The Tri-Loka: Journey Through the Three Realms

Written by Abbe Ciulla, owner of Wonderland Yoga Studio, Troy City Yoga Studio and the Solar Flow Yoga Teacher Training School

In the vast expanse of yogic philosophy, the concept of Tri-Loka, the Three Realms of Existence, is an ancient map of reality:

Bhur: the physical realm, the earth plane, the tangible and material world.
Bhuvah: the subtle realm, the mental, energetic, and pranic layer.
Svah: the celestial realm, the spiritual dimension, luminous and vast.

These realms are referenced in the Gayatri Mantra, one of the oldest and most revered mantras from the Rig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10):

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

The opening invocation "Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah" is a salutation to these three spheres, honoring the complete scope of human experience. Teachers like Swami Sivananda and B.K.S. Iyengar have described them not as distant worlds, but as aspects of consciousness, always present within us.

Softening the Boundaries

In day-to-day life, these realms can feel separate. The physical is what we can touch and measure. The mental is what we think and feel. The spiritual often feels like it exists somewhere far away.

But yoga teaches us that the boundaries between them are permeable- more like shifting clouds than rigid walls. As Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras remind us, “Yoga chitta vritti nirodhah”, yoga is the quieting of the fluctuations of the mind. When we quiet the mind, the spiritual becomes naturally accessible.

Tri-Loka practice is about softening these boundaries until the realms begin to overlap and harmonize, revealing the fullness of who you are.

​The Bottom-Up Pathway

Most of us first step onto the path of yoga through the physical practice.

Through mindful movement, we cultivate discipline and patience. We taste the quiet satisfaction that comes from showing up for ourselves. Most importantly, we reestablish a relationship with our physical body — a connection so many of us lose as we move through adulthood. The body becomes familiar again. It becomes home. Our anchor.


And when we find our way home to the body, we naturally begin to wander into the realm of the mind- Bhuvah. This bottom-up approach shifts our inner landscape: the mind grows quieter, more spacious. Patience deepens. Peace becomes less fleeting. We notice our relationships feel easier, our choices less impulsive, our boundaries more grounded. As T.K.V. Desikachar often taught, “The success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures, but in how it positively changes the way we live our life.”

From this place, the doorway to Svah — the spiritual realm — begins to open. The trained, peaceful mind becomes a bridge to the subtle. Presence expands. A sense of connection begins to bloom — not as an abstract idea, but as a felt reality.


You’ve likely already felt it, those moments of deep connection when the veil thins:
The loving stillness while watching a sunrise.
The profound peace during savasana.
The warm familiarity in a stranger’s smile.
The way a soft afternoon breeze feels like it carries a message just for you.

This is the all-pervasive power of yoga.
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This is the Tri-Loka — the merging of what once felt separate. Three realms, distinct yet inseparable, like layers of mist that swirl and merge into one vast horizon. Together, they form the full spectrum of your being.

Inside the Tri-Loka Class

When you join my Tri-Loka class, you step into a living experience of these teachings:
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Breathwork: We begin with pranayama to awaken prana (life force) and bridge the physical and subtle realms.

Movement: A slow-burn vinyasa flow, a conversation between strength and surrender, tunes and refines the body, while quieting the mind.

Sound Bath Meditation: We close with the vibrational medicine of bowls, gong, and shruti box, allowing you to rest in the spaciousness of the celestial realm.

Tri-Loka is an invitation to inhabit all three realms fully, not in isolation, but in their natural unity.

Yoga reminds us that body, mind, and spirit are not separate parts to be bridged- they are different expressions of the same self. The physical, mental, and spiritual are not steps on a ladder, they are threads of one fabric, always connected, always present.