In volatile times like these, keeping our energy flowing and aligned is essential for staving off seasonal illnesses, keeping our moods in balance, and supporting our overall resilience. I've found myself doing the following exercises a lot lately when I'm feeling out of whack and when I notice my shoulders are up by my ears from cold or stress. They are especially helpful at the first signs of a cold or other illness to stimulate and support your immune system as well as when you're feeling a bit stagnant and congested.

As an energy healer I can see how so many physical problems originate from imbalances and distortions in our first (root) chakra -- what ought to be a vital energetic connection to the earth and one another. I can see now how my "stance," my orientation towards the world as a child, was exacerbating my pain and impeding my healing.

The news cycles can send many of us on a spiral through heavy emotions: despair, shock, anguish, fear, frustration, exasperation, rage... This can be overwhelming and difficult to manage and process, especially if there's resonance with any personal trauma we may be carrying.

One afternoon in November of 2016, I volunteered to be a practice client for a life coach training program. At the time I was phasing out my writing and editing work, which had crossed the line from "work" into "drudgery," and I was struggling to identify and articulate a new professional direction. I was starting to play with the idea of doing energy healing professionally, but I couldn't quite take the next step or figure out why I was so hesitant about it.

This past weekend a friend invited me to float in a sensory deprivation tank. I've been before, so I knew it would be healing, transformative, or at the very least deeply relaxing.

One thing I have noticed in my work is that people often know exactly what is causing their pain, illness, or distress. It might be unhealthy habits, a trauma that hasn't fully healed, or a difficult situation they feel unable or unwilling to change

It's the middle of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, where everything looks and feels drab, gray, and stagnant. Fortunately we can bring light and flow to our inner ecosystems with the most natural practice of all, laughing. According to the very serious Mayo Clinic, laughing improves our immune response, increases endorphins, releases stress, and has many other physical and emotional benefits.

One of the more intriguing aspects of energy healing is the phenomenon of healing at a distance. Many people have a hard time with the concept, understandably. As the NIH observed, distance healing poses "a host of epistemological challenges.