The Role of Energy in Health, Spiritual Exploration, and Creativity
Deep Equivalences
The Energy Paradox of Modern Folks
I encounter it constantly in my work: people with reasonably fit, healthy bodies who somehow feel utterly depleted. The executive who can barely muster the motivation to leave the couch after a day of desk work. The talented artist who experiences their creativity as a heavy stone they must push uphill. The student who, despite abundant curiosity, finds studying an exhausting battle against an invisible force.
This is our modern paradox— physically capable yet energetically drained.
And there’s another, related paradox. These energy-starved individuals often oscillate between two seemingly contradictory states:
The jittery, racing-thoughts anxiety of too much misdirected energy, and the collapsed, empty feeling of having none at all. Sometimes they experience these states sequentially—spending a day consumed by stress-inducing thoughts, then crashing completely by evening. Others toggle between them hourly.
What's happening here? How can someone simultaneously have too much energy and not enough?
What Is Energy, Really?
The concept of energy in body-mind practice refers to both physics and human experience. Physically, energy is the capacity to do work—to move matter across space. This definition seems to apply to emotional energy too, as it fundamentally exists to compel action.
That rush of anxiety pushing you to flee? Energy. The surge of confidence propelling you toward a challenge? Energy. The heavy weight of depression preventing movement? Still energy—just trapped in patterns of tension and pain.
Consider my daughter as a teenager—athletic, full of vitality—yet frequently experiencing what she described as a "depressive weight" making the simplest tasks feel impossible. Meanwhile, her grandmother—six decades older—would rise at 6 AM, practice yoga, and cheerfully flow through a full day of household and stable chores without complaint or much apparent effort at all.
Grandma wasn't generating more biological energy. She had simply learned, through decades of practice, to stop wasting it on the endless loops of ego maintenance.
And that’s a key feature of energy, whether in the strict physical sense or in the creative-emotional-spiritual sense — It is CONSERVED. We transform it from one kind to another. If it seems to be created, for example by a powerful stimulant, soon there will be a reversal where it gets pulled into the negative. And if it seems to be lacking, that’s often because it is “stuck,” pitted against itself.
The Hidden Energy Reservoir
When they microdose psychedelics, many folks report a sudden increase in available energy. (This can veer toward anxiety, which is why I suggest incorporating somatic and breath practices into any microdosing protocol.) Since classical psychedelics aren't stimulants, where does this energy come from?
This question leads us to a central understanding in Psychedelic Yoga: most people possess far greater energy reserves than they're aware of or can access. The limiting factor isn't the amount of energy available but how efficiently it flows through the system.
Yogic traditions have long recognized this principle. The concept of kundalini—dormant energy visualized as coiled at the base of the spine—describes immense power that remains inaccessible until specific practices release it. This isn't metaphorical. It's a direct recognition that our energy systems operate at a fraction of their capacity due to chronic tension patterns in the body, breath, and mind.
The psychedelic effect on energy isn't about creating new energy—it's about reducing the ego structures that ordinarily trap it.
Energy Efficiency vs. Energy Suppression
Energy efficiency is relevant to an astonishing variety of endeavors.
Consider physical training. A master runner doesn't use less energy than a novice—they use it more efficiently. Their form eliminates wasteful movements. Their breathing pattern maximizes oxygen intake. Their mental focus prevents energy leakage through distraction. The result isn't a diminished experience but an enhanced one—greater speed, distance, and power. A virtuoso saxophonist hardly moves their fingers as they blaze through the arpeggios, and even the shape of their vocal tract is more efficient for amplifying the harmonics – that’s why you can witness an 80 year-old jazz man melting ears from the stage, even after he was winded walking the stairs.
The same applies to creative and intellectual pursuits. Kasparov famously incorporated rigorous physical training into his chess preparation, recognizing that the real enemy of mental performance isn't lack of brainpower but the energy-draining effects of stress on cognition.
When a skilled playwright describes his process as "simply sitting there, allowing myself to breathe deeply as ideas dance through my mind," he's describing energy efficiency at work. The best way to fuel the creative fire is to let it be.
The Body-Breath-Mind Connection
Every thought contains two components: a linguistic (or pre-linguistic) element and a somatic one. This somatic component manifests as subtle movements, tensions, or sensations in the body—particularly in the chakra centers. If this doesn’t seem obvious at first, try a little meditation! (Do NOT try to clear your mind, simply watch thoughts arise and keep returning to the exhalation of your breath.)
We don't typically notice these physical components of thinking because of the emphasis of our society on words, ideas, identities, but they are like the linguistic components in their tendency to form habits—the old adage, “neurons that fire together wire together,” applies to both mind and body. This explains why disrupting physical patterns can sometimes unlock mental ones, and vice versa.
When you're struggling with a learning challenge or creative block, there's always a corresponding pattern in your breath and feelings in your body. Find and release that pattern (through awareness and letting go), and you'll often discover the mental obstacle dissolving as well.
This principle operates in both directions. A thought can trigger a body response, and a body state can evoke certain thought patterns. This is why the Enhanced Learning Framework emphasizes somatic awareness throughout the learning process—it provides another access point to the system.
Child's Mind: The Energy-Efficient State
Children learn rapidly not just because of greater neuroplasticity, but because they operate in an energetically efficient state.
This seems counterintuitive at first. Children appear inefficient—they move constantly and flail around, gallup after impulses, shift focus rapidly. A four-year-old has more neurons than they will at any other point in life, and thereafter their learning will correspond to “pruning” and forming new connections. But on a deeper level, they're extraordinarily efficient with creative energy because they haven't yet constructed elaborate ego defenses.
Their breathing naturally flows from the diaphragm. They spend minimal energy ruminating on past mistakes or anticipating future failures. When they encounter an obstacle, they either overcome it through trial and error or abandon it without self-judgment.
This is why the Enhanced Learning Framework aims to temporarily restore aspects of "Child's Mind" through microdosing. By briefly reducing the ego's rigid structures, we create a window of increased energy availability—not by generating new energy, but by freeing what was already there.
Practical Application: The Energy Assessment
Begin with a simple practice to assess your current energy patterns:
Find a comfortable seated position with your spine relatively straight.
Place one hand on your belly, just below your navel.
Simply observe your natural breathing pattern for 2-3 minutes.
Notice: Is your breath shallow or deep? Fast or slow? Does it flow primarily through your chest or belly? Where do you feel restriction or holding?
Next, bring awareness to your body. Where do you feel tension? Particularly notice your jaw, shoulders, and belly—common areas of unconscious holding.
Finally, observe the quality of your thoughts. Are they scattered or focused? Anxious or calm? Future-oriented or present?
This baseline assessment reveals your current energy efficiency. Most people discover significant energy leakage through: shallow, chest-focused breathing; chronic tension in key areas; and thought patterns that generate stress hormones without productive outcomes.
The practices in the Enhanced Learning Framework address each of these energy leakage points:
Somatic awareness techniques release chronic tension patterns
Breath practices build and balance energy
Focused challenges direct energy toward specific learning goals
Mini-challenges prevent energy loss through boredom or habituation
These aren't separate domains. They form an integrated approach to energy optimization that supports both learning and overall wellbeing.
The Energy Equivalence Principle
A fundamental insight emerges from this framework: there is a deep equivalence between wellbeing, spiritual progress, and creative flow. All three states reflect optimal energy flow through the body-mind system.
This explains why practices developed for one domain often benefit the others. Meditation techniques designed for spiritual awakening reliably reduce anxiety symptoms. Creative practices frequently trigger emotional healing. Physical practices that balance energy in the body enhance cognitive performance.
In the next article, we'll explore energy blocks—where they come from, how they manifest, and most importantly, how to release them to support both learning and healing.
For now, consider: Where might your own energy be trapped in unnecessary holding patterns? What might become possible if that energy were liberated and directed toward your deepest learning goals?