Everything is energy. It’s in the winds that swirl around us, in the fire that warms us, and in all living things–big and small–that walk, swim, and fly around our planet. The tricky thing with energy is, you can’t see it. Energy is invisible.

But energy is what sustains and builds us. It’s what makes our emotions swirl and our hearts race. It’s within each and every part of our being.

When you get enraged and angry–that’s energy.

When you dance to the beat of your internal music–that’s energy.

When you hug a friend or loved one and feel drawn to stay in the embrace for an extra few seconds–that’s energy.

When a bud begins to unfurl and a green tomato begins to get its red hue–that’s energy.

Energy is everything and everything is energy. Without it, there would be no you and no me, no plants, no trees, no sun, no moon, and no stars.

But we live in a world where we don’t recognize ourselves as energy beings. We move along our paths, day after day, feeling, seeing, and experiencing all of the energy around us. We continue to take in and don’t take the time to let out. We bombard our bodies with processed foods and sugars, sad and sometimes horrific news stories, and stress–lots of it.

Stress is almost a keyword in our society–as recognizable as the word human. And while some stress is manageable, and realistically, a part of everyday life, excess stress can leave you feeling overwhelmed. We all feel stress, sadness, anxiety and fear. But if we don’t have a way to let those emotions out, they continue to fester and grow. And that’s when the invisible energy of those emotions becomes visible and tangible. We may see it in heart palpitations, acne, mood swings, depression, or even as tumors.

Energy travels along your body in pathways called meridians. If those meridians are blocked, energy has no where left to go. So it sits and stagnates, and eventually, invisible becomes visible.

However, energy also has the power–the incredible power–to heal. Keeping that invisible energy flowing and moving is what helps it stay invisible. It’s what helps our bodies stay healthy. It’s also what prompts us to heal once we’ve pushed ourselves a bit too far.

In Grand Master Lu’s words, “All healing happens on an invisible level. To access this level we need to use invisible power. Energy is this force.”

Qi is another word for energy. But it’s even more–it’s the life force that sustains you. Qigong is a healing energy exercise, intended to open up those meridians, so your energy can flow freely.

One powerful Qigong movement is The Dragon Stands Between Heaven and Earth. Stand with your knees slightly bent, arms out in front of you, with hands in gentle fists and thumbs pointing toward each other. Close your eyes and let everything plaguing you slowly melt away. Hold this posture for as long as you can, imagining your invisible energy growing inside of you and flowing freely through your meridians.