You might have heard the phrase ‘everything is energy’, but what exactly is this energy we talk about and how do we become aware of it?
We are all very aware that we have a physical body moving through physical environments, however what we sometimes take for granted is the non-physical effect each and every action we take has – the butterfly effect.
Along with a physical body we all have what is known as a subtle or energy body. When the physical body is harmed, the energetic body is harmed accordingly. When our energy is low, our physical body responds appropriately.
Whether we believe in the existence of subtle energy or not, getting in tune with our energy can help uplift us on all levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
What is subtle or prana energy?
There are many ways to refer to energy in this context, I like to use the terms subtle or prana energy, the Sankrit word for breath. This energy is also refer to as chi or qi, which pulls from traditional Chinese culture and medicine.
There are also many ways to conceptualize this energy; some describe it as originating from the Sun, more broadly this energy permeates everything in existence, connecting us in that way.
Although there is no scientific basis for prana or chi, there is a long historical and cultural context for its cultivation and application. I think in time we’ll find it has many verifiable benefits much like meditation.
How to start feeling energy
There are many ways to begin feeling energy and we can even have a debate on what exactly we mean by feel. However to keep things simple, feeling energy is simply the practice of tuning our awareness beyond just the physical body.
Let go of expectations
The key to any sort of spiritual development is to let go of expectations. Expectations come from our past experience; what we already believe to be true, in order to strengthen our psychic senses we have to be open to experiencing something new completely.
We also don’t want to force anything, straining ourselves to feel something we aren’t ready for, instead we want to go with the flow. This gets out out of the mind and ego, we can just be present.
Work with your hands
One of the quickest ways we can begin to feel energy is through the hands. The hands have minor chakras within them that act as portals for healing and creativity. Anyone who works with their hands on a daily basis, who does massage, writes or draws, knows that there is a kind of energy wanting to expressed through the hands.
- Get into a seated position
- Focus on your breath for a few minutes
- Bring awareness to your hands
- Slowly rub your palms together for 10 seconds
- Slowly pull them apart
- Notice the residual sensation
- Repeat a few times
This exercise is more so to get an idea of what feeling energy is like; to prime your awareness to feel without physical stimulus.
You will find that the effects are more noticeable after a longer meditation session. Often during or after meditation we feel driven to move our hands and arms in a particular way; like a dance that comes out of nowhere.
I recommend following this intuition and allowing your hands and body to move in a way that feels natural for you. It will much easier to perceive the flow of prana energy throughout the body when we are doing this.
Tune into your body
We can work with our whole body in a similar way to the hands. Eventhough energy work means bringing our awareness beyond just the physical body, this doesn’t mean we ignore it! The physical body is a crucial part of any energy work practice because it is the anchor point for our consciousness.
- Find a comfortable spot
- Get into a meditation position
- Focus on the breath for a few minutes
- Bring your awareness to the root chakra and hold it there for a minute
- Now bring your awareness up through each chakra until you reach the crown
With this exercise you aren’t trying to stimulate the energy in each chakra, you’re simply bringing your awareness to each one in order to feel what’s already there. You might sense different movements, or feel certain emotions arise.
You can also perform a body scan which doesn’t specifically target the chakras. Bring your awareness to the feet, working your way up through the entire body.
When we focus on the physical body we naturally come to know the other bodies that are intertwined with it: the etheric, casual, astral bodies and so on.
Work with others
Another way we can practice energy work with others. Being in a space where other people are receptive to this is so nourishing, and working with a loving partner can make the relationship just that bit sweeter.
The first step is to notice how your energy responds when you enter a new environment or social setting.
When we enter someone’s home or a new space we are not just entering four walls with a roof, we are entering into a whole field of accumulated energy. See what initial sensation or emotions come up for you here.
When you are in a social interaction notice what parts of your body feel the most active or heavy. You might find that your stomach is tight or your throat feels clogged.
This gives you insight into where there energy is blocked/wants to be expressed. Where your throat is clogged up, figuring out which words you’ve been afraid to say. Where your stomach is tight, which relates to the solar plexus, noticing where you can lean into your personal power.
We can also work with energy like this with someone we love and trust.
- Create a comfortable environment (play some music or light incense)
- Sit face to face in a meditation position
- Breathe deeply from your stomach areas for a few minutes
- Take a moment to gaze into each other’s eyes
- Place a hand on each other’s heart area
- Gradually try to get your breathing in sync
After each session you can check in, share what you felt and discuss what you would like to do differently next time to make things more comfortable.
Feeling vibrations in the body
It’s common to experience tingling, movement, vibrations and other sensations within the body when doing these exercises, sometimes these can be intense.
These vibrations relate to the activation of the energy body, our non-physical body which is often associated with experiences such as lucid dreams or astral projections.
The more we work with our energy the stronger the nadis, energy pathways or this energy body becomes, and the more manageable this flow of energy will be.
If these movements become too overwhelming, take a break from any exercises you are doing and focus on grounding your energy.
Especially at the beginning, when we allow energy to circulate through our system it naturally brings our awareness upwards. However if we aren’t ready to deal with the stuff in the higher chakras, this can create imbalance.
Grounding allows us to bring this energy down a notch and integrate it. We want to be circulating energy throughout our bodies, but not without also bringing this new awareness into our day to day lives and putting it to practical use.
When we start feeling energy consistently it’s common to notice other sensitives arising – this new flow of energy opening up different areas of our being/consciousness.
We might find that we are better able to receive images from our intuition, we receive random ‘knowings‘ about different topics or we can perceive sound much more clearly. Clear feeling is a psychic sense called clairsentience and this can come alongside many other clairs.
In conclusion
I have been working with my energy in this way for many years now and the benefits have been immeasurable, this is not something that needs to be measured scientifically for it to have value in our lives.
When we are in tune with our energy we have more focus, awareness and ability to connect with others deeply. Energy work isn’t something we do once and that’s it, it’s like exercize or learning how to cook, we have to stick at it in order to see the cumulative results.