Onions have layers. What about you?
Panchamaya kosha - the 5 layers of... YOU
In yoga and yoga therapy we talk a lot about the 5 sheaths (layers) - the koshas.
You probably experienced how some of them work either during a yoga session, wholesome quality time with someone you love, when you had a light-bulb moment or when you just floated in some body of water, feeling like you're part of water. You likely felt that bliss at some point, somewhere in your life ;)
Let's talk specifics then.
Annamaya kosha - the most "gross" one - the easiest to identify, though not for every person. It refers to the physical body (and it's often why we start from asana before we sit down to concentrate or meditate). That's also where you may experience pain.
Pranamaya kosha - not just the breath, it's the energy flowing through you. You can often access it with some focus but it's already a bit more subtle than the physical. What I really like about working on the panchamaya kosha is that you can feel and "hear" it when you're tuned in and aligned. I'll tell you in the bottom of this post how one of my students yesterday felt that pranamaya kosha LIVE.
Manomaya kosha - refers to your mind and emotions. It is like a layer created by thoughts, feelings, moods, opinions and beliefs. It's also where your worries and stress may lay.
Vijnanamaya kosha - it's about your intellect and your inner wisdom. More than just "knowing" cognitively, it can touch on memory, your behavioural patterns + intuition and even judgement. You could say that it's also where creativity and imagination hold place.
Finally, anandamaya kosha - it's your bliss body. The least attainable one, and THE most subtle layer that probably some mediators in their faraway mountains can reach. But if you remember the beginning metaphor of floating in the ocean (if you're not scared of water), maybe you experienced seconds of bliss... :)
It goes deeper, as this is a layer where you're connected to everything and everyone and you feel one with the whole.
So what did we do in the yoga session that a person said: am I imagining it or am I breathing in different parts depending on how I put my fingers together?
Spoiler alert: she wasn’t imagining it.
It also wasn’t a coincidence - hasta mudras - hand gestures can help move energy around the body, sometimes locking it, other times letting it flow. Prana is not the same as breath, but it’s also not as simple as “energy”. You can impact its flow by placing your hands in different ways. So before I tell you how it can work, try it yourself:
take 6 calm breaths, just observe the natural flow of it
bring your thumb and index finger together - and observe how your breath moves the body
bring your thumb and ring finger together - and observe how your breath moves the body
Do you feel any difference? Thumb and index move the breath more towards the chest, while thumb and ring move lower to the belly. See if you observe something similar and if not - it’s totally normal, especially if you’re currently a little disregulated.
You could try it again after a yoga practice so you’re not just doing it in void but are already attuned to subtleties in your body, breath and mind.
Homework
After your next yoga session, try these two mudras and observe what happens. You can send me a DM on instagram to share your experience! I loooove to chat about this.