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rx
traditions
yogic view of the human body
psychospiritual approaches
definition
Yogis describe the human body as composed of three different manifestations or divisions, not dissimilar from the 'body/mind/spirit' triad common in Western culture. These three divisions or 'bodies' are the physical; mental or 'subtle'; and the spiritual or 'causal' body. Using a different vocabulary, the life force is divided into three parts, consisting of inert matter (physical), energy movement (emotional-mental), and the intelligence of nature (causal).
Physical Body: According to this line of thought, the physical body is itself without vitality or spirit and is composed of flesh, blood, and bone.
Subtle Body: The subtle body contains the vital spirit or life force. In and of itself the vital spirit has no form, since its shape and movement are defined by the form and activity of the physical body. Energy travels within the subtle body through thousands of channels of varying size know as nadis, which are interconnected energy channels which originate at the naval and weave throughout the body like webs, often following the blood vessels and nerves. The subtle body is less stable than the dense physical form, and it adjusts rapidly to shifts in a person's physical, mental, or emotional state. It is responsive to changes in the external environment, such as the time of day, seasons of the year, phases of the moon, and changes in the immediate temperature and barometric pressure. Changes in the subtle body directly affect the physical body, though in a slow fashion, due to the greater density of the latter.
Causal Body: The third body, the causal or spiritual body, encompasses the intelligence of nature, universal wisdom, direct knowing, and it is this force that connects us to the universe outside of ourselves.
(Smith, p. 59-60)
see also:
bodymind psychobiology
human energy fields: overview
human energy centers: overview
mind beyond body
psychic healing
quantum healing
footnotes