Working With Energy

The concept of energy has different connotations in different contexts. It is, fundamentally, “the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light”. This scientific definition encapsulates energy’s essence and underlies every conception of it in all its many different contexts. Energy is in us and all around us – nothing can exist without it. Energy is also, importantly, subject to manipulation. We can manipulate the energy in our bodies by expending it in various ways, both physical and mental. It is important for our bodies, minds and spirits that we learn to work in tandem with all energies, and there are many different ways in which to do this.

We are constantly expending and replenishing our energy. In a physical sense, this means exertion through our daily activities. Whether you’re exercising or sitting at a desk and working, your body is using energy stores. We have such a plethora of biological processes occurring every minute of every day, both autonomous and voluntary, that require the use of energy. For our health we need to ensure that we are balancing our energy intake and expenditure properly so as not to become physically burnt out. It is important to release excess energy in our bodies through physical activity, but it is also imperative that we fuel our bodies with a balanced diet and a healthy sleep schedule. As the saying goes, it is arguably more important to manage your energy than your time – if you’re able to do this successfully, you’ll likely find that everything else will fall into place.

The other side of the coin is spiritual and mental energy. With energy being the life-giving force on our planet, it feeds not only our bodies but our souls too. Spiritual energy can be manipulated just as much as physical energy can, and oftentimes one feeds into the other. Many of us manipulate spiritual energies in ways that we aren’t even aware of – praying, manifesting, wishing, meditating and even doing conscious breathwork are all ways of interacting with spiritual energy. The concept of karma – attracting the same energy that you put out into the world – is a reflection of how we interact with unseen energies in our daily lives. It is important that we are mindful and protective of the energies that we allow into our lives, as well as those that we bring into the lives of others.