Steady and Ready Energy
A couple of weeks ago, I went back to my hometown to preach. After the service was over, I drove down a little gravel road to stand by the river that flows through town. The water in front of me was brown and churlish. A strong current moved the water in one direction; 40 mile-an-hour wind gusts pushed it in another.
Steady flow and restless agitation battled with one another, making it look as if the river were at war with herself.
Have you ever experienced oppositional energy like that? One thing might be pushing you in one direction, and another might be trying to force you to go in another? When that happens, it can be easy to feel whipped up, and how in the heck do we stay grounded and flow all at the same time?
One way to do that is to consider energy. That day as I stood by the river, I was witnessing two kinds of energy—wind and water.
Some Indigenous Americans call the wind “with-energy.” I adore this idea, and a helpful way to think about this is biking. If you are peddling with the energy of the wind, it takes far less fuel. In fact, you can glide and fly, as long as you stay balanced.
If you are facing a strong headwind, your energy gets sucked right out of you. You can make progress, but at what cost?
Wind energy is quick, volatile, and unreliable. It can change direction without warning. It can stop when you want it to be there, and it can be there when you want it to stop.
Isn’t all of that oh-so-true of our energy as well?
Water energy, on the other hand, can be like a wave. There’s a rhythm to it—a constant dance of rise and fall, crest and crash.
Water energy can also be like a current. It runs in a particular direction and plays with its boundaries, which can be liminal and soft or literally set in stone. But that’s one of the fascinating things about this kind of energy. It can run deep with a steady, insistent power. With time, it can wear away even the greatest mountains in the world.
Water energy can move and dwell, hold steady and flow. And of course, when there is too much water, it can flood and drown.
Neither kind of energy is right or wrong. Nor are these the only kinds of energy in the world. So, why the hecksickle should we care about any of this?
Because energy affects us every moment of our lives.
And because this is one more opportunity to get curious. To pay attention. To be intentional about the choices we make by asking, “Am I constantly battling conflicting currents? Why is that?” Or “How do my life choices affect my energy? Are they the effects I want?”
Simply put, how you feel day in and day out is how you feel day in and day out. The question is, is that how you want to feel—today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life?
What might happen if you actually listened to your body and spirit? What if you really paid attention to what they are yearning for? What if that was how you might begin to shift from restless or dull to steady and ready?
I bet you can guess what I’m going to say next. Yoga and meditation are two tools you might use to help you have this conversation. They are the best ways I know of to create energy, flow, groundedness, and luminosity.
Is it easier to slam an espresso to get some quick energy? You bet. Because when you step on a yoga mat or meditation cushion, you have to meet yourself—as you are. That can be scary (and humbling) as hell.
C’mon. Let’s get brave. Let’s get curious. Let’s practice bringing a beautiful and steady energy to our radiant and strange selves. Let’s live light.
Here's a meditation practice from my YouTube channel Live Light Way that can help you find your own grounded and radiant energy. Enjoy!