Introduction to energy work

Let's start with a brief explanation of what kind of energy I will write about. I suppose you've come across the statement that everything is energy, but what does that actually mean?‏‏‎ ‎🤔

The point is that the solidity of our body, or the liquidity of water, is actually an illusion created by the vibrations of molecules. Atoms are over 99.999% "empty" space! It is not without reason that ancient methodologies, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, say that the cause of all diseases is blockage of energy flow. Acupuncture is designed to stimulate the flow of this energy (also called chi or qi) in channels called meridians. In India, there is talk of harmonizing the so-called chakras, or energy centers located in different places of our body and outside it. The next post will be about them!

The best part, however, is that apart from acupuncture (which I highly recommend), there are also energy manipulation practices that require absolutely nothing but conscious movement and breathing. The chakras can be harmonized by yoga, but also a practice called qi-gong focuses on the flow of qi through thoughtful sequences of movement and breath. So it is the same concept, only from a different culture - which for me only confirms its huge relevance!

The easiest way to work with energy is to breathe consciously. The breath both represents and is responsible for the flow of energy in our body (movement is its perfect complement). Unfortunately, in Western culture, we simply ignore this fact that has been known for centuries, which is why our breathing cycle has some irregularities that can be easily overlooked in the constant rush, overload of information or stimuli. Very often, we find ourselves in a "fight or flight" state due to breathing disorders.

The main problem is the use of the lungs to a very minimal extent. We simply breathe to survive, and unfortunately this lack of commitment ends up sending disturbing information to our systems. Our cells receive limited resources (oxygen!), so only the basic functions are fulfilled and the rest of the energy is held for a potential escape or attack... It is literally like being in the same room with an angry lion while we are just sitting at the table with Grandma and eating a tomato soup! Meanwhile, thanks to the full awareness of the breath, we have the opportunity to activate important "additional" functions that are active in a state of peace and relaxation, such as improving self-healing, regeneration of the body, and of course, all resources are used in a meaningful purpose in a given situation. For example, the correct digestion of this tomato soup...‏‏‎ ‎😉

Breathing in a way, let's call it full, is also a recipe for unblocking energy blockages. This can be compared to acupuncture without needles. With the help of conscious full breath, we are able to unblock and harmonize our energy at the chakra level.

I recommend that you observe some breathing patterns. I noticed that, for example, while reading messages or focusing on something, I hold my breath, and when I breathe, I usually do it with the upper part of my lungs, practically without using my stomach. As a curiosity, apparently the latter scheme is very common among women! Perhaps the cult of a flat stomach or even our medieval corset experience played a role here? In any case, it's good to pay attention to it, because this seemingly small detail can make a huge difference to your well-being and health. In my experience, it also makes a difference when undergoing the invasion of the famous v!rus...

As for holding your breath, of course you may end up suffering from hypoxia. There are breathing exercises that use deliberate breath-holding (which will probably appear on the blog sometime), but doing it compulsively and above all unconsciously is certainly not a great idea.

Self-observation is an excellent first step in building good energy habits. And then you can practice breathing by filling the entire abdomen with air and emptying it very thoroughly, until perhaps you can come back to it more and more often in various situations of our day or night. It is also worth drawing a breath even further after filling the abdomen, until we feel that our lungs are full to the top. In my experience, even a few minutes of breathing in this way does a great job - it calms you down, improves your mood, cleans your mind of unnecessary thought-junk.

That's it for the beginning in this topic - and you let me know what breathing habits have you noticed in yourself? Do you feel the difference when you breathe more consciously?