Five Sheaths

Most of us think of ourselves as a body with a mind somewhere inside it. Ayurveda offers a different picture: the mind wraps around the body in layers, like the rings of an onion, each one subtler than the last.

These layers are called the five sheaths (Pancha Kosha). Pancha means five and kosha means sheath or covering. They run from the physical body, the sheath of food (Annamaya Kosha), out to the sheath of bliss (Anandamaya Kosha).

Ayurveda describes all five, from food to bliss, as vibrations of the mind. The mind works through them, and a central canal is said to connect the individual mind to the universal mind.

The Physical Body Is the First Sheath

The sheath of food (Annamaya Kosha) is the physical body itself. It is the densest layer and the one we know most directly.

The Sheath of Prana Surrounds the Body

The sheath of prana (Pranamaya Kosha), prana being the vital life force, is described as an electromagnetic or etheric body. It extends about six centimeters from the skin, grows fainter as it extends, and merges into universal space after about two feet.

The Mental Sheath Holds Sense and Emotion

The mental body (Manomaya Kosha) begins roughly one and a half feet from the body. It relates to manas, the sensory and emotional mind.

Together, the sheath of prana and the mental sheath form what is called the astral body, which relates to a person's emotional nature.

The Intellect Sheath Is the Causal Body

The intellect sheath (Vijnanamaya Kosha) lies about three feet from the body and is termed the causal body. Between the mental and intellect sheaths sits the sheath of knowledge (Jnanamaya Kosha), which is often counted as part of the intellect sheath.

The Bliss Sheath Is the Outermost

The bliss body (Anandamaya Kosha) extends about three and a half feet from the skin. It is the subtlest of the five layers.

The five sheaths give Ayurveda a map for locating experience. A sensation in the tissues belongs to the physical sheath, a mood belongs to the emotional layers, and a moment of clear understanding belongs to the intellect sheath.

Because the sheaths of prana and of the mind together make up the astral body, Ayurveda links a person's emotional nature to these middle layers rather than to the physical body alone.

The sheaths also connect to the channels of the mind (Mano Vaha Srotas), the pathways through which the mind carries its activity. Understanding the koshas enriches the picture of how those channels operate.

For your own self-awareness, the model is a reminder that you are more than your physical body. Your body, your vitality, your emotions, your intellect and your capacity for joy are all treated as real layers of one continuous person.

• Mind Channels (Mano Vaha Srotas): The channels that carry the activity of the mind. The five sheaths add depth to how these channels are understood.
• Sheath of Food (Annamaya Kosha): The first and densest sheath, which is the physical body itself.
• Prana (Vital Life Force): The life force that gives the second sheath, the Pranamaya Kosha, its name.
• Manas (Sensory Mind): The sensory and emotional mind, to which the mental sheath relates.