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Finding True North
TRUE NORTH MEDITATION
In her new column, artist and holistic teacher Liz Tuckwell shares her secrets for releasing pent-up energy.

It was 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I had been yawning all day. I was exhausted. Logically, this didn’t make any sense. I was well-rested from the night before, well-nourished from a wonderful meal, and had just taken a brisk walk. I should have felt vibrant, but I did not.

An hour later, when I returned from leading a guided meditation at a local university, I felt clear-headed, energetic, and recharged. The past few days had been a whirlwind of activity: meeting with clients, shopping for the holidays, and seeing friends and family. After days of this, I was left feeling overwhelmed. I was buzzing with energy, none of which was my own, and I hadn’t processed any of it.

What does that mean? Let me backtrack and tell you a bit about my story as an artist and an energy healer.

I grew up extremely sensitive to the world around me. As a child, with no knowledge of energy work, this often translated to feelings of worry and anxiety. These feelings followed me into adulthood until I learned about the world of energy.

My anxiety stemmed from absorbing too much energy from the world around me and never releasing any of it. I was like an energetic sponge that had never been rinsed.

We are both a visible, physical body and an invisible body. The physical is easy to see, and when it is in need of care or maintenance, we can do something about it. But what about our invisible body? When we connect with others, especially heart-to-heart, we are exchanging energy.

Have you ever had a deep conversation with someone and felt an incredible sense of empathy towards them? This is an exchange of energy. You are absorbing some of their energy, just as they are doing to you. Now, imagine the effects of these interactions compounded over days, weeks, years, and decades. Without realizing it, you contain the energy of countless others within yourself, essentially leaving no room for you.

Add to this society’s vast overconsumption of media and data. We are energetically overwhelmed and have little internal room for our own authentic selves to emerge.

Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day. Recall events that affected you without judging yourself. Sometimes we move through our days so quickly that incidences affecting our energy get buried within us so we may keep moving. Taking a few minutes to reflect and release at the end of each day helps remove unhelpful energy.

Create

Doodling counts as creating art. Doodling utilizes the art-making process to focus on the present. Your mind will process lingering experiences from the past while you doodle. Don’t judge your skills as an artist—embrace the wonderful relief and release you’ll feel from this experience.


Incorporate these activities daily to begin to clear your energetic landscape. You’ll begin to breathe more deeply and feel more confident, grounded, and inspired. Your true north is joy. Your own energy will never betray you. It will not sit on your shoulder and say you are not good enough. Your energy is pure and beautiful. When we hold the world’s negativity within us, we lose touch of ourselves.

We all deserve a life that feeds our journey and allows us to grow. By processing and releasing the energy we no longer need, we can cultivate a life that feeds our soul and gives us the breathing room to enjoy it.

Additional Activities

Interested in expanding your practice for releasing pent-up energy? Download this one-of-a-kind meditation and worksheet by Liz crafted for our cW readers to help identify and release what is necessary from life.

WORKSHEET


Energy Grounding and Past-Release Meditation

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed, and set the intention to release any energy that does not serve you. In your mind’s eye, visualize something to release that energy, like a waterfall. As the water falls away, imagine it is also carrying away any expired energy. Or, imagine balloons in the sky floating away from you. Each balloon carries with it someone or something that no longer serves you.

Write

Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day. Recall events that affected you without judging yourself. Sometimes we move through our days so quickly that incidences affecting our energy get buried within us so we may keep moving. Taking a few minutes to reflect and release at the end of each day helps remove unhelpful energy.

Create

Doodling counts as creating art. Doodling utilizes the art-making process to focus on the present. Your mind will process lingering experiences from the past while you doodle. Don’t judge your skills as an artist—embrace the wonderful relief and release you’ll feel from this experience.


Incorporate these activities daily to begin to clear your energetic landscape. You’ll begin to breathe more deeply and feel more confident, grounded, and inspired. Your true north is joy. Your own energy will never betray you. It will not sit on your shoulder and say you are not good enough. Your energy is pure and beautiful. When we hold the world’s negativity within us, we lose touch of ourselves.

We all deserve a life that feeds our journey and allows us to grow. By processing and releasing the energy we no longer need, we can cultivate a life that feeds our soul and gives us the breathing room to enjoy it.

Additional Activities

Interested in expanding your practice for releasing pent-up energy? Download this one-of-a-kind meditation and worksheet by Liz crafted for our cW readers to help identify and release what is necessary from life.

WORKSHEET


Energy Grounding and Past-Release Meditation


Remedy this by adopting energetic self-care. Establish a set point for your own wellness. Recall a time or an experience where you felt free and sure of yourself. This feeling is you not overrun by the energy of others. Make this feeling the “true north” on your personal-wellness compass.

Ask yourself: How do you feel right now? Do you feel close to true north? If not, begin to clear the energy of people, places, and events around you with these simple methods. Each should only take about 10 minutes.  

Meditate

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed, and set the intention to release any energy that does not serve you. In your mind’s eye, visualize something to release that energy, like a waterfall. As the water falls away, imagine it is also carrying away any expired energy. Or, imagine balloons in the sky floating away from you. Each balloon carries with it someone or something that no longer serves you.

Write

Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day. Recall events that affected you without judging yourself. Sometimes we move through our days so quickly that incidences affecting our energy get buried within us so we may keep moving. Taking a few minutes to reflect and release at the end of each day helps remove unhelpful energy.

Create

Doodling counts as creating art. Doodling utilizes the art-making process to focus on the present. Your mind will process lingering experiences from the past while you doodle. Don’t judge your skills as an artist—embrace the wonderful relief and release you’ll feel from this experience.


Incorporate these activities daily to begin to clear your energetic landscape. You’ll begin to breathe more deeply and feel more confident, grounded, and inspired. Your true north is joy. Your own energy will never betray you. It will not sit on your shoulder and say you are not good enough. Your energy is pure and beautiful. When we hold the world’s negativity within us, we lose touch of ourselves.

We all deserve a life that feeds our journey and allows us to grow. By processing and releasing the energy we no longer need, we can cultivate a life that feeds our soul and gives us the breathing room to enjoy it.

Additional Activities

Interested in expanding your practice for releasing pent-up energy? Download this one-of-a-kind meditation and worksheet by Liz crafted for our cW readers to help identify and release what is necessary from life.

WORKSHEET


Energy Grounding and Past-Release Meditation


Remedy this by adopting energetic self-care. Establish a set point for your own wellness. Recall a time or an experience where you felt free and sure of yourself. This feeling is you not overrun by the energy of others. Make this feeling the “true north” on your personal-wellness compass.

Ask yourself: How do you feel right now? Do you feel close to true north? If not, begin to clear the energy of people, places, and events around you with these simple methods. Each should only take about 10 minutes.  

Meditate

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed, and set the intention to release any energy that does not serve you. In your mind’s eye, visualize something to release that energy, like a waterfall. As the water falls away, imagine it is also carrying away any expired energy. Or, imagine balloons in the sky floating away from you. Each balloon carries with it someone or something that no longer serves you.

Write

Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day. Recall events that affected you without judging yourself. Sometimes we move through our days so quickly that incidences affecting our energy get buried within us so we may keep moving. Taking a few minutes to reflect and release at the end of each day helps remove unhelpful energy.

Create

Doodling counts as creating art. Doodling utilizes the art-making process to focus on the present. Your mind will process lingering experiences from the past while you doodle. Don’t judge your skills as an artist—embrace the wonderful relief and release you’ll feel from this experience.


Incorporate these activities daily to begin to clear your energetic landscape. You’ll begin to breathe more deeply and feel more confident, grounded, and inspired. Your true north is joy. Your own energy will never betray you. It will not sit on your shoulder and say you are not good enough. Your energy is pure and beautiful. When we hold the world’s negativity within us, we lose touch of ourselves.

We all deserve a life that feeds our journey and allows us to grow. By processing and releasing the energy we no longer need, we can cultivate a life that feeds our soul and gives us the breathing room to enjoy it.

Additional Activities

Interested in expanding your practice for releasing pent-up energy? Download this one-of-a-kind meditation and worksheet by Liz crafted for our cW readers to help identify and release what is necessary from life.

WORKSHEET


Energy Grounding and Past-Release Meditation

Signs that you have absorbed too much energy:

  • feeling overly worried or anxious
  • constant lethargy
  • foggy thinking
  • amplified self-doubt
  • easily overwhelmed
  • insomnia


Remedy this by adopting energetic self-care. Establish a set point for your own wellness. Recall a time or an experience where you felt free and sure of yourself. This feeling is you not overrun by the energy of others. Make this feeling the “true north” on your personal-wellness compass.

Ask yourself: How do you feel right now? Do you feel close to true north? If not, begin to clear the energy of people, places, and events around you with these simple methods. Each should only take about 10 minutes.  

Meditate

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed, and set the intention to release any energy that does not serve you. In your mind’s eye, visualize something to release that energy, like a waterfall. As the water falls away, imagine it is also carrying away any expired energy. Or, imagine balloons in the sky floating away from you. Each balloon carries with it someone or something that no longer serves you.

Write

Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day. Recall events that affected you without judging yourself. Sometimes we move through our days so quickly that incidences affecting our energy get buried within us so we may keep moving. Taking a few minutes to reflect and release at the end of each day helps remove unhelpful energy.

Create

Doodling counts as creating art. Doodling utilizes the art-making process to focus on the present. Your mind will process lingering experiences from the past while you doodle. Don’t judge your skills as an artist—embrace the wonderful relief and release you’ll feel from this experience.


Incorporate these activities daily to begin to clear your energetic landscape. You’ll begin to breathe more deeply and feel more confident, grounded, and inspired. Your true north is joy. Your own energy will never betray you. It will not sit on your shoulder and say you are not good enough. Your energy is pure and beautiful. When we hold the world’s negativity within us, we lose touch of ourselves.

We all deserve a life that feeds our journey and allows us to grow. By processing and releasing the energy we no longer need, we can cultivate a life that feeds our soul and gives us the breathing room to enjoy it.

Additional Activities

Interested in expanding your practice for releasing pent-up energy? Download this one-of-a-kind meditation and worksheet by Liz crafted for our cW readers to help identify and release what is necessary from life.

WORKSHEET


Energy Grounding and Past-Release Meditation

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