Stress is not a bad thing. It gets a bad rap as it’s associated with our fight/flight response, but it’s the energy of creation. It helps us get things done when we need to and keeps us safe. Our rest/digest response in comparison is the energy of healing. We need both to live a life of balance. But problems can arise when we hold on to that stress and stay stuck in that sympathetic state..
From a spiritual perspective, stress is fear, which reminds of words by Rumi: “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
Yoga teaches us that we’re multidimensional beings, made up of five different layers (koshas). Sometimes they’re called the five “bodies” or “sheaths”, as laid out in an ancient text called the Taittiriya Upanishad. They can’t all be seen, but they can be felt. You can think of these from the outermost layer of skin to the deep spiritual core. Like Russian dolls they fit inside each other, and at the centre is our light/higher self/soul (Atma). This is covered by the koshas and all of our complex needs as humans, including any stress that we’re holding onto.
The koshas are like loving layers of armour that are meant to protect us, but can instead prevent us from shining our light. That’s why we need a holistic approach to handling stress and one that helps us navigate our way gracefully through these obstacles.
So many of us find it hard to relax and that’s because there’s a lot to mine through to return to our true peaceful nature. We need a practice that digs deep.
Stillness practices like restorative yoga, deep relaxation, or meditation take us on a journey through the koshas, helping us to release stress so that we can uncover more of who we are at our centre, and share more of that with the world.
Last week, we talked about yoga nidra, which really is a step-by-step path through our spiritual anatomy, so if you haven’t already, you might like to check that out as I lead you through a guided practice, too. It’s called The Magic of Rest, and to make it easy for you to find, I’ll include the episode link in the show notes!
But let’s take a look at the five bodies now. We’ll talk about what they are, how stress manifests in each one, and the yoga practices that can help us heal.
While we’ll talk about these as individual layers, they don’t stand alone. They influence each other. Yoga supports us holistically, as the word itself means “connection” or “union”, and these layers are integrated, like our mind, body and soul.
The first layer is made up of the physical body and this is called the Anna Maya Kosha. This is all of our parts that can be seen, touched and felt. Stress held here manifests as physical tension in the body, aches, pain and even sickness. Asana and movement in the yoga practice, or exercise and food in general influence the physical body, but we can also transition through this layer with stillness practices (which is what this show is all about and where we’ll be focusing most of our attention in this episode). We can practise a body scan, deep relaxation meditations, or restorative yoga, where the body is supported by props, so we can let go completely.
As the physical body relaxes, we then sink into our energetic body, the Prana Maya Kosha. This body is beyond the perception of our ordinary physical senses and it’s an energetic template of the physical body which vibrates at a much higher frequency. Our life force energy, Prana, resides here and provides us with vital energy that governs biological processes, from breathing to digestion, to circulation of blood, to activation of the autonomic nervous system. It also fuels our subtle body, made up of our chakras and energy channels known as the nadis. What I love about the energy body is that it’s our potential!
Breathwork releases blockages caused by stress, by guiding and directing Prana so that it can flow freely, which brings our energy system back into balance. Pranayama replenishes our vitality and simply changing your breath can counter the stress-response. Longer exhales, diaphragmatic breathing or alternate nostril breathing can be really nourishing for the energy body. But generally, with relaxation practices, we cultivate inner stillness and in that space, your breath naturally deepens and slows down.
Then there’s the mental body, or the Mano Maya Kosha which is composed of our thoughts, beliefs, emotions and feelings. Establishing awareness here frees us from unhealthy thoughts and actions, and helps us develop the self-control necessary to achieve our biggest dreams and goals. Our mindset can either nourish our wellbeing or trigger stress. With chronic or long-term stress, it’s our thoughts and emotions that trigger the hormonal, slow-drip response of the HPA Axis, which continues to release cortisol that accumulates in the body until it’s discharged. This can often be more damaging than the stress itself.
We can lift mental and emotional stress through visualisation, affirmations, mantra meditation or any practice that helps us turn inwards (Pratyahara). Having a single-pointed focus (Dharana) relaxes us and quiets the mind.
The Vijnana Maya Kosha is the home of our inner wisdom, intuition and consciousness. Peeling back this layer frees us from limiting beliefs, reveals clarity, inspires intuition and makes room for creativity. It also encourages self-awareness and the more we make space to connect with this part of us, the more it will infuse our lives.
Stress creates noise and guides our attention outside of ourselves. In stressful times, we often feel blocked creatively, or uncertain about our direction, or purpose in life. But in the quiet of stillness practices like restorative or yin, yoga nidra, or meditation (Dhyana), when your thinking mind rests, you can hear the voice of your inner guide.
The Ananda Maya Kosha, or bliss body, is our most subtle layer and consists of our inborn qualities such as peace, joy, love and wholeness. It’s the final and thinnest veil standing between our ordinary awareness and our higher self. Rumi also said: “When you feel a peaceful joy, that’s when you are near the truth.”
But if you’re stressed, it’s difficult to feel the vibration of peace and joy at the same time. As we’ve transitioned through the “bodies”, you can see how stress blocks us from being here.
All the practices we’ve talked about can get us to this divine, spacious and sacred place. There’s also prayer. But think of Savasana at the end of the yoga practice. Remember when you felt that for the first time? That’s what kept you coming back to the mat, right? It’s where everything comes together. We are connected to ourselves and the Universe. That’s the feeling of the bliss body. Here, we reach enlightenment and contentment (Samadhi).
So, in the beautiful complexity of being human, you can see that the way we experience stress is complex too. I like to think of it as peeling back the layers, and at the centre, we uncover our light. To heal and shine bright, we need to support our whole selves. Yoga is a path to peace. From the restorative poses that soften your physical body, to the breathing techniques that balance and replenish your life force, from the mantras and meditations that calm your mind, to the quiet space that opens up your intuition, and the sweet surrender into peace and bliss, yoga is a holistic system that nourishes and connects all of the parts of yourself that you’ve been longing to know. With this deep state of inner knowing, you can trust your ability to navigate stressful times with grace, recognising that they’re only temporary.
Instead of sharing a mantra this week, I wanted to end this episode with another quote from Rumi: "We are stars wrapped in skin. The light you are seeking has always been within."
While the stress of our lives may sometimes cast a shadow over that light, it never goes out.
Of course, we’re all different. But explore - with all of this in mind, embody - what feels true to you, and embrace - all of that which brings you back home to yourself.
Now, let’s do a little self-reflection. You might like to grab your journal for this, or return to it later. But ask yourself:
1. Am I feeling stressed right now?
2. Where does that stress live in my body? (Consider the five “bodies”, rather than just your physical body. It may be manifesting as tension, or somewhere you feel stuck or blocked).
3. What practices do I feel pulled to that will support me in easing that stress?
Thanks so much for listening! I really hope this episode helps you understand how stress can be experienced and manage it in a more holistic way. I’ll be back next Wednesday so have a great week and I’ll see you then!
