Sanskrit word: Kosa
Also kosha. From the root kus, “to unfold,” the term also means “sheath,” “layer,” “subtle body,” or “treasury. Three thousand years ago, the kosas were first written about in the Upanisads as a kind of roadmap of the inner landscape. There are five layers of subtle energy that envelop the individual from the periphery of the physical body to the center, or innermost core. Each sheath exists inside another, and as they are peeled away like the layers of an onion, energies become more and more subtle until the center sheath- the layer of bliss ( ananda-maya kosa )- is reached. The anna-maya kosa is often referred to as the sthula-sarira, the “gross body” while the next three layers are considered the suksma-sarira ( the “subtle body” ). In yoga practice, we seek to shift our awareness gradually from outer to inner. The sheaths of the body ( from the outer layer inward ) are:
Anna-maya kosa
The physical body, or food sheath. This is the layer of skin, muscle, tissue, and bone. Expression is through movement and the workings of the body ( such as digestion and elimination ).
Prana-maya kosa
The vital body, or breath sheath. This is the layer of the circulation of the breath and of life-force energy. Expression is through the breath and movement of energy.
Mano-maya kosa
The mental body, or sheath of the mind. This is the mental layer, encompassing the nervous system. Expression is through thought patterns.
Vijnana-maya kosa
Consciousness, or the sheath of intellect. This is the layer of higher states of awareness, or the “wisdom self.” Expression is through observation or awareness. This is known as “witness consciousness,” or the ability to stand outside the self and watch the fluctuations of mind, body, and breath objectively, observing them without judgement or attachment, as a witnessing awareness.
Ananda-maya kosa
The sheath of bliss. This is the subtle core, the innermost layer where we exist purely in the moment, without thought, sensation, or judgement. Rather than “feeling” such states as bliss, wholeness, integration, contentment, joy, and love, we embody them, and simply are them.
Namaste.
Taken from: Sacred Sanskrit Words
Leza Lowitz and Reema Datta
Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, CA
