This article is an examination of an ancient but widespread model of the body known
as the subtle body. Subtle body is a term used to describe a model of embodied
subjectivity in which matter and consciousness are not understood as ontologically
distinct but as varieties of ‘energy’ resonating at different
densities. The subtle body model figures the self as multiple, extensive and
radically intersubjective. We argue that this model has much to offer cultural
studies but that in order for it to be considered, cultural studies will have to
overcome its traditional scepticism, if not outright hostility, to
spiritual/religious thought. The article grounds its argument in a study of some
alternative health practices, arguing that they represent a popular body practice
hitherto neglected by cultural studies.
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