Yogic Anatomy––Quick Reference Guide

This series of posts is part of a book. See outline here.

Prana: The subtle life force; the first unit of energy. Prana regards the movement and coding of these life energies through the body and mind. Prana has healing powers; most healing comes from moving prana around in the body. Some call prana the light of Christ.

Apana: The eliminating force of the body.

Kundalini: Your divine creative potential; the energy of the soul itself.

Nadis: Channels of flow for the prana. Of the seventy-two thousand nadis, seventy-two are vital. Three of the seventy-two are essential for understanding Kundalini Yoga: shushmana, ida, and pingala.

Shushmana: Also called the silver cord. Shushmana is the central nadi and begins at the base of the spine, where the three nadis (ida, pingala, and shushmana) meet. Shushmana travels a straight path up the spine to the top of the head (the Crown Chakra).

Ida: The nadi that ends at the left nostril. Ida is the cooling, soothing, mind-expanding energy of the moon.

Pingala: The nadi that ends in the right nostril. Pingala brings in the stimulating, energizing, heating energy of the sun.

Chakras: Swirling vortexes of energy within the body that correspond to different organs and different psychological states and emotions.

Navel Point: Located two inches below the navel. The Navel Point, a center of energy transformation, is the starting point of the seventy-two thousand nadis.

Nervous System: The base power, it controls most of the other systems in the body via nerves. The nervous system and the glandular system work together, with the hypothalamus as an intermediary, to repattern the brain.

Pineal Gland: The master gland deep in the center of the brain that is related to your intelligence and connection with God.

Pituitary Gland: Another master gland, located behind the forehead inside the sphenoid sinus.  This gland secretes all the hormones that make you happy and healthy. It works in conjunction with the pineal gland, like a Urim and Thummim. The pituitary gland is associated with intuition and seeing with the spiritual eye.

Tattvas: The five tattvas are the elements we are made of: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. If the tattvas are not filtered through the light of consciousness, they are expressed as greed, lust, anger, attachment, and pride. They cannot be eliminated, but their energy can be channelled in positive ways.

Ten Bodies: The yogic anatomy includes ten bodies: Soul Body, Negative Mind, Positive Mind, Neutral Mind, Physical Body, Arcline, Aura, Pranic Body, Subtle Body, and Radiant Body. The eleventh body is the Sound Current, which embodies all.