PANCAMAYA KOSHA: Koshas for short

Pancamaya Kosha Model, also called the Koshas, is a “sheath”. It describes the constituents of a human experience from the grossest levels of the physical body to gradual more subtle levels of vital energy, mind, awareness.

The model, offered from the ancient text Taittririya Upanishad, is often used as a way to investigate the relationship among the layers of energy within the human experience. Each sheath is influenced by the others; what rises in one affects all. This tantric view does not view the mind and body as separate entities, but rather as a continuum of the experience.

The three grosser layers of annamaya, pranamaya, and manomaya can be entry points for analyzing the experience and cultivating insight. 

This can be used to explore habitual ways of relating and reacting to stimuli by examining the interaction of the first three layers of body, energy, and mind. Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya sheaths are more subtle layers that can be better understood as the felt expression of the body.  

The word ‘Energy’ may be a challenging for some and they may not believe in this, however the general significance of the Kosha’s is that Paige is structuring plan of care around this model to note, assess and eventually guide someone from awareness of the grosser levels to the more subtle of levels of themselves.  

Kosha’s

Referring to the layers of the five elements within each kosha which are:

• Annamaya Kosha – Physical Sheath

• Pranamaya Kosha – Breath Sheath

• Manomaya Kosha – Mental/Emotional Sheath

• Vijnanamaya Kosha – Witness Sheath

• Anandamaya Kosha – Bliss Sheath