Back in 1995 the National Institutes of Health (NIS) formally recognized that living systems have a non-physical (non-hertzian) energy that surrounds and permeates the human body. Based on the work of Dr. Beverly Rubik and others, they adopted the name bio-field for what I am calling the vital body. Worldwide research into this body continues to verify its many important qualities. However, a complete science of energy anatomy comes to us from cultures that devoted thousands of years to studying and working directly with the vital body.
Independent research done mostly India and China contains a vast storehouse of information about the inner workings of the vital body. In India vital energy is called prana. In China it is referred to as chi. The discoveries of long ago, upon which entire successful medical systems were built, are being increasingly validated by Western scientific methods.
In addition, the ancient practices derived from knowledge of the vital body have been adopted into U.S. culture. You don’t have to look far today to see the popularity of yoga, the martial arts, and acupuncture, for example. These practices emerged from cultures dedicated to complex and systematic study of the vital body. When taking their separate contributions and combining them a comprehensive, detailed picture of human energy anatomy is formed.
Your vital body interpenetrates and powers your physical body through a sophisticated network of energy centers and power lines that branch into smaller and smaller energy capillaries. This energy network corresponds to your physical nervous system. When these "power lines" intersect, which happens at the major nerve centers in your body, they become even more potent. There are seven places in your body where many lines intersect, forming a major power center often referred to as a chakra.
Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means wheel. Those who are able to see energies have described these centers as looking like wheels or vortices that are about two inches in diameter when undeveloped and larger when more developed. It’s likely the ancient Hindus had the capacity to see these wheel-like energy centers and named them accordingly.
The seven centers focalize into energy channels that, in turn, feed into power lines of ever decreasing size. The power lines form an invisible network of energies that flow throughout your physical body in a sophisticated and intricate distribution system. Your vital body interfaces with your physical body through these power distribution lines. These lines are called meridians in Chinese medicine.
Your vital body consists of seven centers that distribute energy into 14 major power lines. The 14 major lines feed into about 200-400 smaller power lines. The lines, in turn, branch out into tiny thread-like energy capillaries, sometimes called nadis. Your vital body is comprised of approximately 72,000 of these. To borrow a line from Star Trek, you are not a carbon unit. You are in fact a living, moving energy being!
The seven major centers of your vital body are positioned where 21 power lines intersect. They correspond to the nerve plexus and endocrine glands of your physical body. The centers are named for their corresponding locations in the physical body. They are:
Crown Center - At the top of your head
Brow Center - At your forehead
Throat Center - At your throat
Heart Center - At the middle of your chest near your heart
Solar Plexus Center - At your solar plexus
Sacral Center - At the middle of your abdomen near your sacrum
Base Center - At the middle of your lower abdomen near your coccyx
The centers help feed energy into the organ systems and glands nearby their particular location. Their job is to supply the energy and information necessary for optimal functioning of the body parts they are associated with. The seven major centers govern specific physical aspects:
Crown Center – Right eye, upper brain, pineal gland
Brow Center – Left eye, lower brain, pituitary gland
Throat Center – Vocal apparatus, lungs, alimentary canal, thyroid, parathyroid
Heart Center – Heart, circulation, blood, vegas nerve, thymus gland, immune system
Solar Plexus Center – Stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestines, nervous system
Sacral Center – Sex organs, reproductive system
Base Center – Hips, kidneys, adrenal glands, spinal column
The Psychology of Your Vital Body
In addition to feeding energies to the physical areas, the seven major centers are also associated with certain psychological qualities. Here is a brief outline of these qualities:
Crown Center – Unity consciousness, selfless service
Brow Center – Integration, wisdom
Throat Center – Higher level creativity, intellect
Heart Center – Compassion, understanding, forgiveness
Solar Plexus Center – Emotions and desires
Sacral Center – Boundary issues
Base Center – Survival instincts
Every part of your physical body has an etheric counterpart. Just as learning about your physical body is a complex process, to truly understand the intricacies of your vital body is also an involved and dedicated study. Hopefully you now have a general idea of this important aspect of your constitution.