Our natural state is to have plenty of Energy. We are designed to acquire enough energy so that we use energy in a balanced way and story energy for a rainy day. So, why do most people experience energy depletion, walking around like zombies when they should be living large like the Energizer Bunny? Could it be that energy teachings are no longer passed from one generation to the next? With that in mind, here is a quick guide that will teach you how to manage energy.
The Energy Challenge
Many people no longer live a healthy lifestyle. They don’t leave their homes or offices and almost never spend time outdoors. So, they aren’t exposed to sunlight, moonlight, and all of the energy (chi) found in Nature. They also never touch the Earth, so they don’t exchange energy with the Planet. Unfortunately, many don’t exercise or teach their children the importance of moving.
Energy Acquisition Tips
Many of my tips exchange modern habits for behaviors that help you acquire energy:
- Walk outside in the fresh air and sunshine (head uncovered without sunscreen) for 30 minutes a day. When you walk outside, hold your arms slightly away from your body and create a round shape between your arms and your body.
- Take a short exercise break every 70-90 minutes, where you move your body, stretch, walk around, etc.
- Once or twice a week make contact with the Earth. Walk around barefoot. Sit with your back to a tree and connect to the Earth with your body. Lay directly on the ground and let the Earth cradle you.
- Sun gaze, star gaze, and moon gaze. Find out which type of gazing works best for you.
- My favorite energy acquisition practices are QiGong movements and breathwork. Jeff Primack of Supreme Science QiGong is a master at acquiring, using, and storing energy for health.
- Do what you love, what you are passionate about. Steadfastly refuse to do what is expected of you, unless you authentically love and are passionate about it. If you’d like more information on authenticity, click on this link.
What Do I Do with My Energy?
Now that you have several ways to improve your energy acquisition, let’s talk about how you use energy. Do you work until you are exhausted, almost too tired to rest? Do you “store energy” for a rainy day? Do you consciously choose where you put your energy? Do you over-give? These are important questions to contemplate. Let me tell you why.
My Indigenous Elders were great observers of how Nature works. They translated their observations into these energy teachings:
- Use 70% of the energy you acquire to live your life with authenticity and passion.
- Save 20% of your energy for a rainy day.
- Only give away 10% of your energy (as in tithing)
Let’s explore this more.
Balance Activity and Rest
The way most Americans, especially women, live is to get as close to burnout as they can, using every bit of energy they acquire for work, family, and community responsibilities. Then, they wonder why they feel tired all of the time. Did you know that the body requires a certain amount of rest, not just sleep at night, but rest during the day? These times of inactivity (and what some might judge as laziness) are when your body receives and integrates healing, information, activations, and support? If you are active all your waking hours and/or rarely sleep, then your body cannot receive and integrate this goodness.
Develop Energy Storage
The easiest way to find the best energy storage practice for you is to ask your God Self how to store 20% of the energy you acquire easily, effortlessly, and with grace. There are a plethora of practices that can help you learn to store energy – Yoga, QiGong, The Buddha Palm, and other martial arts practices are some of the choices available.
Giving
If you are at energy deficit, it is likely that you are either “giving to get” or over-giving. Giving to get, even the subtle effect of feeling good because you are such a giver, is a way to tie energy up between you and the person you give to. Until you consciously release the receiver, you both lose energy by this tie. Additionally, over-giving (giving more than you can afford to give) almost always creates an energy deficit. How do you know you are in this pattern? Usually, over-givers donate resources and energy, no matter how they feel. They ignore their tiredness, their lack of energy or resources, and their intuition because they feel they are “bad people” (usually subconsciously) if they don’t give to someone who asks for help.
Both of these situations usually are driven by conditioning. You have been trained that “giving makes you a good person” or that “not giving makes you a bad person.” Let me clear this up for you. There is no great Book of Life in the sky where someone judges your actions and makes notes that will either reward or punish you for what you do or don’t do. Your choices are observed and noted, for sure. But, they are not judged. At best they are categorized as “interesting” choices.
Summary to Manage Energy
With more conscious choices for a healthier, more natural lifestyle; ways to acquire energy; willingness to rest as well as act, and appropriate energy storage and giving, you can live larger and longer. Let me know how you acquire, use, and store your energy. I’ll publish all helpful comments to this post.