7 Steps to Boundless Energy!
In April 2017 I attended a training program called Enlightened Warrior Training Camp. I have probably seen the most internal transformation out of that program from any I have taken. During the program we had the opportunity to get close with many participants. I was repeatedly asked how I was so energetic, happy, and freely giving during the program.
There was not much time to answer those questions during the program, but those questions were ringing in my head on my flight home. A few minutes into my traditional airplane sudoku puzzle, the words to answer those questions came flooding into my head. This blog post shares seven steps to feel boundless energy. Keep your eyes open for the next two on how to be absolutely happy and the freedom of freely giving.
1. Lighten Your Load: The less of our past we carry, the lighter we will feel in our body and spirit. Negative emotions build up as toxins in the body, infringing on its ability to digest and causing weight gain. It also holds tension in certain body parts depending on the issue we are dealing with. Holding the past in the mind clogs the mind and creates more to sift through to get to the present moment.
Try This: Elongating your exhale accentuates the release of toxins and emotions from your body. For one minute a day inhale for five counts and exhale for ten. Breathe through the nose and the entire length of your spine. If you have high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, or are pregnant, this breathing exercise may not be advised for you.
2. Speed Your Metabolism: Foods that are hard to digest consume energy and focus. Those include meat, some grains, and processed foods. You could eat less of that or add foods to your diet that aid in digestion like more fruits and vegetables.
Try This: Make one green smoothie a day for the next week. Start with about 1.5 cups water in a vitamix blender. Fill up most of the blender with a dark leafy green like kale, spinach, or chard. Your goal is to make 75% of the smoothie with those greens. Add banana and one other fruit for a yummy flavor. Berries and tropical fruits are lower in sugar levels and have more nutrients than other fruits.
3. Raise Your Energy: If we watch a happy excited child, he/she is usually jumping up and down with arms raised overhead. The sad child is closed inward in his/her body and drooping down. The mad child is on the floor kicking, screaming, and crying with a lot of energy. Most of us would prefer the happy child energy, so
Try This: When meditating or doing the breathing exercise from step 1, sit up tall with your heart open. Close your eyes and gaze slightly upwards under closed eyelids.
4. Decide and Allow: One of the ways to manifest something is to first decide that is what you want and make that decision in every moment. Be clear about your intention. Then take action. If you continually push against a wall that is not going to move, you can deplete your energy. When that happens check in and ask, “what is really trying to happen here, is there another way to do this, or do I just need to be patient?” When we are certain of our actions, we can’t force results outside of ourselves. In that way, our only choice is to allow a reaction and response to our actions to come as it will, which will not deplete our energy.
When I started the GoFundMe campaign for my book and business Healing Happens, I wanted to keep sending people messages until I got a lot of responses. I realized I was starting to strain myself overworking and instead I could wait for a reply from the messages I did send out. Slowly those replies are happening and people are donating and reserving their copy of the book!
Try This: After every major action you take for the next week towards your goals pause and take a deep breath. That creates space to allow a reaction to your action to happen and prevents you from constantly pushing.
5. Personal Balance: The great yoga guru Paramhansa Yogananda said there was enough energy in a pinch of his skin to light the entire city of Chicago. I think he was implying we all have the potential to tap into unlimited energy. While we are clearing the space for that abundance of energy by following the steps in this blog, we still may be living in a limited supply and need to learn and honor what that balance is.
Something to keep in mind; have you ever slept a lot and still woken up tired? What happens on Thanksgiving after eating a huge meal? Excessive food and sleep are not necessarily the means to replenishing your energy.
Try This: If the weather is nice, go outside. If not, open a window. You can do this sitting in a comfortable position with your spine long or even lay down in the grass with as much skin exposed to the sun as possible. Feel the warmth of the sun or the fresh air penetrating into your body. For five minutes, inhale for five counts, hold your breath for five counts, and exhale for five counts. Breathe through the nose and the entire length of your spine. If you have high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, or are pregnant, holding your breath and having elongated breaths is not advised. In that case, just do shorter breaths without the hold. Try this at least once a week or anytime you feel tired.
6. Willingness: After a long hard day at work you plop down on the couch tired noticing the mess in your home and wanting to do nothing. The phone rings. Luckily it is right by your side. It is your best friend from college in town for just that night and wants to hang out. What happens? All of a sudden you have energy because you have willingness to do the activity.
Try This: Make a list of activities you are doing before or during the times you feel tired. For each one of them consider if this is something you need to do at all, is there something else you can do instead, can someone else do this for you who would be excited to do it, or is there another way you can approach it to make it more fun.
7. Transform Fear to Flow: Fear causes resistance towards taking an action and thus consumes energy. Imagine being able to flow with something despite fear. After my first time doing a ropes course I received a t-shirt that said, “Feel the fear but do it anyways.”
There were a few things I did at the training camp a couple weeks ago that I used to be incredibly scared of. Knowing I succeeded once helped. More importantly, I made a choice beforehand that I would not be scared. Instead I kept my focus on each moment and had fun.
Then there were other activities we did that were new to me and that I was not able to get rid of the fear beforehand. Yet you often found me in the middle of the exercise giggling when I realized there was nothing to fear.
Try This: If you have the inspiration to take a step in any direction, despite fear or anything else in your head, just take one step. Then take the next and the next. What is your dream that might seem scarey or bigger than who you are right now? What is one small step you can take now that does not seem as scarey? When I wanted to buy a house, that seemed scarey but what I was able to do was call a real estate agent and start a conversation.
To supplement this blog, please watch these short videos with a little more explanation on each step:
Once you have tried these steps, please let me know how it went by filling out this short three question survey so I can better serve you.
