Our hands, our feet, our mouth, our excretory organs and our reproductive organs, these are the karmendriyas, the five ‘organs of action’ through which we operate in this world. We reach for things with our hands, we step on things with our feet, we feel comfortable or attracted to things, or scared, through our gentials. As a yogi, we can study these things, and help us better understand the world, our self and how we relate to others. I first saw the karmendriyas listed as part of the Sankhya yoga system^, originally written down by philosopher Ishwara Krishna c. 3^rdcentury AD, as handed down from the sage Kapila c.550BC (according to Brittanica) as part of several schools of Eastern philosophy of the time. 

Yoga may sound far out to some people, but I like to ponder the origin of the universe from time to time, and the yogis of old did too. Yoga texts offer a perspective that is based around the human as an energetic form, and in a simplistic way that offers an approach to life that helps when we are asked to digest the maelstrom of influences and distractions that is modern, social life. It teaches us to stay grounded within our own bodies by being sensitive to the movements and sensations received by the organs of action. Connected to the word karma, which has come to mean what goes around comes around, the word karma actually means ‘action’ and alludes to how we act towards each other, and often are bound to act towards each other.

The karmendriyas are distinct from the five organs of knowing, the jnanendriyas, but together, it is said, these ten components give rise to the mind, manas. So our mind is made up of the sensations it receives, and the actions it manifests.

The elements of the universe and the self that the Sankhya system outlines, provides a version of the world which we cannot reduce any further; it defines the connection between the body and the outside world. We digest our world through our senses, and we express our inner worlds through our voice, our touch, the way we walk, our sexual expression, and our gut feel. When we study these elements we can grow our self awareness. We can learn to hold ourselves differently, to be more open, or more closed, we can learn to touch others with ease, or to sing more freely. Our yoga practice connects us to our hands and our feet, it conditions the digestive and reproductive organs and chanting re-connects us to our mouth. With the use of positive intention we can create more spaciousness, patience and understanding in our bodies, especially by challenging ourselves to hold to these principles in our practice.

^The Textbook of Yoga Psychology, Ramamurti S. Mishra, M.D. (1997)