The Subtle Anatomy

The spiritual world is not separate from the physical world. Consider the brain: our thoughts and emotions are physically found in neurons and in various brain structures. When we are sad, there are specific neurochemical patterns that differ from when we are happy. But we are sad. It does not mean our sadness is just in the brain. We talk about what is happening on two levels: the mental and the physical. A counsellor is interested in the mental; a physician is often more interested in the physical. They are both approaching the same thing, just in different ways. In Reiki we are interested in the physical and emotional, but we use a spiritual approach: ki.

The subtle anatomy is the study of the human on a spiritual level. There are two main approaches to the subtle anatomy. The system used in China and Japan is the meridian system. The other major system, originating in India, is the chakra system.

The Meridians

A doctor of Chinese medicine will have studied the meridian system in great depth. These meridians are channels through which ki flows around the body. The meridians travel up and down the arms, legs, torso and head, and wrap around the organs. Ki flows through the meridians and collects in three reservoirs of energy known as the dan tiens. The most important of these is the lower dan tien, which is in the belly. This is called the hara in Japanese, and it’s of great importance to people studying martial arts, shiatsu, and other disciplines.

The Chakras

The chakra system, originating in India, bears similarity to the Chinese/Japanese system, but also important differences, outlined here:

Choosing a System

Given that Reiki originated in Japan, why do so many practitioners today favour the Indian system? One reason is that the meridian system is so complex. There are about 400 acupuncture points¹See wikipedia, each with its own functions, and studying them properly takes an immense amount of time. However in the Indian system, we don’t need to study the thousands of nadis, only the seven major chakras. The chakra system therefore is easily learned in its basics. However, the depth of understanding of a human that you can achieve with it is astounding. This is why International School of Reiki courses use the chakra system.

Hubs of Energy

Imagine a map of your country and its many roads. Roads connect places, and they tend to converge on major cities, which are the hubs of the transportation system. The roads are the channels for transportation, as the nadis are channels for energy. The hubs of the energy system are the chakras.

Every city has a unique feel (or vibration), just as each chakra has particular qualities. These qualities are important in the chakra system, and learning them can give you insight into the issues someone is facing, whether these are physical, psychological, or emotional.

When a chakra functions healthily, energy is free to flow, without inhibition, into and away from the chakra. Poor chakra functioning, however, is like traffic congestion: energy is stuck and over-pressured in one area, which leads to lack in other areas.

Poor chakra functioning is most commonly referred to as blocked energy, and is a reflection of problems on the physical, mental and emotional levels. Resolution of the energetic blockage is closely linked to resolution of the physical, mental or emotional problem. And the converse is also true: releasing an emotional issue will also free the mind, body and spirit. In this context, spirit means energy as it flows through the chakras. Healing the emotion heals the chakra.

Each chakra is associated with specific emotions, psychological functions and physical organs. The heart chakra, for example, relates to the psychological issues of love, and grief, of giving and receiving. When we are caught in grief that we cannot escape it means that our heart chakra is blocked, which may manifest physically as a hunched back, as though we are carrying a weight on our shoulders. This physical posture is the heart’s way of trying to withdraw and protect itself.

A blockage in the heart area will directly affect the neighbouring chakras, and will likely result in problems communicating (throat). The problems may manifest as either over- or under-compensation, and might involve completely closing down communication. It might also lead to the opposite, when we are unable to stop the flow of woes pouring out through the mouth.

A realised human being will have seven beautifully open chakras that operate in harmony with each other and with the outside world. There is free flow of energy throughout the system and more than enough for living fully. The way to this kind of health requires finding balance and wholeness on all levels. In therapy we approach this psychologically (e.g. counselling), through physical conditioning (e.g. exercise or yoga), or with energetic medicine (e.g. Reiki). A combination will usually clear things faster.

The Seven Chakras

The main chakras are located along the central channel, called sushumna, which runs from the crown to the coccyx. These two end-points are like funnels through which energy flows into and out of the whole system. The upper funnel is our direct connection with spirit; the base is our connection to earth.

Running down the length of sushumna are five more chakras, which connect both to each other and the outside world. A chakra can be treated from the front or the back of the body.