Energy healing is an alternative treatment that involves using the body’s natural energy fields to promote healing and wellbeing. Energy healing practitioners believe that everyone has fields of subtle energy that surround and penetrate the body. Imbalances or blockages in these energy fields are thought to lead to illness, while restoring flow and balance promotes better health.
Although energy healing is often performed by a practitioner through touch-based techniques like Reiki, there are also exercises you can do on your own to cultivate and direct your energy. Regular practice of certain movements, poses, visualizations and breathing exercises can strengthen your personal energy, remove blocks, reduce stress and restore balance to mind, body and spirit.
Benefits of Energy Healing Exercises
- Improves energy flow and vitality
- Reduces feelings of stress and anxiety
- Promotes relaxation and inner calm
- Releases tension and stuck energy
- Strengthens mind-body connection
- Boosts mood and outlook
- Enhances self-awareness
- Alleviates muscle tension and pain
- Improves sleep quality
- Supports physical healing
Simple Energy Healing Exercises to Try
1. Body Scans
This meditation involves progressively relaxing different parts of the body in order to release tension and calm the mind.
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.
- Bring your awareness to your feet and mentally scan this area, intentionally relaxing any tension you feel. Take your time.
- Move your focus up your legs, repeating the body scan and relaxation.
- Continue progressively up through torso, arms, shoulders, neck, head and face.
- Feel each body part softening and letting go as you move through the scan.
- End by taking a few more deep breaths focused on your whole relaxed body.
2. Palming
In this eye exercise, covering your eyes helps soothe eye strain and relax the mind. The darkness also stimulates healing energies.
- Sit comfortably and rub your palms together vigorously for 15-30 seconds. This activates and warms your hands.
- Cup your warmed palms gently over your closed eyes, with fingers overlapping on your forehead. Avoid pressing on your eyes.
- Breathe deeply and relax for 1-5 minutes. Visualize healing energy coming from your palms into your eyes and head.
3. Alternate Nostril Breathing
Calming for mind and body, this yogic breathing technique helps balance the left and right sides of your brain and clear stuck energy.
- Sit up straight and relax your shoulders. Place your left hand on your left knee, palm up.
- Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale slowly through your left nostril.
- Close your left nostril with your ring and little fingers and release your thumb. Exhale slowly through your right nostril.
- Inhale right, close right nostril, open left, exhale left. This is 1 round.
- Repeat for up to 10 rounds, focusing on deep, even breaths. End by exhaling on the left side.
4. Forward Bends
These inverted yoga poses use gravity to calm the mind and reverse energy flow in the body. Bends also stretch the spine and hamstrings.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hinge forward at the hips, lowering your torso toward the ground. Let your head and arms hang.
- For a deeper stretch, place your palms or fingertips on the floor in front of you. Keep knees soft.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, relaxing your neck and shoulders. Slowly roll up to standing. Repeat 2-3 times.
5. Mindful Walking
Walking mindfully helps direct energy flow through your body and connects you with the present moment.
- Walk at a natural pace with your arms swinging freely by your sides.
- As you walk, focus on the sensations in your feet and legs. Feel each foot plant and push off the ground.
- Pay attention to your breathing, keeping it relaxed. Bring your awareness to the sounds and sights around you.
- If your mind wanders, gently return your focus to the physical sensations of walking.
6. Mind Clearing
This meditation uses your breath and peaceful imagery to cleanse and open your energy field.
- Sit comfortably with eyes closed and take some deep breaths.
- Visualize you’re surrounded by a column of bright, cleansing light. As you inhale, the light fills and purifies your body.
- As you exhale, visualize any stuck energy and negativity releasing and dissolving into the light.
- Repeat for a few minutes until you feel calm, clear and energized.
7. Morning Stretching
Get energy flowing with this sequence of gentle morning stretches. Go slowly, listening to your body.
- In bed, hug knees into chest, rock side to side.
- Twist knees to one side, hold for 3 breaths, switch sides.
- Butterfly pose: soles together, knees out, fold forward.
- Child’s pose: knees down, hips back, forehead to floor.
- Downward dog: hands and feet on floor, hips up. Pedal legs.
- Forward fold, hang and sway. Slowly rise up.
8. Grounding Visualization
This guided imagery connects you deeply with the Earth for stability and renewal.
- Stand barefoot with a relaxed posture. Visualize roots growing from the soles of your feet, extending down into the earth.
- Imagine the roots branching and growing deeper, anchoring you. Feel the earth’s energy rising up through your legs and trunk.
- Raise your arms out to the sides, palms up. Visualize your arms as tree branches, drawing energy from the sun.
- Stand for a few minutes feeling grounded, nourished and connected.
Energy Healing Exercise Benefits Summary
- Body scans release muscle tension for relaxation
- Palming soothes eye strain and visualizes healing
- Alternate nostril breathing balances energy flow
- Forward bends calm the mind and reverse energy
- Mindful walking promotes awareness and vitality
- Mind clearing meditations release stuck energy
- Morning stretches stimulate energy flow
- Grounding visualizations provide stability and renewal
Regular practice of these and other energy exercises promotes energy balance, vitality, healing and a sense of wholeness in mind, body and spirit. Be intuitive and find techniques that you connect with. Your energy, health and wellbeing will benefit.
