Energy Medicine: A (Brief) Energy Anatomy Lesson

Growing up in the Northern California coastal community of Bodega, it was pretty much mandatory to have a working knowledge of the Chakra system (and yes, there may have been a healing crystal or two in my home). Long before I integrated energy medicine into my health coaching practice, I used it as part of my daily self-care regime. One of the things I love about energy medicine is that it's so readily available for each of us to use, any time we want. You don't have to be a trained practitioner to have the personal experience of sensing - and shifting- the energy in your body. We have within us the innate ability to heal, on all the levels we are. Energy medicine is a terrific way for us to harness that ability to create balance in the body. 

The term “energy medicine” became popular in the 1980s, but working with our energies to promote health is in no way a new concept. The knowledge that an unseen energy flows through all living things and directly affects the quality of our physical, mental, and spiritual health has been a part of the wisdom of many cultures throughout history. The concept of life-force energy is found in most ancient cultures in the world. In India, it’s called prana; in China, chi; in Japan, ki; and for Native Americans, the Great Spirit. There are many different types of energy medicine, some being traced back to ancient healing traditions such as acupuncture, Qigong, and yoga. Energy medicine employs diverse methods to work with the flow of energy within the body, with the intent to realign, replenish, or stabilize the amount and quality of energy. It is both a complement to other approaches to health care, and a complete system for self-care. It can address physical, emotional, or mental imbalances, as well as support your body’s immune system and ability to heal. 

How I Use Energy Medicine (and How You Can Too!)

I take a pretty loose, intuitive approach to how I use energy medicine. While I have a working knowledge of a variety of energy practices, I believe that each of us carries this knowledge within us and that the study of energy medicine provides an opportunity to tap into what our miraculous bodies already know. I first recognized this when I was introduced to a Qigong exercise called “Cleanse the Qi”—a practice of gathering the calm energy around you, washing it through your entire body, and then sending it down and out through your feet. The movement of the practice felt comforting and familiar, as if it were a part of my own body. Then I realized I had instinctively been doing this since I was a child! Whenever I experienced a situation where the energy of a room (or the people in it) felt out of alignment with my own, I would do a “cleansing” and feel much more at home in my body. Who knows, you might have a similar experience as you discover a variety of ways to work with your own energy!

While I believe each of us has the innate ability to work with our own energy to create balance and health in the body, there are benefits to developing a more “formal” energy practice. For instance, there are subtle variations in posture, breathing, and even eye gaze that enhance the effects of energy medicine. The Qigong practice “Cleanse the Qi” is performed in something called “wuji” posture, which is the foundation of all dynamic (moving) and quiescent (static) standing exercises. This posture maximizes both relaxation and the flow of qi. While the posture may be intuitive, tightening your anal sphincter or touching your tongue to the upper palate behind your teeth to seal in the qi and prevent it from leaking may not be. 

While the study of energy medicine is endlessly fascinating to me and I consider my practice an essential part of my daily routine, I don’t always have a ton of time to dedicate to it. This is where having a working knowledge of a variety of practices comes in handy, because regardless of whether I have five minutes or an hour, I still get awesome benefits. Here’s what that looks like for me, and what it can look like for you too: 

I Breathe: Sometimes this is as simple as taking a long, deep breath when I notice my breathing is shallow (yes, I still hold my breath!). Other times I get pretty specific about my intention for breath work and have some go-to protocols that I’m excited to share with you. If the other energy practices I’m presenting here are simply too woo-woo for you, no worries. Feel free to just breathe (you have to anyway) and see if all that breathing opens you up for more!

I Go to Acupuncture: I’m a huge fan of acupuncture and have found treatments to be immensely helpful for a variety of issues (hormonal imbalance, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and allergies to name a few). My perfect week definitely includes a session with needles, but perfect doesn’t always happen. While experiencing acupuncture for yourself requires an appointment and I hope you make one, practicing acupressure on yourself does not. 

I Practice Reiki: I practice Reiki on myself, family, friends, clients, and even my dog! My Aunt Patty introduced Reiki to me when I was just a kid, so the concept of hands-on healing is second nature to me. Over the years I continued to feel drawn to its gentle, healing ways, so I decided to learn it myself. Now I get to experience Reiki any time I want and you can too. 

I Practice Yoga: As a kid, time on my mat meant time with Mama Ruth (and her Yoga for Health record). I loved just about anything if it involved hanging out with my mama, so I quickly loved yoga and I still do. I especially love to practice Kundalini yoga with internationally celebrated husband and wife team Ana Brett and Ravi Singh. While they travel extensively teaching workshops, conferences, and retreats worldwide, I can practice with them any time I want and you can too. I’ve been collecting their DVDs for the better part of a decade, and they now offer yoga streams on their website, lovetribevibes.com. If practicing on your own isn’t your thing, the app “Om Finder” can help you find classes at nearly 7,000 studios in 63 countries worldwide and can be filtered by time and type. In his book The New Health Rules, Dr. Frank Lipman writes that yoga is about a lot of things, but largely it’s about learning how to stay in an uncomfortable place and that you can take that anywhere you want … to your work life, to relationships, to parenting, to finances. The concept goes wherever you need it. In this way, yoga changes everything.

I Practice Qigong (pronounced “chee gong”): Qigong is considered a collective term for a long-established, extensive set of exercises first created in China more than 2,000 years ago. It involves performing gentle movements that are synchronized with the inhalations and exhalations of the breath, making it similar to yoga. The word “qi” translates literally to life force, and “gong” means the practice of developing more qi or life-force energy. 

I Balance My Chakras: Between my yoga practice, breath work, and meditations, I’ve got my chakras pretty well covered, but I do carry crystals in my pockets for good measure (yes, really). 

I Practice EFT Tapping: Tapping just might be my favorite thing ever! The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT for short) is a powerful yet simple method of energetic healing that works directly with the meridian system used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I used it for the first time to sort out my driving anxiety, and after a few short sessions, I was able to transform my fears and get my driver’s license for the first time at age forty-six! I was blown away by how immediate and effective EFT was, and I continue to use it to treat a variety of issues on my own and with my clients. 

I Hug Trees: You may have guessed this already, but I’m a total tree hugger! While I do literally hug trees given the opportunity, research has shown that you don’t even have to touch a tree to experience its healing benefits; you simply need to be within its vicinity. While this isn’t news to the large groups of people practicing tai chi in city parks, the health-promoting properties of trees has been validated by science. In his book Blinded by Science, Matthew Silverstone explains that it’s the vibrational properties of trees and plants that offer health benefits, not just open space. When one touches a tree, its different vibrational pattern will affect various biological behaviors within the body. Taoist master Mantak Chia teaches how to align one’s body with the energetic field of a tree and explains that trees are natural processors that can help you transform your body’s negative energy into positive, vital life-force energy. As you connect your energy with the tree, you facilitate your own physical and emotional healing. Go get yourself out in the world and hug a tree, exercise in nature, or simply smile at a tree next time you see one. Your energy will thank you for it!

I Believe in Flower Power: When I was growing up, Mama Ruth kept a wooden box full of tiny vials of the original Bach Flower Remedies. Mysterious and magical, these little tinctures of flower essence got us through some tricky times. I didn’t think much about how or why, but I sure found comfort in Mama reading from the list of Bach Flower Remedies and their indications. I liked to look over the list of 38 individual flower essences and intuitively pick one for Mama Ruth to read aloud: 

Aspen: “Vague unknown fears for which there can be given no explanation, no reason. It is a terror that something awful is going to happen even though it is unclear what exactly. These vague inexplicable fears may haunt by night or day. Sufferers may often be afraid to tell their trouble to others.” — Dr. Edward Bach

Indication: Fears and worries of unknown origin.

We would continue on with our ritual of picking remedies and reading their indications until I felt we had all my bases covered. Looking back, that ritual was not only wonderful because Mama Ruth was mixing up just the right tincture to soothe me, she was also teaching me to identify my feelings (a worthwhile endeavor on its own). I was also learning that I was not alone in my feelings, whatever my feelings happened to be. More recently, I got curious about what was happening and why it always seemed to help. Here’s what I learned: Flower alchemy is the practice of harnessing the life-force energy of a plant, which can be captured in a water and alcohol solution. When taken internally or applied externally, this energy works through the acupuncture meridians to shift our state of mind. This shift occurs within minutes, with a growing effect over time. A simple way to experience this shift yourself is to grab a bottle of the popular “Rescue Remedy” (readily available at your local health food store or online) so that you have it on hand when you need it. This mix of Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, Rock Rose, and Clematis was created by Dr. Bach to deal with emergencies and crises. It’s perfect for that moment when there is no time to make a proper individual selection of remedies, but you’re super stressed and want relief fast. 

I Read Books: Specifically, I love to read books like this:

• The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy by Cyndi Dale because, well, it’s everything. It deeply explores the chakras, energy meridians, acupuncture, reflexology, Ayurveda, Qigong, Kabbalah, and so much more. It’s an amazing resource for understanding the physical, energetic, and spiritual elements of health. 

• Anything by Donna Eden because she’s been teaching people how to work with the body’s energy systems for more than three decades! She’s a wealth of knowledge, and her books have handy routines for both general balancing and a wide variety of specific ailments. The Little Book of Energy Medicine is one of my favorites.

• Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide by Pamela Miles (forward by Donna Eden) truly is a comprehensive guide. I think I bought the book because it had Donna Eden’s “seal of approval,” but I read it cover to cover and then made the decision to formally offer Reiki to my clients. If you’re interested in learning more about Reiki, this is your book. 

• Heal Yourself with Qigong by Suzanne B. Friedman, LAC, is an awesome book not only because it presents over 100 easy five-minute Qigong exercises designed to target a wide variety of specific health issues, but it also gives you a chance to do a deep dive into everything Qigong if that interests you. Suzanne Friedman is an acupuncturist, herbalist, and doctor of medical qigong therapy who chairs the Medical Qigong Science Department at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA (she knows her stuff!). 

• Acupressure’s Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments by Michael Reed Gach was loaned to me by my physical therapist, Patrick Bridgett. Patrick was instrumental to my recovery following spinal surgery not only because he’s a gifted PT, but also because he’s a generous and compassionate human being with a wealth of knowledge about the body and its amazing ability to heal. Weekly appointments with Patrick for more than a year taught me many things (a lot of them involving a foam roller), but the most important thing I learned was how to play the starring role in my own healing. I’m forever grateful for the wisdom he shared with me. I’m also grateful for the many books he was kind enough to lend me (this one I never gave back). 

• The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living by Nick Ortner was my first introduction to the world of Tapping, and to say that it transformed my life is an understatement. This book can help you examine what’s holding you back in literally any area of your life, but more importantly, Nick shows you how you can use this profound practice to let go of patterns that no longer serve you and live your happiest, healthiest life. 

Your (Brief) Energy Anatomy Lesson

Meridians, chakras, aura, basic grid, Celtic weave, five rhythms, triple warmer, radiant circuits, and the electrics … oh my! The study of energy medicine is an exhaustive and complex endeavor—one worthy of books dedicated to a deep dive of the systems that form our intricate energy anatomy, of which there are many. For our purposes here, the following is your (brief) energy anatomy lesson: 

Meridians: The meridians are energy pathways (I like to imagine tiny rivers) for chi—the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In the same way that an artery transports blood, a meridian transports life-force energy (chi). Acupuncturists work with these meridians to stimulate and encourage the smooth flow of chi and blood throughout the body, which also triggers the body’s own healing mechanism. Meridian pathways bring energy to the immune, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, skeletal, muscular, and lymphatic systems. Though traditional Eastern medicine has had a successful run for thousands of years, science had yet to confirm the existence of meridians until now. Scientists at Seoul National University injected a special staining dye onto acupuncture points, allowing them to see thin lines. These same lines were not visible at non-acupuncture sites where there are no meridians. They believe this discovery is in fact the physical component of the Acupuncture Meridian System, which they refer to as the “primo-vascular system.” Previously, scientists had used a combination of imaging techniques and CT scans, allowing them to observe concentrated points of microvascular structures that correspond to the map of acupuncture points created by Chinese energy practitioners in ancient times. 

Acupuncture & Acupressure Points: Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points on the surface of your skin called “acupuncture points.” These points are pools of accumulated energy located on the meridians that run throughout the body, with high concentrations of nerve endings, mast cells, lymphatics, and capillaries—all capable of triggering biochemical and physiological changes in the body. Acupuncture (with needles) and acupressure (with fingers) use the same points and meridians. 

Chakras: The chakras are concentrated centers of energy located up the midline of the body from the base of the spine to the top of the head. There are seven chakras, which are believed to energetically record every emotionally significant event that you experience. Cyndi Dale, the author of The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy, refers to the chakras as the power centers that run the “you inside of you” (I like that). These energy centers connect our nerves, hormones, and emotions. Their locations run parallel to the body’s neuroendocrine-immune system and form a link between our vibrational anatomy and our physical anatomy. Though Western medicine has not recognized chakras yet, Eastern cultures have long appreciated them. Whether you perceive chakras as literal places in the body or as metaphoric ones, they can help you activate mind-body connections to help you heal.

The Aura: The aura is a multilayered protective sphere of energy that interacts with the energies within you and the atmosphere around you. Scientists who have detected the aura’s energy call it the “biofield.” If you are interested in seeing what your aura looks like on any given day, you’re in luck. Aura photography is a thing (a one-of-a kind, palm-sized Polaroid kind of thing). Russian electrical engineer Semyon Kirlian invented the process in the 1930s, and in the 1970s Guy Coggins built a camera that can actually capture the human biofield. Christina Lonsdale of Radiant Human got her hands on one of these magical cameras (there are supposedly 100 of them) and she takes it on the road (literally). Radiant Human is a roving aura photography laboratory that could be touring in your city (they announce tour plans on Instagram @radianthuman_).