One in 8 Britons say they feel tired all the time according to the NHS. It even has its own acronym TATT (Tired All The Time). In America that figure is 60%. What is happening to us as human beings? Continuous tiredness and exhaustion is not normal. There may be psychological, physiological causes or lifestyle choices which lead to this.
What is energy in the body?
Let’s look at the science first. Energy is needed by every cell in your body to operate, whether that be muscle contractions for movement and exercise, the regulation of body temperature, sleep, breathing, or any other bodily function. The human body runs on chemical energy. More specifically, the body can use chemical energy (adenosine triphosphate ATP, derived from food) to do biological work. The human body can be considered an energy conversion system. Humans take in chemical energy in the form of food and convert it to kinetic energy, heat, and other forms of energy. Muscles convert chemical energy to kinetic energy.
But of course there is emotional energy (how we feel), mental energy (how we focus) and even spiritual energy (how we assign meaning and purpose).
In other cultures and throughout history (and certainly before our medical knowledge) other concepts and ideas about energy emerged.
Prana and Nadis
In Hindu, Ayurvedic, Hatha Yoga and Tantric Yoga traditions, energy is called Prana. Prana as a universal energy exists not only within our subtle body channels, but all around. Although prana is related to the breath, it is not the breath. Prana is an energy that pulses through the body along a network of subtle body channels. Similar to the central nervous system, the channels of the subtle body, or nadis of which there are said to be 72,000. Some traditions identify different types of prana, related to inward moving energy, outward moving energy, upward and downward energy, or energy-related to particular places in the body. On the right-hand side of the spine is the sun channel, pingala associated with a hot downward energy. On the left hand side of the spine is the the moon channel, or ida associated with cool energy. Running just in front of the spine is the central channel, sushumna, the singing or shaking channel. The name is in part a reference to the hum of pure bliss that arises when prana flows freely through this nadi. In yoga we practice pranayama to direct and cultivate energy.
If you are sceptical about this whole idea try the practice of Nadi Shodana or alternate nostril breathing.
Qi and Meridians
The Chinese were detailed identifying and pinpointing meridians in the body through which Qi or energy flowed. Qi is defined as the body’s organisational energy. Like electricity, qi is said to move along gradients, from inside to outside, following the path of least resistance, and these gradients are formed within our body by our fascia. We call these gradients meridians.
Meridians are energy channels that run throughout your body to deliver Qi to every cell. You can think of them as rivers and streams; not unlike the description of Nadis.
Meridians lie along your body’s fascia, which is the connective tissue that holds your organs, bones, blood vessels, and nerves in place. Although fascia is thin, it’s full of sensitive nerves that span your entire body.
Both your fascia nerves as well as meridians are sensitive to stress. When you experience stress, the nerves in your fascia tighten up, and your meridians become constricted. When this happens, it can be more difficult for energy (Qi) to circulate throughout your body.
Western medicine is only just exploring the key role of fascia in the body. Daniel Keown - both a Western medical doctor and an acupuncturist - in his highly accessible and original book The Spark in the Machine shows how western medicine validates the theories of Chinese medicine, and how Chinese medicine explains the mysteries of the body that western medicine largely ignores. The book shows how the theories of western and Chinese medicine support each other, and how the integrated theory enlarges our understanding of how bodies work.
Unusually for a doctor, Daniel Keown has a deep knowledge of the theories and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. His obvious love and profound understanding of anatomy and physiology means that he is almost uniquely qualified to explain how acupuncture 'works' according to the paradigm of modern science.
Daniel Keown suggests that acupuncture channels can be explained in terms of Western anatomy; that they're inter-fascial spaces and that Qi is electricity transported along fascia courtesy of the electrical properties of collagen. Keown also suggests that Western anatomy and physiology can make sense of the properties of and relationship between organs set out in the Chinese classics. It reads as an engaging and insightful manifesto for taking a more holistic approach to the body.
Get a feel for his writing here.
May the force be with you
Having trained as both a yoga and a qigong teacher I feel more familiar with the experience of this subtle body energy. This whole idea of course of subtle energy has been used in the Star Wars Franchise in which the Force is an omnipresent energy that can influence events and may be harnessed by gifted individuals, and when we watch it, we get a sense of this powerful all pervasive field of energy.
Gratitude
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