Many of us complain about feeling drained, as if all our energy empties out from our day to day responsibilities and encounters. To feel more vibrant and sustainable energy, it’s helpful to distinguish between the water-based concepts of Drain and Flow.
Many of us complain about feeling drained, as if all our energy empties out from our day to day responsibilities and encounters. To feel more vibrant and sustainable energy, it’s helpful to distinguish between the water-based concepts of Drain and Flow.Drain is a one-way system. Water pours into the bathtub; it fills, and then we pull the plug and it empties out. No more water. This is how many of us operate, and it’s based on using our personal energy.
Personal energy is like a traditional battery. It has a finite amount of charge, and when that’s used up, it’s dead. That’s how we feel when we’re operating from the idea of using our own personal energy and pouring it out, as if down a drain. It feels like it’s gone, and we end up depleted, looking for a new battery.
Let’s shift from the Drain metaphor to Flow. Rather than energy being retained and stored up, then spent, we become an open, cyclical system. Water flows continuously through rivers and streams; it is replenished in the spring after snowmelt.
When the river spills into the ocean, it doesn’t stop there. Evaporation carries it up into clouds, which transport it elsewhere to fall as precipitation on the Earth. This is the water cycle, and it keeps creeks and waterfalls flowing.
We can experience our energy more like that Flow of the water cycle by tapping into the infinite source of energy that continues to replenish all life – the Universal, or Divine energy. When we allow that Divine energy to flow through us rather than using our personal energy, we enter the Flow. This is much like what athletes and other performers experience when they describe Flow.
How do we do that – how do we tap into Flow and experience the Divine source of energy moving through us? There are several keys that support us in experiencing Flow rather than Drain.
- Your Breath – The exhalation and inhalation are a microcosm of the water cycle. As we inhale, we receive Divine energy, and as we exhale, we allow it to flow through us to whatever needs to be done. We inhale again and are replenished. This is what the yogis call Prana.
- Done Through You – Then, let your ego and mind step aside. Allow things to be done through you,rather than by you, using your personal reserves. Let Spirit write, speak, move, and act through you. It takes a lot less energy than believing that “you” are doing it!
- Release Attachment to Outcome – Non-attachment supports the continual Flow of energy, like the water cycle. Expectations lead to disappointment and feeling depleted. But when we offer our gifts without attachment to the outcome, we feel lighter and undisturbed no matter how things turn out. The river does not have a caveat on its flow – it continually offers the water downstream, trusting in the Divine Flow to bring more.
- Honor the Infinite Source – Spend a little time each day honoring the Infinite Source from which all life comes and which Flows through you. Sit still and quiet; imagine it pouring through you, reviving every cell. Envision that, with every act created through you, more light pours in again.
Step out of the Drain and into the Flow. You are continually sourced with all you need. Develop the trust of a river, knowing that the water cycle will replenish your flow. That infinite source is always available if you believe and open yourself to receive it.
