The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy

by Cyndi Dale, Richard Wehrman (Illustrator)

Welcome to the first comprehensive encyclopedia of the human energetic anatomy. Here is a reference that no personal or professional health care library should be without—an in-depth, illustrated guide to the invisible energies of spirit, psyche, and consciousness that influence every aspect of our well-being.

Whether you are looking for the complementary medicine to enhance your own healing practice, seeking perennial wisdom about your body's energetic nature from world traditions, or exploring the quantum edge of intention-based care, The Subtle Body is an indispensable companion for exploring virtually any facet of holistic healing.

Created for healing professionals and patients alike, this volume provides a lexicon of terms, illustrations, and detailed entries about our energetic biology and how it relates to our physical being. This invaluable information will help you enhance any form of health care, giving you the knowledge you need to develop an integrated approach for your clients' well-being or your own.

Compiled by energetic healer and scholar Cyndi Dale, The Subtle Body examines:

Energy-based therapy principles from the world's healing traditions, including Ayurveda, Qigong, Reiki, Quabalah, and many more
• The science of subtle anatomy—the ancient models and the newest research on the unseen fields that determine our physical condition
• True integrative care—how combining Eastern energetic modalities with Western scientific rigor yields optimum results
• The meridians, fields, and chakras—detailed information and diagrams about the role of these energetic structures in our overall health
• The role of intention in healing—how the beliefs of a healer, patient, and everyone involved affect the outcome of a treatment
What is it that distinguishes good healers from great ones? Today it is clear that the most successful healing occurs when we take into account every level of our physical and energetic selves. With The Subtle Body, you now have an unprecedented resource for understanding the physical, energetic, and spiritual elements of human health, providing an informed, complete approach to healing.

The Subtle Body has received the following awards:

2010 Gold Nautilus Award—Health/Healing/Energy Medicine
• 2010 Silver Living Now Award—Health/Wellness
• 2010 Bronze IPPY—New Age (Mind-Body-Spirit)

Genres: Spirituality, Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Science, Self Help, Psychology

487 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Cyndi Dale is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and intuitive consultant. Her popular books include The Subtle Body Coloring Book: Learn Energetic Anatomy (Sounds True, 2017), Subtle Energy Techniques (Llewellyn Publications, 2017), Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras (Llewellyn Publications, 2016), The Intuition Guidebook: How To Safely and Wisely Use Your Sixth Sense (Deeper Well Publishing, 2011), Energetic Boundaries: How to Stay Protected and Connected in Work, Love, and Life (Sounds True, 2011), The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy (Sounds True, 2009), and The Complete Book of Chakra Healing (Llewellyn Publications, 2009), as well as nearly 20 additional books. To learn more about Dale and her products, services, and classes, please visit www.cyndidale.com.

Reviews

[Cathy Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this for my husband, who wanted to explore alternative healing. He never got around to reading it.

But I picked it up recently, as a reference for a short article I'm writing about chakras. The information on this subject is all right, but diffuse; it's hard to tell where to look, exactly, without reading a hundred pages just to get a basic grasp on the topic. I was not loving this book, but as a reference, I wasn't hating it either.

Then I made the mistake of sitting down to read a chapter. People occasionally come into the store asking about sacred geometry, and I don't know which end of a merkaba is up. This book has a chapter on the topic of reasonable length. So I lugged it out onto the porch for a little evening reading.

Ugghh! Phaghhh! Turns out this is one of those metaphysical books that throws out a bunch of obfuscational prose, including great fistfuls of unexplained jargon, in an attempt to sound deep. What I want is something that makes complicated topics clear, not something that makes me feel like I'm drowning in a petri dish of pseudo-science.

I wonder if this kind of writing may stem from the author's ignorance and insecurity. If she doesn't understand the topic, she may be tempted to mish-mashe verbiage together from a bunch of sources, then edit it to try and make it sound comprehensible. I used to work for a lawyer who wrote briefs by doing this with law books (before she got fired for incompetence, that is.)

A snippet:

The body, which is 70 percent water, has been compared to a crystal. Water itself has been analyzed at the crystal level through interaction with magnetism, and the results suggest that form is determined by thoughts and intention.

Got all that? Somehow we got from your body being mainly water to your shape being determined by your thoughts, with only the barest reference to the steps in between. Maybe this is all very scientific. Maybe it's all logical. But the paragraph doesn't give you logical steps, just a few incontrovertible facts tied together with a string of unsupported speculation and (my own personal favorite fallacy of logic) bald assertion.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, which was given to me by a dear friend with the best of intentions. I did get out of it an outline of the Chinese meridian system and the Hindu Chakra system, and a passing acquaintance with a few other popular beliefs.

Unfortunately, the writing was sloppy and the thinking was sloppier. Instead of simply outlining various belief systems, critically or uncritically, the author engaged in the worst kind of pseudoscience to "prove" various ideas. She started out with a review of basic science that showed a pretty poor understanding of some of it. From this she segued into conclusions that in no way followed from the premises. She constantly cited experiments, but when I'd look in the endnotes for the studies, I would find that she only mentioned the secondary source she had read about the "study" in, such as a popular magazine, another pop pseudoscience review book, or a URL for a product website.

The concepts of control, randomization, and double-blinding were apparently unknown to her, let alone replicability, elementary statistics, or simple logic. Yet she persisted in her pseudoscientific approach, like a parody of a high school science textbook. I had a very good time complaining about it to my mate as I slogged through it, turning the air over the breakfast table blue with explosions of "horseshit!" "puh-leeze!" "oh, give me a break!" and "for Chrissakes!" The sad thing is that there undoubtedly is some truth behind some of the concepts she presents. She's just not presenting them in any credible manner, and her attempt to dazzle the reader with "science" just fizzles.

[Nathaniel Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, it's not a book to be read from cover to cover - it's a reference book. You need something and you get it. At the same time, it's not really an encyclopedia - this book is something *between* a non-fiction manual and a dictionary/encyclopedia. The author did a lot of research so the value of the book is great when it comes to knowledge, although I've noticed minor mistakes and flaws - thus, no reader should trust the content of the book completely. Let's say that it's 80% worth of trust, and you should research the other 20% on your own :).

Still, if you're a person interested in alternative therapies or energy healing, this book is one of those mandatory for your bookshelf.

[Reni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️
“Финото тяло. Енциклопедия на енергийната анатомия” от Синди Дейл (издание на български език)

Прочетох книгата от корица до корица (въпреки че е очевидно писана така, че да си подбираш отделни глави според интересите си) и мога да кажа, че за това, което е - енциклопедия - книгата върши добра работа. Синди Дейл представя основните идеи в енергийната анатомия ясно и достъпно, без излишно усложняване. Дори ако нямаш предишен опит с темата, ще се ориентираш бързо. 📖✨

Едно от нещата, които много ми хареса, е че книгата е илюстрирана - и не просто с някакви скици, а с цветни и хубаво оформени илюстрации, които наистина помагат да си представиш концепциите визуално. Това за мен е огромен плюс. 🎨🖼️

Обаче… ако сте като мен и обичате да четете всичко подред и да вниквате в дълбочина, ще усетите някои слабости. На моменти се усеща досадно повтаряне на едни и същи основни принципи и обяснения (вероятно за хората, които четат само отделни глави, това помага, но за мен като “корица-до-корица” читател беше леко изнервящо 😅).

Другото, което не ми допадна, е че авторката често споменава интересни методи или концепции, но вместо да ги обясни в детайл, просто казва “направете си проучване”. Разбирам, че това е енциклопедия и няма как всичко да бъде описано подробно, но на места това звучеше като оправдание, а не като съзнателен избор. Читателят остава с усещането, че му е подхвърлена една идея и после е оставен сам да търси информация в интернет. 🤷‍♀️

Все пак, трябва да призная, че обхватът на книгата е впечатляващ - Синди Дейл е събрала традиции от цял свят и дава един наистина глобален поглед върху темата за енергийната анатомия. Хареса ми също така, че стилът ѝ е приятелски и достъпен, без да се впуска в “new age” клишета, както често се случва с книги на подобна тематика. 🌀

Кратко обобщение:
• Подходяща за начинаещи и за хора, които търсят “обща култура” по темата;
• Лесна за ориентиране - можеш да четеш само това, което те интересува;
• Илюстрациите са цветни и наистина добавят стойност;
• Повтаряне на основни концепции, което омръзва при четене от начало до край;
• Липса на задълбочени обяснения на практическите методи;
• Широка културна и историческа перспектива, което е голям плюс.

А сега нещо напълно неприемливо - успях да се порежа на хартията на книгата, така че една звезда пада заради това. (Шегувам се… или не? 🔪)

Ако търсите задълбочен наръчник за енергийна работа - това не е вашата книга. Но ако искате да получите цялостен поглед върху темата и да имате нещо като “речник” на фината анатомия - бих казала, че заслужава място в библиотеката ви. 📚

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is encyclopedic knowledge of the subtle body across time and belief systems presented thoroughly with no trace of bias. If you enjoy reading encyclopedias and become engrossed in the finer details of a subject, you may enjoy this book as much as I did. As required reading for yoga teacher training, I was eager to delve into the subtle body and its foundations in ancient yoga. I discovered that the subtle body has been studied by most cultures throughout time, except our western culture dominated by necessary skepticism has kept this information from being absorbed into the mainstream.
My skepticism, cultural biases and need for proof did interfere a bit with reading this material. A gentle change in attitude allowed me to view this knowledge as legitimate myth, giving it the legitimacy of guiding wisdom; therefore not requiring scientific evidence.

[Wendy Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent encyclopedia of healing techniques. This is a classic in the field energy healing. The author, Cyndi Dale, has researched the topic extensively.

Easy to read and wonderful reference book.

[Alan Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book to try to read cover to cover from start to finish. The first 200 pages were mostly just showing how the ideas are supported scientifically and set up a scientific framework for thinking about the subject. It was disappointing because by the time I got to what I came for I was tired of reading it. The author actually uses Wikipedia as a reference in the bibliography. That's absurd. There are some great sections full of diverse info from diverse cultures. I get a sense that she may not be entirely thorough in her research, at times. When she says "the Cherokee Indians (or other cultures) say", I get the sense she is sometimes referring to modern teachings by a person of that group that was partially influenced by Indian/Chinese/western esoteric teachings, and projecting them out as blanket generalizations about what was traditionally taught. I may be wrong about that. But for all practical purposes the book is excellent and I can't imagine a better reference for chakras, meridians/nadia, etc. It is the kind of book you could pick up 1000 times and enjoy and learn new things. It is profusely and beautifully illustrated. As a reference book it sometimes has a minimal amount of info on many subjects. If you are skeptical the book will show you that there are many rational/scientific reasons for looking deeper into these subjects. Anyone that says they are unscientific is biased.

[Harun Rabbani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been listening to the audiobook version and was so flabbergasted at the quality of information about the meridien system that I ordered the physical book. OMG! As a therapist, healer and advocate of the scientific analysis of energy medicine, this is a bible for me.

In such a book, the illustrations and descriptions are vital. Cyndi Dale delivers. I will be using this book as a reference guide for my client work and a recommended textbook for my students.

[Valerie Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly, a scientific approach to the otherworldly subject of subtle energy. It is a well put together textbook to the class I always wanted to take, but was never given the choice to.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was one of the most expensive required for my yoga teacher training, and it was also one of the most useless. I rolled my eyes during the trainings where this book was used. While this is a beautiful book with color illustrations, it's also packed with nonsense.

What I've found in the yoga world is that people who lack critical thinking and a solid science education will believe almost anything.

Cyndi Dale identifies as an intuitive and healer on her website. I typically run from people like this, including those who identify as an empath. Trendy and meaningless words. You know who's a healer? A medical doctor who is board-certified.

If you do buy this, but the print version, because it's hard to read the charts on Kindle.

I'm reviewing this in 2025, but I bought this book pre-pandemic for my yoga teacher training. I'm in the process of culling my books and saving my time and energy for things that enhance my life in some way. By letting go of this book, I will no longer have this physical reminder that drags down my energy. How's that for healing me?

[Sandra Arroyave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pas facile à lire car plusieurs concepts différents y sont expliqués. Une lecture par chapitre facilite l’expérience. Plusieurs sujets sont étudiés en surface mais avec suffisamment d’informations pour permettre au lecteur d’avoir une compréhension de la matière et avoir en mains des informations utiles .

Cyndi est reconnue dans le monde dit des énergies subtils entre avec son systèmes des 12 chakras qu’elle a développée comme sa théorie à travers ses expériences et études.

C’est un livre intéressant qui couvre un vaste terrain de la médecine bioénergétique. Il faut donc s’attendre à retrouver dans ce livres certains aspects ésotériques et spirituels.

Je le recommande comme livre qui touche à plusieurs sujets et comme références.

Pour approfondir les sujets selon vos différents intérêts, la bibliographie est impressionnante, toutes les références sont également répertoriées et sont sources d’informations pertinentes.

[Becky L Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

audiobook. sooo much information in this book. I had to power through since it just dropped out of Audible plus. There's a really good chance I'll circle back around after further reading into this topic. I'm in the beginning stages of researching energy and sound healing. I'm trying to get a broad overview and learn the vocabulary so I can do a deeper dive. As a skim-the-surface text this one works great. Lots of new vocabulary and concepts and name drops of researchers and authors in the field to track down more information. Well written and narrated. Unfortunately I can't vet the information yet so you'll have to decide on your own whether the information is valid. If you too are attempting to learn more about all the OTHER phenomena going on in our bodies that modern medicine hasn't caught up to yet you probably can't go wrong here.

[Mark Macomber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, and I did at first. I am in my last year of acupuncture school and hoped this would be a valuable resource to share with patients as an introduction to subtle energy. But nearly everything she says about acupuncture and Chinese medicine is wrong. She uses terms that would be obscure to a non-acupuncturist, doesn’t define them, and flat-out gets them wrong more often than not. It seems like she probably interviewed one acupuncturist and then wrote the whole section from her own memory, filling in what she didn’t understand with nonsense jargon. I am not an expert in the other fields she covers, so I can’t comment on them. But if she was this clumsy with the Chinese medicine sections, I don’t trust any of the information in this book.

[DaCane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down a must read book by any and every energetic worker! Thoroughly explains several branches of study for discerning and working with the energetic body. Gives numerous resources and visual figures to assist in retaining the information. A truly wonderful resource and jump off point into any direction you want to go into regarding the energetic body. I have gained so much wisdom and insight from just reading this and many things I have added to my awareness have already healed my subtle body. An absolute must-read!

[Anderson Ordonez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very long read. Definitely not a book you want to read just once. This is more of like a textbook you keep on hand for when you want to reference. Very informative and interesting. You can tell whoever made this took a lot of time to get everything right. Everything is beautifully structured and flows in a nice order. From learning the basic principles of energy in science to how energy works on and inside your body. Great book!

[Mariana Calderon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A reference book with vast amounts of information that is not developed in a profound or systematic manner but rather gives a glimpse of the several subjects. To deepen on each of the number of subjects referenced in the book it is necessary to dig way deeper into other souces. A bit difficult to read as it lacks order and structure.

[Lisa Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my go to books in my practice, covers just about every energy healing modality and mapping available. Beautiful color pictures and accessible descriptions. Use some of Cyndi's other books to dive deep into chakra healing in particular, but this is a great one for looking at connections between systems and modalities.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just contains very very superficial informations about the energetic system of the human body. I miss deeper insights and description of the quality of each element. Maybe it is worth a read for who is new to chakras and meridians. But even then it would not be my first recommandation.

[Alessandro Amici · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assolutamente da avere se operate nel settore delle energie sottili. Questa è la vera enciclopedia delle energie sottili. Ogni argomento viene spiegato in maniera esaustiva e con un linguaggio semplice e comprensibile per tutti. Fantastico.

[Pixie Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manages to oversimplify and overcomplicate at the same time. I'm not sure how a book about the subtle body came out so dry. Still, it does cover a plethora of theories and practices. Starting with physical anatomy, it moves into the topics of fields, channels & bodies (mainly focused on the meridian and chakra systems), and ends with an overview of a range of therapies. A good beginners intro.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a long time but I finally read the whole book. It will be a great reference book. Didn’t agree with everything and some subjects were over kill while others weren’t explained enough. But still a good book for those interested in these subjects.

[Paul Nunis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a lot...

uncritically.
If you want a collection of all sorts of topics related to energetics, and want to self curate them for your own purposes, this is a nice reference.
If you are looking for testable information, or reliable facts and figures... not so useful.

[Cj Sime · Rating 1 out of 5]

True, it is a reference book and it definitely reads much as an encyclopedia would. However, there are so many other far more engaging resources and I didn't enjoy this one at all.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Reminded me a bit.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine overview of energy in the body from many perspectives. Didn't grab me.

[becky c · Rating 5 out of 5]

great info

Very thorough and great resource. I read it on Kindle and plan on purchasing the hard copy for future reference.

[Rose Hillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for school for my yoga cert. An excellent overview of various body energy theories.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science meets woo! I buy this one for so many friends.

[Rah~ri]

Is this book any good?
Or os it just the mega-compilation of
new-age-babel-blahblahblah-stick-finger-down-your-throat-airy-fairy-fuzzy-bunny-that-should-be-made-into-stew-for-me-and-you-kinda-book-ish-thing???
I know i'm a brat :)
but i have a luv hate relationship with this stuff.
So, i guess this looks decent online?
Is it?
Why?
How?

Seems more than every other person coming into the shop
is talking to me about energetics? ... kinda fun...kinda exhausting?
Would like to have a good reference book for them to look at?
One that is particle, realistic & not overwhelming in all the gobbledegook?

Actually?
I want IT ALL in there & well referenced.
With some awesome accurate Appendixes!
And real color pictures?
And REAL human experiences.
But without all the alien crap.
Not that i am saying there is no such thing as aliens.
I know for a fact that some of you reading this are in fact aliens.
But i don't feel like being bombarded by it tonight.
Stay out of my dreams. & my room. You creepy buggers you?
Or by way-to-smelly-aroma-therapy... What's up with that?
(Granted my nose doesn't work
and it all smells like feet to me?
But it must smell like feet to other folks too???
... i am sorry if i smell like feet :(
or like yellow labs which smell worse than feet but great therapy!)

Hey?
Let me know what you think of the book!
& thank you :)

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful book full of inspiring information on the chakras and energy anatomy. I especially enjoyed how it combined science and metaphysics. A nice go-to book for info especially on the chakras and auras. I really enjoyed how open and expansive the discussion was on different cultures and how it incorporated various elements from the cellular to the different auric bodies. It shows how even though there are different methods of healing, they all interconnect. It also inspired me to look at healing and the process of reiki in an entirely new manner. I definitely recommend it for people who are interested in various healing methods, who wish to go into alternative medicine and especially those who are going through a spiritual awakening and wish to learn more about energy/energy practices.