Dear Readers,
Today I will be covering the vital energy sheath. (Continuation from the last article about food sheath).
So what exactly is the vital energy sheath? Vital energy sheath is the protective layer that covers our ‘vital energies’ or ‘life energies.’ Vital energy can be called ‘life force energy or ‘life energy.’
Let me explain.
The universe is in communication with us through energy waves. Imagine you're very sad and enter a room where everyone is smiling, laughing, and giving each other positive affirmations. A few minutes later, you may suddenly feel a big burst of joyful energy and no longer feel sad. Similarly, if you feel very happy and enter a room where everyone is crying, you may slowly begin to feel sad as well. This kind of change of feeling comes from the energy that's around you(environment) and within you.
The food we eat, the people we communicate with, the activities we engage in, and the thoughts and feelings we harbor determine the kind of energy we'll carry.
Low energy and extremely hyper energy aren't very helpful in keeping a person calm and grounded. Low or very hyper energies cause one to lose attention and feel tired, weak, impulsive, anxious and confused, which lead to mental and physical fatigue and many psychosomatic symptoms.
These three questions here will make it easier for you to learn about vital energy sheath.
1.) How do we measure the level of energy we possess?
2.) How do we know that we're losing energy?
3.) How can we sustain our energy?
For the three questions above, the answer is breath.
Breath plays a vital role in charging and influencing our life energies.
Breathing patterns reflect the amount of vital energy within us. Always pay attention to the inhalation and exhalation of your own breath. If we're short of breath, we know that our breathing patterns aren't flowing evenly. If breathing isn't regular, it reflects that we're “losing energy.”
Before exams, a presentation, or an important event, we're encouraged to take deep breaths to feel good, calm and relaxed. Deep inhalation and exhalation of breath get our vital energies aligned and become balanced. When the vital energy is balanced and strengthened, the mind and body function better and we immediately become more alert, attentive and aware.
The breath may sound like a simple thing. But without breath, we cannot live. By strengthening our breath, we live better.
When the breath within us is strengthened and well managed, we stay calm and grounded even when we encounter opposing forces. For example, if you do some mindful breathing exercises before you encounter an unpleasant person or situation, you'll develop wise reasoning ability, higher intelligence, and better awareness of dealing with unpleasantness without losing your sacred energies.
This vital energy is known in Sanskrit as prana. Prana is protected by the vital energy sheath. The breathing exercises that can strengthen this vital energy are known as pranayamas.
The times when vital energy (prana) drops:
In times of illness ... e.g., when someone is ill or in the stage of dying
Substance abuse ... e.g., excessive consumption of alcohol or any other harmful substances
Wasting one's sexual energies….e.g., excessive masturbation, pornography addiction, perverse talks, sexual misconduct, or releasing sexual energies in many unhealthy ways
Excessive consumption of foods that serve no positive purpose for the body and interfere with metabolism and breathing
Under consumption of food...e.g., drinking less water or eating less healthy food.
Lacking healthy physical activities for the body
Mental and emotional disturbances
When prana gets affected, thinking, feeling, communication, and action all get affected too. When prana is strengthened, thinking, feeling, communication, and action all get powerful.
Negative activities cause weak prana(life energies)
Weak prana(life energies) allows negativity and energy blockages to surface in the mind and body—some examples are….being unable to think clearly, battling daily with past painful thoughts, losing attention easily, chronic body aches or body tightness
Let me end with a short Indian fable of a tired woodcutter.
An old woodcutter was coming back from the forest carrying a big, heavy load of wood on his head. He was very old, tired -- not only tired of the day's routine work, tired of life itself. Life had not been much to him, just a weary round. Every day the same: going to the forest early in the morning, the whole day cutting the wood, then carrying the load back to the town by the evening. He could not remember anything else, only this. And only this had been the whole of his life. He was bored. Life had not been a meaningful thing to him; it carried no significance. Particularly on that day, he was very tired, perspiring. It was hard to breathe, carrying the load and himself.
Suddenly, as a symbolic act, he threw the load. That moment comes to everybody's life, when one wants to throw the load. Not only that wood bundle on his head, it had become a symbolic act: he throws with it the whole life. He fell to the ground on his knees, looked at the sky and said, "Ah, Death. You come to everybody, but why don't you come to me? What more suffering have I to see?
What more burdens have I to carry still? Am I not punished enough? And what wrong have I committed?"
He could not believe his eyes -- suddenly, Death appeared. He could not believe.
He looked around, very much shocked. Whatsoever he was saying, he had never meant it. And he had never heard of anything like this, that you call Death, and Death comes.
And Death said, "Did you call me?"
The old man suddenly forgot all weariness, all tiredness, the whole life of dead routine. He jumped up and he said, "Yes... yes, I called you. Please, could you help me to put the load, the burden, back on my head? Seeing nobody here, I called you."
Moral of the story: The old woodcutter begins to value and appreciate his life and regains his vital energies when he sees death. There are many moments in our lives when we've felt down, depressed, or even close to death like the woodcutter, but when we reflect on it and see our purpose and goals in mind, we realize that we're not ready to lose our vitality.
Positive qualities like self-love, personal responsibility, and purpose make us breathe better and give us strength. Good breathing patterns help us see the good things in life. And the good things in life make us breathe better.
The next time you feel down, take the time to take a few deep breaths in and out, or pay attention to your breath and do some mindful breathing. This will help you gain clarity about your purpose, values and vision. Always take care of your vital energy sheath.
Thank you for reading. If you like my stories, feel free to like and comment. Share them with those you think can benefit from reading them.
Sending everyone love and light.
You can also check my empowering personal spiritual guidebook, “The Cosmic Romance with Existence.”