The subtle body is characterised in the Bhagavad Gita as a combination of the mind, intellect, and ego, and it is the subtle body that controls the bodily. The yogi senses pleasure and misery through the subtle body.
A person is made up of three bodies, according to Hindu and yogic philosophy: the karana sharira (causal body), sukshma sharira (subtle body), and karya sharira (physical body) (gross physical body).
The multiple energetic layers that make up a human being beyond physicality are referred to as the subtle body.
It is made up of three of the five koshas (sheaths) that make up human existence:
The sheath of vital life force/energy is known as the pranamaya kosha.
The mental or psychic sheath is known as manomaya kosha.
vijnanamaya kosha: the wisdom and intelligence sheath.
The subtle body is depicted as emanating from the causal body and manifesting and governing all elements of the physical body in ancient Indian literature such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
All three bodies are interrelated, and maximum existence happens when they work together in harmony. The subtle body is thought to transmigrate after physical death, acting as a conduit for rebirth. The subtle body is also known as the linga sharira in addition to the Sanskrit name sukshma sharira (astral body).
What exactly is Subtle Body
The idea of a subtle body is essential to Yogic, Tantric, and Taoist traditions, as well as various Hindu and Buddhist schools.
Subtle body awareness can be established through the third eye, even though it cannot be seen with the physical eye. Each layer of the subtle body, as it moves outwards from the physical body, is supposed to vibrate at a quicker pace than the one before it. The subtle body encompasses pancha jnanendriya (the five sense organs), pancha karmendriya (the five action organs: feet, hands, rectum, genitals, and mouth), as well as the mind, intellect, and ego, in addition to the energetic, psychological, and knowledge sheaths. As a result, cultivating a knowledge of the subtle body is a means of comprehending reactions, responses, and a feeling of self.
Each of the three bodies is responsible for transporting the Self along the path to freedom from pain and the rebirth cycle.
It is possible to manipulate the energies of the physical and subtle bodies as a means of connecting with the higher Self, through the causal body following yoga techniques such as asana, pranayama, and meditation. Each body has its own koshas, or layers of awareness, which conceal the actual Self.
The yogi draws closer to oneness with the cosmos and his/her actual Self as each layer is discovered and removed. Through three of The Eight Limbs of Yoga:
Pranayama (breathing exercises), pratyhara (sensory withdrawal), and dharana (concentration), the yogi peels back these layers in the subtle body (concentration).
As one’s consciousness of one’s own body grows, so does one’s understanding of the true Self, Atman, and the forging of a connection with universal energy, or Brahman.
Prana (vital life force energy) passes through the subtle body along paths known as nadis, which converge at energy centres called the Chakras, according to the Yogic system.
Any obstruction or imbalance in this system can result in physical and emotional discomfort, as well as illness and disease. The subtle body paradigm is employed as a map of central nervous system function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine.
What are the 7 subtle bodies?
Many people are unaware that our physical bodies are not our only bodies. Humans have seven subtle bodies, making them multi-dimensional entities. These subtle beings have diverse frequencies of vibration and interact energetically with both the physical and non-physical worlds. It refers to the various energetic layers that make up your aura or auric energy system.
Each of the seven subtle bodies can aid you on your spiritual journey if you know and comprehend them. This article will teach you how to recognise the energetic properties of each body and how to use them to improve your health and vitality, as well as to deal with problems in your daily life.
The Seven Subtle Bodies Are:
- Etheric Body
- Emotional Body
- Mental Body
- Astral Body
- Etheric Template Body
- Celestial Body
- Causal Body
How Many Subtle Bodies Are Present?
In your auric energy field, there are a total of seven subtle bodies. The subtle bodies start at the physical body and spread outwards in seven layers around you. They correspond to the chakras. Chakras are seven spinning energy centres on your spine that are positioned at seven different places.
Energy can be more easily transmuted across the bodies and chakras if each subtle body has its own set of seven chakras. This is how practitioners of reiki, or energy healing, can heal one higher frequency body while still affecting the physical body.
Many diverse esoteric systems of thought have discussed and examined the seven subtle bodies. Even across diverse cultural influences, people separated human existence into seven main types of consciousness:
- Ancient Egypt
- Indian Sanskrit
- Chinese
- Native American
These seven energetic fields have seven varied densities and energies, giving them each a unique way of seeing and interacting with the environment. All seven layers that surround the physical body have an impact on it.
Subtle bodies-The Ethereal Body
The Etheric Body is the seventh and final subtle body. It is the one that affects your actual body the greatest, extending barely a few inches from you.
- Acupuncture
- Reiki
- Qigong
Because it is the template for the physical body, the etheric body has the lowest vibratory frequency and is hence the most dense.
Subtle bodies-Emotional Body
The emotional body, which extends three inches beyond the physical body, controls your emotions. This is the component of the aura that, depending on your emotions, will shift to a variety of rainbow colours. Emotional bodily issues can take the form of:
- Frequent arguments with others
- Anxiety and depression
- Volatile emotions
Taking responsibility for your emotions might help you move ahead from old grudges or tragic past occurrences by healing your emotional body.
Subtle bodies-Mental Body
The mental body is three to eight inches distant from the physical body and contains the following elements:
- All thoughts and mental processes
- The use of the imagination
- Memory
- Information gathering
When someone is engrossed in meditation, the mental body has a higher frequency than the two bodies below it, and it is most typically connected with a yellow colour. If the thoughts are particularly emotional, the colour of the mental body will change to reflect the colour of the emotional body.
Subtle bodies-Psychic Body
The astral body serves as a link between the physical and spiritual realms. Because they are all experienced on t, the etheric, emotional, and mental bodies are the most energetically dense with the lowest frequencies.
The astral body exists outside of the physical realm and serves as a link to the spiritual realm.
The astral body is employed in the following situations:
- Astral projection
- Out of body experiences
- Quantum jumping
It permits you to go to other dimensions and explore the nonphysical universe. Because the astral body is one foot away from the physical body and is strongly linked to the emotional body, it typically reflects the same colours as the emotional body.
Subtle bodies-Body of the Etheric Template
The etheric template body, which extends about two feet outward, is the blueprint for your physical body. It existed long before your physical body does, and it has the potential to help you recover deeply. The etheric template body is also a part of your energy that resides in alternate dimensions.
Subtle bodies-Body of the Heavens
The heavenly body is the vehicle through which we communicate with the Divine. The celestial body aligns you with the universe by allowing you to reach a level of consciousness and oneness through the heart chakra. The frequency at which the heavenly body vibrates is:
- Pure bliss
- Joy
- Unconditional love
The celestial body resides solely in the spiritual realm, and connecting to it is most common during meditation when the lower bodies are silent.
Subtle-Causal Body
The casual body is the seventh and last body. Because it holds all of the information from the lower bodies, as well as the knowledge that you are one with the Divine, the causal body is sometimes referred to as the soul.
This body is dazzling gold in colour and extends up to five feet from the physical body. It has the greatest vibrating frequency. People that are connected to their causal body realise they are one with the universe because of this higher vibration.
The causal body is also regarded to be the reincarnating element of you. The causal body preserves the information of the other bodies beneath it after each existence and takes it into the next. When people use hypnosis to link to their past lives, they frequently do so through the causal body.
What is Subtle Energy, and how does it work?
Subtle energy is a power that cannot be quantified with typical scientific techniques but has a real-world impact. It is the universe’s structuring force, and it is what gives physical stuff life.
Despite the fact that subtle energy cannot be seen with ordinary instruments, it is nonetheless a major topic in quantum physics research. Although modern science has not been able to directly measure it, enough of its effects have been investigated by scientists to know that it exists.
Alternative medicine and old traditions have utilised subtle energy in their spiritual activities and healing rituals for ages, despite the fact that contemporary science is unable to measure or see it. Subtle energy is known by several different names in other cultures:
- Prana (Sanskrit)
- Qi (Chinese)
- Mana (Polynesian)
- Ki (Japanese)
Though subtle energy is known by many names in different cultures, it is the same. Life force energy is subtle energy. It is the divine spirit that connects all life by transcending physical time and space.
Alternative medicine and healing approaches make use of subtle energy. The flow and mobility of subtle energy throughout the body can have a significant impact on the body’s functions.
Stagnant or imbalanced subtle energy, according to healers, can cause a variety of ailments.
The auric system, which is a form of the energy system, is made up of the seven subtle bodies stated above, which are all made of subtle energy. There are a number of additional energy systems in your body that are made up of subtle energy, including:
- Chakras
- Meridians
- Basic Grid
- Five Rhythms
Subtle energy systems communicate and interact with one another to influence physical reality.
What is Subtle Anatomy, and how does it work?
Subtle Anatomy is the study of the relationships between the body’s many energy systems. Diverse cultures around the world have different methods of characterising the body’s energy system, just as they do with subtle energy. Stagnant or imbalanced subtle energy, according to healers, can cause a variety of ailments.
However, ancient Indian yogic practises are responsible for the most well-accepted method of describing subtle anatomy.
There are five different energy systems in yogic subtle anatomy:
- Chakras (7 wheels of energy)
- Bandas (3 energy seals)
- Koshas (7 subtle bodies)
- Gunas (3 primal forces)
- Prana Vayus (life energy)
Subtle anatomy is the interaction of these energy systems. A knowledge of subtle anatomy is an important aspect of traditional yogic practices. Understanding subtle anatomy can help you have a more meaningful yoga practice and more fulfilling life.
Chakras
The chakra system runs from the top of the head to the bottom of the spine and is located in the centre of the body. Each chakra is an energy ‘wheel’ that corresponds to different mental and physical attributes. The chakras correspond to the seven subtle bodies, which are as follows:
- Muladhara (root chakra)
- Swadhisthana (sacral chakra)
- Manipura (solar plexus chakra)
- Anahata (heart chakra)
- Vishuddha (throat chakra)
- Ajna (third eye chakra)
- Sahasrara (crown chakra)
You can try to open your chakras through meditation and yoga to boost the flow of subtle energy through your physical body, improving everything from your health to your mood.
Bandas
In yoga, the three bandas are utilised to govern and harness prana (subtle energy/life energy). The bandas serve as energy seals, preventing prana from leaving the physical body. These are the three bands
- Mula (root lock)
- Uddiyana (abdominal lock)
- Jalandhara (throat lock)
The auric system is made up of seven subtle bodies known as koshas. When it comes to subtle anatomy, misalignment of the subtle bodies can result in difficulties such as discord and suffering. Health and well-being can be reached when the seven subtle bodies engage peacefully and efficiently with the other energy systems.
Gunas
The three gunas are basic manifestations of the universal intelligence that is the physical world’s underlying design. These are the three primordial forces:
- Tamas (no movement, darkness, stagnation)
- Rajas (movement, growth, activity)
- Sattva (balance, clarity, stability)
A more sattvic lifestyle is ideal in the context of subtle anatomy since the most perfect consequence is equilibrium in the cosmos. If there is too much activity, stagnation is balanced, and if there is too much stagnation, growth is balanced.
Prana Vayu
The energy system that controls the direction of subtle energy movement throughout the body is known as the Prana Vayus. This system is inextricably linked to the breath, which is one of the many reasons why breathing is so important in yoga. Imbalances in this energy system can lead to a number of issues, including:
- Heart palpitations
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Asthma
Physical Reality and Subtle Bodies
The impacts of subtle anatomy are anything but subtle, despite their names of subtle bodies’ and subtle energy.’ Understanding how subtle energy moves via the seven subtle bodies can significantly improve your health and vitality. It’s not just what we can see with our naked sight that has an impact on our life.
Spending time in meditation or completing a yoga practice will help your subtle bodies heal from any traumas. You can continue to have a more rewarding spiritual path now that you have this knowledge about subtle bodies and subtle energy.
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