Understanding what energy exists in our bodies and why it's there, is the first step in knowing how it can affect our overall health and how to work with it.
More and more inhabitants of our planet are becoming "conscious" - in particular when it comes to spirituality, metaphysics, and the mind-body and energy-body connections. Alternative and mainstream media's coverage of topics like yoga, reiki, meditation and the like, have given long-overdue exposure to the benefits of these practices.
For many people, the idea of a friend saying "just try it" is their foray into these practices. Yet few understand the basics of the body's energy from which the benefits of these practices are derived.
“Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” ― Albert Einstein
My experience working with clients since 1999 has shown that, in providing them with a basic understanding of the energies in our bodies, a tremendous increase in benefits are obtained when regularly participating in energy-based modalities and practices. For comparison, having a thorough discussion with your doctor before starting a treatment or medication plan, goes a long way to achieving positive results. Since most of us have been on "new" medication (to us) at some point in our lives, having this understanding simply makes sense.
My goal here is to take you, the reader, one step closer to reaping the benefits of energy work, like that which I provide to my clients, by simply introducing you to the energy that exists in our bodies and the role that it plays.
Understanding Life Through Death
With all the utmost respect that I possess, as it relates to the beliefs of those that follow organized religion (myself included), a fundamental understanding of what we've all experienced from a physical standpoint when a friend or loved one that has died, exemplifies the basic principle of energy in the body. Maybe, like me, you as a child or as an adult thought about what made the deceased's body systems operate in one second but not the next; "their heart stopped", "their brain stopped functioning", "they stopped breathing" are normal and accurate assertions.
Beyond a detailed and complex medical explanation, what fundamentally no longer existed, causing these "stoppages"? And, religion and other beliefs aside, what "operated" the body while it was a living organism that is no longer present? Quite simply: energy - and more thoroughly - energy in the form of electronic pulses distributed throughout the body via the body's system of nerves.
Universal Life Force Energy
This natural life force energy is the energy that flows through all living things. Sometimes called universal energy or widely know as universal life force energy, it is known as chi in China, ki in Japan and prana in India. Natural healing systems have been developed for working with universal life force energy. One of the most well-known of these systems is called Reiki. Reiki is a hands-on natural healing system that was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920's.
There are internal energy channels in the human body and we all (living things) have the universal life force energy flowing through these channels (depicted at left). As I stated earlier, these channels are, physiologically, associated with the various nerves and nervous systems and subsystems (and also the endocrine system, a topic for another post) located throughout the body.
Recent scientific studies have also been able to correlate energy concentrations in the body (known as chakras, a common term) with termination points of various neural pathways spread throughout the body. This has been a HUGE step forward in associating the basis of "energy work" with the body's physiology and systems.
The Energy-Body (and Spiritual) Connection
As you would expect, these neural pathways interconnect the systems, organs, and other physiological characteristics. Therefore, a rather simple association can be made between the degree of health and functionality of the various aspects of the body, with the same attributes of the energy associated with the body.
Simply concluded, energy (in this context, universal life force energy) plays a huge role in sustaining and nourishing our bodies. It can be "called upon" to support and increase the body's natural self-healing ability, and can speed up recovery from illness and injury, as well. Universal life force energy can be used to boost our physical vitality and (metabolic) energy levels and to support us and heal us on the emotional and psychological levels as well.
Universal life force energy, as the common denominator between all living things, also transcends each individual's physiological dimensions, and is something that connects us metaphysically. Meditation, prayer, mantras and other non-physical (intentional AND non-intentional) energy manipulations have a way of initiating a rippling effect outside of ourselves, beyond those close to us, and to all living things. Today, it is our collective, "humankind" responsibility to understand this metaphysical aspect of universal life force energy, as we consciously decide the "what and where" of our intentions, thoughts, energies and "vibes".
Conclusion: Complex, Yet Simple
Before I post other articles on the specific types of, and intricacies associated with energy work, I thought this article would give a simple understanding of energy in the body. Most importantly, I want this information to truly "benefit the masses" - especially those that continue to look for answers to chronic conditions, pain, emotional struggles and other debilitating circumstances that have otherwise lessened the joys and experiences that life can bring. WE ARE ENERGY - and it plays a HUGE role in all of our body's functions, mental and emotional conditions and, thus, the quality of our life experience.
I trust that this "introduction" has been helpful and that you decide to embark on this educational journey with me - and in sharing with others. Until my next article, please take a moment to learn how my energy work and services could benefit you and others.