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The Physical Consciousness and Its Functions · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Most people, when asked, attribute consciousness to the
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  mind and centered in the brain. But consciousness does not stop
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  there, and indeed there are various types of consciousness
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  associated with different aspects of the being.
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  There is a mental consciousness, an emotional consciousness, A
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  vital consciousness, and even a physical consciousness.
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  People do not generally recognize the physical
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  consciousness for what it is, and therefore they tend to
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  underestimate it and its potential as an aid in the
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  spiritual development. The physical consciousness acts
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  independent of conscious control by the mental consciousness.
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  The mind and the vital consciousness can impact the
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  physical consciousness and help to build up its capacity and
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  awareness, or they can interfere with its action, causing severe
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  disruptions. We understand the power of
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  training the body to undertake certain tasks, developing what
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  is called muscle memory. If we reflect closely, however,
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  we see that the body functions best if the mind and vital are
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  not actively trying to micromanage it.
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  There's a well known phenomenon in sports such as elite
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  gymnastics that is called in that event the twisties.
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  Essentially the body is trained, tuned and brought to a peak of
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  capacity and certain complex gymnastic skills.
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  At the top world competitive level, such as the Olympic
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  Games, there is considerable mental and emotional pressure to
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  perform, and at a certain point, if the gymnast starts trying to
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  manage or control the body through thought, willpower or
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  vital force, the body becomes confused and serious injuries,
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  including fatalities, can occur. In a recent Olympic Games, the
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  top woman's gymnast withdrew when she noted that she could no
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  longer simply let her body carry out what it knew how to do
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  because of these mental and vital pressures and
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  interventions. It is clear from this example
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  that the body has its own consciousness and can and does
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  function best when it is allowed to do that without admixture
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  from outside, beyond it being given the understanding and the
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  training needed to carry out those tasks.
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  If we delve deeper, however, we see that the physical
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  consciousness carries out instinctive behaviors and even
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  automatic responses that allow the body to function in the 1st
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  place and respond to pressures and threats to health and
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  well-being. This consciousness carries out
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  the breath function, the immune system function, the operation
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  of all the internal organs at a level of detail and efficiency
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  that we cannot even fully mentally understand.
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  Just imagine if we had to mentally try to control the
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  working of the kidneys, the liver, the pancreas, the thyroid
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  or any other internal organ, the heart, the lungs, the movement
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  of impulses through the physical nerves, et cetera.
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  Everything would break down and nothing would work properly.
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  One of the risks of undertaking various forms of Hata yoga or
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  Kundalini yoga practices is just that they represent an
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  interference with the normal automatic function to some
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  degree. With guidance and patience,
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  enhancements can be made, but the risk of imbalance is always
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  there. The cells of the body also store
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  memories. Traumatic events frequently get
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  embedded in various parts of the body and can lead to chronic
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  tension in the shoulders and neck or other forms of pain that
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  manifest when triggered. Some of the impulses that come
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  to the body actually also act as triggers for awareness that has
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  been stored at the cellular level.
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  Thus we see the physical consciousness is both real and
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  far more subtle and complex than we ordinarily consider it to be.
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  At a certain point in time, the evolutionary force has to begin
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  to adapt and change this level of the being so that it can
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  receive and hold the new forms of consciousness that are in the
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  process of manifesting. There is also a process of
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  evolution of forms, as noted by Charles Darwin, that represents
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  the slow evolutionary response of the physical consciousness to
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  new demands and needs as higher levels of awareness manifest
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  through time, Sri Orobindo observes.
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  Quote. Our object is the Super mental
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  realization and we have to do whatever is necessary for that
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  or towards that under the conditions of each stage.
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  At present, the necessity is to prepare the physical
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  consciousness for that. A complete equality and peace
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  and a complete dedication free from personal demand or desire
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  in the physical and the lower vital parts are the things to be
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  established. Other things can come in their
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  proper time. What is needed now is the
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  psychic opening in the physical consciousness and the constant
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  presence and guidance there. End Quote Reference Sri
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  Aurobindo Bases of Yoga, Chapter 5.
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  Physical consciousness, subconscious sleep and dream
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  illness. Page 83.