So many of you have written to share your responses to my last blog post about the movement of energy during meditation – what it means, and why it happens.

To briefly summarize what we explored in Part I, one of a few things could be happening when we experience a sudden internal shift that causes a strong reaction in the body:

• We might be liberating stored emotions – as energy – and releasing that energy out of the body or directly to the brain.

• When we’re in coherent theta brain wave states during deep meditation, we’re open to information – information that comes from beyond our senses; carried on a higher frequency from the quantum field. In that state, we might receive a “download” of a new, very intense energy into our autonomic nervous system – which controls and coordinates all other systems. And that spike in energy is an arousal to the body.

• This movement of energy could be a combination of the two: energy being liberated from the body to the brain while, at the same time, new energy is coming in – and they connect in the limbic brain (which is where the autonomic nervous system lives).

When these intersections and exchanges happen, it’s a lot of new information for the body to process. And, instead of reacting to it and contracting in fear, our job is to learn how to relax and work with this new energy – and let it do what it has to do. That’s what we’re going to explore today.


‘What if It’s Not Happening for Me?’

Some of the comments and questions I received in response to the last post are from those of you who haven’t had the kind of experiences described – involuntary bodily movements or powerful surges of moving energy.

It’s important to remember that, while having that type of experience with energy can be wonderful, it’s not the main objective. When there is a change in consciousness, there can be a change in energy. It’s what I call a “side effect” of our practice; something that may happen when we become no body; no one; no thing, no where; in no time – pure consciousness – and connect to a greater level of consciousness. But it’s not a prerequisite for having a transformational experience.

I can offer some examples from my own practice. As I’ve shared in my books, here in the blog, and in stories at our retreats ... I’ve had some truly great moments in meditation. Often, they’ve come through doing the “Pulling the Mind Out of the Body” breath – and then, the moment I drop into meditation and forget about my body, my environment, and time, I experience a profound connection to information. There’s no obvious surge of energy in terms of physical expression. No shaking; no vocalizing; no sudden jolt. In fact, it’s often quite the opposite. It’s just – transcendent of my physical body as I know it.

And still, in those “quiet” meditations, when there is a shift in my awareness, my brain is tracking the whole experience neurologically. And I think my body is getting the signal in the form of chemistry – instead of pure energy. It’s still making a connection to something beyond the senses – even without any outward movement of energy.

And, as long as I’ve shown up, and I’ve given my best, then I’m satisfied with my effort. Because I’m not looking for that movement of energy. I’ve been doing this long enough that I know I can have profound experiences without it.

So, if you’re someone who read that last blog, or who has witnessed our many Stories of Transformation online or at retreats that involved some powerful movement of energy, don’t let yourself think you’re “doing it wrong” – or that you’re missing something.

We have many testimonials from people who have attended a retreat ... or practiced their meditations at home ... or received an in-person or Remote Coherence Healing^™ ... and without any such phenomena, their hearing is restored, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are significantly reduced, or their environmental and food sensitives are cured.

I always say not to judge yourself or your practice. Your experience, and your way of interacting with energy, is unique to you. And you can enact powerful change in your life through your inner work – no matter how it may (or may not) express itself in your body.

In fact, we’re conducting scientific studies on the biological benefits of every brain wave state. We think there are important processes that can heal or improve the mind and body in alpha, beta, theta, delta, gamma, and so on.


‘How Do I Stop Reacting or Contracting?’

For those of you who are working with a lot of energy movement, another question I’m often asked has to do with a common reaction when something so unfamiliar suddenly overtakes us. And that’s to contract, or resist, or somehow react in a way that might disrupt the flow of our experience – because it’s such an unknown moment.

As I’ve said before, when that energy begins to move – either because we’re liberating old emotions, or we’re connecting to something brand new – it is a big moment. And there’s no question that learning how to relax into it is easier said than done.

We’ve talked about it as a freight train ... a bottle of champagne being uncorked ... a jolt of electricity… an arousal ... a sudden, convulsing movement as if the whole body is being shaken. So, when that happens, it makes sense we might need a minute to let that stampede of coherent energy move through us.

It might take us aback, or cause us to react, because it feels like a loss of control – and that goes against hardwired survival systems that are programmed to fear the unknown and the unpredictable.

This comes up for all of us, at all stages of our practice. It still happens to me sometimes. Think about what transpires in your own meditations. Let’s say you’re deep in a theta brain wave state, and new energy arises, and suddenly, to your surprise, your whole body starts involuntarily moving. And you want it so badly – but in wanting it, you react and try to control it – and then you contract your body. And the energy dissipates.

As a consequence, you find yourself in high-beta brain waves, trying to figure out what happened. You label or judge your experience. You feel frustrated that you “lost” it. That’s normal. It’s part of the journey.

But in these moments, I encourage you to remember this: there’s no such thing as a bad meditation. It’s all information. It’s about learning and evolving your experience. And that only happens by you overcoming you. That’s the work.


Evolving the Experience ... and the Experiment

Think of it as a long, ongoing experiment. In fact, if you’re working in terms of eternities and lifetimes, you have a long time to figure this out.

So, if you’re having an experience with energy, and you do contract, it means something in you is resisting or impeding the process. And that’s useful information. It gives you something to work with and learn about yourself.

And if you reflect on your process, incorporate what you’ve learned and mentally rehearse what to do when it happens again, there are so many ways to evolve your own experience. It’s a grand experiment, remember – and you’re the scientist.

I’m so glad this topic has resonated with so many of you – and I welcome your comments below to share more of your experience with our community. Stay tuned for Part III, where I’ll outline some simple steps you can apply to your practice.