Taoists proved thousands of years ago that energy is the basis of all life in the universe. Energy is the foundation of everything; from the most distant star to the smallest grain of sand on earth.

Of particular importance, from the newborn baby to the baby boomers to society’s elders, is how energy impacts our body, mind, spirit and ultimately our health and longevity.

According to Dr. Stephen T. Chang: “…the body is endowed with a definite energy quotient at birth. While this energy is being dissipated through the vicissitudes of daily living, it is simultaneously being replenished by energy obtained from food and air (included within air is the all-pervading electro-magnetic energy). Energy imbalance either an excess or an insufficiency- is the root of all illness; total absence of energy is death. Energy…circulate[s] throughout the body in well defined cycles; moving in a prescribed sequence from organ to bowel via the meridians, it flows partly at the periphery and partly in the interior of the body. Energy within the body is considered to be a dynamic force in constant flux; this is a leading principle in Chinese medicine… (The Complete Book of Acupuncture, p.8)”

We are all born with a certain amount of energy, which differs from one person to the next. At birth, for most people, our energy is at its strongest. This is what accounts for a baby’s incredible flexibility, strength (try to remove their hand from your finger) resistance to injury and illness etc… Every day, from the moment we first open our eyes our energy is being drained. In fact, almost everything in our modern lives has the negative effect of draining our energy.

Sitting down and watching the moving pictures on TV also drain our energy. Did you ever notice how many people will fall asleep, get restless, and develop headaches etc… when watching a television program for more than 2 hours? Now you understand why most movies are less than 2 hours, and if they are over 3 hours usually have a break around the 1.5 hour mark.

To further understand how draining our energy affects our health; visualize that your body is a battery. When the battery is 100% full, you have perfect health and all the organs and bowels are working properly. At 75% you develop a cold, illness, beginning stages of disease and you go to your doctor or health care provider for assistance. When your battery reaches 50% you are admitted to the hospital as the problem has progressed to a deeper stage. The ICU is waiting for you when your energy level drops to 25%. Finally, when your battery reaches ZERO, you flat-line and are considered dead.

Viewing the body through the example of a human battery, will profoundly impact the way you choose to “use” your energy. Is the activity worth the energy output? Notice the above example is based on the scenario beginning with 100% energy. What is the impact if you were born with less, or your lifestyle does not permit 100% energy?

Our first step, is to make sure we keep our energy levels somewhere between 80-100%. This is part of the good news; you do not have to worry about achieving or maintaining 100% energy all the time, just keep it above 75% and ideally between 80-100%. Now you can take a deep breath.

There are activities and techniques that can increase a person’s energy level and begin to develop an energy “savings account” or energy reserves. In particular, the Taoist self healing exercises or Tao of Revitalization, Tao of Balanced Diet and Taoist Herbology will greatly enhance the energy levels of a person’s body, mind and spirit.

There is no better time than today to begin this process. If you are retired or nearing retirement, then now is definitely the time to start recharging those batteries.

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