By Victor M Fontane
In Eastern philosophy, specially in the Vedanta tradition and teachings, the koshas are considered the energetic layers of your body that surround your soul. ... Your physical body composes the outermost layer, while the innermost layer contains your bliss body, or soul. They were first described in the ancient yoga text the Taittiriya Upanishad.
You can visualize the five koshas surrounding the soul as the layers of an onion or a matryoshka — the wooden Russian nesting doll that contains smaller and smaller versions of itself.
Working with the koshas may allow you to go deeply into the center of your self or soul. This can help you take your spiritual practice to the next level and make positive changes in your self, your life, and the world around you.
An awareness of the physical and mental koshas is the starting point for you to become aware of the deeper layers within.
Annamaya
The annamaya kosha is the physical sheath that composes the outer layer. It’s sometimes referred to as the food sheath.
Your body weight or size can reflect your physical sheath, as well as any physical ailments or concerns you have. You can also pay attention to how your body reacts to different types of food.
Pranamaya
The pranamaya kosha is the vital energy, breath, or life force sheath. In Sanskrit, the word “prana” refers to life force and is the word for breath.
Awareness of this kosha allows you to move stagnant energy, so you can experience greater vitality and an energetic connection to yourself, others, and nature.
Manomaya
The manomaya kosha is contained within the annamaya and pranamaya koshas. It acts as a messenger, bringing experiences and sensations from the outer world into your intuitive body.
This is the mental sheath that represents your:
mind
emotions
inner world
This layer includes thought forms, mental activity, and awareness of thoughts. Getting in touch with this kosha involves looking at your perceptions and mental patterns.
Vignanamaya
The vijnanamaya kosha is the astral or psychic body that’s your seat of intuition.
Known as the awareness or wisdom sheath, it allows you to develop a deeper awareness and to see reality for what it is. Thought of as “the mind beyond the mind,” this kosha is connected to your deeper and more subtle layers of thoughts.
The vijnanamaya kosha helps develop clarity and inner reflection as you learn to detach from your thoughts, ego, or sense of self. By remaining the witness, you may learn to become more present and aware of each moment.
Anandamaya
The anandamaya kosha is referred to as the bliss body. It’s the deepest and subtlest of all layers — so much so that some people even say you can’t use words to describe it. Instead, it must be felt and experienced.
Developing your anandamaya kosha requires the discipline to complete inner work and spiritual practices over a long period.
This level of consciousness relates to the essence of your true self or nature, which is perfection.
Transcending all five sheaths can lead to a state of samadhi, or unity between individual and universal consciousness. This is said to be pure bliss or joy.
While you may not reach samadhi, you may experience glimpses or moments of bliss that are bright enough to color your world and awaken these feelings of joy, even if only for brief moments.
Atma (Head)
Ātman (Atma, आत्मा, आत्मन्) is a Sanskrit word which refers to "essence, breath." ... Ātman, sometimes spelled without a diacritic as atman in scholarly literature, means "real Self" of the individual, "innermost essence." While often translated as "soul," it is better translated as "self.”
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