What Is the Yogic Subtle Body?

By Faye Martins

In most cultures, people believe in a subtle life force that lies beneath the mind, body, and spirit connection. In Yoga, this energy is called “prana,” and it is centered in seven major chakras – or centers of spinning energy – that start at the bottom of the spine and extend beyond the crown of the head. These chakras, and the energetic pathways - or nadis - between them, make up the subtle body.

Defining the Yogic Subtle Body

According to “Mosby’s Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine,” Tibetan medicine defines the subtle body as “a network of energy channels that transport energy derived from oxygen, sensory, and food derived nutrients. This network lies parallel to the blood vessels and nerves in the body; it facilitates and coordinates the movement of the flow of blood and neural impulses. It is not an anatomical system, such as the cardiovascular or nervous system and cannot be view conventionally. Instead, it is accessed through practice of imagination and visualization that can be accomplished through meditation.”

The Chakra System and Physical Anatomy

The chakra system overlaps the spine and roughly corresponds to the endocrine system. Although it is not necessary to understand the chakras in order to practice Yogic exercises, the knowledge can be helpful. Each chakra symbolizes a specific part of the body; an energy blockage in any chakra can affect physical, mental, and spiritual well-being related to that anatomical area of the body.

The Seven Main Chakras

·       The first, or root chakra, is found at the base of the spine. It relates to survival, trust, and stability.  Its Sanskrit name is Muladhara.

·       The second, or sacral chakra, is related to pleasure, creativity, and joy. Imbalances may lead to problems with emotions, boundaries, hormones, or addictions. Its Sanskrit name is Svadhistana.

·       The third chakra, or solar plexus, is the seat of personal power and core vitality. When balanced, it represents spontaneity, purpose, and vitality. Its Sanskrit name is Manipura.

·       The fourth, or heart chakra, connects us to the universe and symbolizes love and compassion, for self and for others. The Sanskrit name is Anahata.

·       The fifth, or throat chakra, represents communication, creativity, and self-expression. Singing, chanting, writing, deep breathing, or expressing feelings help keep this center flowing freely. In Sanskrit, it is called Vissudhi.

·       The sixth chakra, or the third eye, is linked to intuition, perception, imagination, and clear sight. Poses, meditations and visualizations help to balance the third eye, also called the Ajana in Sanskrit.

·       The seventh chakra, or the crown chakra, is represented by a lotus and correlates with connection to the higher self, universe, and God. It is the center for awareness, bliss, and connection. In Sanskirt, the crown chakra is called the Sahasrara.

The greater our awareness of the subtle body, the greater is our ability to recognize and deal with energy blockages before they affect our general well-being and happiness. Music, colors, poses, breathing exercises, and meditation are just a few of the many ways to keep prana flowing freely through our chakras.

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see find out more about yoga or see our selection of online yoga certification programs, please use the yoga resources on the right side of this page.

If you are a teacher, yoga studio manager, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is. Namaste!

Can You Practice Yoga in Your Sleep?

By Faye Martins

Let's get straight to the point, everyone knows that a gentle and therapeutic form of yoga will give each of us extraordinary health benefits. The restorative style and yoga nidra seem like a good blend, but nidra is not just sleeping. So, let's look at this from the angle of a student who wants to sleep, has plenty of pillows, and wants a healthy restorative yoga sleep session. Is it really possible?

Yoga is meant to relax not only the body, but the mind as well. Is there a better way to help get a restorative sleep than by practicing this ancient art we know as "Yoga?" Yoga works to bring the central nervous system into optimal alignment and works to calm the nerves and release tension in the muscles surrounding this area. The end result is a peaceful night’s sleep, which lasts the entire night. Some ask if they can practice yoga while sleeping, the answer is yes!

So many people turn to sleeping medications, when, in fact, they can use the beauty of breathing techniques and certain poses to achieve what medications can’t. It is easy to build up resistance to medications, but yoga retrains the body to sleep peacefully. There are many restorative poses that can help a person learn to kick the sleeping pills and sleep naturally. While this usually won’t happen overnight, many have cured their insomnia by simply using restorative yoga techniques.

What does yoga do that is so beneficial to the body? For starters, yoga relieves all the tension built up in the muscles from the day. Whether it’s home or the office, a body holds all the anxiety and tension and the muscles react to the stimuli and tighten. Yoga also allows the heart rate to slow down. A slower heart rate is also advantageous for deep and restful sleep.

Most yoga instructors will tell an individual to have a regular bedtime. This will help to get the body in a rhythm and to allow it to have a certain time of day when the circadian rhythms slow down. The body is very much a system that likes to keep a schedule. If a person starts a routine, it won’t be long till at that particular time of day, the body will automatically know what is expected of it. For instance, if at 10 pm it is time to calm down and start getting ready for sleep, the bodies’ biorhythmic clock will already begin to do so. Whether a person is ready to settle down or not, their body will force them too.

Yoga worked well in early civilizations, without television, videos, video games or computers, the body tends to wind down around dusk and then the body wants to rise around dawn. Fast forward to the present and most people go to bed anywhere from 11 to 12 and find themselves getting up at 7 or 8 and the rest of the day they feel groggy and tired. This again has something to do with how the body is naturally programmed and when the internal schedule is out of sync, the whole person feels off.

By practicing the proper breathing exercises and poses, it is possible to train the body to do yoga before and during sleep. Keeping in perfect alignment, the restorative phases of yoga can work for insomnia. 

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see find out more about yoga or see our selection of inexpensive yoga certification programs, please use the yoga resources on the right side of this page.

If you are a teacher, yoga studio manager, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is. Namaste!