A lot of us understand energy in terms of "get-up-and-go." There are those who might remember talking about "good vibrations" in the 60s and 70s, and "vibe" is still a popular term with under-30s.
Have you ever experienced this: Someone walks into the room and your immediate sense is to be drawn to them...OR someone walks into the room or passes you on the street, and your immediate sense is to pull back from them? You picked up some kind of a vibe or energy from them.
So what's the secret behind vibes?
It's all part of energy projection which in Qigong, the ancient Chinese martial art, is called wei qi—the external field of energy that you generate. It happens whether or not you're aware of it, and here is the secret: Wei qi is something that you can develop, regulate, cultivate, and augment!
If you're a speaker or business person who wants to connect with your particular customers, if you want to connect with your family members or community or your child who's being a little rebellious—you can have control of your wei qi in a most positive, Joy-fueled way.
The beauty (well, there are many) of cultivating your wei qi is that you are:
- In charge of how you want to respond to the world around you—it becomes a matter of choice, not unconscious reaction.
- Aware of how you show up in the world, how you can be your authentic, fully-expressed self.
- Aligned with who you are and how you are with others—and that's what they see and feel as well.
- Present in the moment because you are in charge and self-aware. It's a powerful place to be where you are able to maximize joy and minimize effort and stress.
- Joyous! You're in the driver's seat of your life—who you are, what emotions you are feeling, and what decisions and actions you desire to take in your life.
- Powerful in the most positive, loving way because of the ripple effect of wei qi—you develop and thrive in the power of having a positive impact on the world just by your presence!
Try this:
- Close your eyes and picture your spine, your vertebrae.
- Picture all the bones that make up the spine—there are 33, stacked on top of each other but not attached. Think about each vertebra which contains a hollow section through which the spinal cord passes.
- Think about the disks and pads between the bones that allow your spine to move and twist so easily.
- Now, think of the space between your vertebrae – the energy or qi. Picture energy moving between the spaces. Think about the flow of energy up and down your spine.
- Take a deep, slow, even and smooth breath. Now invite your energy in! Allow the enrgy to flow, lengthening your spine and softening your muscles.
- Exhale fully, projecting your energy outward. If you like, breathe in and out like that for a few minutes, visualizing the space and energy flow moving within you.
How does that feel to you? Notice what you notice. Simply being aware of your energy/qi, and how it moves and how it feels projecting outward, can be a profound way of connecting your mind, body, and your spirit/life force.
And, again, the ripple effect of this simple practice is wei qi, one of the most powerful forces on this earth.
I invite you to notice "vibes" this week, how you feel about other people's energies, and how you feel about your own when you're with them. Notice also how they might be seeing you, energetically-speaking. What you will be observing is how your wei qi might be rippling outward into the world making an impact (one way or another) on others.
