Energy is one of those woo-woo topics that seems silly at first but the more you know about it, the more you’re able to observe it for yourself and then draw your own conclusions. I certainly wasn’t conscious of my own energy body until recently in my life. But when I look back now, I can identify things that I did where I was basically playing within the energy of my self and my surroundings. Like dancing at raves. Or spending time sitting in a forest.

As I’ve studied yoga, Ayurveda and reiki, my ability to tune in and work with energy has expanded so that it’s become a useful tool in my life and a way for me to help others. My woo-woo meter has adapted accordingly and I can now talk about energy and energy work like it’s a normal thing. Because, it is!

What is your energy body?

I’m going to use yoga philosophy to talk about this topic, although many other models exist, from across cultures and throughout history. But I know yoga best, so here’s a quick rundown.

The physical body is the densest form of the self.  It’s the flesh and bones and physiology. It consists of the food layer (anamaya kosha) because it’s literally made of what you eat! Physical and biological forces act upon it.

The energy body reflects the anatomy of the physical body. For example, your brain corresponds with your mind (manomaya kosha) and your nervous system corresponds with energetic channels called chakras and nadis. They act like a road system through which your life energy flows. Your thoughts and deeper conscious activity happen here.

These two bodies are joined by the the breath layer (pranamaya kosha), which consists of prana, the vital energy that animates the physical body. Yoga focuses so much on the breath partly for this reason. It helps move prana through the  physical body and, by so doing, access the energy body and make you feel blissed out.

How can this help me?

The big takeaway here is that the physical and energetic bodies connect intimately. They influence one another.  Blocks in the road system of energy (nadis) can cause pain or disease on the physical level, and vice versa. And by doing work on one, you can see results in the other. That’s why acupuncture works. And that’s why practicing yoga can have such a profound effect on your mental state.

You can work with the energy body in lots of different ways. Yoga, meditation, chi gong, flower essences, reiki, dancing doing creative activities, counseling, massage all help you access deeper levels. Paying attention to emotions and changes in your mood before and after you do the activities listed above can help you attune to activity on this subtle level.

The more you become aware of it, the more useful it becomes in your life as a healing tool. It just might be the thing that takes you that next level!