Pancha Kosha — The Five Layers of Who You Are

Quick answer: Pancha Kosha means the “five sheaths.” It is yoga's map of a human being, taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad: the physical body (annamaya), the energy body (pranamaya), the mind (manomaya), the wisdom layer (vijnanamaya) and the bliss layer (anandamaya). Yoga cares for each layer in turn, from the outside in. Why does yoga talk about layers at all? Most of us live as if we are only a body with a busy mind attached. Sit by the Ganga at Shivpuri for a few mornings and that idea starts to loosen. You notice that the body is not the same as the breath, the breath is not the same as the thoughts, and something in you is quietly watching all of it. The rishis noticed the same...