It is clear to most of us by now that human beings are complex creatures. The mind-body connection is no longer in dispute, but classical yoga goes even further by naming additional dimensions beyond our mental and physical structures.
The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the panca maya (five layers) of our human system, which include the physical realm, the energetic dimension, the mind and emotions as well as our personality. These 'layers' interconnect and resonate with each other to the extent that whatever we experience in one dimension will have an impact on the whole system.
While this means that an imbalance on any layer creates a disturbance in the whole system, the reverse is also true. A positive intervention on any layer can be the starting point for the healing process.
Observing and responding to the changes on any or all of the layers also reminds us that there is a deeper aspect to our being which remains constant and undisturbed. In the first chapter of the yoga sutras this aspect is referred to as drashta 'the one who sees', also known as the purusha. It is pure consciousness, which resides in the heart.
Yoga philosophy assures us that we are both purusha (spirit) and prakrti (matter), and that only the latter is subject to cause and effect.
The wisdom from ayurveda, which is incorporated into classical yoga therapy, is that we each have a unique constitution, based on the five elements in nature: earth, water, fire, air and space. Our individual prakrti (nature) is made up of all these elements, and their proportions will differ from person to person. Wellness results when we find our own optimal balance. When we deviate from our natural way of being, we suffer.
