Yoga of the Subtle Body

Yoga of the Subtle Body is a guide map for the physiological correlates to the inner workings of the subtle or energetic channels within the body. It is a book that maps the correlation between anatomy and esoteric teachings from thousands of years of Ayurvedic and Yogic philosophy. One can learn how bones, joints, muscles, organs and breath all effect mental and spiritual well being as well as learn techniques to manipulate the body to achieve higher states of consciousness and physical/psychology health. 

Yoga of The Subtle Body: A Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Yoga

by Tias Little

Key terms:

pada bandha, mula bandha, uddiyandha bandha, jalandhara bandha, tentorium: (5 diaphragms)

Shiva/Shakti 

prana/apana 

citta/citta-prana

ujjayi

ana-maya-kosha

pratyahara

sankalpa 

kundalini

linga

yoni

“Pranic sheath (prana-maya-kosa)”

From the Ground Up:

The feet and the skullcap reciprocate as they form a dynamic balance between earth and sky

26 bones in the feet—more than thirty joints within the foot

The first challenge in yoga is to relearn how to stand—The notion that the entire body is supported on a lotus pad

Developing the mind of the feet is an important part of training in the internal arts

“One of the consequences of fallen arches may be gripping or clenching in the musculature of the buttocks, hip joints, and lower back.” “If the suspension system of the foot deflates, the lower back is made particularly vulnerable.”

“During standing positions in yoga, it is important to discern which part of the heel anchors to the floor—the inner, outer, or center heel.”

“lift your quadriceps muscles and pump prana back to the lungs.”

“The inner foot and inseam of the leg have myofascial continuity with the sacrum of the pelvic floor, iliopsoas, and ventral spine. Along with the anterior spine, bundles of nerve plexuses congregate where the viscera are positioned. These are the chakras in yoga theory and practice, and extension of the inside leg incites movement within the chakras.””Stretching the connective tissues along the inner legs prompts flow within the nadir. Anatomically, these are the femoral artery, vein, and nerve, lifelines to the left that transit through the abductor muscles on the inner groin and wind down to the region of the inner heel.”

“The true man breathes from his feet up, while ordinary people just breathe from the throat.”—Chuang Tzu ”The wellspring of prana begins in the foot”

The Pelvis Potential:

“potential that flows through the spinal shaft. Its flow is harnessed by movements within the pelvic floor and subtle articulations of the coccyx. We begin to navigate the course of this spinal river from the tailbone and the perineum. 

We have two skulls: the cranium at the top of the spine…and the pelvic at the base.

“the pelvic skull also houses a kind of intelligence. In yoga, this intelligence is far below the machination of the rational brain, concentrated in the instinctual power of the kundalini.”

“If the structures around the hip joint are mobile, a flow of essential fluids—blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid—can pass unimpeded through the pelvis, and in turn affect buoyancy deep within the spine.”

“along the inside bank of the pelvis passes a large neuromuscular bundle. Inner rivers of blood, lymph, and nerve emerge from deep within the abdomen, course alongside the navel, and dive downward through the interior pelvis…Along with blood and nerve flow, the inside hip and thigh harbor a colony of lymph nodes called the inguinal lymph nodes.”

“The net of muscular that forms the pelvic diaphragm does not act in isolation; its movements are linked to the muscles of the inner groins, hamstrings, buttocks, abdomen, and feet. It’s important to remember that there is myofascial continuity between the muscles of the legs and the pelvic floor when learning mula bandha.”

[Lesson: when you exercise you automatically increase the manipulation of chakras and tissues that influence the movement of flow of prana, the creation of prana, and the upward projection of amrita/prana/kundalini.]

[In vinyasa practice the perineum expands and contracts, especially when going from up-dog to down-dog. Perineum is the most yin tissue in the body and can become tight, contracted, strained or solidified if dealing with trauma. Yoga postures with lift of mule bandha are great for benefiting the neurological and circulatory rhythms within the pelvic cavity.]

The perineum is shaped like a diamond with the front part being yin and holding genitalia and the back end being yang and holding the anus; both can be engaged separately. “For mean, anatomically controlling the anterior perineal triangle is linked to ejaculation control, an ability that is regarded in both Taoist and yoga practices to be the key to overall vitality. By yoking the anterior perineum, the panic sheath within the body (prana-maya-kosha) expands and is fortified.” Constriction in the mandible is often coupled with strain in the pelvic floor.”

[Teach these portals/granthi’s] “In the body, along the “stalk” of the spine beginning at the base, there are three main knots or psychic seals to be broken or decoded: the Brahma granthi at the spinal base, the Vishnu granthi at the heart, and the Siva granthi between the eyebrows.”

Pratyahara: internalization of the sensory awareness, 5th limb of asthanga. Perineum control helps to control libido which is part of one’s internalized sensory awareness. Your pulse, your prana-maya-kosha, your oxygen metabolism, your magnetism, your clarity, can all be part of pratyahara.

Hatha yoga churns the spine through asana. Yoga poses provide oppositional movements inherent with dynamic tension and thus help generate creative energy.

“In meridian theory, the nadir of the body is considered to be the most yin (soft, diffuse, receptive, dark, lunar, yielding, slow, and watery) while the apex of the skull is thought to be the most yang point in the body (fast, hard, solid, bright, solar, masculine, and focused).” “In Taoist practice it is essential to descend the breath into the sea of vitality at the depth of the spine (the lower dan tian) between the navel and the pelvic floor.” “In Taoist practice, to be fully human means to balance between heaven (at the top of the skull) and earth (at the pelvic diaphragm).”

The Sacred Sacrum:

“The sacrum is also linked to the fluid realm due to its role as a hydraulic pump driving cerebrospinal fluid up and down the spinal cord. The cerebrospinal fluid, one of the most rarefied fluids in the body, bathes the brain and spinal nerves. Its flow is generated in part by the rhythmic contractions and expansions of the sacral bone.”

“All backbend movements help activate the adrenal glands at the top of the lumbar column.”

“Having an established center of gravity in the sacrum…regulate neural, digestive, and endocrine function.”

“In humans the tailbone, while seemingly superfluous and obsolete, galvanizes and directs pulsating rhythms within the subtle body.”

“In the body, all that flows downward is governed by apana, a downward-moving, expulsive force…In the lower abdomen where apana resides, the downward movements of birth, menstruation, defecation, and urination are subject to a similar gravitational pull.” “Constipation not only impairs digestive flow, but also affects cardiovascular and respiratory rhythms. Thus, when the downward flow of apana is blocked, the flow of prana in the lungs is compromised and breathing becomes shallow and restricted.” “The large intestine is yang…the lung is yin…Both organs are involved in absorption and dissemination of fluids and regulation of the body’s circulatory system.” “apana in the pelvic cavity is counterpart to prana in the thoracic cavity. When absorption and peristaltic movement in the colon are optimal, absorption of prana in the lung tissue is enhanced.”

“Twisting poses are ideal to activate apana.” 

“People not only collect and hoard physical belongings but withhold sentiments and innermost feelings. In the body, held-back or stuffed emotion can manifest as clogging and surplus in the lower intestinal area.”

“In states of samadhi, yogis discovered that the most intrinsic rhythms within the body are both fluid and electric. Liquid-electric rhythms”

“It is remarkable that the brain and spinal cord are afloat. They bob imperceptibly on the movement of internal vibratory waves in the way that a water lily oscillates when wind ripples across the surface of a pond. The brain and spinal cord are constantly changing shape due to fluctuating filed of the CF and shifts in the surrounding connective tissues. Cerebral spinal fluid ebbs and flows like tides that rise and then recede along the shoreline. In fact in craniosacral therapy, the filling and emptying phases of the CSF between sacrum and skull are simply called tides. In yoga, all postural movements and breathing techniques help to support the internal tides within the spine’s fluid interior.”

“The sacrum is connected to the skull by a single highway of ligament called the anterior longitudinal ligament. This ligament is complimented by the posterior longitudinal ligament…”

“William Sutherland, a pioneer in the field of craniosacral studies, called this connection between the skull and sacrum the “core link.” For the ancient yogic seers, movement within the sacrum at the second chakra is closely tied—skeletally, neurologically, and spiritually—to the resplendent opening of the crown chakra.”

The Belly Brain:

The abdomen is the source of command, influence, self will, tapas.

In the back of the solar plexus are the adrenal glands

“In terms of sexual function, the lower two chakras are the implementers of the libidinal drive, whereas the third chakra is the biochemical brain that governs sexual behavior.”

“The adrenals are the brain of the lower three chakras, whose intelligence is calibrated to reproduce, defend, and ensure survival. The glandular secretions of the adrenals accelerate the sympathetic nervous system…In the fight-or-flight response the adrenals secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine (along with steroids), which increase heart rate, elevate pressure, and increase breathing.” 

“One of the primary objectives of a yogi has been to disrupt and redirect the physiological potency of the adrenal pulse that imparts such dramatic changes on the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems…If the yogi does not regulate the adrenal charge trough both physical and psychological means and direct it toward altruistic and spiritual activities, then he or she is at the whim of instinctual and impulsive drives.”

“While the adrenal glands oversee the body’s capacity for sudden and immediate response in spurts of energy, the kidneys are the storehouse for vitality, longevity, and endurance.” “kidneys are celebrated for their capacity to heal, nourish, and illuminate…By filtering, regulating, and storing bloods, the kidneys are reservoirs for the chi or prana in the body.”

“In traditional Chinese medicine, the kidney and adrenal matrix govern both the body’s active (yang) force and its replenishing (yin).”

“All viscera should function properly, without any restrictions. Any restriction, fixation or adhesion to another structure, no matter how small, implies functional impairment of the organ.”

“Changes in pressure in the connective tissues surrounding the abdominal organs can help reset metabolic rhythms related to cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine systems.”

“The two brains are similar in that they are designed to absorb the maximum amount of information possible...Through electrical pulses, hormonal signals and sensory receptors, the belly brain and cranial brain undergo complex decision-making processes.” 

“The reflexes and signals that are relayed in the gut are much slower than the high-speed connections made by the brain. For this reason it is easy for cognitive functions to override the impulses that pass through the gut. When cognitive function overrides the slower digestive rhythms, the gut is prone to distress. This is due partly to disturbances of the delicate and complex vagus nerve that enervates the alimentary canal and internal organs. Emotional centers buried deep within the gut monitor feelings far below the radar of the rational brain.”

“What is unique and often overlooked is the abdominal brain’s capacity to feel. Not only is the gut given the task of separating, organizing, and processing the food we ingest, but it also plays a significant role in sorting through thoughts, moods, perceptions, and emotions.”

“Through deep, internal listening and by exploring the threshold places—between inhalation and exhalation, night and day, sun and moon, real and imaginary—we connect to a sense of intuition.” [The liminal]

The Diaphragm:

“gut sense of me, to the heart, with its transpersonal sense of we.”

“Breathe retention has subtle yet potent effects on circulatory rhythms, neurological activity, and cerebral function.”

“The diaphragm orchestrates movement of all thoracic and abdominal viscera. Seven organs attach directly to the diaphragm: the lungs, heart (and pericardium), stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas.”

“It is important to note that the heart is not the only organ that beats: each of the organs in the body has a pulse and goes through a pumping motion (motility). The organization expansion and contraction of any organ is synchronized with the pump-like motion (motility). The organic expansion and contraction of any one organ is synchronized with the pump-like motion of the other organs. Together the organs pulse in symphonic rhythm. The individual “beats” play off each other in a kind of arrhythmic pattern that creates the overall wobble. Blood pressure, hormonal activity, and stimulation of the nervous system (combined with many other factors) also affect the orchestration of these interrelated rhythms. In addition to the lopsided movement of the organs, any history of trauma or repetitive strain, especially in one shoulder, one side of the ribs, or neck, may contribute to respiratory asymmetry.”

“the diaphragm is the centerpiece of the body whose movement sparks life into every fiber, cell and synapse…the diaphragm could be thought of as a living altar. Rather than a fixed and static platform, this alter is in perpetual motion…Its dynamic pump-like action is the very basis of life. In Sanskrit this life-generating expansion and contraction  is called panda, a pulse that is necessary for all life.”

“Every time we breathe our heart moves. When the duration of the breath is lengthened and the diaphragm becomes more supple, the heart is exercised and its muscular walls become more pliant. A heart that is more responsive is also more receptive to joy. Unfortunately most people’s breath is shallow in measure (the average breath cycle being a mere three seconds), and constriction in the diaphragm weakens the biochemical fusion of spirit and flesh.”

“constriction in the diaphragm weakens the biochemical fusion of spirit and flesh.”

“In yoga, it is said that breath (prana) and mind (citta) are reciprocal.”

“When citta and prana merge, the mind is able to see its non dual nature. In yoga, mindful absorptive breathing enables the prana-citta to experience itself as boundless.”

The Lungs and the Lotus Heart:

The lungs and the heart are inseparable.

“breath print”…we each have a unique respiratory rhythm. Prior to altering the breath in pranayama training, it is valuable to come to know your breath print. 

“Kinetic forces traveling along the arm and hand directly stimulate circulation through a large bundle that transits under the collarbone and along the inside corridor of the arm called the thoracic outlet.” […side planks, lateral arm raise circles are good exercises to stimulate this channel.]

“The lungs are also impressionable in an emotional sense. Below the radar of cognition, the lungs are susceptible to a whole spectrum of feeling states ranging from the slightest sentiment to an overwhelming, strong feeling. Feelings, especially grief and sadness, imprint onto the lung tissue. The impressionable lung is most evident in a young child. Disposed to strong feelings, the child self-regulates by laughing, crying, or screaming. Unfortunately adults withhold emotion such as fear, grief, and anger, and the lungs do not exorcise strain. Thus, when healing the subtle body, it is important to not only filter the lungs through asana and pranayama but process the many complex feelings that absorb into the lung tissue.”

“Depression inevitably involves the lungs due to the way the lungs activate prana, and prana is correlated with spirit. During episodes of depression, the lungs tend to shut down, muting the flow of prana.” “If breathing could be compared to tidal flow, then inhalation is the incoming tide and exhalation is the outgoing tide. Both are necessary for rhythmic and dynamic respiratory flow. Generally speaking, we prescribe backbends for people who suffer from depression. Backbends invite the ribs, intercostals, sternum, clavicles, and the heart-lung tissue to expand. Like the incoming tide, backbends increase the capacity for inhalation as prana rushes into the lungs. Forward bends, however, support and complement the exhalation phase of the breath and help to quiet and subdue pranic rhythms.”

matangi mudra…brings vitality and a dynamic lift to the chest…enhance respiration…best linked to the expansive phase of the inhalation. In meridian theory, the pericardium channel on each side of the body flows from the middle chest above the nipple (Pericardium 1) along the central axis of the arm to the tip of the middle finger (Pericardium 9). Lightly press the center of your middle finger pads together. This stimulates the Pericardium 9, the jing well point of the pericardium meridian, used in TCM to reduce agitation in the heart plexus. Orient you middles fingers with the midline of your body along the central axis of the subtle body (sushumna). Raise your elbows and broaden and lift your ribs. Focus on the way your inhalation expands outward to your side ribs, back ribs, and front ribs.”

Sankalpa = intention

Metta = “all-pervading compassion”

“Observe how any thought formation, after taking shape, dissolves back into the formless ocean. Whether your mind is still or moving, develop conviction that it is all part of one ocean. This is a way to directly perceive the non dual nature of the mind-heart.”

“In the transformational alchemy of the subtle body, yogis attune to vibration conducted through interior pathways of the body. Sound travels through nadis, and like the vibrating strings of a sitar, pure sound currents reverberate through the nerves and vessels. Thus, frequencies of sound are borne on the prana, moving through the fluids and tissues of the body. When the bones, joints, ligaments, and organs align in asana and the lungs and heart expand through pranayama, the “soundless sound” of prana is amplified.”

“In transformational alchemy of the subtle body, yogis attune to vibration conducted through interior pathways of the body…pure sound currents reverberate through the nerves and vessels…When bones, joints, ligaments, and organs align in asana and the lungs and heart expand through pranayama, the “soundless sound” of prana is amplified.”

Three aspect of the heart: the outer, inner, and secret (innermost) heart.

The outer heart…the threshold to the cave…affected by circumstances and interaction with people…shaped by the day-to-day effects of karma. Any formulation of a social self is determined by exchanges and contacts that occur at the level of the outer heart…confusion, anger, attachment, pride and jealousy (the five poisons) can metastasize inside.

The inner heart…the interior heart cave…everything that is ingrained in the psyche due to conditioning, initially and formatively…include self-image; thoughts, judgments, habitual affect, and personal identity.

The secret heart, has an affinity with the immeasurable…This secret heart is intimately woven within the subtle body. Due to its depth, it can never be named or recognized. The only way to commune with this deep-seated, enduring heart is by moving into the deep recesses of the cave, veritably a journey into the heart of darkness. This move involves a radical suspension of self, a direct experience of utter selflessness. Since thought, cognition, and intellect are barred from gaining access to the secret heart…the ultimate way to arrive at this layer is through unmitigated surrender…

Meditation practice on page 195…

Blue Throat:

The neck is in the precarious role of bridging the heart and the head…Integrating thought with feeling is not an easy task.

It is coming for emotional turbulence including worry, anxiety, and fear to constrict the throat.

Only by unbolting the neck can prana in the subtle body flow unconstrained. 

“Jalandhara bandha, the “throat seal” regulates the blood, lymph, and nerve impulses that pass through the neck. Anatomically, jalandhara band seals off the membranous sheathing of the vocal cords…Here in the tenuous cavity of the larynx, prana, and sound unite.”

“In order to regulate the flow of air into the lungs, yogis partially steal off this vocal diaphragm by retracting the chin and moving it downward. This seal is responsible for generating the sound of ujjayi breath.”

“Just as mula bandha monitors the opening and closing of the perineum and uddiyana bandha monitors the opening and closing of the respiratory diaphragm, jalandhara bandha regulates the opening and closing of the vocal cord diaphragm..these three bandhas create maha bandha (the great seal).”

“The movement of jalandhara mandha gently squeezes or ‘milks’ the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland located in the throat. Along with the intracranial glands (pituitary and pineal), the thyroid is one of the master glands of the body, and the yogis know intuitively that its hormonal secretions have powerful effects on the subtle body. The regulatory rhythms of the thyroid contribute to overall vitality, as thyroxin secreted out of the thyroid monitors tissue metabolism…The thyroid does not act in isolation, for it is constantly “texting” the adrenals and pituitary in order to monitor overall energy levels in the body…Done in combination with pranayama and pratyahara (interiorizing the sense), jalandhara bandha helps lower blood pressure and increase parasympathetic activity.”

“Anatomically the gut and throat are connected via the length of the alimentary canal…Hormonally the adrenal glands in the third chakra and the thyroid gland in the fifth chakra are intricately linked…the adrenal-thyroid feedback loop is critical as it dictates the response time and degree of exertion necessary at any given time…In the language of yoga, the adrenal-thyroid circuit governs the deep life-force (shakti) necessary for leaning forward into the world and taking action.”

“Considerate speech is a hallmark for monitoring thought, action, and behavior and for gaining access to the subtle body. Considerate listening requires attention to our inner speech—to thoughts, moods, attitudes, hopes and fears…By recognizing inner speech, we begin to interrupt the ‘habit narrative.’ A practice of interior listening aids in the process of sorting through the multitude of voices that get recorded and stored in the psyche over the course of a lifetime. Inculcated voices-the voices of parents, siblings, coaches, and teachers…When healing the samskaras of the ‘habit mind,’ it is important to sort through the internalized voices and, in particular, to dis-identify with shaming, negative voices. Through meditation, ‘right listening’ provides a critical means to heal the schisms of a divided self. “

“Collectively, the body’s physiological rhythms produce a kind of a hum, and intonation is thought to enhance acoustic resonance in the subtle body.”

The Crown Jewel:

“Monitoring the flow of stimuli through the sensory gates not only mitigates intracranial stress…but also promote delicate shifts within the brain’s neurochemistry.”

“Of all the sensory organs, the ears provide the most immediate and extensive connection to the subtle body. Not only do the ears link the interior breath and the flow of prana but they are gateways to the entire audible realm, considered to be sacred in yoga. Unlike the visual field wherein visual images leave lasting impressions on the brain, sound is ephemeral and its imprints are harder to trace. The ears provide direct connection to the transitoriness of the world, whereas visual impressions make the things of the world seem permanent and real.”

“In the subtle body training, while a capacity for listening is heightened, dominance of the visual field is diminished.”

“Fluctuations within the ye contributes to the production of thought patterns in the forebrain…”

“To temporarily arrest the reason-making function within the brain, the yogi holds his eyes steady (trataka).”

“The third eye center is associated with a cluster of structures around the brain stem including the hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands.”

“The word for the cerebral chakra, ajna, derives from the Sanskrit jna, an archaic term that translates as knowledge or wisdom…The word prajna…suggests an inherent, embodied wisdom. It is a non conceptual wisdom, not limited to cognition or intellectual function…Prajna is ostensibly the pinnacle of yoga training.”

“In esoteric anatomy of yoga, the pituitary is associated with sunlight, daytime rhythms, and cycles of activity in the forebrain. The pineal gland is more closely associated with nighttime, the moon, and the back brain.” “In meditation practice, it is valuable to begin with your focus at the their eye in the center of the brow, travel through the sphenoid, and then to a fourth eye at the back of the skull.”

“According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, expanding the region of the mid-frontal brain allows for an experience of timelessness.”

“There are one hundred trillion possible neuronal connection within the brain…This kind of metacommunication is continuous down the spine, where a thirty-thousand-mile network of nerves relays information from the headquarters out to the periphery and from the periphery to the core.”

“Because emotions have such a powerful effect on the biorhythms of the subtle body, yoga discipline requires careful processing of the feeling body. Essentially feelings are outside of conscious control and so relate to the instinctual serpent power kundalini.”

“The Siva linga is a mass of vertical stone who upward lift, like the primeval rise of the core, suggests an essential animating force. The linga is a formless phallus that signifies the supreme power of the arch-yogi Siva. Its rise is a potent reflex necessary to sustain life.”

“The vertical stone of the linga stands in a supportive base, the horizontal yoni, which is the source for the female creative energy and the origin of birth. The alchemical combination of linga and yoni not only gives birth to life but suggests how opposing forces are both creative and complementary.””Humankind’s upright posture involves a combination of horizontal and vertical planes. We have seen how the five diaphragms support the body in tiers from foot to skull. This horizontality complements the verticality of the spine and brain stem. Like the upward-rising cobra, consciousness stands on end. At the very top of the spinal cord where the cord inserts into the underbelly of the brain (where the brain rests on the tentorium), the brain stem widens. Akin to the flared hood of the cobra, the brain stem bulges and forms a series of small pouches. This is where the relatively narrow bandwidth of the spinal cord starts to diversify and increase in synaptic complexity as it merges into the brain. In the analogy of the cobra the width of the brain stem mimics the spatial breadth of the cobra’s hood, a structure that flares outward when the snake is aroused. Within the brain stem the involuntary nervous system is carefully regulated. All hatha yoga techniques that involved breath retention, physical poses, fasting, sensory withdrawal, and so on essentially aim to modulate the brain stem’s autonomic functioning.”

Sahasrara chakra…lotus blossom, boundless, emptiness, space and silence…blossoming like neural pathways, neuroplasticity, a life without strong bias and prejudice.

Diamond Mind “the water flower of the brain cradles a jewel of infinite wisdom and kindness in its pithy core.” 

“gates or apertures in the body that allow passage between the interior self and the external environment. The anterior fontanel at the crown of the head is identified as the tenth gate and a primary path for the susumna nadi and the kundalini. The anterior fontanel, also called the bregma, is formed by the intersection of the coronal and sagittal sutures. In the mystical traditions, it is the primary opening to the central channel, the pathway of prana, and is the spot where the should enters the body at the time of birth and departs at the time of death.”

“In the way that the North Pole is the convergence site for the longitudinal global meridians, the center point of the skullcap is where all yang meridians in the  ody unite. In qigong practice this is a point where we absorb the “energy of heaven” and draw it down into the body.”