Self-Help Techniques for Balancing Your Own Energies

Living in such extraordinary times as these, it is often difficult to stay balanced due to so many calls on our energies.

It is easy to tell when your energies are out of balance - you may have a headache; low energy; poor immunity; feel overwhelmed, tearful, anxious, discontented; you may not be able to sleep well or concentrate on anything, feel disorganised, easily discouraged, lacking in creativity or just disconnected from other people, nature or any feeling of fun or joyfulness. The list goes on but you get what I mean...

Your own hands are amazing as you can use them to balance your own body's energies..... Try these exercises - all of which I use myself and have found to be amazingly effective in spite of their apparent simplicity.....

It is useful to try this initial exercise before moving on to the other exercises below.

Initial Exercise - Sensing Your Hands' Energies

Sit comfortably and take 3 deep breaths in and out through the nose to energise yourself.
Hold your hands up in front of you, palms together, elbows relaxed. Gently & slowly move your hands apart. Notice what you are sensing.
Bring your hands slowly together again, noticing what you can feel.
Rub your hands together, briskly, and hold them out apart as before. Bring them together slowly. What did you notice this time?
Rub your hands together once more and hold them out as far as you can. Bring them back together really slowly this time. Did you notice any difference in what you sensed?

You may have sensed what felt like a soft ball of energy which grew in size each time you rubbed your hands together. We all have energy centres (or chakras) in the centre of our palms. Rubbing your hands activates them, making them more sensitive to feeling your body's energies.

Balancing Your Own Energies Using Your Hands

The following simple techniques using your own hands are taken from the book 'Body Energy' by Jan de Vries, Mainstream Publishing 1989. Jan was a well-respected acupuncturist, naturopath and practitioner/teacher of alternative/holistic medicine. In each case take a couple of deep breaths and then breathe normally and hold these positions for as long as you feel you need. You may feel a flow of energy, tingling or heat or, in some instances your tummy may rumble.

To send energy automatically to where it is needed in the body: Hold up your left hand with your palm facing front and extend your thumb out to the side. Cross your right thumb over the extended left thumb, and grasp your right thumb with the four fingers of your left hand; then bring the four fingers of your right hand down to grasp your left thumb (both wrists at the bottom).

To bring back a positive attitude when feeling negative: Hold up your left hand with your palm facing front and extend your thumb out to the side as before. Hold out you right hand out beyond your left hand and turn it so the fingers are facing downwards, palm towards you and grasp your left thumb with the fingers of your right hand, and curl the fingers of your left hand around your right thumb (left wrist is at the bottom, right wrist is at the top). Hold for as long as feels right and you start to feel more positive.

To recharge your energies: Place your right palm across your abdomen, just below your belly button and cover it with your left palm. Within a very short time your energy feels recharged. Your tummy may rumble. This is a very good sign!

To renew energy flow: Bring your right palm up and place across your forehead; at the same time place your left palm across the base of your skull (or occiput) at the back of your head. Hold for a little while until you feel it is time to stop.

For relaxation: Interlock your fingers (but not your thumbs with palms facing you and then place the palms where needed, e.g. forehead, eyes, neck, jaw, etc.

Hand Reflexology (not from the 'Body Energy' book) to calm you when feeling stressed: you can do this on both hands (one at a time!) - find the dip in your palm beneath the pad under your index and middle fingers; it is slightly to the left of the centre of the palm in the left hand and to the right of centre in your right hand. It is NOT dead centre. You will know when you have found the right spot as it just feels right! Use the thumb of your other hand and gently press this point for as long as you need. In Reflexology this point is known as the solar plexus point. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is an acupressure point known as HG8 or 'The Palace of Toil' - when gently pressed and held it calms the mind.

HAPPY ENERGY BALANCING!