What is it about?
The Asian concepts kundalini, prana, and qi (or ki) are often translated as "energy." This chapter demonstrates that their identification with energy is not self-evident. Rather, it is the product of cross-cultural reinterpretations shaped by colonial encounters, modernization, and anti-modern reactions. A notable feature of these concepts is their ambivalent relationship to Western science. While advocates of a "subtle energy" strategically adopted scientific language to legitimize claims about vital forces, healing, and transformation, they simultaneously asserted access to ancient knowledge presented as superior to science.
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Why is it important?
The concept of “energy” lies at the heart of popular practices such as yoga, meditation, and energy healing. Practitioners often claim Asian origins for this energy, referring to exotic names such as kuṇḍalinī, prāṇa, or qì. This chapter reveals how these notions came to be identified with “energy,” showing how scientific language has been strategically employed to legitimize claims of ancient healing knowledge and spiritual wisdom.
Perspectives
I hope this article shows that Asian-sounding terms, often cloaked in the aura of ancient wisdom, frequently express surprisingly modern ideas. These ideas arose from encounters between East and West shaped by colonialism and modernity. Religious studies is exciting precisely because it reveals how transcultural processes give rise not only to new interpretations but also to entirely new practices.
Dominic Zoehrer
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This page is a summary of: Historical Roots of ‘Subtle Energies’: Occult Orientalism, November 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004736221_004.
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