Chapter Two: Flow

What Happened When People Stopped Trying So Hard?

Chapter Two: Flow

What Happened When People Stopped Trying So Hard?

When I planned Chapter Two of the Energy Wisdom Pathway, I imagined we'd spend our time learning about how emotional energy moves.

And we did.

But once again, the greatest lessons didn't come from me.

They came from the people in the room.

What Happened When People Stopped Trying So Hard?

Two weeks earlier, we'd explored Awaken.

People had begun noticing their emotions.

Their reactions.

Their patterns.

Their energy.

By the time we met again for Flow, something had already shifted.

People weren't asking,
"What technique do I need?"

They were asking,
"What am I noticing now?"

That might sound like a small change.

It isn't.

It's the beginning of living the work rather than simply learning it.

We Discovered That Energy Wants to Move

One of the simplest exercises we practised was also one of the most revealing.

I invited everyone to think about something that was causing them stress.

Then I asked a simple question.
"Where do you feel it in your body?"

Without exception, everyone could point to somewhere.

A tight chest.

A heavy stomach.

A tense throat.

Tight shoulders.

A pressure in the head.

Then we did something completely different.

I asked them to think about something they wanted more of.

Joy.
Love.
Peace.
Confidence.

Once again...
Everyone noticed something happening in their bodies.

Sometimes in a completely different place.

That fascinated me.

We often assume we're only carrying the weight of our worries.

But perhaps we're also holding back the very energies we're longing to experience.

Maybe Flow isn't about fixing what's wrong.

Maybe it's about allowing more of what's already trying to reach us.

There Is No Such Thing as "Bad" Energy

One conversation during the fortnight between sessions stayed with me.

Jayne had been reflecting on the Energy Scale.

She realised she'd been spending a lot of time around -7.

At first, she'd judged herself for it.

Then something clicked.

She realised that -7 isn't low energy at all.

It's actually a tremendous amount of energy.

It's the kind of energy our ancestors might have needed if they suddenly found themselves face to face with a bear.

That insight made me smile.

We spend so much of our lives trying to get rid of emotions.

What if, instead, we became curious about them?

The goal isn't to suppress energy.

It's to help it flow.

From Trying... to Flowing

One reflection from Daniela particularly touched me.

She wrote:
"After all these years, reading books, trying to meditate, trying to be spiritual, I realised I'm only trying and not doing it."

What an extraordinary piece of self-awareness.

I think many of us can relate to that.

Trying to be calmer.

Trying to meditate.

Trying to heal.

Trying to be positive.

Perhaps Flow isn't about trying harder.

Perhaps it's about becoming willing to participate in life exactly where we are.

Everyday Life Became the Classroom

One of the things I love most about the Energy Wisdom Pathway is that the real learning happens between the sessions.

Life has a wonderful way of providing opportunities to practise.

A difficult conversation.

A change of plans.

An unexpected setback.

A moment of joy.

A quiet walk in nature.

The circumstances themselves aren't really the point.

What changes is how we meet them.

During the weeks between our sessions, people began noticing something remarkable. Situations that might once have left them feeling overwhelmed or emotionally stuck were now being met with greater awareness, curiosity and compassion.

Life hadn't suddenly become easier.

But their relationship with life was beginning to change.

To me, that's what Flow really is.

Not a life without challenges.

A life where we learn to move with life’s currents.

What I've Learned as a Teacher

Before teaching this chapter, I thought Flow was something we practised.

Now I think it's something we remember.

Life is always trying to move.

Stress moves.

Joy moves.

Grief moves.

Creativity moves.

Love moves.

Our natural state isn't stagnation.

It's Flow.

Perhaps that's why one of the most important ideas we explored during this chapter is that we don't have to create Flow from nothing.

We're supported by something much bigger.

When we begin to soften the places where energy has become restricted, we naturally begin finding our way back towards our own unique +10 state - that place where thinking becomes clearer, wisdom emerges and life starts to feel more like itself again.

As I watched this first founding group over the past few weeks, I realised something beautiful.

Awareness was no longer the goal.

Awareness had become the foundation.

Now people were beginning to let life move through them differently.

That's what Flow looks like.

And this is only Chapter Two.