Ever wished for more than one body? If yes, there is good news: According to Kundalini Yoga we all are made out of ten bodies. Yes, you read it right: 10!
INTRODUCTION
Kundalini Yoga understands humans as beings who contain ten bodies: the physical body, three mental bodies, and six energy bodies. These Ten bodies can be seen as your personal universe. Each body has a specific gift that manifests when strong, and certain tendencies that surface when weak.
“If you understand that you are Ten Bodies,
and you are aware of those Ten Bodies,
and you keep them in balance,
the whole Universe will be in balance with you.”
Yogi Bhajan
When I first learnt about the Ten Bodies it was a revelation for me. In particular I appreciated the concept of the three aspects of the mind. It really changed the perception of myself and the way we interact with each other on subtle energetic levels.
The root of all disease exists first in one of these energy bodies before it manifests in a physical way. Therefore, by strengthening and balancing the ten bodies, we keep healthy and more resilient. A regular Kundalini Yoga practice is a comprehensive way to keep these bodies in balance.
“Kundalini Yoga is the force of the soul. The kundalini energy is the awakened inner identity of you. Because of that, its very nature is timeless, its very essence is like love. It is a legacy of the love of the soul to experience identity.”
Yogi Bhajan
You can strengthen any of the ten bodies by developing an ability to identify which body is out of balance, and then practicing the appropriate technology to strengthen that specific body which has been identified as off-balanced.
If you are aware of a weakness or imbalance in one particular body and you wish to focus on strengthening and balancing it, you can choose a meditation or kriya that works that particular body, or which uses a mantra associated with strengthening that particular aspect.
1st BODY: SOUL BODY - “Heart over Head”, Humility, Creativity
"My life is a creative flow from my souls purpose.I live from the heart."
The first body is your Soul Body. It contains the basic nuclear energy of you, your foundational Self. It can also be seen as the true essence of our being. We sometimes forget that originally we all are spirits in a human cloth. The soul is the individual expression of spirit.
If your first body is weak, you may live too much from your head instead of your heart. You may feel stuck, not able to access your purpose and creative flow of life.
When your Soul Body is strong, you live by your heart not just from your head, your creativity flows in a simple, pure way. When you master your Soul Body, you come from a place of great humility and creativity.
2nd BODY: NEGATIVE MIND - Longing to Belong, Containment, Obedience
“I can determine if there is danger in a situation. What do I need to consider?
The negative or protective mind refers to the aspect of your mind that ensures your survival. It is the mind's fight-and-flight reflex. It helps keep you safe by alerting you to pitfalls, dangers, and downfalls. The negative mind instills in you a longing to belong, which in its highest expression drives you to connect very deeply with your higher self.
If your Negative Mind is underdeveloped, your longing to belong can cause you to get into inappropriate, self-destructive relationships because you are over-influenced by others; you have weak boundaries; your thoughts might be full of worries.
3rd BODY: POSITIVE MIND - Devil or Divine? Equality, Positivity, Possibility
“I am open to all possibilities that life has to offer. I let these into my life. I bring light where there has been no hope.”
When balanced the Positive Mind sees the positive essence of all situations and beings. It is expansive and allows resources in. It gives you a strong will and allows you to use your power easily and humbly. It makes you naturally playful and optimistic, and gives you a good sense of humour.
If the Positive Mind is weak, you can be overwhelmed by the input of your Negative Mind, which can be depressing and paralysing. You may be angry and intolerant, or hesitate to use your own power.
4th BODY: NEUTRAL (MEDITATIVE) MIND - Service, Compassion, Integration
“I allow myself to perceive and act upon inner wisdom.”
The Neutral or Meditative Mind is the ultimate win-win mentality. It is a goal of yogis to make this your default position. From here you look at the whole play of life with compassion. The Neutral Mind receives input from your Negative and Positive Minds (and the rest of the Bodies as well), and gives you guidance within seconds. It is a very intuitive vantage point, and allows you to access your Soul.
If your Neutral Mind is weak you may have a hard time making decisions. You’ll have the habit of feeling victimised by life because you don’t know how to integrate your experiences and find meaning in them. You may have a hard time seeing beyond the polarities of life on Earth and tuning into the great cosmic scheme of things.
5th BODY: PHYSICAL BODY - Sacrifice, Balance, Teacher
“I use my strength and assets for the good of all.”
The Physical Body is the temple where the other Nine Bodies play out their parts. It gives you the capacity to sacrifices to make sacred what comes into your field. It gives you the ability to balance all parts of your life.
If strong, it represents the teacher, who is able to take abstractions and explain them to anyone, of any age, of any intelligence, of any way of life, and able to bring the information into a relevant, concrete form. With the Fifth Body one can choose dharma over karma.
If your Fifth Body is weak, you may be angry, greedy, jealous, competitive, ungrateful. Your inner and outer realities will be out of balance.
6th BODY: ARCLINE - Justice, Protection, Projection
“I am able to manifest my goals. I do so with integrity”
The Arcline extends from earlobe to earlobe, across the hairline and brow. It’s your halo, and is the nucleus of the Aura. Women have a second Arcline which extends from nipple to nipple. The Arcline is your projection, your radiance. It gives you the ability to focus, to be concentrated, to meditate. The Arcline, associated with the pituitary gland, regulates the nervous system and glandular balance, thus protecting your heart center.
You can use the intuition of your sixth center to protect yourself, so that you can deal with the stresses of life without shutting down your heart. The projective power of the Sixth Body helps you manifest whatever you want in your life.
If your Arcline is weak, you may be overprotective and easily influenced. You may have glandular imbalances, which can lead to inconsistency in your moods and your behaviour. You may be unfocused and unable to manifest your goals. You also may not be using your intuition to protect yourself.
7th BODY: AURA - Mercy, Security, Love
“I feel security in my spiritual identity. I am unhesitating in uplifting others as well as myself.”
The Aura refers to the electro-magnetic field which surrounds your body in the same way the Earth’s Magnetic field envelops the Earth. In the Aura all the experiences of this and past lives are stored. The Arcline, The Subtle Body and The Radiant Body are all part of the electromagnetic field that is in constant dialogue with the universe.
When The Aura is strong, it acts as a container for your life force, and allows that life force to build up to a level where you feel confident and secure. The Aura is your protection, it is your shield. It can attract positivity and repel or neutralise negativity. Negativity from other people, from situations and illness.
If your Aura is weak, then you may be paranoid and lack self trust, and negativity can penetrate into the psyche and into the physical body. All illness goes into the Aura first. So if you can heal yourself aurically and keep your Aura strong, then illness cannot penetrate into your physical body.
8th BODY: PRANIC BODY – Purity, Energy, Fearlessness, Self-Initiation
“I fearlessly embrace life. I have enough energy to fulfil my goals.”
Through your breath, your Pranic Body continuously brings the life force and energy into your system. This allows you to feel fearless, fully alive, and at one with all creation. When your Pranic Body is strong, and your breathing is deep and relaxed, nothing can bother you. You are self-motivated, and you have enough energy to achieve your goals.
If your Eighth Body is weak, you may have constant low-level anxiety and chronic fatigue. You may try to get energy from food or stimulants. You may be fearful and defensive.
9th BODY: SUBTLE BODY - Calmness, Subtlety, Mastery
“I am subtle and sensitive and I can penetrate beyond superficiality. I know the REAL purpose of my life.”
Your Subtle Body helps you see beyond the immediate realities of life to the sublime universal play that lies beyond. When your Subtle Body is strong, you have great finesse and a powerful calmness. Nothing in life is a mystery to you. You learn quickly and master situations easily. You’re able to walk into a room and
intuitively know what’s going on.The Subtle Body and the Soul Body are intricately connected. The Subtle Body carries the Soul at the time of death. It carries the essence of you.
If your Ninth Body is weak, you may be naive and easily fooled, unintentionally crude or rough in your speech or behaviour. You may be restless, because you lack the peace that comes from flowing with the way things are.
10th BODY: RADIANT BODY - Royal Courage, Radiance, Nobility
“My life is an example of courage, royalty, and creativity.”
The Radiant Body gives you spiritual royalty and radiance. Its strength makes you courageous in the face of any obstacle. You exert a magnetic presence and command the respect of all who know you. You approach life with an all-or-nothing-attitude, and always give 110 per cent.
If your Tenth Body is underdeveloped, you may be afraid of conflict. You may shy away from other peoples attention, because you are afraid of the energy and responsibility that come with the recognition of your inner nobility. You may feel ineffective and unable to come through in situations.
"If you understand that you are these Ten Bodies, and you are aware of those Ten Bodies, and you keep them in balance, the whole universe will be in balance with you."
Yogi Bhajan
THE TEN BODIES AND THE SIKH DHARMA
According to the Sikh Dharma - which is connected to Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan who was Sikh himself - each body corresponds with one of the Ten Sikh Gurus:
1st Body: Soul Body Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539)
2nd Body: Negative Mind Guru Angad (1504 – 1552)
3rd Body: Positive Mind Guru Amar Das (1479 – 1574)
4th Body: Neutral Mind Guru Ramdas (1534 – 1581)
5th Body: Physical Body Guru Arjun (1563 – 1606)
6th Body: Arcline Guru Hargobind (1595 – 1644)
7th Body: Aura Guru Har Rai (1630 – 1661)
8th Body: Pranic Body Guru Har Krishan (1656 – 1664)
9th Body: Subtle Body Guru Teg Bahadur (1621 – 1675)
10th Body: Radiant Body Guru Gobind Singh (1666 – 1708)
Another way to strengthen or balance one of the Ten Bodies is to chant mantras and songs (Gurbani) or read the teachings of the corresponding Guru.
In the following practice you’ll work on all the Ten Bodies. Try it out and let me know how it felt in the comments or in a personal message.
Before the practice always tune in with the mantra ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO (3x) and close the session with three SAT NAMs. If you wish to work on your Ten Bodies or one in particular, but you are new to Kundalini Yoga, feel free to contact me for a private lesson, I would love to introduce you to this wonderful way of self-care.
This is just a first introduction to the Ten Bodies, I will write more comprehensively about each body in future posts.
Did something resonate while reading this post? Do you have questions about the Kriya? I am happy to assist.
I would love to hear what you have to say. Sat Nam.
The middle part about the detailed description of the Ten Bodies is an edited, shorter version of the information in the most precious book in my library: "The Aquarian Teacher - Level One Textbook", written by Yogi Bhajan, issued 2020 by the Kundalini Research Institute.
