Esoteric Physiology and Subtle Body Systems

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, the author considers some of the numerous systems of esoteric physiology to be found in Hindu and Buddhist tantra—often known as the “yogic body” or “subtle body.” This alternative body has been construed in many different ways in tantric traditions, but it is typically of an esoteric nature, is accessed and inhabited via initiation and other ritual processes, is connected to breathing processes, reveals secret knowledge and magical powers, and is regarded as a microcosm. The author considers how esoteric physiology is best understood through Gavin Flood’s concept of the “entextualization of the body,” which allows us to consider the contexts and uses of specific subtle body systems. Flood demonstrates that the systems of the subtle body are not discrete ontological entities (as often claimed by modern yoga practitioners) but rather the expression of cosmologies and ritual systems in specific texts.