Relax, Replenish, and Recharge

I love teaching people how to let go and relax. Relaxing didn’t come naturally to me at first. I’m a true believer now, especially these days when we’re bombarded by so many opportunities for stress and misery. “It takes work to stay calm”, says my smart friend Glynn.

Chinese medicine teaches that the fuel which feeds our energy is like the oil in a lamp: burn the lamp too long and the fuel gets used up, you have no more flame. The problem is, we keep forcing that flame to light, even when the fuel is depleted. We push and push, believing more effort and strain is a good, even noble thing. We stoke ourselves with caffeine, sugar, drama, and competitiveness, then wonder why we’re miserable and can’t sleep, or keep getting sick.

What is that fuel in our energetic lamps? Call it rest. Peace. Relaxation. Yin. Glynn calls it “replenish time”, time to do, or not do whatever you feel like. It’s OK to take a nap! Naps are great! So is doing Qigong. I strive to keep our classes both relaxing and invigorating, fun as well as healing. It’s all about keeping those energy reserves full and flowing.