Energy Dynamics or "Letting Go of Judgment"

By Megan Woolever

Megan Woolever, MA, CMT, CCHT, ACST, is a Holistic Healing Practitioner in San Francisco. She blends energy healing, hypnotherapy, bodywork, somatic therapy and intuitive guidance in her practice to help empower her clients to find their healer within.

Energy is often spoken of in terms of positive/negative, good/evil, and light/dark. "That person has really good energy!" or "They have such negative energy." However, it can be problematic, not to mention inaccurate, to describe energy in terms of a value judgment. Energy doesn't divide into opposing forces that battle it out over who wins dominance. Energy isn't about good guys and bad guys. Energy is about being alive. It is the movement, animation, and spirit that is our vital force.

Energy is a spectrum at which each end, the poles, are like a battery giving or receiving, depending on the state of the organism. Sometimes energy draws, or like the female side of a battery, it is open and receptive allowing outside energy to flow in. Sometimes energy gives, and like the male side of the battery it sends energy out. The dance that these energies do, sending and receiving, is the dance of our lives, manifest through our emotions, our minds, our physical bodies and our spirits.

As we become more aware of the energy that we hold in our bodies, we begin to see when we are in a more receptive or taking place, and when our energy is more outgoing and giving. Neither state is better or worse than the other. We require both to live healthy balanced lives. Being nurtured and blessed by others is just as important as giving of ourselves to those around us. It is only when we get stuck, or blocked in one of these poles, that we begin to feel out of balance.

Sometimes you may find yourself stuck in a bad mood or a "negative" emotion, perhaps getting labeled as needy or draining. Your energy is drawing outside energy into itself, and may be stuck in the "negative" pole. When we are faced with that kind of energy either in ourselves or in others, finding a way to get outside of the pull and redirect that energy outside through exercise, helping others or being in nature can help to shift us to a more positive flow. Likewise, if you find yourself spending all of your time focused on doing things for other people, or if your life is filled to a frantic pace with activity after activity, you may be stuck in a giving or "positive" pole. Taking time to go within, slowing down, and nurturing yourself can help to shift an overabundance of positive energy.

In Taoist philosophy the theory that describes this dynamic is Yin/Yang. Yin is receptive energy. Yang is active energy. Through the interplay of these energies our body is constantly in a state of balancing itself. However, the idea that we will find "perfect balance" in our life is a bit misleading. "Perfect balance" means that the system is no longer moving or flowing, it is in a state of rest or completion. This concept is sometimes explained through the analogy of a coin toss. As the coin is thrown into the air the energy is positive, and as it falls back to earth the energy is negative. Question: At which point in the flip is the coin in perfect balance? Answer: For the split second that it hovers in the air in between the two states.

The goal in our lives is not to stop the flow of energy or to find "perfect balance," but to see our energy move, much like waves move back and forth upon the beach, easy and effortless, in and out, the natural ebb and flow of our lives. It is only when we impede or struggle against that flow that we begin to feel blocked or frustrated. Ask yourself, "What are the areas in my life/body/emotions that feel stuck, stagnant, or frustrated?" Then look at that area through the filter of giving and receiving. Do you catch yourself thinking, "I feel so drained" or "I feel so overwhelmed?" These are clues as to what kind of energy you are running and how you can begin to shift and move that energy into a more flowing state. There are many healing modalities that can be explored to help shift and balance energy. Energy Healing, Reiki, Chi Nei Tsang, Polarity Therapy, Shiatsu, Acupressure, Acupuncture, Tai Chi and Chi Kung are just some of the methods used to balance the energy system in the body. Sometimes all we need to do is simply identify the blocked energy and it will begin to move. Our bodies in their infinite wisdom conspire to help us find healing and balance.