i probably don’t know.. so this article features a certain amount of personal speculation

to understand the fourth body, we must first know of the other three:

#1 – the physical body

all of us are familiar with this one.. it’s the body we use to interact in the world of physicality. if you need something lifted, moved, re-ordered, punched, stroked — use this body. corresponds to base/root/muladhara chakra. kundalini/sex energy is stored here.. and an ancient clue as to why religion is uptight about sex. its element is earth.

#2 – the emotional body

women are generally in better tune with this non-physical body than their male counterparts, although not always. much of this has to do with social conditioning, although biology does play a role. emotions run a rich tapestry between love at the center/core/spirit, and fear at the edges of one’s ego. often emotional currents end up rendering a physical response, so bodies #2 and #1 are closely linked. corresponds to sacral/svadisthana chakra, and its element is water.

#3 – the first mental body

ok, to be honest, i’m not sure about this one — it’s a guess. when does a thought spawn an emotion, and when does an emotion drive a thought? men are often more in tune with their mental processes than women, but again, not always. meditation can lead to transcendence of thought, and a distancing from emotional states. passion, zest and anger are here, along with the element of fire. corresponds to the solar plexus/manipura chakra.

#4 – the fourth body

in a word: “love”.. transcends lustful attractions, emotional fixations, and mental gymnastics. activation of this body expands consciousness from ego-centric (i/me) to a unified perspective (us/all). motivations are genuinely pure. bliss currents run up the spine and pulse outwards from the center of the chest down through the fingertips, and perhaps out the top of the head. personal energy is increased, eyes are brighter. there is magic here, perhaps starting with the emotional awareness of others, and the ability to positively affect those emotions in non-local and non-physical ways (i.e., with the breath). corresponds to the heart/anahata chakra, and its element is air.

there is much more detail that could be discussed here, and additional bodies besides.. we’ll save those for another time.

if one wishes to open/activate/develop the fourth body, then pranayama is the tool designed for this purpose. also, deep meditation, to gain perspective and help center the additional energy that is stirred up using pranayama practices.

when it comes to deep meditation, i go through phases of taking it lightly, favoring pranayama more.  then later when my abs and throat feel sore from going too hard on the pranayama, spine alive with delicious fire, and life getting all crazy, i’ll switch to favoring deep meditation to regain some clarity/depth/peace and let things calm down

(external expression is a reflection from the inside — it can be interesting to remember this in a moment of perceived offense)

now while pranayama tends to rev me up, making for some interesting insomnia near the peak of my little cycle, deep meditation seems to have the opposite effect on me.. i start lounging around the house doing very little physical work (although the writing is good, like right now), craving sweets and proteins (grounders/energizers?), and the naps!

long naps, short naps, micro naps, naps with a curled up cat, naps in the living room with all the green plants, naps that start during the day and wake up confused in the middle of the night.. dreams are vivid

naps in the sunshine tend to feature moving fractals, especially if my forehead is directly facing the sun 

the buddhists seem to know about this, because they talk about not sleeping too much (makes one dull)

maybe physical exercise would help.. or some hatha yoga (not my favorite thing, but very good for me)

well it’s finally spring, so i can dust off my bicycle.. rig up a video camera to the handlebars and tour the paths down by the river.. what a sweet idea!