Everything everywhere is energy. The food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe are all energy. We are energy and energy moves through us, it surrounds us and enfolds us. Like fresh air and clean water, we need energy (also called vital life-force energy, prana, chi and spirit) as well in order to live and to thrive.
Tension throws our energy (body, mind and spirit) off balance. When we are tense our breathing becomes shallow, the chatter in our minds becomes even louder and our energy becomes stagnate and inefficient. In the short term we experience this imbalance as fatigue and irritability and in the long term we experience this imbalance of energy as weariness and illness. Conversely, when we are relaxed our energy is balanced and flowing, the breath is full and deep, our thoughts are focused and the energy that surrounds us is allowed to penetrate and nourish the entire system, body, mind and spirit. We experience this balance as vitality, physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
The more you allow yourself to rest and relax, the more efficient you become at experiencing energy, utilizing energy, and allowing energy to nourish and sustain you. Try this exercise, it will help you to sense and balance your energy: Close your eyes and visualize your heart and circulatory system. You may want to find a picture of a healthy heart to help you with the visualization, but you don’t need to be exact. Now imagine that your breath is a beautiful golden light caressing and then penetrating the heart muscle. Imagine that the breath/the golden light is being pumped by the heart throughout the entire body via the circulatory system, cleaning, healing and balancing. Do this visualization for a few minuets and notice if the golden light is easy to visualize or difficult to visualize. Notice also if your energy feels fluid or if the energy feels blocked or stagnant. Continue to do this exercise for three to five minuets or until the golden light is easy to sense and visualize and you feel clear, balanced and energized.
Things that balance your energy:
- Spiritual practices (prayer, gratitude journals, study, contemplation)
- Deep breathing throughout your day
- Meditation and visualization
- Laughter
- Optimistic outlook/positive attitude
- Companionship
- Clean water
- Clean air
- Moderate exercise
- Sleep
- Diet of whole foods
Energy, vitality, enthusiasm and joy are your birthright, so I encourage you to pick one thing from the list above and incorporate it into your day every day for three weeks. For example, if you feel that you need more laughter in your life, each day make time for your favorite sitcom, comic strip or a good friend. Just be creative and most importantly be consistent. Then add one more thing from the list every three weeks until you’ve incorporated most of what’s on the list into your daily life. Live, Love, Breathe!
Namaste.
Photo Credit: Zac Durant