Connecting with the Universe

Connect by Letting Go

In holistic environs the idea of “connectedness” is no stranger. Likewise, the concept seems familiar because it drifts across a myriad of philosophical texts and often conjured by our yoga teachers as they say, feel a sense of connectedness with We are encouraged to “become one with the universe” because separateness is an illusion and a source of suffering. Great. How do you do that and what exactly does it all mean?

Fundamentally, the impression of being “one” with everything seems impossible or subjective at best. In a culture driven by individualism and competition, it contradicts our modus operandi. So, is it a philosophical metaphor or can science actually quantify it? Paradoxically, it’s both, and the common thread is energy. So let’s first take the scientific approach physicists are experts at tracking down subtlety and making sense out of it, especially when it comes to energy.

Anything that moves has a vibration and radiates energy, like human beings and stars. On a smaller yet more important scale, atoms vibrate and radiate energy. Everything is composed of atoms, including us. Quantum physics looks at atoms that behave like waves and produce the fine structure constant called alpha (α). Alpha determines the strength of electromagnetic interactions in atoms and molecules.

Kurt Gibble, a physicist at Pennsylvania State University explains that, ”if the value α changes very much, the universe could not support life as we know it.” All matter, energy, space and time has movement and is held together by α. Absolutely everything our senses process, and much of which is beyond our capabilities, is made up of atoms spinning at different speeds. The connection is that we are made up of the same quantum material like that of the universe. The infinite universe ebbs and flows. It breathes as we do.

So too, the body is a symphony of movement. We often think of the internal body as a frozen structure, but it changes all the time. The rates at which cells regenerate can range from a few weeks, like the surface layer of skin, to the pancreas, which can take as long as a year. Our bodies are dynamic and constantly rejuvenating, while the nervous system has an electrical current that flows through it. Based on what we eat, what we think, what we say, and what we do, our own signature vibration fluctuates. Sometimes this flow of energy within us or prana gets blocked.

Any number of Vedic scholars and healers will tell you that attachment and aversion, (or clinging and resisting as I like to say) causes blockages and problems begin. Why? Because it impedes the flow of prana. Examples of blockages are craving and hostility. Based in fear, they age us prematurely, cause disease, and create a sense of separateness. Our vibes get trapped in these feelings and cannot move, other energy crashes in because of the blockage and the channels get overloaded. In time the system breaks down.

On the other hand, when the body, mind, and breath are moving together like a beautiful wave with other wavelengths, it creates a sense of well being or harmony from within. Its expanding. A lot like the feeling of being in love, it keeps us young. Allowing prana to move freely unites us universally. Like a tiny drop of water that falls in the ocean, it becomes that which moves the tides.

Inherently, we are in a graceful movement of particles and waves, the trick is to remove the impediments and increase our awareness of this dance. Why, you might ask? To flow. It enhances the quality of life, invites us to be more compassionate, and increases our realms of higher potential. Energy can be intense. That is, energy from the environment, from others, from universal electromagnetic fields, even from ones self. Building a strong enough container for all kinds of prana to move through us instead of getting shattered by it is key. Get grounded, like an electrical appliance.

There are lots of ways to get grounded and connect by letting go of blockages:

• The physical component of Yoga strengthens the body so that it is an efficient conduit for energy.
• Pranayama increases skills in moving energy through the body. It also serves to free the mind of thoughts and behaviors that cause blockages by clinging and resisting.
• Meditation opens the mind and enhances awareness of subtle energies.
• Ayurveda is a holistic approach to treat disease, improve diet, maintain optimal health, vitality, and higher awareness.
• Chanting (positive affirmations) or singing is another way to connect with the natural rhythm of things. Positive thinking is a higher thought form because it requires awareness and attention.
• Commune with nature. It’s filled with vibrations. Watch the amount of relative energy it takes for a humming bird to fly, listen to the ocean, cultivate a garden.

Energy moves, it’s all around us and it vibrates. It’s our birthright to use it. All we need to do is open the floodgates and merge.

Connect by letting go, invite your subtle energy to flow with that of the universe. Suddenly, those nagging aggravations seem like the size of an atom in the greater scheme of things.