I don’t know about you, but at the moment I’m somewhere between feeling full of energy, buzzing with new ideas and loving the warming charge of being around others - living life - and then, on the other hand, I’m exhausted.
Maybe it’s an age thing. Maybe it’s motherhood and the invisible load of it all. Maybe it’s just the lack of decent sleep.
Whatever it is, the feeling of juggling what needs to be done with all that I’d like to do, combined with the issue of having only so many hours in the day, as well as my energy levels… well, it doesn’t always add up.
Sometimes it’s a total deficit: when the cup is empty but I’m still pouring. Simply because I have to.
Usually (thankfully) I can feel the drain on my reserves and I can see the ‘almost empty’ mark far enough in advance for me to notice, slow down and eliminate anything unnecessary. In fact I’ve gotten pretty good at it.
But, most of the time, I’d say I feel more like a spirit level: where I’ve got a little bit less and then a little bit more, so, generally, I’m okay; I’m pretty balanced.
The summer season certainly helps. The sun boosts my energy levels and being around others also has a positive effect. Because I’m careful about who I spend time with and my friends and family are all awesome!
But I know I have a tendency to burn out: ‘lighting the candle at both ends’, as my mum used to say to me in my more hectic years.
And even though I’ve mellowed, it’s still a hard thing to fully shake off. Just as a friend mentioned to me recently: we’ve all been programmed - our entire lives (here in the west) - to be busy. To be constantly doing. Ticking off the list of all that we must, well, muster.
Yoga teachers across the globe report how the interest in restorative practices has sky-rocketed since the pandemic and is showing no sign of easing.
And the collective sense of hyper-fatigue and depletion is often in the news. So I know I’m not alone.
One of my favourite writers, Holly Whitaker, recently wrote a piece about how tired she is, and about how rest and taking a break has affected her.
I know this last year my own practice has become quieter. Slower. It’s what I’ve needed, and still need.
Our energy levels are hugely variable, and a good amount of energy is an obvious result of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Because we really feel it when we don’t get enough sleep, when we don’t fuel our bodies properly, and when we simply aren’t taking enough care of ourselves.
And we are all unique. We each have our own set of demands, responsibilities, mental and physical needs, and soul preferences. All of which has a huge effect on our energy levels.
And, thankfully (yes, you’ve guessed it!) Yoga is here to help.
Firstly, by tuning into ourselves we begin to feel how it is: to be in our own skin, at this moment in time. Whether we feel tired or energised, we can acknowledge ourselves, without judgement, and then make the necessary adjustments.
Also, for me, my practice enables me to notice where I am resisting — and resistance is a huge drain on my energy.
We all experience resistance; it’s part of the human condition. Yet we so easily forget. This is why our practice is key. Ongoing, repeated instances of checking-in. Of stopping to breathe.
As well as that, Yoga helps to remove anything that may be blocking our energy and it can create more energy, too!
Our practices, however varied, offer us the chance to reset and restore. Depending on the person and the practice, of course. These are unique blends and what works for one may not work for another. I know there is plenty of room for a vinyasa flow to reenergise like nothing else. Or a yoga nidra may be the only soothing balm for our weariness.
A practice that I can highly recommend for anybody looking to increase their energy levels would be to focus on pranayama, or breathwork. For instance, Kapalabhati (Breath of Fire) is one such method. Think of it as fanning the flames of your energy centre, right at your Manipura chakra (solar plexus). It can be incredibly powerful!
Try the practice in the link above, and then find the reflection sheet below, at the end of this issue, and see what you think.
What follows are some more of the things that I’ve wanted to share with you. Things that have come up for me this past month. In my life and in my thoughts. All to do with ‘energy’. In the hope that maybe it will help you to consider and better understand your own energy levels:
I can’t talk about energy and Yoga and not mention the Koshas.
In essence, these are the different levels of the body: physical, energetic, mental, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and subtle (and possibly even more, depending on the yogic tradition).
Too huge a subject for me to even attempt to cover here, but a fascinating one.
The chakras that I’ve briefly mentioned before are a part of the energy body. Your energy, your prana (or life force) is also within this energetic body, and in Yoga it is believed that this should always be moving. Like water. To prevent stagnation.
When I think of energy, I immediately picture my Manipura chakra, or solar plexus. A Google search will provide ample further reading suggestions about the chakras, but if you’d like to know a good book on the topic, I suggest Anodea Judith’s Eastern Body, Western Mind.
The idea of masculine and feminine energy is something I am always seeking to learn more about. Not least because, aside from any ideas about gender, these masculine and feminine energies are something that we all have.
What’s more, I think the suggestion that we live in a masculine dominant society and that we are largely cut-off from our feminine energies really resonates. For decades now, the masculine qualities of progress, assertiveness and practicality is what has been most valued. And yet it is the return of feminine energy and the qualities of intuition, empathy and creativity that is required, now more than ever before, and it is what is beginning to return — as we all feel a knowing of this deep down inside of us and a yearning to rediscover it.
In Yoga, you may have heard of the term ‘embodying Shakti’, or ‘Shakti rising’. These are to do with the idea of the Divine Feminine, and energy, and feminine archetypes. Again, it’s too deep a subject for me to even attempt here, but if you enjoy going down a rabbit hole, I happily suggest an internet search. Enjoy!
The approaching full moon: July’s Buck Moon, is said to be bringing us all a more introspective (feminine) energy.
This full moon is all about ‘Becoming’. So to do with our potential. And guidance seems to be about setting strong foundations and staying grounded (by using our practices) to let us fulfil our life’s true purpose. Again, deep stuff!
Class suggestion:
Check out a local breathwork teacher, Hatha yoga or Kundalini class, to experience a specific focus on energy.
Poses:
There are so many. As many as there different levels of energy!
For me, if I am looking to increase my energy, then Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) is gentle and yet uplifting.
When I am looking to conserve my energy, then I think Balasana (Child’s pose) works beautifully.
Mantra:
I have so many that I turn to. But I think simple is good at times of high (or low) energy, and so Aum (om) is a great one. It signifies the entire universe. The start of creation. All that is and all that ever will be. With the energy of acceptance, possibility and infinity, a few oms really can work wonders!
To End, I’d like to leave you with this month’s playlist.
May it - may all of this - give you whatever it is you need the most.
Peace, love and kindness,
Louisa x
“Yoga is the method by which the restless mind is calmed And the energy directed into constructive channels.” B.K.S. Iyengar
