Skin, breath, thought, intuition, joy. Five layers, one inside the other, like the rings of a tree. Yoga calls them the koshas. Here is how the body looks when seen from the inside, from the food we eat to the quiet bliss beneath everything.
The human body is a rather mysterious place, and so is everything that makes us human. In biological terms, the body is a physical substance made of living and extracellular materials, organised into tissues, organs and systems. This biological, empirical view, described by medicine and our modern times, has also greatly influenced the way yoga looks at the body.
In yoga, we take care of the physical body. But we soon realise that the energies at play take us beyond what is purely physical. As obvious as it is to consider the physical body real, we can also feel the existence of other bodies, or layers (kosha), by turning our attention to their own quality.
Eastern philosophies offer many representations of how mind and body work. They are often very elaborate, and they show the immense work of introspection carried out over centuries.
Meditation, yoga and pranayama, the practice of breathing, help to explore and balance the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. When one of them feels fragile, a practice adapted to it can be chosen to strengthen it.
In the past, yogis perceived the body as a network of psycho-physical centres such as the chakras, connected by channels (nadis) through which the different breaths (vayu) and the vital energy (kundalini) circulate. Today, many modern schools of yoga describe the body as five sheaths called koshas. They move from the densest layer, the body made of food, to the most subtle, the body of bliss, ananda.
Read on to discover the koshas and the human body as seen from a yogic point of view.
The Pancha Kosha
The koshas are described in the Taittiriya Upanishad (chapter 2), one of the principal Upanishads, the philosophical texts of Hinduism. There, the koshas veil the soul, the atman. The atman is linked to the experience of spirituality and the expression of the heart. It is the individual expression of the Spirit: the part of us connected to the infinite, whether we call it God or simply the underlying principle of life.
Sometimes called sheaths or envelopes, the koshas wrap around the soul. Discovering each layer brings us closer to the true self and to unity with all that is. The physical body is the outermost layer, while the innermost layer holds the body of bliss.
There are five layers, hence the name Pancha Kosha (pancha means five). They exist together, interwoven, and becoming aware of them is said to deepen self-knowledge and the connection between mind, body and soul.
The five koshas are:
- Annamaya Kosha: the physical sheath
- Pranamaya Kosha: the sheath of vital energy
- Manomaya Kosha: the mental sheath
- Vijnanamaya Kosha: the sheath of wisdom
- Anandamaya Kosha: the body of bliss
Annamaya Kosha: the physical sheath
Annamaya Kosha is the first and outermost layer. Its name comes from anna, food, which is why it is sometimes called the food sheath. It is built, day after day, from what we eat.
The physical body is made of skin, flesh, fat and bones. It is considered the temple that houses all the subtler bodies. It is our tangible presence on earth, the place where human existence is experienced. It is also the layer our clothes touch first: soft, breathable natural fibres let the skin breathe and the body be forgotten during meditation.
Pranamaya Kosha: the sheath of vital energy
In Sanskrit, prana means life force, and it is also a word for breath. Pranamaya Kosha is the second layer, the sheath of vital energy.
This pranic body is constantly nourished by breathing. When it is strong, we feel energy to carry out what matters to us and a sense of vitality. Breathing practices are the most direct way to work with it: start with our five simple pranayama principles, then explore six pranayama techniques or the Breath of Fire.
Manomaya Kosha: the mental sheath
Manomaya Kosha represents the mind, the emotions and the inner world: the flow of perceptions, thoughts and feelings that moves through us all day long. In Kundalini yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, the aura, the luminous field around the physical body, is described as a protective screen. A strong aura is said to give us, and those around us, a feeling of security.
Vijnanamaya Kosha: the sheath of wisdom
Also known as the sheath of awareness or discernment, Vijnanamaya Kosha allows a deeper awareness to develop: the witness that can observe thoughts and emotions without being carried away by them.
It holds the memory of our experiences, through images and the emotions associated with them. These emotions, linked to experiences good or bad and combined with mental activity, contribute to our self-awareness. Our values and needs are rooted here too.
In Kundalini yoga, the mind, our "thinking machine", is described with three main functions:
- The negative or protective mind gives shape, sorts out the essential and looks for what could go wrong.
- The positive or expansive mind lets us see the possibilities and use our resources. It supports a strong will and gives the strength to carry out our projects.
- The neutral or meditative mind weighs the information from the other two and serves as a guide in life. Intuitive and free of prejudice, it connects us with the soul.
Anandamaya Kosha: the body of bliss
In Sanskrit, ananda means bliss, hence the name Anandamaya Kosha. It is the innermost layer, the body of bliss. It lies beneath all the illusions of the outer sheaths, and is glimpsed in moments of deep stillness, at the end of a meditation or in the silence after a long exhale.
Final words
The koshas come from the Upanishads, a Vedantic source, rather than from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras or the classical Hatha yoga texts. They were later taken up by Vedanta and by modern yoga, where they are now very widespread.
There are other approaches to the yogic body, older or simply different, and we will certainly have the chance to tell you about them in other articles. It seemed important to us to start from this widely shared point of view before diving into others. To place the koshas in the wider story, read our brief history of yoga.
To understand yourself better, explore the koshas and learn to become aware of your body, your breath and your thoughts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the five koshas in yoga?
Annamaya (the physical body, made of food), Pranamaya (vital energy and breath), Manomaya (mind and emotions), Vijnanamaya (wisdom and discernment) and Anandamaya (bliss). They are described as five sheaths around the atman, the true self.
Where do the koshas come from?
From the Taittiriya Upanishad, an ancient Indian philosophical text. The model was later developed by Vedanta and is now widely used in modern yoga teaching.
How can I feel the koshas in my own practice?
Move from the outside in. Feel the body in a posture (Annamaya), then the breath (Pranamaya), then watch the thoughts and emotions (Manomaya), then the one who observes them (Vijnanamaya). Rest in the silence that remains (Anandamaya). Five minutes are enough to begin.
Five layers. One breath goes through them all.
