What do we mean by “Energy Work?”
One day, in Shiatsu school, we were learning about pulse diagnosis, and a student in the class lamented, “I just can’t tell the difference between the pulse of the energy and the pulse of the blood!” The teacher laughed and said, “You don’t need to!! The energy is IN the blood – you ARE feeling the blood!” We were all incredibly relieved.
Sometimes “Energy Work” has this mystical un-tethered vibe around it, making it feel inscrutable and out of reach. I’ve been mulling this one over after some chats with clients, and I wanted to give this a little room to explore what we’re really talking about.
To tease this out, I find it helpful to first identify that there are (at least) two modes of energy work. One is practitioner-centered (like reiki and shamanic healing) where it is purely the practitioner’s energy (or channeled universal energy – but let’s not get into the weeds here) that subtly impacts the receiver’s energy. This work is usually light or no-touch and may feel slightly ineffable, though still impactful. The other is body-centered energy work, where the practitioner is physically shifting and revitalizing the energy that flows through the living tissue of the client to impact both physical function and emotional experience inside the body.
Shiatsu is body-centered (as is Qi Gong, acupuncture, etc). We are working with the tangible motivating force of matter and tending it through warmth and hands-on movement techniques. Energy work in all forms takes the entire being into consideration – it is never “just an arm” we are working on. Each person is a whole and complex being and is treated holistically.
I wanted to draw this out clearly to de-mystify what I mean when I say that Shiatsu is energy work, and empower you in your understanding of how to support yourself “energetically.” You may notice that the foods that you eat impact the kind of energy motivating your body, as do the emotions that you dwell on, how you exercise, the quality of your sleep and the contents of your conversations.
And, since changing those inputs requires work, keep in mind that energetic support isn’t only what we do in practice — it’s also what we receive freely from the world around us. Today, after the storm, consider the sunlight, clear running water, fresh air and the crisp white light of the snow. They can offer a real primer in energetic clarity, as well as boost to our systems in these last few weeks of winter.
