Your Body Directs Your Energy, Thoughts.

Does this resonate for you?

Your body form (as in tight or open) directly impacts your energy and thoughts (as in tight or open).

Slide by Dan Siegel.

Recently I found myself feeling constricted, tight in my body and heart (my emotions) and head (my thinking). Caretaking an elderly parent in a difficult situation was pushing my tipping point.

You ever found yourself with tight body spots after a triggering event, interaction? And, maybe you’re not even aware your body is tight. For many, tight feels ‘normal’ if the body has held tightness and stress unconsciously for awhile.

If you’ve experienced overwhelm, then you’ve probably felt a tight and hard feeling to your body. And, if you were aware, your energy and thoughts were probably operating at lower levels too.

This was true for me recently. How’d I know? My red flags. My body felt and showed it first. My, jaw, shoulders and chest felt tight, constricted. My jaw locked up. And, my emotions and thinking felt less spacious and clear. More fuzzy and reactive.

I then had an ah ha, and realized why. I’d unconsciously let go of two daily key body practices in my ‘busyness’ of doing. Practices that help my body, energy and thoughts be more spacious, open and fluid feeling. Two things that bring space, energy and balance to my emotions, clarity and resilience. The practices … breath work and kundalini yoga.

My coaching work and studies are about whole body well-being and growth. And, I forgot to remember. I let go of key supportive body practices and then witnessed its effect on me. It was interesting to witness. And then interesting to see and feel how my body, emotions and thinking shift rather quickly when I started those 2 practices back up. I felt better, lighter and open. More calm, clarity and lighter. My jaw unlocked. It felt good.

What happens when your body feels light, spacious and fluid? How’s your energy and thoughts feeling and flowing? Lighter and more resilient I bet.

KEYS to remember:

Form of the body directs the energy of your thought.
Your body shape, effects, shows up in your energy, your thoughts.

And, your thoughts effect your body. And your energy.

Here’s 5 steps to change, shift and reshape to lighten your body. And, build resilience in body, energy and thoughts:

• Lighten and loosen your body… Stretch, move, dance, walk. Outside in nature extra booster.

• Intentionally pause, several times a day. Even for 2 minutes. Settle your self.. your body, head and heart centers.

• Breathe… do breathe work. Deep belly breathing. Longer exhales than inhales.

• Do presence and body opening practices.

  • Dance, walk, move, garden, hike, pause, qigong, meditation.

  • Presence Pauses: Move or sit with intention.. stillness, awareness and savor pause.

• Again, Breathe… do breath work.

And, remember to remember…

Your body form directs and effects your energy and thoughts.

• A tight and constricted body = heavier, tighter, lower level energy and restrictive thoughts.

• A lighter and present savoring body = lighter, open, kinder, and healthier energy and thoughts.

Just trying your best is good. Moment by moment.

Be well, Susan

#presence #presencebasedcoach #livingandleadingbetter #intentionalgrowth #enneagramcoach

Susan Walters Minker: Connect for Free Discovery Call

Boost Your Energy IQ…. your energy is your life fuel.

Photo by Robert Luleman

How’s your personal energy these days? There’s lot of ancient wisdoms and new modern science emerging about energy, personal energy and personal energy management…  I call it Energy IQ.

By personal energy, I mean how is your inner fuel or the "juice" that flows through you and keeps you operating as a human being that’s doing, thinking and sensing. Your energy is the fuel for your life, work, relationships and decision-making.

As ancients wisdom keepers have known for eons, and modern science now validating, your energy fuels your body, mind, heart and spirit. My biggest energy ‘canaries in the coal mine’ (these tell me I’m depleted or over drawn) show up in my body. If I’m paying attention and notice. I get a pain, problem, stiffness or sickness. My herniated disc last year was a big teacher. My year long healing journey became a learning gift, supported by a team of great holistic healers.

My big takeaway is pay attention to your inner energy. It’s your life force. It fuels you.

Energy is not static. It flows. And can get stuck. Like when your chest feel tight, constricted, when you’re experiencing or remembering stressful things, moments. Know that feeling? I do.

Photo by Yoann Boyer

My suggestion, find a few practices that help you build your inner energy and well-being awareness. Create a morning ritual of some practices you enjoy. Even a 5 minute one. I have a few practices I do daily.

One of my newer practices is qigong, an ancient Chinese practice that includes body posture/movement, breath practice, and meditation. It’s designed to enhance life force, qi. The purpose of qigong is to attain deeply focused and relaxed states. For me, qigong also opens my stuck energy. I feel it, and I hear my body pop with releases.

Going into qigong class this week I felt unusually tired and scattered. No surprise, as I’d pulled a few late nights working. I went to class, as I really wanted to be in the class that morning as it was both the Chinese New Year’s Day and a new moon. That was Tuesday, February 1. By class end I felt different. I was relaxed, refreshed and grounded. My qi, my energy, felt settled. Rebalanced.

Your energy is a precious resource, maybe the most precious resource you have. It’s renewable, to an extent, and easily depleted. Do you ever…

• Not get enough sleep (7-8 hours per night) for a few days and feel sluggish?

• Binge on food, tv, drinks, sugar, screen time or something and feel off?

• Often feel angry, depressed, fearful, irritated or reactive?

What happens to you?

For me… I feel and function at lower speeds and levels in mental, physical and emotional capacities. That shows up for me in many ways. Slower and more reactive thinking, less creativity and words align such as fuzzy, foggy, scattered, reactive, slower, stressed, impatient. Any of those resonate for you?

Unconsciously and consciously humans spend, grow and save their energy as they live, operate. They drain, build and conserve it. Scientists note that humans normally operate at about a 95% unconscious level (on autopilot), only operating 5% consciously. Like when you drive your car someplace and you don't remember the drive... that’s the autopilot state.

That ever happen to you? Happens to me, more than I want to admit. Now that I’m aware of it :)

Do you want to be more awake and conscious of your self, life, work and relationships? I ask this because we find that now all want this. That’s ok, it’s an individual choice.

Bottom line: Growing your Energy IQ, a personal energy management mindset will change you, your life. And, it’s an ongoing journey, deep work. Benefits are huge too. If that’s desired, great. Explore and grow.

 Be well, Susan

Want to connect to discuss coaching, growth, enneagram needs, or questions? Reach out and click here to get a free 30 minute Discovery call with me.

Susan Walters Minker, Coach & Facilitator: Presence-Based® Coaching, Enneagram Practitioner, Systems Dynamics for Organizations & Individuals. And, co-owner/ steward of Asheville area nature sanctuary retreat center Bend of Ivy Lodge.

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