Energy in and energy out

         Lately in my training, I've been working on a couple of things.  One is visualization, really creating a place or target to direct my energy.  The second is the release of my energy.  What I am trying to accomplish with these two things is harmony and connectedness.  Connectedness in the sense that my body is supporting what I'm trying to do; and harmony not only relates to my external and internal harmonies, but also my balance of energy.

        Last night during meditation and my breath work, it donned on me that I don't necessarily have to use my own energy or Qi or Neigong, but rather I can inhale and gather energy, cultivate that, and release it back out.  I was having great difficulty with this concept due to my teachings in Chinese Medicine.  As a practitioner we can give our own energy to heal, but that can be incredibly exhausting if you are not careful.  Instead we learned to manipulate the energy (Qi) around us to do the healing.  If you are to use your own Qi, then you'd need to have a solid Qi Gong practice to then cultivate the lost Qi.  Breathwork is usually the big one for restoring Qi.

        What I was envisioning during this meditation was breathing in Qi and gathering it around me, and then releasing it through my limbs.  The idea was twofold.  Not only was I directing energy outwards, but in so doing, I was creating alignment within myself.  As the energy is releasing, everything is snapping into place and supported by my skeleton.  As I practiced this concept this morning I found it was hard to keep everything pure with all of these thoughts swirling around my head.  When I did achieve it it felt good, but was hard to replicate, especially when thinking too hard about it.  I'm hoping with more practice like this, I can recreate that feeling more often.

        Funny how my evening meditation led me down this rabbit hole.