Lesson 3 Summary: Prana, SoHam, and the Four Bodies
This module is a technical talk that dives into the yogic use of breath (prana), the mantra SoHam, and their relationship to the four bodies (physical, subtle, causal, and supra-causal). Mark Griffin opens the talk by establishing the breath not just as a tool for meditation, but as a primary vehicle of consciousness itself. He describes SoHam as the natural mantra of the breath, a current of vibration and identity that arises from the Self and returns to it.
He describes the movement of prana as a multidimensional force, navigating through channels (nadis), spheres (chakras), and bodies that span the gross to the transcendental. The practice of breath awareness is given shape through specific techniques like Ajapa Japa (repetition without repetition), bellows breath, and single-pointed concentration.
Crucially, Mark links breath and mantra to the inner journey of moving identification from the personality to an alignment with the inner witness—the still point from which all consciousness arises. He explains that working with prana and SoHam opens the gates to Shaktipat, and initiates transformation not just in the mind, but in the energetic architecture of the being itself.
In “Prana, So Ham, and the Four Bodies,” Mark Griffin continually returned to the topic of the four bodies and their four states of awareness as fundamental aspects of the human architecture and our experience of it. In another of his seminal texts, 108 Discourses on Awakening, Mark explains:
“The human form has four bodies of increasing subtlety: the physical body, which is the organizational point of matter; the subtle physical body, which is the organizational point of energy; the causal body, which is the organizational point of the mind; and the supra-causal body, which is the organizational point of infinite consciousness. All four bodies are inside the frame of the physical body, subtle sheath within sheath within sheath.”
He goes on to iterate:
“The first three states of consciousness–waking, sleep with dreams, and dreamless sleep are relative to the four bodies. The waking state relates primarily to the physical body wherein the operations of the senses, the mind, and the prana are present.
However, as we enter the sleep-with-dreams state, the awareness of the body and the senses falls away. All we have left is the awareness of the mind and the prana. In this state, we operate inside a condition of pure thought that is culled from the memory of the mind.
Then as we shift into deep sleep, the physical body and the senses shut down and only the life force, the prana, is present. The mind is gone. The senses are gone. The body is gone. Spiritually speaking, this state of consciousness is one membrane away from Atman.”
That leaves the Fourth State. Mark says:
“The sages tell us, “The mind, the body, and the senses make up the dynamics of the psychic apparatus. If the mind is gone, the senses are gone, and the body is gone, another center of consciousness must exist.” And thus it is. The Atman–the fourth state.”
Below, you’ll find two tables by which to view the organization of the four bodies and their attending four states of awareness…
Prana, SoHam, and the Four Bodies
| Body: | Includes: | Also Known As: |
| Physical Body | Flesh, blood, nerves, muscles, bone, etc. Prana as physical life force (Libido). | The self, who & what we think we are. |
| Subtle-Physical Body | Chakras, Nadis (72,000 in number), The Three Major Channels: Sushumna (central channel), Ida (left channel, lunar), Pingala (right channel, solar), Bindus, Drops, Seats of the Five Pranas (Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana, Udana), 5 Elements, Prana as electric life force | Subtle body, Pranic body, Astral body |
| Causal Body | Mind (manas), Ego (ahamkara), Intellect (buddhi), list-making capacity, memory… Prana as mental life-force | The Mind, Mental Body |
| Supra-Causal Body | The Blue Pearl, The Rupa, Prana as Infinite Consciousness | The Self, Atman, God |
Prana, SoHam, and the Four Bodies
| States of Awareness: | The Experience of… | Also Known As… |
| Waking | Conventional Reality, the Appearance, the shared dream | the world, the universe |
| Sleep-with-Dreams | the individual dream | dreaming |
| Dreamless Sleep | the mind thinking of “no thing” | deep sleep, delta/theta states |
| Fourth State | Infinite Pure Consciousness, Reality | Turiya |
🌀 Questions for Contemplation
Contemplation is the means by which we can “feel” our way into the deep, existential questions of life. In this way it is a mode of “thinking” that differs from discursive fact gathering —the step-by-step means by which we assemble and organize information. While this form of knowledge gathering can be crucial to our mastery of a subject, contemplation activates the intuitive faculties of mind that lead towards insight, understanding, wisdom, and realization.
Begin to observe how this ability to feel deeply into a subject differs from the more rudimentary stages of learning. Let Mark’s words move you into a space where the mind has room to integrate your own fields of deeper knowing. Towards that end each module will offer an opportunity for focused contemplation. We recommend journaling as a means to engage with these questions and to activate one’s own intuitive faculties.
Contemplate
- What does it mean to me that the breath is not just a bodily function, but a carrier of consciousness and spiritual identity?
Reflect on the possibility that every inhale and exhale is a message from the Self. - Can I observe the movement of prana—not just in the lungs, but in the subtle body?
Explore the inner texture of breath. Where do you feel it? What does it reveal? - What is the mantra SoHam revealing to me when I follow it with awareness?
Investigate how this mantra resonates within your meditation. Does it shape your sense of self? - Where am I still identified with the outer world of thought and emotion, and how might breath and mantra bring me closer to the witness within?
Begin to feel into that shift—from personality to Presence.