Panchamaya Kosha & the Bio-psychosocial-spiritual model
Five orange candles with green background representing the five koshas and bio-psychosocial-spiritual model of well-being.
Genuine well-being
“Well-being societies apply bold policies and transformative approaches that are underpinned by, among others: A positive vision of health that integrates physical, mental, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social well-being.”
Geneva: World Health OrganizationIncreasingly, the science-driven biomedical perspective is opening to what many wisdom traditions, cultures and lineages have taught for years: that health and well-being is not simply being free of disease, it is when we are functioning optimally as an integrated system, thriving physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.
In modern healthcare this concept is referred to as the bio-psychosocial-spiritual model. But long before that, the Kosha Model, as described in the Taittiriya Upanishad, taught that each one of us is composed of 5 interwoven layers: annamaya (physical), pranamaya (breath & vital energy), (manomaya) mental-emotional, vijnanamaya (discernment & wisdom), anandamaya (steady contentment & wonder).
It is important to remember that optimal functioning does not describe an ideal where our bodies never age, we never feel sadness, anger or grief, and we are free from illness.
The magic lies in contributing to feeling vital and healthy where we can, while also growing our capacity to relate to life’s inevitable difficulties and changes without compounding our suffering or losing our access to an open heart, joy, connection, wonder, play and purpose.
Our inner ecosystem
The more deeply I study health and well-being, the more I understand my human experience to be like an ecosystem — a complex of interdependent parts — and my yoga practice to be a process of becoming an ecological steward of my inner and outer environment.
The 5 integrated layers of the kosha model are a perfect example of this ecosystem framework and through my practice I have noticed that I often have (the very human) tendency to focus more on one aspect of my experience than another. When I catch this, I intentionally ensure I return to investing in my health in a more holistic way.
Taking stock: the 5 layers
We can practice consistently taking stock of how we relate to and care for each layer of our experience and grow our willingness and ability to attend to them all skilfully.
The five koshas as an interwoven system — each layer continuously shapes, and is shaped by, the others.
How do you relate to your physical body and internal systems?
For some, this may be the easiest layer to connect with as it seems the most tangible – we can see our toes, feel our skin, sense a stomach ache, notice a racing heart, and focus on a muscle cramp. For others, the physical body may feel numb or inaccessible either partially or completely.
It can also be the case that the external body is easy to feel into, while our body’s internal systems seem scarier, more overwhelming or more disconnected.
Through yoga we can explore what it means to grow a sense of partnership with the body, ensuring care is a two-way street by honing our awareness of – and our ability to interpret and tend to – internal cues.
How do you connect with and relate to your breath?
Many of us leave our breathing running on auto and don’t pay it much attention unless something is wrong (we get a cold, battle seasonal allergies, struggle with asthma, or sleep apnea etc).
Others find tuning into the breath triggering due to personal histories which may include trauma, anxiety, or panic attacks.
Gradually learning to be mindful of, and to intentionally direct our own breathing can serve as one of the most powerful ways to harmonize physical, emotional and mental responses, in essence: to influence how we feel.
What is your relationship to feeling vibrant and alive?
The pranamaya layer refers not only to the physiological act of breathing but also to a more subtle sense of energetic circulation, vitality, and presence. In short: life force.
It is common for this sense of aliveness and flow to fluctuate with the stressors in our lives. For some of us however, this energetic state may feel completely foreign, or like a version of ourselves that was lost and can’t be found.
Yoga places great emphasis on both breathing practices (for ex: pranayama) and energetic flow (for ex: the 5 primary Vayus). Because these two aspects of well-being can be so challenging for some folks, it is important to give ourselves permission to personalize our practices and to seek appropriate support when needed.
How do you relate to your emotional experience?
I find we humans have quite a fraught relationship with our emotions generally, and especially in some cultures, including my own.
We tightly control their acceptable duration and how, when, where, and to what degree they should be expressed and by whom.
Collectively, we seem to be losing our ability to witness the full array of our own emotions and those of others with compassion and embodied presence.
There is a renewed movement to recognize the importance of having spaces, shared rituals, and supportive communities which encourage us to unburden ourselves, to express and release our feelings and to feel felt in return.
How do you relate to the activities of your mind?
Our minds are wondrous for sure, but they are just as much an interconnected part of our internal ecosystem as any other despite our human tendency to place them on a pedestal.
In fact, our minds and our emotions are in constant interplay, often triggering and reinforcing one another in escalating loops unless we mindfully check-in and discern when our minds are truly serving us and when they are contributing to patterns that get in our way.
Yoga teaches us to become aware of this dance between thoughts and feelings, enabling us to pause and change tempo when necessary instead of becoming identified with or entangled in our experience.
As we go about our day, our actions, thoughts, and moods are often being influenced by constellations of experience that we may not even be aware of.
Experiences might include whether we are well rested or sleep deprived, whether our social relationships are steady or unstable, whether we feel on top of tasks or burdened by accumulating stressors. Deeper impact might be felt when trauma history is triggered or when experiencing anxiety or depression.
Growing our connection to an inner Discerning Witness or Self that is unaffected by the undertow of these factors and that simply observes present-moment experience without filtering is the first step towards feeling free.
We can learn to approach our lives with the non-judgmental curiosity that leaves room for discovery and change.
This most subtle layer may be interpreted differently by different folks. I find it can be helpful to consider three qualities: a felt sense of steady contentment and ease, purpose, and receptivity to awe and wonder.
If one is struggling with traumatic experience or barriers to mental health, these qualities may seem foreign or unattainable — just not meant for me — but they can be cultivated and nurtured.
Perhaps it is a moment of deep contentment which is not conditional on acquisition, achievement or outcome.
Perhaps an experience of feeling open and expansive, existing as pure awareness.
Perhaps, time in nature or other opportunities for wonder and awe lead to a sense of harmony and communion with life’s mysteries.
Perhaps we nurture connection and purpose through service, participation in communities which share the traditions or belief systems we anchor in, or actions aligned with what gives our life greater meaning.
Nourishing all our layers
It can be surprising to uncover the stories, judgements or assumptions we’ve absorbed or created about each facet of our being when we take the time to pause and reflect.
I find this integrative model of well-being offers a lot of hope when feeling stuck. Because layers are interwoven, attending to any one can be a gateway to restoring balance in the system as a whole.
Yoga is an integrative practice that touches on each layer, allowing us to begin with what feels most natural and to grow into areas that are more challenging.
“There is no magic to it, really, or perhaps it is all magical indeed. We repeat simple movements, breathe simple breaths. We are willing to be compassionate, truthful, and vulnerable with ourselves, and look at a place that might hold resistance, pain, or nothingness. (…) A healing path may reveal itself then. One that will allow us to feel whole.”
Wrobel, LeahAchieving well-being: a global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. (ISBN: 978-92-4-008485-8)
Wrobel, Leah. Yoga for Pelvic Floor Health: A Whole-Body Approach to Strengthening & Healing (p. 128). Kindle Edition.
Anna is the founder of Take Heart Yoga Therapy, a trauma-informed practice in Toronto. She has been practicing yoga since 2001 and brings both lived experience and professional training to her work with individuals and groups.
