Reciprocal Energy is Sustainable When I think of reciprocation it is the infinity symbol that comes to my imagination. It is the way of give and take, yin and yang, it is a closed loop, with two sides and one center. Each side is equal and circular in design, each circle, at the beginning and the end unifying together in the center. There is no end and no beginning, if you begin on this path it will lead you back to loop in this figure 8 eternally. 

There is a pattern that connects In the left and right hemispheres of the brain and the movement is in the infinity symbol. Our hips move in a figure 8 from left to right; this pattern can be found in most movement forms; when we find the center of the infinite, this is where we can find a place of residence. We explore the full range of motion, our boundaries as we circle and then we find our right place in the center. In center, we find balance between opposing forces.

Healing is a journey, it takes effort and attention. When I have accomplished something there is a part of me that wants it to be done forever. And oftentimes in healing this is not the case. Once there is a break it may be less stable, and thus require more of my attention to this part of me, and oftentimes it’s not what I want to be paying attention to. This can seem like an arduous process. This process can be burdensome for the mind. We want to be pragmatic and logical and get to what is going to fix the problem...forever.

Many times we have a relationship with our body that is kind of like a workhorse mentality. I wake up and scan my body and see how my energy feels. And then my mind begins to conceive of all the things I want to get done in my day. Most often, it is much more than is humanly possible. And still the mind has a difficult time calculating all the steps and can be attached to the things getting done. Those attachments are often neurologically linked to deeper habitual belief patterns about stability, survival, status, money, time, proving myself, being enough, being productive. These thoughts can throw us into a state of worry, anxiety, or fear. When in fact they are just thoughts.

This is why awareness has saved my life. There is a story that gets created, we can tell ourselves, oh I don’t have enough time. When in fact we did eat potato chips on the couch and stayed up watching movies till 12 last night. Reality may disagree, and the story is, I don’t have the time. Same with money, I don’t have enough... I can’t afford it. When in fact, I have afforded life thus far and money kept coming. Especially when I was in my creative thinking mind that manifests more creatively and finds more opportunity and calls in more abundance, when I focus on what I have created and how much more I’d like to create, it comes. So we tell ourselves a story based on our past experiences. And we look for the evidence and truth to confirm the story, and voila, it shows up. Look, I can find evidence for whatever I focus my attention on.

What I have learned from NIA, the movement form that I have practiced since I was 17, is that energy follows attention. What we focus on is where the energy goes. If we focus on how we don’t have enough, there it is, more of the not enough. So we know this part. If we begin to focus on what we have, and feel gratitude and offer it, something shifts. We become more open to the greater gifts available beyond what we know in our minds. We begin to open to possibilities and potential that before may have been inconceivable (I can’t help but think of The Princess Bride when I say inconceivable). The same goes with healing. If we breathe and focus on the improvement, the relaxation, the softening... it happens. So it’s all about paying attention.

In NIA we have something called the pleasure principle. When we have pain, oftentimes our body goes about doing its best to move away from pain. And so our body takes on a different position in attempts to quell the pain, and then after sometime we start to feel pain in this position, and somehow we become habitually moving away from pain. In the pleasure principle, we look for and seek pleasure in the body. We find a sliver of it if that’s all that’s there. If there is less than a sliver then we imagine for pleasure, maybe even conjure a memory. When we are tracking and seeking pleasure we become attuned to listening for a different tone in the symphony of sounds that are the voices of the body. When we offer a focus that is delicious rather than distasteful, the body responds. When we gift the intelligence of our body with a treat like pleasure, the symphony resonates with the energy that we give our attention to.

And so if you seek pleasure in your body, your body will produce pleasure. You will find a pathway open to you, and the more you continue to look for and grow pleasure, the more you end up feeling pleasure. Trust me, it's a tried and true method. You’ll notice things just spontaneously start relaxing. It’s important to keep focusing on the pleasure instead of getting distracted by the pain. It’s a concept, and you make it real by how much you practice it.

Sustainability is a concept I’ll be focusing on this year. Sustainable systems are congruent with the infinity symbol. With reciprocal energy we are rejuvenated because there is a giving back that happens. The natural cycles demonstrate these sustainable systems in ecosystems. In permaculture we do our best to mimic nature and stay within the harmony that she provides.

Sustainable systems require planning and coordination, and are smarter and more efficient because we look at the whole picture, we have the eagle eye. We are seeing more than a part, we are seeing the whole, we find each part has an invaluable role and responsibility.

When we eat healthy food we have more energy to do the long hike, when we do the long hike we realize we are connected to nature and look to conserve and protect our natural resources. When we feel connected to our planet, and our communities, to our families and loved ones we feel connected to ourselves. We find the energy to return to us, because that’s what happens in a reciprocal relationship.

Our bodies are our immediate natural resource, and we are not a closed loop. We have inputs, things that give us energy and we have outputs things that take energy. It’s important to have more inputs than outputs so as to not deplete our system. We have things like sunlight and water, food, nutrients, rest, enjoyment and touch. It’s important to keep giving to yourself and to generate the energy to move in life with your higher purpose.

To internally reciprocate is to sustain your energy, and to generate more. As we perpetually learn better ways to improve our systems and get into healthier habits, it’s all about where we focus our attention. So let’s set our sights on health and vitality. Let’s set up our lives to return to seeking pleasure in the body. Let’s find new ways to find greater alignment, balance and harmony within.

Remember to hydrate with water, to breathe deeply to relax and to give gratitude for your life.

Myofascial Release is sustainable therapy because it so efficiently hydrates the connective tissue—fascia—within the body. Your body is made up of connective tissues, and they are healthiest when restrictions are released, when the collagen and fibers are able to transfer information, nutrients and wastes. Returning your body to its prime optimal state is the most efficient way to support your body. MFR can help you find and sustain this reciprocal energy.

Angela is an Injury Specialist and a Myofascial Release Therapist at Sol Bodyworks in Grass Valley. Her clients benefit from her more than 20 years of experience working with Fascia.

Angela Rose treats clients with Myofascial Release and Presence Centered Awareness Therapy in individualized sessions, series and intensives. She has very substantial positive outcomes and the results are incredible. She works with clients to walk again, to run faster and to heal from pain, so they find their freedom and ease to live their best lives.

Schedule your session and treat your body right, get back to the active lifestyle you deserve, and book today.

Schedule @ Solbodyworks.com.