Revealing your true nature
- The Pañcamāya
The Pañcamaya is one of yoga's most foundational teachings.
At its heart is the oldest question the practice has ever asked:
Who am I? Not as a philosophical puzzle to be solved, but as a living inquiry something to be felt, breathed, chanted, and sat with over time.
Exploring the multi-demensional Self through practice and enquiry
Week 1 · Annamāya
The Physical Body mā aham annam · Me, I am food We begin where we always must here, in the body. Anna means food; our physical form is born from food, sustained by food, and one day returns to being food. This week we explore what it means to inhabit this vessel with care and non-attachment, and why tending to the physical body is not a distraction from the spiritual path it is the very beginning of it.
Week 2 · Prāṇamāya
The Life Force Body mā ahaṁ prāṇam. I am life force Prāṇa is the animating force within all of life without it, the physical body is simply inert matter. This week we explore the five movements of prāṇa through the body (the prāṇa vāyus), each with its own hasta mudrā. We begin to feel the difference between what depletes our vitality and what enlivens it and how the breath, consciously engaged, becomes an act of offering.
Week 3 · Manomāya
The Mind Body mā ahaṁ manaḥ, I am mind The mind is not simply in the brain the yogis and modern neuroscientists agree on this. It is all-pervading, alive in the tissues and the nervous system. Our issues are in our tissues. This week we explore the five sense gates through which the mind takes in the world, and practise bringing conscious awareness.
Week 4 · Vijñānamāya
The Wisdom Body mā ahaṁ vijñānam, I am wisdom This is the aspect that cannot be reached by the intellect alone. Vijñāna means wisdom — a direct knowing that lies deeper than thought. This is where yoga actually lives. This week we explore śraddhā — that inexplicable calling that keeps bringing you back to practice — and sit with the question: am I operating from my mind, or from my yoga?
Week 5 · Ānandamāya
The Bliss Body mā aham ānandam. I am bliss Ānanda is our deepest, truest nature — not the pleasure of getting what we want, but something quieter and more vast. Happiness for no reason at all. In our final week we gather all five aspects together and travel the full arc, arriving at the simplest and most profound recognition of all: aham aham I am, I am, I am. We close with the glimmer diary practice and an invitation to carry the inquiry forward into daily life.
Course Structure
All live sessions will be taught and recorded via Zoom.
Each module may include worksheets, guided video and audio practices, and other resources to support your learning and integration.
The recordings and resources are all stored on our online learning platform, which you will have access to for 1 months post the course.
You will learn through the group process, embodied practice, inquiry, simple movements, breathwork and sound in a trauma-informed way.
About your mentor - Rachel Nokes
Principle teacher trainer / Yoga Therapist / Yoga Teacher / Psychotherapist / Ayurvedic Practitioner
Rachel has found her life’s purpose, and she would love to inspire you to find yours. Over the past eleven years of teaching yoga Rachel has integrated her learning, creating a methodical approach to Vinyasa Yoga inspired greatly by the Krishnamacharya lineage. This includes intelligent sequence design, the weaving of Yogic philosophy and real-life storytelling, and chanting into the Yoga practice. In addition, Rachel loves how her students can choose from a range of Yoga tools so that the practice can really be made available to all students.
Rachel teaches the courses and workshops at her home studio in Bulli, which she has created over the past nine years with the loving support of her husband, Michael. She leads retreats in Australia, Europe, Bali and India. Rachel also offers ongoing mentoring to teachers who have completed the Ray of light teacher training or those looking to continue their exploration of Yoga philosophy and teaching. She loves how the Yoga family expands and celebrates the rich diversity in the students who attend her courses.