Mind Your Energy

Aug 09, 2023

Talking about the human energy body may seem abstract and implausible, but it’s as real as rain. And ignoring it is ignoring a major component of overall wellbeing.

We are significantly more energetic than physical. You can think of the human experience like a sentence. Your energy body is all the words in the sentence. Your physical body is the period at the end.

Although there are detailed systems of energy knowledge and practices dating back thousands of years and still in use today, modern Western society largely overlooks, neglects, and omits this crucial aspect of being human.

It’s much like science. Newtonian physics took hold of the human psyche so when quantum physics toppled the theory, it was hard to accept and adapt to as fact. It’s long been established that matter is actually energy, but it doesn’t fit neatly into our paradigm so we keep on believing that the chair we are sitting on right now is solid matter, not vibrating particles.

Like Newtonian physics, the physical body is much easier to relate to. You can see it, smell it and put it on a scale. You drop something and it falls to the ground whether it’s an apple or your own body, thanks to gravity. 

The energy body is not so easy to pin down, like quantum physics. Things only exist when observed? Everything in the universe is connected? 

These seemly abstract theories help us all better understand our physical world.

So it is with your energy body. Knowledge and care of it helps you better understand and live comfortably in your physical body. Because the body is what is most known to us, we can use it to help develop and direct the mind and the energy body – because they are all connected.

The human body is amazing. It’s the physical component that allows us to experience not just the sensory world but emotions as well. Every emotion is paired with a physical sensation.

E-motions are energy in motion. When this energy doesn’t move, it can lead to physical imbalance. From the Eastern medicine perspective, this is the origin of disease.

Moving the body is an excellent way to keep the energy moving and therefore keep the emotions moving through as well. All emotions are welcome. We just don’t want them to get stuck, like a record skipping on the turn table. The elders may need to explain this reference to the younger generations. ;-) 

These 3 simple physical practices can help you become more aware of your energy body and your emotions. It can keep all layers of YOU balanced and flowing. 

1. Body sensing. Become aware of the physical sensations in the body. Every thought and every emotion has a corresponding physical sensation. When these sensations are welcomed, they are allowed to move through and complete their natural process of coming into existence and then passing away. Not allowing them – resisting emotions deemed “negative” – causes them to be stuffed.
2. Stretch, jump, reach, run. Any movement helps move thoughts and emotions. When your child is stuck with a homework problem or caught by a difficult emotion, invite them to get up and change their physical position to get unstuck. Nothing beats a dance party to shift energy. Crank up your favorite music and get groovin’.
3. Formal Yoga Postures. These are designed to unlock and direct energy effectively, making them highly beneficial for children's mental and emotional health. You don’t need to be too formulaic about it. It’s not like Tree pose unlocks stuck energy in the right big toe and Triangle releases stress in the right shoulder. Although there are generalities. Wide-leg standing poses can help you feel stable and strong, releasing fear and doubt while increasing confidence. Backbends physically stretch open the heart and can help increase compassion for oneself and others. A well-rounded yoga practice includes all of the basic movements – forward bends, backbends and twists along with standing poses, balancing poses and inversions. Encourage children to spend 5 to 10 minutes each day experimenting with shapes and how they feel in their body. You are your best teacher. Go to a class to get some ideas and learn the basics, and then make it yours. The way you get dressed in the morning is probably unique. Your yoga practice can be too. Doing something imperfectly is better than doing nothing at all.

When we introduce body sensing, movement, and formal yoga postures to children, we are not only addressing their physical and mental well-being but also nurturing their energy body.

You don’t have to have a master’s degree in energetic anatomy to live into the truth of your body-mind-energy connection.

Understanding the mind-body-energy connection can be a transformative tool for supporting children's mental health. By introducing body sensing, movement, and formal yoga postures into their lives, we empower children to navigate their thoughts and emotions with grace and self-awareness.