Have you ever helped someone with a headache, and while they left the table feeling better, you later had a headache? Or have you released someone’s shoulder pain, and then suddenly you experienced a new shoulder ache? All of us are susceptible to the energy acquired from the foods we eat, the medications we take, the air we breathe, the company we keep, and the clients we touch.

One of the essential responsibilities we have to our families, friends, clients, and most importantly to ourselves is to dissolve, transmute, and release all that acquired energy. So, what do you do with all that extra energy you do not need or want?

The Energetic Body

Energy is everywhere and in everything; this concept is not woo-woo. We experience much of life through our ideas, feelings, sensations, dreams, and desires—all examples of energy, not matter. After all, you cannot pick up a thought or weigh a feeling. And yet, matter and energy are two sides of the same coin.

Repeated studies in quantum physics demonstrate that the subatomic electrons of atoms may exist as either a particle (matter) or as a wave (energy). The deciding factor of whether an electron will present as a particle or wave is based on how the study is designed and how the observer is perceiving the experiment. (It is a helpful point to remember that setting and mindset impact how reality is experienced—especially in how we organize our environment and our attitude in our therapeutic relationships.) The reciprocal interplay between energy and mass in our biology is exemplified by Einstein’s theory of relativity, summarized by researcher Karen Prestwood, MD, as             “. . . matter and energy are interchangeable and therefore our bodies are energy.”¹

For many in our field, the suggestion that our thoughts and feelings impact our body and vice versa may seem obvious. However, even greater clarity may be gleaned by noticing the physical impacts from the energy we regularly interact with day in and day out.

Our bodies are amazing receivers and amplifiers of the energetic messages we pick up and transmit out. Have you ever felt your body contract and stiffen when you experience fear, anxiety, or stress? Conversely, do you notice sensations of expansion and openness as energies of love, joy, or forgiveness move through you? Once we accurately tune into the subtle (and not so subtle) waves of energy that constantly inform our daily life, we can more efficiently let go of unnecessary tension and consciously repurpose this blocked energy in our favor.

If after a full day of sessions you feel absolutely wiped out, nauseous or dizzy, depressed, anxious, irritated, or feel a new ache in your body, then you may have some acquired energy to tend to. Release the heaviness of all that acquired energy by introducing a regular clearing practice into your self-care lifestyle—give yourself a sense of lightness, generate clarity, and instill peacefulness as you let go of what no longer serves you.

Smudging

Smudging is an energy-clearing tradition that goes back thousands of years. Traditionally, it involves burning herbs or incense like sage, cedar, palo santo, or frankincense, among a few. The smoke is considered a cleansing agent with healing properties. “Research is showing that sage can be used to benefit physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” says Reshma Patel, CEO and founder of Ananda Integrative Medicine.² Sage is a part of the salvia plant family and originates from the Latin word salvere, which means “to heal.” Patel shares several different studies that show how medicinal smokes, such as sage, have powerful antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, and can improve mood and cognition, repel insects, and even help with insomnia.³ No matter what herb you choose, this is a powerful cleansing tradition and technique that utilizes the medicinal properties of plants to deflect and deter acquired energy, and aid in restoring feelings of balance to an individual, a group, a space, or all three.

How to Smudge

1. Gather your supplies:

• A vessel for burning herbs, like a nonflammable small bowl, ashtray, or shell

• An herb bundle or stick (white sage, palo santo, and sweet grass are among our favorites)

• A match or lighter

• A fanning tool (optional; for example, your hand, a fan, or a feather)

2. Set and say your intention. We often use the affirmation, “I release any energy that does not belong to me. Send it back to its source [and with an emphatic deep breath, we exhale] NOW!” Another simpler version might sound like, “I let go and release what no longer serves me” or “And that’s over!” or generate any other intention that resonates with you.

3. Use your match or lighter to light the bundle or stick at a 45-degree angle and let it burn for about 20 seconds. Gently blow out the flame so you see orange embers on one end and get the herb to smoke.

4. Sage yourself. Waft the smoke toward your belly, head, heart, or any area that could use some TLC with your fanning tool while repeating your intention.

5. Repeat your intentions. Do this several times until you feel a shift in your body, mind, and heart.

Some of the body sensations we feel that let us know the smudging is complete present as feeling goosebumps, expanding into a relaxing yawn, belching up a burp, or noticing our breathing pace slows. Imagine the smoke lifting away any thoughts, emotions, or energies that feel dense, restrictive, or burdensome, or that are bogging you down.

Cleanse with Salt Crystals

Salt crystals like Himalayan, Dead Sea, or Epsom salts anecdotally can protect, cleanse, and recharge our energy. In traditional African spiritual communities, salt has been used to absorb and repel unwanted energy. If you’re lucky enough to live near a warm ocean, get yourself into the water on a regular basis. If that’s not an option, depending on how much time you have, try a daily salt scrub in the shower or a salt bath for the whole body (or just your feet).

Energy Hygiene

Every day we interact with a myriad of energies—from the foods we eat, the thoughts we think, the emotions we feel, and the people we touch. Some of these energies come from us and some are picked up from other people, places, and things. All of them impact our accessibility to our feelings of well-being, openness, connection, and resilience.

The intentional and unintentional energies we acquire from a day of giving and caring for others can lift us up—or may bog us down. Just as you regularly cleanse your body or brush your teeth, it is important to cleanse any unnecessary energy that may be weighing you down. Think of it as “energy hygiene.”

Practice energy hygiene after every session. It may be as simple as washing your hands and exclaiming, “And that’s over!” Or perhaps a step outside in the sun to melt away any residual tension or debris from past interactions. Maybe for you it’s diffusing essential oils in the space all around you or some customized favorite of yours. Whatever method of energy hygiene you choose, let it be fun, uplifting, and frequent! The more you clear, the greater space you create to receive what you most want.

Epsom Salt Bath

Epsom salts have been used as a home remedy for hundreds of years to ease all kinds of aches, pains, and skin troubles. Epsom salts come from a naturally occurring mineral spring in Surrey, England, known for its compound of magnesium and sulfate. To create a nice Epsom salt bath:

• Put 1 cup of Epsom salt into a bathtub (or half that for a foot bath). If you like, include several drops of your favorite essential oil, and for further detoxing benefit add 1 cup of baking soda.

• Fill with hot water and soak away worries, tensions, and the accumulated stress from the day. As you fill your tub or foot bath and add your salts of choice, state your intention several times.

• Soak for at least 15–20 minutes.

Energy Sweep

After a day of sessions or following a stressful situation, you can brush away acquired energy. It only takes a couple of minutes to feel the benefits. Simply combine your breath and your intention with sweeping movements.

1. Use soft hands and open palms to sweep across your forehead.

2. Alternate sweeping hands with your right and left hands as you declare a clearing intention, like “Any energy that does not serve me—return it to its source.” You can imagine any unwanted energy shedding off your body into the earth to be recycled. Trust that nature knows how to compost, recycle, and reuse your acquired energy.

3. Repeat your intention as you sweep and soothe your entire body like you’re gently stroking a happy cat.

4. Continue to sweep your face, neck, chest, arms, hands, belly, low back, legs, and feet.

5. Once complete, become aware of any body sensations, and notice how you feel. Often, there is a tingling or buzzing sensation that lets us know there is new energy circulating more freely throughout our body. What body sensations do you notice?

Notes

1. Karen Prestwood, “Energy Medicine: What Is It, How Does It Work, and What Place Does It Have in Orthopedics?,” Techniques in Orthopaedics 18, no. 1 (March 2003): 46–53, https://doi.org/10.1097/00013611-200303000-00009.

2. Chandra Shekhar Nautiyal, Puneet Singh Chauhan, and Yeshwant Laxman Nene, “Medicinal Smoke Reduces Airborne Bacteria,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology 114, no. 3 (January 2008): 446–51, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.08.038.

3. Kristen Hickey, “Smudging 101: Burning Sage to Cleanse Your Space and Self of Negativity,” MBG Mindfulness, July 15, 2020, www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17875/a-sage-smudging-ritual-to-cleanse-your-aura-clear-your-space.html.