Kosha: The Mental & Emotional Body

This layer is where thoughts, emotions, and conditioned beliefs reside. In yogic philosophy, the mental body is different than intellect or wisdom (more on this in the next section). When we look at this kosha, we are exploring the thinking brain, memory, ego (our sense of "I" which is a separate self from others), sensory perception, and the effect of those elements on our lives. More often then not, this is the kosha that most talk therapies target. Often people come into therapy, because of deep beliefs (often unaware of), unpleasant and difficult emotions, or scary and unhelpful thoughts which cause suffering. In traditional talk therapy, people may talk about the thoughts or emotions which keeps the experience removed, but it is through experiential approaches (like art-making, visualization, and movement) which allow people to embody their experience for deeper understanding, processing, release and ultimately - integration.

Art acts as a safe container in which to release unpleasant and difficult emotions from the body. We can channel energy out of ourselves and onto a canvas, which then allows for our thinking brain to use its senses of perception to become aware of the subjective and objective experiences we are processing. Art is exceptional in this way. We may not have to talk about the emotion at all. The act of creating allows us to experiencing and release, as a therapy in itself. It is a common experience for me to observe how making art shifts people's thinking and emotional states without further intervention from myself. These experiences can range from releasing raw emotion through color and movement to thinking on the page via lines and shapes which allows one to witness their own mind granting new perspectives.

Creating art engages the prefrontal cortex and limbic system, and because of this making art helps us learn to emotionally regulate our experiences. We are able to activate our default mode network, task oriented network, and support our salence network as it switches between. Studies on expressive arts demonstrate that the arts can lower anxiety, improve mood, and enhance problem-solving skills (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010). Through symbolic imagery, color expression, and freeform creation, art allows us to externalize emotions, process difficult experiences, and gain deeper insight into our inner world.

Vijnanamaya Kosha: The Intellectual Body: Wisdom

The Vijnanamaya Kosha represents clear intuition, deep awareness, and the ability to discern truth beyond logic. This kind of open wisdom holds discernment - an ability to be informed and make choices from consciousness versus patterns of behavior that require little thought. In yoga, you'll work with memory and the present-moment to respond with aligned integrity. This fosters a creative mind, builds self-observation, and self-knowledge.

Engaging in creative processes helps to quiet the analytical mind, the monkey mind, the internal chatter, and activate deeper states of knowing - a form of embodied intuition. If your art-making stays focused only on technique and aesthetics (the physical), then your inner light may not be able to get out as easily. Often people share with me their inner critics, experiences of art shame, or beliefs around their own art abilities. These internalized experiences become a block for people as begin to allow internal images to flow freely on the page. Art therapy research has found that non-judgmental, free-flowing art-making can enhance your brain's neuroplasicity and strengthen your self awareness (Zaidel, 2015). I find that releasing internal imagery from intuitive places reveals surprising, and often therapeutic, messages. Even more, it holds up a mirror, allowing an experience the feeling of being deeply seen. In creating from intuition we are allowing higher level of intelligence to come through us. The inner tries to move outward as the "soul seeks nothing more than to expand our whole being" (Iyengar, 2005).

"Waking Dream" - intuitive art making

Working from intuition can bring new perspectives and truths to light. There is a spiritual intelligence that shines through when working in this way. In gaining these insights, you are able to then live with discernment, giving yourself opportunity to free yourself from patterns of behavior and a mechanical, habitual mind. Intuitive art-making is non-judgmental, free flowing, and a quieting of the internal chatter. You can explore this through abstract art-making, dream imagery, and symbolic representations which can be portals to your inner wisdom and guidance.

Anandamaya Kosha: The Bliss Body: Divine

The Anandamaya Kosha is the innermost layer of our being where the subtle realm of joy, presence, and divine connection resides. It is the part of us that remembers our wholeness. Many describe it as the quiet knowing beneath all thought, the place where glimpses of universal oneness arise. We come to understand the larger soul of the world by first understanding our own.

Creative practice often opens this doorway. When we slip into deep artmaking - into flow, rhythm, color, or form - we enter a meditative state where time softens and the boundaries of the self feel more porous. Research on “flow states” (Dole, 2017) shows that this kind of immersive creative engagement can enhance well-being, expand consciousness, and foster a sense of self-transcendence.

Artmaking, in this sense, becomes a spiritual practice. It allows us to move beyond the immediate moment, to access altered states of awareness, and to meet the part of ourselves that is connected to something larger, whether that be nature, collective humanity, or a quiet universal intelligence. When we create, we participate in our own evolution. We become a conduit through which life expresses, explores, and remembers itself. Art can be a spiritual practice - one that brings us closer to our essence and the interconnected web of life.

"The drive within nature is to express itself through evolution."

B.K.S. Iyengar

If you’re looking to engage in art as an embodiment practice, try:

• Grounding through sensory art:

  • Use natural materials, textured elements, or clay to deepen physical presence. Bring your mind into your hands - feel the materials, notice their textures, colors, smells, and the way light bounces off them. Keep your mind focused on the sensory experience while you create.

• Joyful movement art:

  • Imagine you are dancing and allow your brush to make the marks of your movement. Detach from the idea that the outcome needs to look a certain way. Just enjoy the dance of creating.

• Intuitive, breath-focused movement art:

  • Let your breath guide your strokes moving intuitively with your emotions. Try using gestures to make marks as you exhale.

• Symbolic expression:

  • Use collage images for symbolic representations and create freely without judgment. Let your intuition lead by choosing images you are naturally drawn to. You can choose a theme to help guide you (or set an intention). Later, reflect on what emerges. If judgement arises during your process, note this as an irritation from the mental body.

• Build a flow-based creative habit:

  • Set aside time for uninterrupted, immersive creating. Flow is a peak-performance state.  Imagine that this time is like meditation. You are training your brain to enter a specific state through artistic methods. Keep up a consistent, disciplined practice. Some days will be harder than others.

    • Start small and set realistic goals.

    • Let yourself work on whatever creative projects you want.

    • Use aids to help move into a deeper focused state like frequency or nature based music, and/or ensuring your physical needs are met (not too hungry, have your water/tea ready).

    • Keep a log to write down observations on what supported any flow like experiences and/other.

Art is more than a tool for self-expression. It is a gateway to deeper embodiment, healing, and self-discovery. Through creativity, we engage every layer of our being, honoring the full depth of our experience. Creative embodiment is at the heart of my art therapy practice because healing doesn’t happen only in the brain - it happens throughout the body, through presence, and within the creative act itself. When we make art from an embodied place, we reconnect with intuition, allow our inner voice out, and access deeper layers of meaning, resilience, and joy.

If you’d like to explore these practices more intentionally, I invite you to visit my Virtual Center for Creative Embodiment Education, where you’ll find courses, workshops, and resources to support your journey.

Warmly,

Emily

References

Bolwerk A, Mack-Andrick J, Lang FR, Dörfler A, Maihöfner C. How art changes your brain: differential effects of visual art production and cognitive art evaluation on functional brain connectivity. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 1;9(7):e101035. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101035. Erratum in: PLoS One. 2014;9(12):e116548. PMID: 24983951; PMCID: PMC4077746.

Doyle, C. L. (2017). Creative Flow as a Unique Cognitive Process. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01348

B.K.S. Iyengar (2005). Light on Life, The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom. Rodale Inc.

Girija Kaimal, Katrina Carroll-Haskins, Janell L. Mensinger, Rebekka M. Dieterich-Hartwell, Elizabeth Manders, William P. Levin. Outcomes of art therapy and coloring for professional and informal caregivers of patients in a radiation oncology unit: A mixed methods pilot study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, Volume 42, 2019, Pages 153-161, ISSN 1462-3889