Managing Subtle Energy through Movement

Photo Credit: Vlada Karpovich on Pexels

Welcome to part 3 in this series of articles. Today we are talking about how I manage my subtle energy through different movement practices. In my first article on Managing Your Subtle Energy, I introduced the concept of subtle energy and shared that I use 3 different approaches to manage my subtle energy. One of those approaches involves movement of my body. The energy in our body is meant to be in constant motion but for those of us who have spent years behind a computer screen, this can be a challenge.

I love to be creative and a lot of my creative work takes place on a computer. I mostly write these days and I have a couple of options I use that help me be a bit more mobile when I work. However, I’m usually sitting and when I get into the flow, I can lose track of time. I wear a smart watch that buzzes when I need to stand and keeps track of how much activity I do in a day. This can be helpful but not always because it’s easy for me to ignore. So, for me, I hold awareness of my body and pay attention to how I feel. Often when I am working, I stop and just stand up and leave my desk. This is an unconscious response where my body takes over and just moves because it needs to move. I’ve become aware of this to the point that I realize it shortly after I stand up and start walking. So now, I take note and then begin to think about how long I’ve been sitting and consider that this natural break can be used to move my body in a way that benefits not only my muscles, but also my energy. Sometimes I will consider the weather outside and decide to go for a short walk around the block. Other times, I might just go over to the stairs and walk up and down a few times. If my muscles feel especially tight, I might do some yoga moves that help to stretch my body and move energy. Other times, I might bring up a video on YouTube I have saved for times like this to do some Qigong where I feel restless and know I need to move energy.

The main point I want to make is that being aware of how we feel in our body at any one time is the starting point to understanding what we might need to do to manage our subtle energy. In this age of technology, there are a number of different tools available to help us. For those of you that aren’t working on computers, most people own a cell phone, which has a lot of apps. There are smart devices like watches and rings a person can wear that tracks our activity for us and reminds us when it’s time to pay attention. I personally don’t want to rely on technology too much so I take a balanced approach, knowing that there are days when I will get very distracted and in my head. Each of us needs to get to know ourselves better to understand our unique way of being in the world to determine what tools work best for us.

All growth begins with awareness so a great place to start is to consider the question, “do I struggle with moving every day?” If so, then that’s the best place to start. If you happen to be very active, then you may want to start by noticing how your body feels when you move. Are there certain areas of your body where you can’t relax or where you carry your stress? Do you have problems staying still and if so, perhaps you might consider that you are storing too much subtle energy. The key is to notice how you feel. If you feel restless or experience physical issues, having too much subtle energy can lead to more and more problems if you continue to hold onto it. 

Energy is meant to flow constantly and we feel our best when our subtle energy is in balance. We can have too little flow, or too much stored energy. Both of these situations can lead to eventual physical, emotional and mental health challenges. This is where energy clearing comes into play, which is the topic of the next article in this series. Energy clearing is a way to find that balance and even heal minor challenges before they get to be too big. Stay tuned for more next week!