It’s been almost a week since my last post, and exactly a week since I experienced a profound transformation of the body. Part of me was struggling with the ‘guilt’ from failing to keep to the commitment to write everyday. Another part of me was bursting with excitement and curiosity to investigate the bizarre bodily sensations that I have been experiencing.
Last Sunday, after a brief morning run around Botanic Gardens followed by some Qi Gong exercises, I experienced a sudden surge of energy. Parts of my body began to move spontaneously and effortlessly, as if I was plugged into a cosmic energy source. I felt like the ‘Energizer Bunny’ that could hop, run, or walk for hours without feeling exhausted.
Curious and playful, I experimented with directing the energy. Admittedly, it’s bizarrely fun to be able to somewhat ‘control’ the involuntary movements, sending energy from one part of the body to another at will.
While the experience was exhilarating, it was also somewhat scary. What on earth is happening to my body?
A simple Google search on ‘spontaneous body movement’ pointed to a host of topics ranging from Chi, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Kundalini awakening, and Kriya – subjects that are outside my usual reading. As I plough through the pages eagerly and learnt about the various explanations of what my body was going through, the initial fears gradually subside with each new understanding gained. The following words of Marie Curie came to mind:
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
Energy, is definitely not something to be feared. It’s something to be understood, harnessed, conserved, channelled to good use, etc. Perhaps this experience comes at the ‘right’ time, along with my growth in awareness of the body and its impact on one’s overall well-being.
Now, I’m applying this newfound ‘gift’ to my current love – running. I learn to listen more to the body, make adjustments where needed, be present to the here and now through feeling the body, and experience the joy of having my legs move almost effortlessly (like zooming on the street with a Segway!). At last, I get to combine the practice of Qi Gong with running, and truly experience what Danny Dreyer called ‘Chi Running.’ More on this in my coming blogs.
Love,
Your Energised Dad
Daily Conversations with Dad 
First off I would like to say wonderful blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head prior
to writing. I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting
my thoughts out there. I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first
10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted just trying to figure out
how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Kudos!
Thanks for your comments, Guillermo. It’s a pleasant surprise to get a response from a blog that I had written years ago. I totally get what you meant … and guess most writers struggle with that at times (and I still do). Here are some tips that I hope you’ll find helpful.
1. Before writing, set aside a few minutes (5-20 mins) for a simple mindfulness exercise (e.g. close your eyes, focus on your breath, don’t try to control your mind … and refocus to your breath whenever your mind wanders off)
2. Do a ‘brain dump’ of what you want to write about – on paper (not type on keyboard). There’s something magical about writing by hand … it slows you down, and avoid instant edits (i.e. no backspace, delete or correcting mispelling) that often get in the way of the ‘flow of ideas’ and thoughts.
3. Plan your article … key points, story line, ONE BIG message, etc.
4. Start writing from any element that your heart takes you … you can always reorder your writings later
5. And don’t worry about ‘wasting words’ … just keep writing first. Separate editing from writing. The latter can wait.
All the best! Let me know how you are getting on!