What is Energetic Anatomy?
Energetic Anatomy is the study of the parts of you beyond your physical body. This study begins by understanding that all things are energy – even you. You may think of yourself as simply being your physical body, but there is something beyond those cells. In other words, you are more than just tissues. There is a difference between an alive body and a not alive body. Accordingly, the difference is the energy of you.
In fact, everything is spinning in this universe – even you. Planets spin and revolve around a star. Stars spin and spiral in a galaxy. Atoms also spin and vibrate. Your energy, within and around your physical body, is also moving. The study of Energetic Anatomy can help us grasp the invisible forces moving through and around us every moment of our lives.
Energetic Anatomy helps us construct an approach to maintaining, managing, and healing the parts of ourselves that are intangible. It provides a structure to our intuitive insights, and our co-creative imaginations in a way that allows us to talk about the energetic. Sometimes, our healing journeys can be made a lot easier when we travel a road someone else has successfully navigated. The study of energetic anatomy provides vocabulary and insight to help us learn to heal more effectively and efficiently. More than this, it gives us the chance to travel in community, which is always more healing.
Subtle Body and Energy Center Concepts
Some of the structures we will learn about you may have heard of: chakras, central channel, aura, and energetic field. I like to use these structures because they make sense to me, and many folks have already heard of them through pop culture or yoga study. However, these structures are not the only way to understand our energetic systems.
Meridians, used in Chinese Traditional Medicine and Acupuncture/Acupressure, provide another system to understand the flow of energy. I use these constructs to help with physical bodywork, or even Reiki massage. There are many different ways to visualize, structure, or understand the flow of energy to direct healing. What’s more there is no right or wrong way, simply ways to help us talk about our experiences. Obviously, what is presented here is simply one way among many possibilities.
Once we review the structures of Energetic Anatomy, we will walk through meditations to solidify the concepts. You can get access to this content here, via this blog, but you can also follow along to the video workshop series available (for free!) on YouTube. This series launches on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, and I hope you’ll join us for the whole experience. There will be chats, experiments, meditations, and healings each month, with any downloadable content available here through this blog.
Energetic Anatomy is Key to Holistic Health and Healing
Energetic Anatomy structures and flow is a basic part of understanding how you animate your physical body and maintain your basic health. Anxiety, emotional wounds, trauma, and the general stress of living can be managed more healthfully by caring for the WHOLE self. This means including the energetic parts of you as well as tissues in your health approach.
In this series, we will review structures and techniques to help you provide effective energetic self-care to yourself. What you learn here will always help ease your way–no matter what stresses life has been throwing at you.
The Importance of Understanding Your Energy Centers
What are chakras?
Chakras are a starting place for Energetic Anatomy. Many people know the word, but few know what it actually means.
A Sanskrit word, chakra translates as “wheel”. These energy centers are perceived by many as spinning in designated locations throughout (and beyond) the body.
We begin with the seven basic chakras from any yoga practice. they are in the center of the physical body, about a hands’ breadth apart from your seat to the top of your head. As the series progresses you will learn to
- identify these basic wheels,
- monitor them for health,
- provide ways to clean, clear, balance and charge them.
How Chakras Influence Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Well-being.
Chakras connect to, and can be found near, physical organs. It is thought that the perceived energy centers help with the physical processes of the nearby physical organ. Heart, brain, eyes, thyroid, and stomach all have centers near or over them.
In addition, chakras work with the nonphysical energies that are part of our functioning bodies. Hormones are often driven by emotions, these same hormones drive the actions of our major organs. In other words, our emotional health impacts the functioning of these vital organs–so naturally there is an emotional dimension to the function of these chakras. Find out how to help your system function more smoothly! Are you feeling voiceless or small? Let’s explore how to expand into the right energy center together.
Finally, there is always a spiritual element to our energetic anatomy, as we are connected in so many ways. Not one of us is a being alone in this Universe. We connect to other humans, to our communities, to Nature, the planet, and even to a Higher Power. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you change your beliefs. Still, I may ask you to define that Higher Power for yourself if you don’t already know. Some find that Higher Power concept in the physics of the Universe, others find it in the teachings of a religion or a belief system. There is room here in Energetic Anatomy for everyone, regardless of your personal beliefs.
How Energetic Anatomy Improves Self-healing and Wellness.
An awareness of Energetic Anatomy can help us to tap into wounds. Sometimes wounds are things we otherwise deny or pretend not to notice. Energetic Anatomy encourages us to notice what we ignore in our own bodies, emotional, mental, or spiritual lives.
For example, learning to sit quietly and perceive our internal energetic movements (or stagnations) can help us to truly listen for and heal our past wounds.
Working gently with our energy fields requires compassion for ourselves. This is an essential skill for any healer. Healing requires a release of judgment, to hold space for recovery and repair. Powerful healers start by learning to extend themselves this compassion. That is why this study is essential to those wanting to heal themselves or others. It requires pursuit of authenticity from the energetic out to the cellular. Honesty and wholeness truly can start here.
Energetic Anatomy in Relation to Energy Healing
Connection between Energetic Anatomy and Reiki or Other Modalities
Study of Energetic Anatomy complements and adds depth to any energetic healing approach. However, this study is not the same as the healing approach–whether that is Reiki or another modality.
Dealing with chakras and aura layers is often a part of Reiki practice, but it is not part of Reiki teachings. The analogy I can build is that Reiki is a cookbook of techniques. Using the “Reiki Cookbook” will help you heal yourself and others.
Energetic Anatomy is like the nutrition class you take to use in all of your cooking pursuits. It is the basic information and understanding that is hugely beneficial to any healing practice. However, someone can be a good healer without understanding Energetic Anatomy. Yet, learning Energetic Anatomy will make any healer more effective and beneficial.
When the two skills are combined by a healer, or when a recipient begins to understand or work with their energy system while receiving Reiki, the benefits increase exponentially. Now you can cook meals that taste great, and are also nutritionally balanced for your long term health. Adding Energetic Anatomy to energy healing of any kind is always a good idea.
Balance Your Energy for Better Health and Healing.
When we understand how energy flows through the body–physically and non-physically–we are better able to provide for the needs of our WHOLE being.
We know that exertion requires rest, drinking more water on a hot day, and to train before tackling a major physical challenge. Our energetic bodies are simply an added dimension to maintain and care for so we can function well in ALL dimensions–not just physically.
For example, I often work with folks who seek the comfort and care of Reiki after a major life event that leaves them grieving (a death, a loss of a job, an unexpected crisis). These folks often come in with reduced energetic flow in the lower chakras. These centers are the seats of our physical survival and emotional comfort. Teaching such clients how to be more gentle and mindful with these energetic areas helps them find their way through the grief. Moreover, studying the Energetic Anatomy concepts will help you help yourself as you navigate your life.
Upcoming Workshops on Energetic Anatomy and Energetic Hygiene
Want to find out more? Want to try these techniques out for yourself? Join my Tuesday workshops on YouTube. Click the link to get started, and be sure to subscribe. The videos are FREE!
Energetic Anatomy Workshop Series Playlist
You may also want to click this link to join my mailing list, so you don’t miss any downloadable content, meditations, or exercises.
If Energetic Anatomy interests you, check out my workshop series on Energetic Hygiene. Hygiene means providing the resources for health. Energetic Hygiene is about keeping yourself well fueled, protected, and connected to offer healing to yourself or others.
What to Expect from Energetic Anatomy Workshops
The Basics about the Energetic Anatomy Workshops
Energetic Anatomy video workshops will hit my YouTube channel every 2nd Tuesday of the month. There will be another workshop series on Energetic Hygiene that will come out on the 4th Tuesdays. On the other Tuesdays we will have a Reiki Share and other Livestreams. Now is a great time to jump on board!
We will learn all the basics about chakras, where they are, how they might look, how to invite them to grow or shrink (balance), and how to clean them.
The Central Channel is our energetic axis, just like the one running through the planet. We will delve into how it works, and how to clear it when it gets sluggish–a smooth central channel is key to keeping our chakras feeling their best.
Also, we will delve into aura layers using a simplified system, and how to work with subtle energy bodies simply and easily, even though they are very similar to the movement of clouds or weather surrounding the earth.
Finally, we will put the whole flow together by working with the spin of the energetic double torus in which we live.
If this series goes well, next year we will expand into more esoteric chakras, connecting to your highest self, expanding and unifying all aspects of the heart, and truly coming into full consciousness in the body.
Key Learning Outcomes
Participants with the series will improve physical health. By learning to clear and release existing trauma and wounds, we will improve our ability to heal ourselves and others.
Expect to improve your ability to meditate more productively when you sit to center and heal yourself. This is due to the fact that you will become more honest and authentic with yourself about your wounds. You will also develop a better capacity for authenticity with each breath.
In addition, expect your ability to transform and heal wounds will greatly improve along with your ability to hold space for yourself or others.
How to Attend Workshops, and Access Materials
- Catch the FREE Energetic Anatomy workshop series on YouTube
- Sign up for email updates so you don’t miss new episodes or downloadable material.
- If you like what you see, be sure to share it with those you love!
Other Resources for Energetic Anatomy
Links for More on Energetic Anatomy
Some books you may find helpful to add to what we are covering here, from authors that I trust:
- Energetic Anatomy by Mark Rich is a great, comprehensive approach.
- Advanced Energy Anatomy by Carolyn Myss. I trust Carolyn’s intuition. This one is available as an audio book.
- Subtle Body Coloring Book by Cyndi Dale and Richard Wehyman. This coloring book might be helpful for those having difficulty visualizing these structures. Also, coloring can help track down where your body needs help.
In addition, I made videos on the topic for Whole Self Unity I work with this nonprofit regularly. They are committed to providing accessible integrative therapies for those in need. These videos were offered as fundraisers:
- Energetic Anatomy Workshop (a great place to get an overview – this series will move slower and with more depth!)
- Energetic Hygiene Workshop on Boundaries (a great place to find out how Energetic Anatomy can help you build an hygienic healing approach for yourself, to get you healed and stay healed!)
Join Us and Start Your Healing Journey
Book a one-on-one Reiki session with Amy through Whole Self Unity.
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