Discover how energy healing techniques can enhance your health and wellbeing, with daily routines and practical exercises to leave you feeling rejuvenated, happy and alert.
Donna Eden has dedicated over three decades to teaching people to view their bodies as energy systems and recognize aches and pains as indicators of imbalance. In this book she addresses specific energy challenges women experience – PMS, menopause, high blood pressure and depression are just some examples.
What is energy medicine?
Energy medicine involves clearing away blockages and restoring balance in a person’s energy field to facilitate healing, wholeness, wellness and peak performance. It should not be seen as an alternative form of Western medical care but as complementary work which should work alongside it rather than replacing it.
Advocates of energy medicine believe that humans possess an innate capacity to heal themselves, with disturbances to the energy field causing physical and emotional symptoms. Practitioners of energy medicine believe that by supporting life force energy balances within patients’ bodies and treating energetic imbalances they can provide relief from pain, insomnia and anxiety for their clients.
“Energy healing” refers to various holistic healing modalities, such as acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, reiki and qigong. All of these share the belief that humans are composed of energy which must flow in order to maintain health, happiness and well-being.
While traditional medical science primarily addresses the biochemistry of cells, tissues, and organs, practitioners of energy medicine seek to alter energy fields that organize and control these systems. According to them, altering such patterns could be one of the most efficient and least invasive ways of improving an individual’s health and wellbeing.
Though many claim the efficacy of energy healing, no one has ever been able to establish that these energies exist. Yet there have been numerous anecdotal reports from those who claim they experienced positive outcomes from this type of healing; these accounts could simply be due to placebo effect, natural history of condition regression to mean or mood changes caused by clinical encounter.
The meridian system
The Meridian system is an intricate network of pathways through which qi (chi) flows to nourish and energize our bodies, acting as a communication network between physical and more subtle energetic bodies. Each meridan corresponds with specific types of energy, sense organs, emotions, elements or components; furthermore they can be divided into yin or yang categories depending on where their location occurs on our surface body.
Ancient Chinese medical philosophers developed the concept of meridians to explain acupuncture points’ consistent locations on certain parts of skin and pathways in the body. Through experimentation with stimulating certain points and monitoring sensations they found correlations with specific symptoms; ultimately using their findings to create a map depicting each body meridian.
There are twelve primary meridians running along both sides of the body and mirroring one another on either side, named for organs they relate to or metabolic processes rather than organs themselves. There are also two additional meridians called Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel that serve as vital energy channels while not connected directly with any specific organ.
The spleen meridian, for instance, is responsible for digestion and helping create True Human Energy. It works closely with the lungs to produce blood while it also serves to create logic and analytical thinking. Paired with the hepatic meridian, its 24 acupoints form an energy pathway essential to memory formation and the process of learning – not forgetting its integral part in TCM Qigong practice!
The aura
A human aura is an energy field surrounding them and extending two to three feet beyond their physical body, believed to be reflective of both spiritual and emotional health, physical state, consciousness and connection with spiritual forces. This energy field often comes in various colors to correspond with feelings and states of mind.
Auras have long been recognized by various cultures and traditions around the world, such as ancient Egyptians who believed their aura reflected an individual’s soul, while Ancient Greeks also recognized its significance, linking different emotions or states of being with specific hues in its spectrum.
Scientists remain baffled by auras, yet it may become quantifiable with emerging technology. Researchers hope that technological advancements will result in greater insight into how auras influence health and well-being.
Auras can be powerful tools in improving overall health and wellbeing, by emphasizing positive aspects of life to create more optimistic auras that will benefit both physical and emotional health. Furthermore, by eliminating negative emotions like anger and fear from your mindspace and eliminating negativity such as negative relationships from life’s relationships you can restore the balance in your aura and promote physical and emotional wellness. By practicing meditation or good deeds and increasing spiritual energy through spiritual practices such as prayer or yoga you can further expand it and connect more closely to God’s infinite spiritual energy source – remember that perfect health starts in the mind and developing positive mental attitudes can only do that if perfect health begins within you mindspace!
The chakras
The chakras are energy centers in your body that serve as channels for prana, or life force energy, to move throughout. Each chakra radiates a specific color corresponding with glands in your physical body, and when balanced can support mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing while when unbalanced it could lead to illness – Chakra balancing can often be achieved with meditation, yoga, herbal remedies or other methods of therapy.
There is much speculation regarding the shape and nature of chakras; some believe they resemble spinning discs while others see flowers hanging from our spines. Chakras develop in both pregnancy and childhood but even once fully formed they may come in and out of balance throughout our lives.
When your root chakra is balanced, it helps you feel secure and grounded; otherwise you might experience anxiety and fear. Sacral chakra is related to emotions and creativity while solar plexus promotes self-esteem and confidence. Finally, throat chakra helps with communication – when in balance it allows you to speak your truth freely with love and kindness while out of balance it might make it hard to communicate or express your needs effectively.
Scientists have also linked chakra theory with modern maps of the central nervous system, suggesting that chakra energy centers may play an integral role in physical and emotional wellness. One researcher suggested that the third eye chakra, located between eyebrows, may correspond with prefrontal cortex functions while crown chakra may correspond with medulla oblongata functions.
The body’s energy systems
Each physical process in our bodies needs an ongoing source of energy to run properly, which comes in the form of an energy source called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), produced in cells of tissues and organs of our bodies. Primary sources include carbohydrates, proteins and fats which fuel muscles, brain and other parts when needed to work. Three distinct systems transfer energy from these sources into cells to form ATP molecules.
At all levels of activity, our bodies utilize each energy system, though which ones will be utilized depends on intensity and duration of activity. For instance, short, intense exercises requiring explosive movement will primarily use the phosphagen system while longer moderate intensity workouts utilize more of glycolytic and oxidative systems for fuel.
Glycolytic systems work by producing ATP through the breakdown of carbohydrates in the bloodstream and transporting it directly to cells for energy use. This provides a relatively rapid source of energy during short bursts of activity such as sprinting down an ice hockey rink.
At moderate-intensity exercise, our body’s oxidative energy system kicks in to break down carbohydrates and fats into usable energy sources for long-duration physical activities such as running marathons, team sports that require continuous action such as soccer or basketball and endurance events like triathlons.
