What about Energy?

I have been throughout my life developing a stronger connection to the non-physical aspect of myself we can call this my energy or my soul.  I have not written too much about how energy affects my movements because it is something that is a direct experience that quickly slips away after my movement sessions. 

Luckily over the last 4 months, I have been recording my experience with movement each day. As I do this it is becoming easier for me to write about my lived experience with energy in motion. Speaking on energy can at times become disconnected from physical reality. I will do my best not to do this.  

 It has been coming more into my conscious attention over the last 2 months that there is a different energy when I train in the daytime or the evening. I have been observing this difference consistently daily and I feel like it’s worth talking about today. 

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Let’s talk about daytime training energy this has been labeled as Yang energy or masculine energy.  When I feel the day’s energy I want to get things done. I have found it easier for me to get moving during the day when I have a structured plan in place to follow. I would add that during the day that my attention can be a bit more challenging to focus on what my current task is.  I have narrowed this down to the fact that during the day there is just more going on around me which can be very energizing, as well it has the potential to be distracting. 

This type of training I have been balancing with the night time training vibes which have been labeled as Yin or feminine energy. After I lay my son to bed after I complete my tasks for the day and have eaten. After everything settles from my day. Then I feel that my intuition can kick into high gear, as I slowly sink into the space of not needing to “achieve” anything or be anything specific. I lose the idea that I know anything at all about myself, Physically, Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually ( scary hahaha ). Then I work with the soft intention of aligning myself and healing from my daytime “work”. 

I have been doing my best to balance daytime activities with stillness mixed into all my structured training routines.  As well I try to integrate what I learn about myself in my Yin practice into my Yang training.  As I have found that even though I do my best to listen to my body during the day vigorous training still causes some misalignments and discomfort. Lastly, during daytime training, I do my best to bring in the feeling and reminder that I don’t need to “achieve” anything right away. This allows me to be more present in my body. 

I do my best to balance the Yin practices with some of the structure I created for the day. Like I might use some of the exercises I do during the day but with a completely different feeling and outcome. As well the focus that I cultivate during the day is crucial to help me to learn about my body, mind, emotions, and spirit. So when I just lay and exist I can use the strong focus I worked my ass off to achieve, to help me tune into any pain in my body. This focus brings about both stillness and movements without my conscious efforts. As well it has brought up memories and feelings that I feel like I need to feel and integrate into my experience of life. 

Making assumptions about how yin and yang work together will not serve my practice. I would say that When I bring my attention out of thinking and creating ideas, that it creates space for me to experience life through my body.  I have been told about yin and yang and shown how to cultivate these energies in the past, and I will share that direct experience can be very surprising. I would not have expected what comes up to the surface. 

You may have noticed by reading this that I am seeking to find balance within my training.  I am doing my best to not fall into the idea that one energy is more important than the other. I will continue to do my best to bring both energies into my training in an equal way. 

What I would recommend if you are seeking, is to begin a process of observation and nothing else. If your mind is wild then your first step is to learn to take your focus out of your thoughts and into your body. It requires practice and there is no way around it. That statement can be balanced by another one reminding you to be kind to yourself, 1 second of space is worth celebrating! A single moment of undivided attention is worth any amount of effort.