The Panchamaya Koshas originate from the Taittiriya Upanishad, an ancient Vedic text thought to have been written in the sixth century B.C.

It is a yoga philosophy that suggests we have five interconnected layers of being.

Annamaya kosha: The physical body, our most gross expression including our cells, tissues, nerves, organs, body systems etc.  Thanks to medical science we have learnt a lot here and all allopathic medicines work on this layer.

Pranamaya kosha: The energy body, our vitality or life force (called prana in yoga) which is recognised by the breath. This is the more recent science backed territory of nervous system regulation and breathwork. Short, fast, shallow, jagged breathing indicates a sympathetic nervous system or stress response and by slowing our breath down & focusing on a longer exhale we can come into more restful or parasympathetic tones.

Manomaya kosha: The mental and emotional body, is made up of our thought processes and patterns. This is our thinking mind as well as all the feelings & emotions we experience physiologically as a result. Research now tells us that the vast majority of physical health issues originate in this layer.

Vijnanamaya kosha: The wisdom body, our intuition, inner voice or inner knowing that is so often drowned out by the mental noise and chattering of our daily thoughts. If this layer is out of sync with the mental/emotional layer it will impact the energetic layer (our breathing) and subsequently our physical health.

Anandamaya kosha: The bliss body is our experience of pure joy – happiness with no strings attached. Often called the flow state and experienced when doing something creative or walking in nature, those moments when we feel a sense of connection with something bigger or higher than ourselves. We all deserve to be here, but too often we’re stuck in our Manomaya and Vijnanamaya layers – struggling within ourselves.