Hello Loves,
As a continuation of our initial exploration of Pranamaya Kosha, and how we can tend to our energy body well, it is essential to bring awareness to and plug up the prana leaks. Where in your life is your energy being consciously, unconsciously or habitually drained? It's helpful to remember here that energy follows attention and when our attention is wandering around outside of the here and now, our energy is being carried away with it.
Just like we take stock from time to time of the efficiency of our homes, are the appliances efficient, are the windows/walls insulated well, are there any cracks or blemishes in the sides or foundation, etc... Take an energy audit of your life? List out all of the ways that your energy leaks or that you give your power away in a diminishing way.
Choose 1 leak to shore up each week this month. When going to work on resolving the leak consider: Where the leak is coming from? Why it's there? Does it serve a purpose or meet a need? Is there a more skillful way to meet that need?
Let us know your experiences with this in the comments below.
xoxo, M
PRANA LEAKS:
Where is your Prana being
Consciously drained: clients that more demanding emotionally
Unconsciously drained: not being intentionally about my OJAS practice
And habitually drained: deviating from a solid night sleep routine.
In what way do you give your power away in a diminishing way?
Allowing others thoughts, energy, moods to shift the truth of what I already know about how I am meant to enjoy my day, week, month…LIFE!
So well said Trei! We spin on these depelting cycles...I get it. 😐
It’s good to know that I’m not the only procrastination guru here lol I’ve been noticing the relationship of procrastination and energy leaks and it has been very interesting. Procrastination for me has been the reveal that my energy has or is becoming depleted, and it’s fitting because procrastination entails “not doing” as if our minds are seeking rest; the result being me not seeing things to completion, which leaves a residue of “being behind” and constantly needing to catch up. Within the procrastination comes the opportunity for the leaks to expand!
While procrastinating, the mindless scrolling and overthinking creep in. 2 MAJOR energy leaks. A lot of times the overthinking leads to procrastination as well. A vicious cycle lol
My energy leaks have been being too available to some things that take real Time and Attention away from that necessary to complete my tasks, and Seeing through the completion of my ideas, work, stories and experiences. Also one leak that I didn’t attribute to an energy leak is the stories that my mind runs on its own. That shit is draining. Lol. And really silly once you approach the thing in front of us with openness and it turns out EASY BREEZY. Sometimes the only friction is that which we create energetically, with our powerful minds!
A lot of times I think the WHY has to do with the gravity of the outcome. All of us here are doing work that mainstream society still can deem “woowoo” even crazy at times. The Unseen. With that comes all kinds of projection which isn’t necessarily supportive most times. And that is where the basic need of every Human Being gets overlooked & diminished, that is to be included. Which ironically is what our work is intended to dispel. A materialistic society often makes it hard to express Trueness & Authenticity in whatever form they take. And creating spaces where People can be Free to express, not controlled or on a schedule, is threatening to capitalistic intentions embedded in the society we all exist in and desire to thrive in. Which for someone like me can lead to overthinking and procrastinating in my process. Again, a vicious cycle.
One of my biggest energy leaks is procrastination around self-promotion. For example, in January, I decided to take some outdoor photos and relearn Canva so that I could post a weekly Instagram reminder about my yoga class in Florida. I finally accomplished the task in March. Every day/week that I did not take a step toward completing this task, I worried and chastised myself. This type of procrastination is like a steady drip, draining me daily until the task is complete.
Sounds like we're a bunch of over thinkers..lol... Even when I know it's not helping, I can't stop it. It's a runaway train I have to let crash. What do I get from that? Overthinking gives me a sense of control when I have none. Like if I can just figure this out, I'll be ok. It helps drown out the 'you're not doing enough' voice Cathy mentioned, cos I am doing something. I'm figuring this out, dammit! Trusting the answer will come when its good and ready....whhhoooo...that's a tough one...EVENTHOUGH in my 50yrs+ that is the ONLY way it has ever come..lol. Not once, I have I ever solved anything by thinking about it to death. Thank you all for the insights ❤️
I've been avoiding this question, wanting to focus more on how I restore my prana and ojas instead. But in order to restore my energy stores, I also need to acknowledge where it's leaking. So here goes.
I have an annoying tendancy to let my mind attach to some memory or experience that I have fretted (or still fret) over; whether its a long-ago past experience, or something more current. I fall into a pattern of self-doubt, guilt, shaming, regret, remorse, not-enoughness, etc. Thing is, I know when I'm doing this. I ask myself why I'm thinking of this shit again. So I go back and forth with this inner dialog until I talk myself out of the pattern; for now. But the memories still remain, and the pattern will likely return.
I appreciate the inquiry tools offered here, to help unpack and look more closely at the 'why am I wasting my precious energy on the past"? Maybe there is a purpose or a need that I'm trying to meet? I also like the idea of choosing one leak to explore. I'll let you know how it goes. 🤔
It's funny, my initial reaction to this invitation and some similar invitations during the class was resentment. Totally undeserved! Everything that was said was totally nonjudgmental, and gentle, and open to the reality that we have leaks, and just generally coming from a place of healing not simply curing.
At first I tried to figure out where the resentment came from. I have two guesses. One is that I have in the past been told by many people, perhaps with some judgement or condescension, I "should" do the sort of things that restore prana and prevent leaks -- without any acknowledgment of what they and society do to make that difficult. In response to that guess, I picked up again Rest is Resistance which has a very political take on what it calls "grind culture" that we've been talking about in class. Someone said "I didn't realize I had a choice" -- that really resonated with me.
The other is that the resentment stems from the fact that my leaks are flawed ways of meeting genuine needs, and the part of me with the need fears that dropping the leak means the need totally goes unmet. So Meg's invitation to ask what need the leak fills is very relevant.
I don't feel like I figured this out, but I did get to the leak question a little sideways. I followed Meg's link to the rice and dal dish (which sounds really yummy). It had a link explaining ayurvedic principles, which are new to me. And playing with those made me realize I've been really un-grounded of late, and that some routine and structure would be really good for me right now. More as a way of saying "OK I've done enough for today" than as a way to get me to do more. Because the idea that I'm not doing enough is a big leak for me. So I'm working on that.
I can't make office hours today and miss you all already. I'm so glad I found this community!
❤️
Welll..surprise surprise…the biggest energy torrent ( forget leak😂) I have, and have most likely had all of my over-sensitive caretaker problem solver life is my endless overthinking mind chatter that continually leads me back into old unhealthy patterns. How can I possibly escape them if I am creating them? It is and has been exhausting ( energy follows attention) I wonder at this, WHAT am I getting out of it? I have all the tools and means to help myself, yet the samskaras are so very deep.
Today I had one of those days..Tearful and angry I could hear myself ( inside my head) starting to dip into end of my world sadness and grief....then fed up and knowing I was headed in the SAME DAMN direction I started to talk to myself outloud, somewhat stern but innately understanding. Talking it through, OUTING IT. I tied on my walkers and went into Nature , and kept talking it through and walking..asking good questions and answering them honestly ( still outloud) It was a conversation with myself. I found a bench and sat down , I kept talking it through, my breath and heart regulated and I felt I was going to be OK. I actually found some peace. … and I was NOT the only one talking…around me were scores of birds in the trees chirping and singing in the crisp morning air, looking for seeds, nuts and berries and their voices were so nice to hear. I sat… quiet ❤️
This is exactly what I started this weekend in the middle of the storm. Without all the details of what happened for me over this past weekend, it became apparent where my energy was leaking. It feels nice to refocus. One of the things I like in the suggestions for the month is to take one thing per week versus more or none at all. that is itself will help to be skillful with restoring and my bucket.