In daily life, we often talk about the soul as if it’s buried deep within us – a powerful force or hidden treasure within the body / mind. But what if the soul was really the origin of our being? The seed that gives life to our mind, form to our body, and character to our spiritual longing?

In Kundalini yoga, our soul body is the first of ten bodies in the philosophical system that describes our whole being. The soul and body help us to effortlessly flow in life and in spirit. With a strong connection to our soul body, we understand our natural creativity, and we know how to use it. The more we lean into our kundalini practice and our relaxed creative flow, the easier it is to live in harmony. We begin to naturally embody humility and the divine nature of our souls.

But where the heck do we start? How do you connect to the soul body, and what are the qualities of a being grounded in this first light body? That’s what we’ll look at in this article.

What is the Soul Body in Yoga?

The soul body is the first body in the ten body system in the tradition of Kundalini yoga. This light body is the home of the Infinite and the energy of the universe within your being. Other names for the soul body include higher consciousness, your highest self, God, Shakti, inner light, or “the spark” to name a few. At its simplest, the soul body is that part of your being that longs for connection and expression. It’s the essence of you.

Characteristics of The Soul Body

Affirmation: I allow creative potential to flow from my divine source.

Qualities: Overall, a strong connection to the soul body allows your life to flow with greater ease and balance. These are other common characteristics of the soul body in kundalini yoga.

Compassion, love and gratitude in life
Feeling a sense of balance between “work and play”
Deeper intuition and creativity
Healthy energy levels
General sense of harmony or “go with the flow”

When someone feels a strong connection to their soul body, their loving impulses rule their actions. They are able to act with humility, compassion and creativity. This is because the negative thoughts and stories that the mind creates are balanced out by the divine truth of the heart. You’re able to have a “neutral mind” in a sense, because you’ve balanced your mental bodies and energy bodies.

Those with a strong soul body are able to face adversity and process trauma with their being fixed on the divine. They act from the point of connection to the eternal nature of the soul. In other words? These are people unconcerned with minor setbacks, ego-identification and small gains – they live their lives with a focus on long-term union with bliss.

When you are connected with this first light body, you feel creatively inspired, and in touch with your deeper purpose.

Connecting to the Soul Body (First Body)

But … how does that work, exactly? When we have a deep connection with the soul body, we are able to make balanced decisions with both heart and mind. Yogi Bhajan was known to say that if we can live with our hearts over our heads, then all will be well. The concept of the soul body infuses the analytical intelligence of the brain with the emotional intelligence of what we commonly call the heart.

To me, it’s important to understand the soul body as the origin of our being, preceding and possessing all of the elements needed to form our higher light bodies, including the positive mind, neutral mind, and negative mind, our physical body, and all to our crowning tenth body, the radiant body.

When you are connected to this divine light body, you exist in a space of creative flow and universal trust.

Signs of Balance: Here are some common signs of balance within the soul body.

Action and effort flow naturally and feel inspiring & joyful
An experience of totality in your everyday life
Decisions are holistic, intuitive, and informed
Actions are drive by humility and compassion
The feeling of simple joy infuses your daily life

Symptoms of Imbalance: Here are some common signs of imbalance within the soul body.

Overanalyzing – acting from the head and not the heart
Creative limitations cause frustration and jealousy
Getting stuck in mental loops or spirals of over-analysis
Failing to care for yourself and denying this failure
Hyper-masculinity (over thinking and over doing) runs your life, and you have difficulty opening up to feminine energy (relaxing and resting)

How to Deepen Your Connection to the Soul Body

Any spiritual practice that empowers you to raise your consciousness or stimulate the pranic body is great for the soul body, too. Here are some specific practices to deepen your connection to this vital light body.

heart opening meditation for the soul body

Heart Opening Practices

If you struggle with connecting to your innermost desires and emotional landscape, try this super simple exercise:

1. Come to a seat and close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then bring your left palm up to rest on your heart

2. Feel your breath move into your lungs and around the center of your chest

3. Use your next exhale breath to make the sound ‘shhh’, then inhale naturally & repeat a few times

4. Bring your awareness into the center of your chest, and notice any energetic responses. How do you feel? It’s ok if these responses aren’t fully concrete, let them be abstract. Maybe you feel purple, or spikey. Try not to over-interpret or question.

5. Stay in connection here with your heart for as long as you need. When you’re ready, take a few natural breaths and open your eyes.

Mul Mantra Meditation

As the first of the ten bodies, the soul body is associated with the root chakra. The Mul Mantra, or ‘root mantra’, is believed to contain the absolute, divine truth of creation. When you’re first getting started, it’s easiest to set yourself up in a meditative state and then play a recording of the mantra. This allows you to fully receive the vibrations of the mantra without worrying about messing it up. We like this recorded version of the mul mantra.

Pulse Meditation

This is a simple, beginner-friendly meditation that will help you get in touch with the inner self. If practiced regularly, this meditation can help you develop your ability to control reactions, and bring “one-pointedness to the most scattered mind.”

Come to an easy, seated pose either on the ground or in a chair
Close your eyes, raising the gaze slightly up to your third eye chakra – still keeping the eyes closed
Take a few deep breaths, and begin to feel into your subtle body
Place the four fingers from your right hand onto your left wrist so that you can feel your pulse. Make sure your fingers are in a line so you can feel your pulse on each fingertip
On each beat of your heart, you can begin to mentally repeat the mantra “Sat Nam”
Continue this for anywhere from 11 to 31 minutes
When you’re finished, go back into the rest of your day slowly and with intention