The five **koshas** or *sheaths* are the basis of the [psychophysiology](https://ia804508.us.archive.org/31/items/aaa_20210704/aaa.pdf) of yoga. They describe the material and energetic layers of the body through which the practice of yoga transforms. *[[the breath|Prana]]* permeates throughout each kosha as an animating force. Pranayama practice is the body of methods that move prana between sheaths.[^1] #### Annamaya Kosha *Annamaya kosha* is the material or "food" body. It incorporates the external physical resources consumed by the individual into itself. It corresponds to sthula sarira, or the gross body in the [three body doctrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Bodies_Doctrine?wprov=sfti1#Sukshma_sarira_%E2%80%93_subtle_body). This is the realm of Western medicine and psychiatry. Corresponds to *rupa* (body) and *vedana* (feeling) #### Manomaya Kosha The mental body. Together with *pranamaya kosha* it constitutes the [subtle body](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtle_body?wprov=sfti1#Asian_religions). This is the seat of content of [[Consciousness]]; the thoughts, [[Belief|beliefs]], reactions, and emotions that arise through biological influence and external events. This is the realm of Western [[Psychology]]. Corresponds to *sanna* (perception) and *sankhara* (mental formations). #### Pranamaya Kosha Bioplasmic or vital energy body. I personally regard this as the [[quantum body]], an energetic locus that arises through interactions at the subatomic level. However, this idea is relatively undeveloped, not really grounded in any coherent understanding of quantum physics, only generally [[psychological law of resonance|resonant]] in terms of its relationship to Eastern philosophy. It is possible that this could be considered the *atomic* body, and the quantum body is vijnanamaya kosha. #### Vijnanamaya kosha The psychic, higher mental, or wisdom body. Corresponds to the [causal body](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causal_body) and [ecosytems body](https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.7/ideas-books-you-have-a-second-body) and *vinnana* (consciousness) in the Buddhist model. #### Anandamaya kosha The bliss body. This is the realm of [[choiceless awareness]] and samādhi. Joseph Campbell organizes these in a slightly different order[^2], with pranamaya kosha nestled between annamaya and manomaya koshas, setting the remaining two across a threshold through which one may only access through archetypal symbols. Vijnanamaya kosha is the Sheath of Spontaneous Wisdom. This is the organizing [[Wisdom]] of the universe that furnishes the molecular formulas for digestion or [[Biogenesis]], the tendency toward "ordered [[complexity]]" as discussed by [[The Fifth Miracle - Paul Davies|Paul Davies]]. Campbell’s organization may be considered an iteration that responds to the Cartesian duality conditioned into the Western mind. Campbell believes myth is how one accesses the natural intelligence of the cosmos, in order to connect with anandamaya kosha, or one’s bliss body. > The myth is the voice of the Wisdom Sheath speaking to the Sheath of the Mind which can get way off center, bringing it back to fit the nature order. […] The function then of [[Mythology]] is to connect to your bliss and find where it truly is. The kosha model is also alluded to in the writing of Thich Nhat Hanh[^3], who discusses the eightfold body as extensions of self-expression into the world. These manifestations are the physical body, the Buddha body, our spiritual practice body, our [[community]] body, the body outside the body; the continuation body, cosmic body, and ultimate body. This organization similarly follows Campbell’s hierarchy, where the physical body corresponds to anomaya kosha, the Buddha (awareness) and spiritual practice bodies to pranamaya, the community, continuation, and body outside the body to manomaya kosha, the cosmic body to vijnanamaya, and the ultimate body to anandamaya. Investigating each of these manifestations is the purpose of contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation. Doing so fosters a sense of interbeing with one's experience. Note the suffix *-maya* in each sheath. This suggests that these are descriptions of how the [[Body]] appears in the sensible world, and are not concrete descriptions of reality itself. A similar model appears in the [five aggregates](https://goldenbuddha.org/2018/04/12/you-are-not-a-permanent-person-by-ajahn-sumedho/) of the conditioned realm in Buddhism. These are the forms in which we directly experience material phenomena: 1. body (rupa) 2. feeling (vedana) 3. perception (sanna) 4. mental formations (sankhara) and 5. consciousness (vinnana). The conditioned realm may be regarded as the human [[Umwelt]]. It is the perceptual world one exists in before awareness of it. Perception is informed by knowledge. In order to perceive something, we must first be taught that it is there, mediated through language and memory. We become conditioned to certain modes of being, identity, and emotional habits through perception. Consciousness encompasses our experiences. Moving through each sheath and developing awareness of our conditioning is the purpose of mindfulness and training an enlightened mind. [^1]: Saraswati, S. S., & Hiti, J. K. (1996). _Asana pranayama mudra bandha_ (pp. 978-8186336144). Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust. [^2]: Campbell, J., & Cousineau, P. (1990). The hero's journey: the world of Joseph Campbell; Joseph Campbell on his life and work. pp. 210-211 [^3]: Hanh, T. N. (2017). _The art of living: Peace and freedom in the here and now_. HarperCollins. ## Thoughts - Is the individual journey through the koshas parallel to that described by [[adult stage theory]]? - Are the atomic and quantum bodies in the right place? The model describes them in terms of their immediacy to experience, but are we moving up or down a hierarchy? ## Resources - [Overview by Sadħguru](https://sadhguru-encyclopedia.org/pranamayakosha/) - [You are not a permanent person](https://goldenbuddha.org/2018/04/12/you-are-not-a-permanent-person-by-ajahn-sumedho/)