1. The Subtle Energy System and
Anatomy and Physiology
Maureen Spencer, RN, M.Ed.
Finding Inner Peace Yoga School

3. Waves and Particles = Matter E=MC2

4. Platonic Solids
Sacred Geometry

5. Cymatics

6. Sound Table with Sacred Geometry
(dodecahedron) and Tuning Forks

7. Complementary Therapies
Body Centered:
Body work: massage, foot
reflexology, acupressure
Music Therapy
Yoga, Tai Chi
Mind Centered:
Guided Imagery/Meditation
Hypnotherapy
Energy Centered:
Reiki, therapeutic touch, healing
touch, polarity,
johrei, integrated energy therapy,
acupuncture

8. Subtle Energy System
Aura – field around the body –
several layers
Meridians – pathways that run
energy (chi) close to the skin
(described in ancient chinese
texts)
Chakras – spinning wheels of
light – life batteries
Nadis – tubular like structures
running along the circulatory
system moving life force in and
out – separate from the gas
exchange in our heart and lungs
(described in ancient yogic texts)

9. Chakras
Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning wheel, or
vortex
Seven major energy centers (21 minor)
These chakras, or energy centers, function as
pumps or valves, regulating the flow of energy
through our energy system.
The functioning of the chakras reflects
decisions we make concerning how we choose
to respond to conditions in our life.
We open and close these valves when we
decide what to think, and what to feel, and
through which perceptual filter we choose to
experience the world around us.

10. Positive Emotional States
When we experience heart-felt emotions
like love, care, appreciation and
compassion the heart produces coherent or
smooth rhythms that enhance
communication between the heart and
brain.
Heart chakra would be fully open and
moving energy in and out
Energy work facilitates this effect
When we experience grief, loss anger -
such a person may be described as being
cold-hearted, protected, shut-down – they
may not be open to energy work

11. Energy Medicine
The more control and
balance you have over
your subtle energy
system and emotions –
the greater the
protection from others
who are negative,
manipulative,
destructive, angry,
hostile or violent.

12. Energy Medicine
Resonance and coherence – when
you are in a loving relationship –
you are balanced, coherent and
healthy – research proves this –
couples in marriage live longer
than those who are single.
Energy enhancing techniques and
therapies during patient care can
have a positive impact on a
persons life and outcome – even if
that outcome is death

13. Central Nervous System
Crown Chakra

14. Central Nervous System
12 Cranial bones
Brain and Spinal Cord are the organs
7 Cervical vertebrae
12 Thoracic vertebrae
5 Lumbar vertebrae
4 fused bones in sacrum

16. Central Nervous System
The central nervous
system is made up of
the brain and spinal
cord.
The brain functions to
receive nerve impulses
from the spinal cord
and cranial nerves.
The spinal cord
contains the nerves
that carry messages
between the brain and
the body.

19. The human brain is composed of up to one trillion nerve
cells. One hundred billion of these are neurons, and the
remainder are the supporting neuroglia. The brain
consists of gray and white matter. Gray matter is nerve
tissue in the CNS composed of neuron cell bodies,
neuroglia, and unmyelinated axons; white matter is
nerve tissue in the CNS composed chiefly of bundles of
myelinated axons.
The brain is protected by the skull and by three
membranes called the meninges. The outermost
membrane is known as the dura mater, the middle as the
arachnoid, and the innermost as the pia mater. Also
protecting the brain is cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid that
circulates between the arachnoid

22. The Human Brain
The human brain is a soft, shiny, grayish white,
mushroom-shaped structure encased within the
skull. At birth, a typical human brain weighs
between 12 and 14 ounces (350 and 400 grams).
By the time an average person reaches adulthood,
the brain weighs about 3 pounds (1.36
kilograms). Because of greater average body size,
the brains of male are generally about 10 percent
larger than those of females. Although brain size
varies considerably among humans, there is no
correlation or link between brain size and
intelligence.

23. Central Nervous System
Autonomic nervous
system
Sympathetic nervous
system
Parasympathetic
nervous system
Peripheral nervous
system
Afferent nerves
Efferent nerves

26. Central Nervous System
The nervous system is the master controller of the body.
Each thought, each emotion, each action—all result from the
activity of this system. Through its many paths, the nervous
system monitors conditions both within and outside the body.
It then processes that information and decides how the body
should respond, if at all.
Finally, if a response is needed, the system sends out
electrical signals that spur the body into immediate action.
Although one of the smallest of the body's systems in terms
of weight, the nervous system is the most complex and
versatile.

27. The nervous system is a collection of cells, tissues, and organs: the central
nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system (CNS) acts as the command center of the body. It
interprets incoming sensory information, then sends out instructions on how
the body should react.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the part of the nervous system outside
of the CNS. It consists mainly of nerves that extend from the brain and spinal
cord to areas in the rest of the body. Cranial nerves carry impulses to and
from the brain while spinal nerves carry impulses to and from the spinal
cord. The PNS can be divided into two systems: the somatic nervous system
and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system controls the
voluntary movements of the skeletal muscles. The autonomic nervous system
control activities in the body that are involuntary or automatic. These include
the actions of the heart, glands, and digestive organs and associated parts.
The autonomic nervous system can be divided further into two subdivisions:
the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. These two
subdivisions work against each other. The parasympathetic nervous system
regulates involuntary activities that keep the body running smoothly under
normal, everyday conditions. The sympathetic nervous system controls
involuntary activities that help the body respond to stressful situations.

28. The Shushumna – Sheath Around
Spinal Cord where Kundalini Flows

29. A Nadi (plural: Nadis) is an energy channel in which prana energy
flows and may connect chakras

30. Subtle Energy
The three channels of
the subtle system are
known in sanskrit
language as
Ida Nadi (moon side,
female, yin)
Pingala Nadi (sun
side, male, yang)
and Shushumna
Nadi. the balance of
the other two
channels

33. Crown Chakra - CNS
Pineal Gland – connects to Pituitary
Self-Realization
Connection to the Universe, GOD
1000 petal lotus – 976 vortices
Chakra of consciousness, the master
chakra that controls all the others.
Secretes hormones to control the rest
of the endocrine system, and also
connects to the central nervous
system via the hypothalamus.

34. 6th Chakra – Third Eye - CNS
Pituitary and
Hypothalamus Glands
84 Vortices of energy
Higher Self
Wisdom/Intuition
Governs our senses
Higher Sense Perceptions
are developed with yoga
and meditation practices

35. Yoga Poses Beneficial to CNS

36. Respiratory System
Fifth Chakra (Throat)

39. Respiratory System
The respiratory system allows gas exchange between air and
blood, enables speech, provides the first line of defense against
infection, and helps regulate the pH of blood.
Components of the Respiratory System
The respiratory tract consists of the nose, nasal cavity, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. The nose and
pharynx make up the upper respiratory system, and the larynx,
trachea, bronchi, and lungs comprise the lower respiratory
system.
How Does the Respiratory System Work?
The respiratory tract can be divided into a conducting portion
that conducts air into the lungs, and a respiratory portion where
gas exchange occurs. As air travels through the conducting
portion—the nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and
bronchioles—air is filtered, warmed, and humidified.

40. When you breathe in through your nose or mouth, the
air is "filtered" through natural lines of defense that
protect against illness and irritation of the respiratory
tract.
Nasal hairs at the opening of the nostrils trap large
particles of dust that might otherwise be inhaled.
The entire respiratory system, as with the reproductive,
digestive, and urinary systems, is lined with a mucous
membrane that secretes mucus. The mucus traps smaller
particles like pollen or smoke.
Hairlike structures called cilia line the mucous
membrane and move the particles trapped in the mucus
out of the nose.

41. Inhaled air is moistened, warmed, and cleansed by
the nasal epithelium (the tissue that lines the nasal
cavity).
The nasal epithelium has increased blood flow that
helps to warm the inhaled air, but also facilitates
nosebleeds in some people
After the inhaled air moves through the larynx, it
reaches the trachea.
The trachea is a rigid, muscular tube about 4.5 inches
long and 1 inch wide. Embedded in the walls of the
trachea, C-shaped cartilage rings give the trachea
rigidity and allow it to stay open all the time.

42. Deeper in the lungs, each bronchus divides into bronchi,
which continue to branch to smaller airways called the
bronchioles.
There is no cartilage in the bronchioles, and therefore they
are subject to constriction and obstruction, as during an
asthma attack.
The bronchioles end in air sacs called the alveoli. Alveoli
are bunched together into clusters to form alveolar sacs.
On the surface of each alveolus, there is a network of
capillaries carrying blood that has come through veins
from other parts of the body. Here gas exchange occurs --
carbon dioxide from the blood is exchanged for oxygen
from the alveoli. After the blood is oxygenated, it goes to
the heart (between the two lungs), where it is pumped out
to all of the body tissues and extremities.

43. The respiratory portion is
composed of the smallest
bronchioles and alveoli. It
is in the alveoli that gas
exchange takes place.
There are approximately
150 million alveoli in each
lung.
The respiratory membrane
of the alveoli is very thin
and covers a large surface
area – about the size of a
tennis court. This large
thin membrane allows
oxygen and carbon dioxide
to diffuse rapidly and
efficiently.

44. The diaphragm, located below the
lungs, is the major muscle of
respiration.
It is a large, dome-shaped muscle
that contracts rhythmically and
continually, and most of the time,
involuntarily.
Upon inhalation, the diaphragm
contracts and flattens and the chest
cavity enlarges. This contraction
creates a vacuum, which pulls air
into the lungs.
Upon exhalation, the diaphragm
relaxes and returns to its domelike
shape, and air is forced out of the
lungs.

45. Yoga Poses and Practices - Respiratory Tract

46. Pranayama
Complete Breath
9 Point Breathing
Ujjayi
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Kumbhaka
Kapalabhati
Mudra –Finger positions

47. Mudras – Finger Positions that Effect Breathing

48. Cardiac System
4th Chakra – Heart Chakra

49. Cardiovascular – Circulatory System
The cardiovascular system,
also called the circulatory
system, consists of the
heart and a closed system
of vessels - the arteries,
veins, and capillaries.
The heart is the muscular
device that pumps the
blood around the circuit of
vessels.

50. Function
The most important functions of the system are to
maintain homeostasis and a favorable cellular
environment.
These functions depend on the continuous and
controlled flow of blood through the thousands of
miles of capillaries that reach every cell in the body.
Blood performs its ultimate transport function (the
purpose of circulation) with the help of these
microscopic capillaries: oxygen and nutrients pass
from capillary blood into fluids surrounding the cells
and waste products are removed in the same manner,
being taken into the capillary blood flow.

51. The Heart
The heart is a hollow,
muscular organ in vertebrates
responsible for pumping
blood through the blood
vessels by repeated, rhythmic
contractions, or a similar
structure in annelids,
mollusks, and arthropods.
The term cardiac (as in
cardiology) means "related to
the heart" and comes from
the Greek 'kardia,' for
"heart."

52. Structure
In the human body, the heart is normally situated
slightly to the left of the middle of the thorax,
underneath the sternum (breastbone).
The heart is usually felt to be on the left side
because the left heart (the left part of the heart) is
stronger (it pumps the blood out).
The heart is enclosed by a sac known as the
pericardium and is surrounded by the lungs.

53. A septum divides the right atrium and ventricle from
the left atrium and ventricle, preventing blood from
passing between them.
Valves between the atria and ventricles
(atrioventricular valves) maintain coordinated
unidirectional flow of blood from the atria to the
ventricles.
The ventricular systole consists of the contraction of
the ventricles and flow of blood into the circulatory
system. Again, once all the blood empties from the
ventricles, the pulmonary and aortic semilunar
valves close. Finally complete cardiac diastole
involves relaxation of the atria and ventricles in
preparation for refilling with circulating blood.

54. Cardiopulmonary
In the lungs, oxygen travels
from the tiny air sacs
through the walls of the
capillaries, into the blood
and, at the same time,
carbon dioxide passes from
blood into the air sacs in
the same manner.
Carbon dioxide is exhaled,
and the oxygenated blood
travels back to the left
atrium of the heart through
the pulmonary veins.

55. Circulation
Deoxygenated blood comes
into the right side of the
heart – atrium – and is
pumped into the ventricle
then the pulmonary artery.
Oxygenated blood comes
from the left atrium – then
ventricile – then into the
aorta on the left side.
Coronary arteries feed
blood to the heart muscle

56. 4th Chakra
Thymus – master
gland of immune
system
Heart chakra – 12
vortices of energy
Love, compassion,
forgiveness vs
Anger, hostility,
hate, resentment, etc.

57. Yoga Poses for the Cardiopulmonary System

58. Gastrointestinal System
3rd Chakra – Solar Plexus

62. GI Tract
The gastrointestinal tract
starts at the mouth, which
leads to the esophagus,
stomach, small intestine,
colon, and finally, the
rectum and anus. The GI
tract is a long, hollow,
muscular tube through
which food passes and
nutrients are absorbed.

63. Your tastebuds
You have roughly 10,000 tastebuds on your tongue,
which come alive the moment you put food in your
mouth. As nerve endings, they're responsible for sussing
out the chemicals in the food you've eaten and
transmitting messages to your brain. Without them you
wouldn't be able to experience salty, bitter, sweet or sour
sensations.
While your tastebuds are busy at work, your teeth grind
the food into easily digestible pieces and your saliva
moistens everything, so it doesn't scrape your digestive
(gastrointestinal) tract on the way down.

64. Stomach
Once you've swallowed your food, it's carried
down the esophagus to your stomach.
Here, your stomach walls churn the food up to
make sure it's mixed with your acidic digestive
juices.
By the time your tummy has finished (about 2 hrs
later), the food is a creamy mixture called chyme
(pronounced kime).
Once it's liquefied it can be squirted through a
small hole into your small intestine

65. Small intestine
This is where most of the nutrient-digesting
action happens.
To help your small intestine cope with the acidity
of the chyme, your pancreas releases an alkaline
and lots of enzymes, which break down the food's
carbohydrates, fat and protein.
Meanwhile, your gall bladder donates some bile
to ensure any fat is melted down thoroughly.

66. Large intestine
Any nutrients that can't be digested end up here,
including fiber, which has certain components that
can't be absorbed by the human body.
Your large intestine begins at the colon, where some
of the remaining nutrients can be mopped up.
After this point, anything that's left over is waste
matter and is stored in the rectum, waiting for the
journey's end.

67. Large Intestines
The large intestine takes 12 to 25 hours to finish up
the remaining processes of the digestive system.
Food is not broken down any further in this stage of
digestion.
The large intestine simply absorbs vitamins that are
created by the bacteria inhabiting the colon.
It is also very important in absorbing water and
compacting the feces. It also is responsible to get rid
of the solid waste.

68. Water Consumption is Important
It's essential for the growth and maintenance of our bodies, as
it's involved in a number of biological processes. But most of
us don't get nearly enough.
Water comprises 50 to 70 per cent of an adult's total body
weight, and without regular top-ups, our body's survival time
is limited to a matter of hours or days.
Water is lost from the body through urine and sweat, and
must be replaced through our diets.
Many people, though, don't consume enough and as a result
may become dehydrated, causing symptoms such as
headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration. Chronic
dehydration can contribute to a number of health problems,
such as constipation and kidney stones.

69. Third Chakra – Solar Plexus
Governs Gastrointestinal
Tract
8 Vortices of energy
Clockwise movement
Power, Loyalty and Self-
Confidence vs.
Shame and Betrayal,
dishonesty
Color is Yellow = Sun

70. Yoga Poses for GI Tract

71. Reproductive System
2nd Chakra – Sacral Chakra

72. Female Reproductive System

73. Ovaries. Produce eggs, release one each month in the
process of ovulation. Produce the female sex
hormones estrogen and progesterone. One ovary on
each side, about the size of a walnut.
Fallopian tubes. These tubes link the ovaries with the
uterus. When an egg is released from the ovaries it is
captured by the fimbriae, which project from the end
of the tubes. The egg is then moved towards the uterus
by the beating movement of tiny hairs called cilia. If
an egg is fertilized by sperm this usually occurs within
the fallopian tubes. The lining of the tube is specially
developed to prevent the fertilized egg from
implanting, and it is carried by the cilia towards the
uterus where it can safely implant.

74. Uterus
Uterus, or womb. Allow implantation
of a fertilized egg and the subsequent
growth, development and birth of a
baby. Two main layers, the
endometrium(lining) and myometrium
(muscle layer). The endometrium is
the lining of the womb, which allows a
fertilized egg to implant. Each month
the endometrium becomes thickened
and ready to receive a fertilized egg. If
the egg is not fertilized and does not
implant, the endometrium is shed and
lost through the vagina. This is called
menstruation, or the period.

75. Follicle Stimulating Hormones and
Luteinizing Hormones
FSH and LH causes follicles in
the ovaries to mature, and
estrogen to be produced.
On days 12-14 of the cycle
estrogen actually stimulates the
hypothalamus to release more
FSH and LH from the pituitary.
The surge of LH causes and
egg to be released, a process
called ovulation.

76. •A woman is born with all her eggs and does not produce any
more during her lifetime.
•Every month from when periods start follicles mature during the
menstrual cycle and normally only one will become dominant and
release an egg. The others all degenerate. The result is that follicles
are continuously being lost.
•When only a few follicles remain, they can no longer produce
enough estrogen to stimulate the release of FSH and LH to cause
ovulation.
•Menopause occurs when the ovaries no longer respond to FSH
and LH. This usually there is a period called the climacteric which
leads up to the menopause. During this time, the menstrual cycle
becomes less regular and frequent.
•Menopause can cause symptoms due to a lack of estrogen. These
include hot flushes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and pain
during intercourse.

77. Male Reproductive System

78. During puberty, a man's body begins to produce millions of sperm on a daily
basis. The male's reproductive system is also dependent upon correct
hormone levels to maintain sperm production.
Highly dependent upon cues from the pituitary gland to stimulate the
production of certain hormones.
Testes are the organs responsible for producing both sperm and testosterone,
a hormone that maintains male sexual characteristics. It takes up to three
months for sperm to become fully developed.
Once the sperm leave the testes, they move through a coiled tube called the
epididymis, an organ that stores and nourishes them until they become
motile. Mature sperm then move into a tube known as the vas deferens which
carries them to the seminal vesicles and prostate gland where fluid is added
to form semen. The semen is then expelled into the woman's vagina during
intercourse. Sperm can survive within the woman's reproductive tract
between 48 and 72 hours after intercourse.
The pituitary gland secretes FSH and LH. FSH stimulates sperm production
in the testes while LH stimulates testosterone production.

79. 2nd Chakra – Sacral Plexus
Orange
The second energy center located just below the navel concerns
aspects of emotional balance, sexuality and creativity. This
energy center radiates powerful emotional and creative forces.
All who desire to create more in the physical world must develop
a relationship with this energy center.
What are the issues of my sacral chakra?
1. Movement 5. Desire
2. Sensation 6. Need
3. Emotions 7. Pleasure
4. Sexuality

80. Yoga Poses for Second Chakra

81. Musculoskeletal System
1st Chakra – Root

84. Skeleton
The musculoskeletal system includes
bones, joints, skeletal muscles, tendons,
and ligaments.
Muscles generate force;
tendons transfer it to bones;
and the bones move if enough force is
transmitted.
The force must be enough to overcome
the weight of the moving body part,
gravity, and other external resistance.
Motion occurs at joints associated with
one or both ends of the bone.

85. Root Chakra
Stability
Courage – Stand up
under the pressure
Feeling safe, secure
vs unsafe, unstable,
having the root pulled out
from under you
Governs the
musculoskeletal system

95. Genitourinary System
Root Chakra and Second Chakra

97. Urinary System
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them
to energy. After the body has taken the food that it
needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and
in the blood.
The urinary system keeps chemicals, such as potassium
and sodium, and water in balance by removing a type
of waste called urea from the blood.
Urea is produced when protein, found in meat
products, is broken down in the body. Urea is carried in
the bloodstream to the kidneys.
Other important functions of the kidneys include blood
pressure regulation, and the production of
erythropoietin, which controls red blood cell production
in the bone marrow.

98. Kidneys
Pair of purplish-brown organs
located below the ribs toward
the middle of the back. Their
function is to:
Remove liquid waste from the
blood in the form of urine.
Keep a stable balance of salts
and other substances in the
blood.
produce erythropoietin, a
hormone that aids the formation
of red blood cells.

100. The adrenal glands are a pair of triangular-
shaped organs that rest on top of the kidneys.
The cortex, or outer section, is responsible for
the production of cortisone, cortisol,
aldosterone, androstenedione, and
dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The
adrenal cortex helps to maintain the salt and
water balance in the body. It is also involved
in the metabolism of carbohydrates and the
regulation of blood sugar..
The medulla, or central section, secretes another hormone,
adrenaline (also called epinephrine) and norepinephrine, which
functions as both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. This
hormone speeds up the rate of metabolism and produces other
physiologic changes designed to help the body cope with danger
("Fight or Flight Response").

101. STRESS HORMONES
Adrenaline, cortisol, DHEA, and
norepinephrine are the body's four
major stress hormones.
The highest levels of these
hormones are released in the
morning and the lowest at night.
Cortisol is also involved in the
metabolism of carbohydrates and
the regulation of blood sugar.
Aldosterone helps to maintain
electrolyte (salt) and water balance
in the body.

102. Yoga for Stress Reduction

103. Meditation Techniques
SIMPLE COUNTING
WALKING MEDITATION
EXACTLY WHERE YOU
ARE MEANT TO BE
STILLING THE MIND –
COUNTING EXHALES
DAILY GRATITUDE –
JOURNELING
FOCUS ON THE THIRD
EYE
VIPASSANA – IN THE
MOMENT
CANDLE GAZING

104. Connective Tissue and Fascia
Fascia – Connective Tissue – Subtle
Energy

105. Fascia

106. Connective Tissue
Tissue arising chiefly
from the embryonic
mesoderm that is
characterized by a highly
vascular matrix and
includes collagenous,
elastic, and reticular
fibers, adipose tissue,
cartilage, and bone. It
forms the supporting and
connecting structures of
the body.

107. Fascia
Fascia is essentially all of the
connective tissue in the body.
It is a tough covering, much like a
sausage casing, that surrounds every
muscle.
It forms a vast supporting network found
throughout the body and is continuous
from head to toe.
The tendons that join the muscle to the
bone, the joint capsules and the
ligaments are all fascia. Scar tissue and
adhesions occur within the fascia; these
areas are typically more restricted and
disorganized

108. Structural Integration
Fascia thickens and hardens where
there is chronic tension. Structural
Integration practitioners consider
fascia the "organ of form." Like a
coiled telephone cord, fascia holds
imprints of our posture and old
injuries
Fascia is composed mainly of
collagen fibers, together with water
and other proteins which provide a
glue-like quality
Composition is like sea salt

109. Subtle Energy Runs Through Fascia
Thomas Myers, author of
Anatomy Trains, states that
there is only one muscle in
the body - it simply hangs
around 600 or more fascial
pockets (p. 40). Consider
then, that as yoga instructors
and students, you are
interacting with and affecting
these 600-plus fascial
pockets during your asana
practice.
www.anatomytrains.com/

110. The End