Energy Meditations enable people to develop a felt sense for how they carry the energy in and around their bodies. These customized, guided meditations and practices are free-flowing and based on the client’s energetic responses and awareness. Developing a kinesthetic sense of how we carry ourselves and how the energy shifts with our thoughts and interactions deepens our self-understanding. It can provide insight into the “why” behind our internal dialogue and emotional responses. Tuning into this felt sense can also help us recognize the subtle influences that shape our interactions with others and with the environment.
What is this “energy”? It appears to be a form of communication. It moves and adapts throughout the day, informing our perceptions, emotions, and actions. I feel this is something we already sense and have language for, but tuning into this intelligence is more the exception rather than the norm. Expressions like, “I had a gut feeling,” “it’s what my heart wants,” “the vibe is off,” “they shot daggers at me” imply a felt sense of energy. That information is ever-present and seems to come from a place other than the thinking mind. I believe each of us can learn to tune into it consistently.
What Happens During an Energy Meditation
Energy Meditations can be scheduled as a standalone practice or as part of a Craniosacral Therapy session or Craniosacral Therapy Intensive. We’ll practice feeling the energetic presence within the body, noticing areas of ease and areas that are more difficult to connect to. There is no right or wrong way to carry ourselves. Our energetic expressions can shift and change moment to moment. Clients often report, however, feeling most themselves when their energy is more present and balanced within their physical bodies. It is also possible to learn to become more present within the body throughout all of life’s events and experiences.
Developing a felt sense of the energy within our bodies provides a base to refer to when we notice it shift. These shifts often coincide with learned behaviors or emotional responses that are not free to flow in the moment. For example, if something “hurts your heart” but you cannot or do not want to express it, you may feel the energy around your heart shift. It could restrict or darken. You might feel the energy move outside your body, like a ring around your chest to keep it close without feeling it as intensely. Or you may notice the energy move up and out around your head, dissociating from your heart and thinking mind. There are endless examples. The important part is to begin noticing when and why it shifts, what context it occurs in, and how you feel at the time.
During the Energy Meditation session, you’ll be guided to find your unique and creative ways of noticing your energy and better connecting with the parts of your body that feel difficult to inhabit.
Client Experience
A client scheduled an Energy Meditation session with the intention of “settling their mind.” We had worked together before, and on this particular day they came in with more energy outside their body than usual. The energy also felt “cluttered.” We began with a short breathing exercise, and then moved to inhabiting the head. They were able to do this quite readily, and almost instantly the energy around their head softened and appeared more inside their head. They reported feeling a sense of calm.
As they felt into the presence within their head, the energy outside of their pelvis became more pronounced. It had a dense and cluttered feeling to it. I asked them to allow the energy to flow from their head all the way down their spine to their tailbone. As they did this, the flow appeared to stop around the belly button. When I inquired about what they felt, they reported it felt like they couldn’t get to their pelvis or tailbone.
“What to you notice?” I asked.
“It just feels dark in my pelvis. Like I’m stuck and can’t get there.”
I offered them to allow the energy in their spine to be a small light. Any color that they would like.
“Does the light know how to find your pelvis?”
They replied without words, allowing the light to move in a swirling, zigzagging manner into their pelvis. It eventually settled and turned into multiple bubbles of light. Suddenly, their entire pelvis appeared full of light. The density and sense of clutter outside of their pelvis decreased. We sat with the feeling of light for a bit before finishing the practice.
After the practice, they shared that inhabiting the pelvis more made them realize they had been trying to protect other peoples’ emotions recently. A good friend had recently passed away after a long illness, and they had been one of the primary caregivers. They shared that many of the younger people coming to visit their friend had a very difficult time. They had spent a lot of time comforting other people and felt they were still holding onto that energy of caring for others. Just that realization helped them to feel calmer and to inhabit their body more fully.
Noticing Common Energetic Patterns
There are some common energetic patterns that many of us may notice expressing. It can be very fun to see if you notice these. If you don’t feel them or they don’t seem to fit for you, don’t force them to. We all have unique ways of carrying and expressing our energy. I’m sharing a couple of common examples that may help you practice noticing your own patterns.
The Head
Noticing what is going on in and around our head is one of the easiest places to begin. Start by noticing your head. Does it feel open? Tight? Maybe you have a headache? Does one side feel different from the other? Then see if you can do the same noticing the space inside your head.
Once you feel an ease inhabiting the space inside your head, that is a good time to play with noticing the space around your head. Start by staying close, and just see what you feel.
Common phrases expressing a felt sense of energy in and around the head: “I’m stuck in my head” “I got in their head” “They’re losing their head” “Headstrong” “Use your head” “My thoughts are racing”
You might feel it when: you look up after scrolling (often this energy is outside and around the head), daydreaming, avoiding feeling other parts of the body
There are many possible scenarios. If you feel this, see if you can also notice what is going on in your environment and your emotional response.
One possible scenario if you notice increased energy in or around your head.
The Pelvis
Noticing energy in and around the pelvis tends to be more challenging. Many find it easier to access and inhabit the head and/or heart. But you can use the same technique here as with any part of the body. First just notice your pelvis and lower abdomen. Do you access it easily? Does it feel light? Or maybe there are restrictions? Perhaps you notice bloating or discomfort? Or is there any pain present? Then see if you can do the same noticing the space inside your pelvis.
Once you feel an ease inhabiting the space inside your pelvis, that is a good time to play with noticing the space around your pelvis. Start by staying close, and just see what you feel.
A common pattern I see in Energy Meditations and Craniosacral Therapy sessions is either a strong restriction in the pelvis and/or excessive energy around the pelvis. This tends to present where there is physical or emotional pain in the lower back, sacrum, or in the gut.
Staying open and curious helps to better feel into and inhabit any part of the body, but it seems especially important for the pelvis. The pelvic energy tends to represent our sense of security (physical, emotional, financial, etc), our sense of gender, emotions, sexuality, and creativity. There can be a lot of self-judgement around the pelvic expression.
If you practice this technique, it is also helpful to notice where your sense of things is coming from. It is common to briefly inhabit the pelvis, and then have the energy return to the head to try and filter and interpret it. If you feel this, see if you can just allow your thoughts and energy to rest in the pelvis. There is no need to analyze with the thinking mind.
A common pattern in the pelvis is to see energy move away from an area of pain.
