Life energy, the yogi’s prana and the martial artist’s ch’i,
is what a charmed life is made of. It’s an energy that is both spiritual and
physical, and it shows itself as the glow of radiant health, and the deep calm
and irrepressible humor that difficult circumstances can’t shake. If you’d like
a little more of it, here are the Top 10 Ways I know today to get it:

Top 10 Ways to More Life Energy

1.   
Get enough sleep. We’re
a sleep-deprived society. You can’t sleep on this repair-and-rebuilding time
and expect to bound into your day with vitality and be there till bedtime at
night. Yogic teachings suggest that 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. are the ideal hours for
sleeping. How close to that can you come?

2.   
Perform pranayama, breathing
exercises. The yogis emphasize breathing
because doing it properly is great help to detoxifying the system; it’s also
our connection in this body to Divine energy. Start every day with 3-part deep
breathing (sit comfortably with a straight spine and inhale and exhale through
your nose, filling the abdomen first, then the diaphragm, then the chest).

  3.   Get yourself close to some moving water. Being in any kind of nature helps (I’m at the New
Age Health Spa in the Catskills right now, getting more radiant by the minute),
but if you can get yourself to an ocean, a waterfall, a river, or a moving
stream, you avail yourself of a plethora of negative ions that your body
can  “alchemize” into prana.

  4.   Walk barefoot on the earth. Whether it’s the park in the morning or dewy grass in your own
backyard, make contact with the earth every day. Take off your running shoes
and just stand there, or walk around a little, and claim your    connection.

5.   
 Get some
sunlight. I’m a fanatic about protection my
skin from the aging and possibly dangerous exposure to too much sun, but not
enough sun is every bit as bad – ask the nearest houseplant. For your mood,
your health, and an infusion of prana, treat yourself to 15 minutes of sun on
as much of your body as possible once a day, avoiding the midday period (with
Daylight Savings, “midday” is noon to 3).

  6.    Eat plenty of fresh, raw fruits, vegetables, and sprouts. These foods are bursting with life. When you eat
them (or drink fresh juices and smoothies made from them), you take in that
liveliness to add to your own.

   7.    Be around high-prana beings. These include happy, well-rested children; well-cared-for pets; happy,
positive people; and spiritually aware individuals. In other words, if you
could plan the perfect party, make the guest list: your grandchild, your dog,
Pollyanna, and the Dalai Lama.

8.   
Listen to music that moves you. Classical music is great (even plants thrive in those vibrations), and
the ancient ragas of India were specifically designed to stimulate the
endocrine system and keep our hormones prana-perfect. But if some music moves
you, it will boost your ch’i. If it leaves you cold, don’t try to “appreciate”
it; leave it for those who do.

9.   
Keep your clutter cleared. The keyword here is “keep.” This is an ongoing process and it’s
important. Ch’i can’t flow through clutter.  I was on a call the other night with a wonderful woman in
London, Karen Knowler, who teaches the “Living Magically on Raw Food” program.
She said: “If you want magic in your life, clean up your place. Magic and
clutter are opposite vibrations.”

  10.   Pray without
ceasing. Be in contact with your Higher
Power every waking minute. Formal meditation is wonderful, but having God, as
Tennyson put it, “closer…than breathing, nearer than hands or feet,” will keep
you more energized than anything else. It has to: you’re plugged into a Power
Source than doesn’t run out.

Victoria Moran is the author of ten books including Lit from Within, Creating a Charmed Life,
and Shelter for the Spirit. She is also a
spiritual-life coach with in-person clients in New York City and telephone
clients around the world. Learn more about her coaching services at www.victoriamoran.com/coaching,
and when you inquire, ask about the “Blog-Reader Discount” for your first one-
or three-month coaching package.