Moving Energy
If I had to pick one thing to think about, talk about, write about and teach about it would be energy. While I do believe this message is extremely important for people in recovery I am beyond convinced that it applies to every single person who has ever or will ever inhabit one of these meat suits that we call the physical body. I’ve blogged on the subject extensively and eventually wrote a book about it. This is the “energy talk” that I give in many of my classes. You might even call this the long version of my mission statement. Or even better let’s say this is a call to action.
It makes sense to start with simple, practical, indisputable facts about the human body. The body itself is the vehicle that we use to explore and physically interact with the world around us. It the concrete link to everything that exists in the realm of form. Energy animates physical form as it moves into and through the entire system creating the possibility for many experiences. All of those experiences are processed in the brain which is obviously a physical organ that just happens to reside in the space between your ears. This can be a very loud and busy place that evaluates and stores enormous amounts of information. Energy can be scientifically measured and tracked as it moves through the brain to perform this function. For most of us the activity in the brain (thinking) becomes who we think we are. Not only that but it turns into what we believe about every other person and everything that we come into contact with. This is called perceived reality. Most of this is happening in the mind and that’s where we start to move away from simple facts about the brain and into the realm of the formless.
What we create and experience physically can have a profound effect on the quality of the energy we use to fuel thoughts and emotions, but the opposite is also true. Incoming information can be skewed, exaggerated and obsessively processed in a way that disrupts the healthy flow of energy causing dysfunction and disease in the physical systems, in relationships and every other aspect of the human experience. At some point we can start believing the destructive stories in our heads and the world around us seems to change accordingly. If the energy moving through the body is constantly being used to perpetuate stress and a perceived state of crisis, it will eventually manifest itself in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sickness.
The spiritual malady that we so often speak of in recovery circles is an energetic illness. If you’ve got a body it is constantly moving energy and that Energy is what keeps you connected to Spirit. Don’t get caught up in those words or the capital letters just yet. The quality of that connection depends on several key factors. The first and probably the most important is your intention, because, “What you think upon grows.” This commonly quoted Eastern maxim goes a long way in describing the importance of our thoughts in just five words. Most often our difficulties are compounded, if not created, entirely in our heads. We unknowingly set our intentions on something that’s making us sick. It’s easy to say you need to change your intentions, but for most of us it is incredibly difficult to quiet negative thinking once it takes hold. If thinking changes the quality and flow of energy, if that energy can in turn determine our feelings and eventually our reality then how do we change our thoughts?
Remember, what we create and experience physically has an effect on the way we think and feel. For the vast majority of the population this is the most practical place to start. It really is as simple as it sounds. Take physical action. Sweat producing, breathing focused, heart rate increasing action if possible. Moving the physical body with your intentions set to spiritual healing is the most powerful method I know for quieting the mind and changing the way you think. My personal favorite form of moving meditation is yoga. It is what I practice and what I teach on a daily basis because I believe it is an ancient and scientific method for making conscious contact with healing Energy, but it is not the only one. In my daughter’s recovery and for so many here on the Heroes site running becomes a sacred time for connecting with a Higher Power and a truly healing practice. For my son it’s music, not only listening to it but creating and feeling it. Playing instruments, singing and dancing are all methods for changing your energetic state very quickly. As a matter of fact most of the arts and nearly all forms of exercise are easily accessible forms of meditation and connection. It’s not just the idea that you have to physically move it if you don’t want to lose it.
You’re going to have to do some kind of energy moving if you want to find It in the first place. You’ll probably have to do it over and over again if you want to grow your understanding of what It is and what It feels like for you. When you finally make the connection you will recognize It as the source of all healing and all power. It is the Energy and the Spirit that lies within. That’s right, capital I, capital E, Capital S. I believe that the Energy that moves through the physical body is not only a tool for animating the outer shell we live in, but the breath that animates the Spirit. When It is recognized, appreciated, conjured and courted with reverence It will take you to the quiet place inside where peace and truth are always available.
Peace Always,
Marta
You can help BREAK THE STIGMA by sharing your story directly on the Heroes in Recovery page and letting them know that Marta sent you, or you can contact me through email [marta@wellnessmeetings.com] with your information and I can help you through the process.
If you are interested in learning more about using moving meditation for Holistic Recovery check out my website www.wellnessmeetings.com or find the book Miracle in Progress: A Handbook for Holistic Recovery on Amazon.