When we feel our energy is off, it often literally is off. Now this may sound ultra new age, but really it's quite scientific. Everything in the world is made up of energy and vibration. Sometimes things can seem so solid, and so definite, when really if you scratch beneath the surface, a parallel universe is playing out.
The physical universe is made up of energy and vibration. Science has proven that everything is vibration. We are all energy and all our interactions are made up of energy. We are living in an ocean of energy. At a subatomic level, everything in the Universe is pure energy, moving and vibrating at different speeds or frequencies. We perceive ourselves as being separate from other people, animals, plants, trees and so on, because our frequencies are different to these, yet, we are all connected at the lowest level of energy. This is what quantum physicist and leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, Professor John Hagelin, calls the unified field.
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. ~ Nikola Tesla
If we don’t actively maintain our energetic body, we will end up collecting bad energy.
Each day we are being bombarded by different energies which impact our energetic balance in a myriad of ways. We are all influenced by global events, and the people around us. Everything in life is interconnected. Just like if your knee is injured, your postural alignment or hips will also be affected - everything affects everything else. The suffering of people trapped in a war on the other side of the world affects your consciousness, whether you're aware of it or not. Every day, subtle energetic influences play out in our lives. The conversation you had with the taxi driver, or the hug you shared with your neighbour, it all impacts you energetically. The fight you had last night with your partner, or the ongoing disagreement with your teenager, these impact the most basic molecules of your being. When we break it down, everything in life is an energetic exchange. The thing we need to be aware of is that some experiences and exchanges give us energy and others rob us of it.
Subtle Energies and Yoga
In yoga and vedanta, object and consciousness are interrelated. Today, modern physics is saying exactly what ancient yogic wisdom does in explaining the reality of matter and consciousness. In Indian psychology, there are five koshas, or energy fields, which cover our soul. Human consciousness is folded into five layers or sheaths. The first kosha is the sheath of matter, Annamaya kosha, which is the physical body, including biological functions. In modern science it is said that all the time, day and night, atomic energy is bouncing in and out of this physical body like a pendulum. Often we can get stuck in this layer and forget we are more than just material beings.
The second kosha is Pranamaya, the kosha composed of prana, or life force. Pranic energy is in constant motion throughout life. It is not only in human beings, animals, herbs or trees, not only in oceans and mountains, minerals and bacteria. The tiniest part of an atom has prana. The life force or prana vitalizes and holds together your body and mind.
The third kosha is Manomaya kosha, the mental body. The mind is connected with time, space and causality. it encompasses your nervous system and brain, receiving input from your senses and responding.
Koshas are the yogic terms for the subtle energetic layers that we each have.
The fifth kosha is Anandamaya kosha, your subtle energy body of truth, beauty, and spiritual bliss. It is our essential nature of peace and the place where the veil is the thinnest in your connection to your higher self.
By working with and awakening to the subtle energy layers of your being, you can navigate your soul's journey more skilfully and have more purpose and ease in your daily life.
It's important to be able to maintain equilibrium energetically so we don't start to feel out of balance. Illness manifests at the level of energy first. So if we are noticing and dealing regularly with energetic imbalances, we can maintain our energetic integrity much more easily.
Five Ways to Boost Your Energetic Wellness:
1. Energetic Clearing
Keeping your energetic, mental and emotional body clear of blockages is vital to good health. When you remove toxic influences from your surroundings and your energy, you will feel lighter and happier. Just like with our bodies and minds, anything in our environments or relationships that is causing stuckness, blockages, heaviness or that is unresolved, will create bad energy.
Take time to examine your living space, perhaps clear it with sage, streamline your environment by getting rid of what you don't love, and spring-clean your home, and your life, by letting go of things and ideas that no longer serve you. Deal with any issues in your relationships that are causing you anxiety or stopping you from enjoying harmonious connections. Keep stress to a minimum by taking charge of your time, work and schedule. Creating space for self-nurturing, with things like spending time in nature and doing activities you love, is vital to wellbeing and a positive state of mind. What we put into our bodies, not only psychically, emotionally and mentally, but most importantly, physically, also has an enormous effect on our energy. What we eat and drink is vital to our energetic health.
An excellent way to cleanse your energy body is the traditional technique of smudging.
2. Awareness
Sometimes negative energy is passed around like a hot potato - someone is angry and tries to shake off that anger by dumping it on you, you then snap at your child, who hits her sister and so on and so forth, as the negative energy is passed down the line. You can stop this by being aware, noticing you have taken on someone else's energy and taking time to disperse it out into the environment in a healthy way, instead of dumping it on someone else. You can also ensure that you have energetic resilience. The more you deal with your own feelings and issues, the less you will be bothered by other people's tantrums, irritability or dramas. You will not take things personally and there won't be holes in your auric field for other energies to get in. You can cultivate energetic resilience through a meditation practice. Meditation, or connection to higher inspiration, is a wonderful way to cleanse your energy body and is much like plugging back into the power socket and recharging the mainframe.
3. Practice Forgiveness
When we hold a grudge towards someone, we cause a stagnancy and contraction in our energy field. We block the energy from flowing freely, causing ourselves to remain stuck in negative emotions, thoughts and belief systems. When our consciousness is trapped in a negative focus, our energy tends to spiral downwards and we attract harmful or destructive situations to us. We essentially sabotage our wellbeing, our happiness and our opportunities in life.
Too often we complain that our energetic blockages are due to toxic 'others' - parents, partners, and certain people in our lives, but we can be a little diluted on the self responsibility front. Very often, the greatest polluters of our own energy is ourselves. We toss self criticism, harsh words, negative self-talk, put-downs and 'not good enoughs' into our bodies and minds, along with resentment, anger, and a stubborn refusal to get down from our 'I am right' podium. When we refuse to forgive ourselves or others, we lock ourselves into a time warp of negative energy. It's like willingly taking up residence in a leaking nuclear reactor. Practising forgiveness is a gift we can give ourselves and a profound way of keeping our energy clear and balanced; a way to keep our hearts open and our minds peaceful. It is a choice and practice to be well and happy.
4. Earth Connection
The quickest way to release a build up of negative energy in your energy system, is to head outdoors. Swimming in the ocean is deeply cleansing and will remove toxic energies; returning you to equilibrium. Walking barefoot on the earth and in the forests will reconnect you to your source and to higher inspiration. Nature is a profound reset for us. Studies show that contact with nature buffers us from stress and helps us become more resilient and happy.
The negative ions present in nature have a scientifically verifiable effect on us. Negative ions are oxygen atoms charged with an extra electron. They are created in nature by the effects of water, air, sunlight and the Earth's inherent radiation. Our homes have become overly saturated with positive ions, from electrical equipment, artificial light, wifi, and other unnatural aspects of modern life. Research shows that negative ions normalize serotonin levels in the brain, potentially improving a person's positive outlook and mood.
Nature omits negative ions which balances out our over-exposure to positive ions.
When I was 24 years-old, I got cervical cancer. Initially I didn't take it that seriously, but after a second more serious bout, the cancer reality set in. After a moment of panic about all the living I still had to do, and the adventures I craved, I made a strong decision. I chose life. I chose wellness and I completely refused to entertain any negative thoughts about myself or my health, or anything that would cause illness in my body. I shut out the possibility of not recovering. I focussed on vitality, radiant health, and a future. I also took positive actions for wellness, like eating well, exercise and yoga. Looking back, I remember how much mental strength, focus and determination this took. My absolute refusal to have cancer left no room for it in my life, and 20 years later I'm still healthy and have never had further issues.
It's easy to be negative and succumb to hopelessness when life gets rocky, but the more positive, life-affirming and filled with gratitude you can be, the more you will step onto the upward spiral of the higher consciousness, and attract opportunities, joyful situations, people and circumstances into your life.
When we become conscious of our energy system, attuned and sensitive to its subtleties, life flows more effortlessly. We easily lean into our natural state of clarity, ease, love and grace. As within, so without: when you are balanced, vital and connected - with a core of peace and life force flowing unimpeded through your energetic body - it affects the outward expression of your day-to-day life and creates space for all kinds of magic.
Comment: Access your inner shaman: Using the universal life force to heal your body