Daily Energy Routine
The Daily Energy Routine (DER), created by Founder of Eden Energy Medicine Donna Eden, deserves a place all of its own. Simple yet powerful, the Daily Energy Routine is vital for health and wellbeing.
But I have a confession to make; I have fought doing this routine! The moment someone says to me “you should do this, it’s good for you”, well, the rebel in me says “no, I won’t”. Silly really, because the only person I was disadvantaging was myself, and I’d always feel better when I did any of these exercises.
All in all, it takes about 5 – 10 minutes, which isn’t a lot of time to take out of our busy lives to help improve our health and wellbeing. Maybe for me it was a question of “Do I matter enough?” or maybe it was “I’m not worthy”. I’m still not really sure of the reason I fought doing this for so long. When you feel down on yourself, believing you deserve better can be a really big ask. Thankfully, somewhere along the way I have started to feel I have worth, have something to contribute, and deserve to gift myself the time to do these exercises.
So, I hope you give the Daily Energy Routine a chance. It’s not a miracle worker. You won’t suddenly lose 5 kilos or be Mother Teresa, but over time this group of exercises may help to balance your energies, so when you get those knocks in life, you may bounce back quicker. Rather than languishing in those pits of despair, you may have a stronger energetic constitution to more quickly put yourself back together to face another day.
I’d like to suggest that if you need this routine more often, do it more often. If you need one exercise more often, do it more often. Work this routine into your day in whatever way you can.
It does not have to be done all at once to be effective. In fact, I often to do it piece meal throughout the day, when I feel I need to. I might massage my neurolympathics if I am watching a movie. I might do the Crown Pull if I’ve spent some time on the computer. If I’ve had a stressful incident, I might do the Wayne Cook. Make this routine your own and don’t do what I did and put yourself down if you don’t do it. Believe me, that got me nowhere!
Melanie Smith has an excellent free eBook on the Daily Energy Routine which you get when you subscribe to her website. The eBook explains each exercise in detail, including the benefits, which is fabulous for people like me who like to know the WHY.
And Prune Harris has written a blog article on her Imaginal Health site far more eloquently than I ever could on the importance of the Daily Energy Routine which you can read here.
Firstly, I’ve placed some video of the entire routine. Then I’ve broken down each part of this routine into the individual exercises. Please remember that the explanation of how to do the exercises is a lot longer than the time it takes to do them!
The DER has changed a little over time, so I’m describing here the official version as at 2018:
- The Four Thumps
- The Crossover Shoulder Pull
- The Cross Crawl
- The Wayne Cook Posture
- The Crown Pull
- Connecting Heaven and Earth
- The Zip-Up
- The Hook-Up
Full Energy Medicine Routine
For all exercises, be conscious of your breathing – in through the nose, out through the mouth.
“Smell the roses, blow out the candle.”
Individual Exercises
Remember to always do these exercises to suit your body’s abilities.
The Four Thumps
Reference: Innersource The Three Thumps
Note: The original version of this part of the DER was called “The Three Thumps”. It was upgraded to “The Four Thumps” to include the Stomach Meridian point under the eyes.
This part of the routine is a series of “thumps” on various parts of the body, although you may massage, tap or stretch the points if that feels more comfortable to you.
In the video below Prune Harris demonstrates the three thumps but substitutes the Thymus thump for a point on the Stomach meridian, located on the cheekbones, directly under the eyes. Donna Eden adds this thump point at times to make it the “Four Thumps” exercise.
K27 Thump
Tap, rub or massage the last point on the Kidney meridian (K27) for approximately 20 seconds to boost and restore energy, reduce fatigue and improve your eyesight (amongst a host of other benefits).
The power of this simple tap was illustrated to me when I was muscle testing my Dad. He tested weak (for whatever reason) and couldn’t hold the arm hold (and he is a strong man), so I said to him “massage the K27 points” and then I muscle tested him again. The difference was instant and incredible – suddenly he could hold his arm for the muscle test. The skeptic in him was surprised as he raised his eyebrows and said that that was noticeable!
Thymus Thump
Located on the upper portion of the breast bone (imagine where Tarzan did his famous chest thump), massage, tap or rub this point with fingers or knuckles for approximately 20 seconds.
The thymus gland supports our immune function. By stimulating this area, we are activating the thymus gland to help fight off disease. The Thymus Thump can, among other benefits, help reduce stress and open the Radiant Circuits.
Spleen Thump
There are two places to consider for this tap/massage/rub (again for approximately 20 seconds):
Spleen 21 point, or the last point on the Spleen meridian. It’s located under your armpits (on your “side seam”), on both sides of your body, where you can imagine the bra strap would be.
Spleen neurolymphatic reflex points are located one rib below each breast, in line with the nipples.
Spleen energy is all about metabolism; metabolising your food, your thoughts and your emotions.
Spleen points are really good to use if you feel any illness or need help to gain control of yourself and get centred.
Central Vessel 17 (CV17)
While not considered part of the official Daily Energy Routine by Donna Eden, in Melanie Smith’s eBook she adds another point called CV17, the 17th point on the Central meridian and also known as the Sea of Tranquility point in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I LOVE this point. I’ve placed a demonstration of it here by Michael Reed Gach. I don’t tap this point, I like to just sit quietly and hold it. I find it very calming. It is my “stress point”.
The Crossover Shoulder Pull
Note: The Cross Over Shoulder Pull exercise can be done on the front or the back of the body.
The Cross Crawl
The energy in our body should move in a cross-over pattern (X), also known as a Figure 8 or ∞ pattern. In a natural healthy state this pattern permeates every part of our body, from the smallest cell to our entire being.
The Cross Crawl exercise is all about getting the energies crossing throughout our body.
In the video below, Dondi Dahlin explains the importance of the cross-over pattern in our body and how to use figure 8 movements. Figure 8’s are a cornerstone of the Daily Energy Routine.
If you find the Cross Crawl exercise difficult to do, you may be in an energetic state called homolateral. This is where your energies are not adequately crossing over, running more in an up and down pattern (II).
Homolateral is not an optimal energetic state. It is the body’s way of saying “slow down, I need to rest”. It’s quite ingenious; for whatever reason, when the body needs to rest, these cross-over patterns can destabilise, move into a homolateral pattern which then makes you less co-ordinated and less able to move.
When you are in a homolateral energetic state it is:
Very hard to get well – you can have less than 50% capacity to heal.
Your senses are less accurate (you can’t see, hear, smell, touch or taste as well as at other times).
Consider that you might be homolateral if you are feeling depressed, sick and can’t get your vitality back, you feel uncoordinated, or you are unable to think or speak clearly.
If the homolateral pattern is a habit (your body has been in this state for a prolonged period), you will need to do the homolateral repatterning exercise every day to break that homolateral habit. This may take from 10 to 30 days for the cross-over pattern to stabilise.
The Wayne Cook Posture
Donna Eden credits this exercise with helping her keep her marriage intact. In an argument, Donna found her ability to get her point across was greatly diminished because her emotional intensity was too strong to adequately articulate her point. Doing this exercise helped her to unscramble her energies, calm her emotional self down, allowing her to speak more clearly, and importantly, to get her point across.
I find this exercise useful to calm down. I feel much more centred after doing this. It provides a sense of inner peace.
There are two versions of this exercise – seated and standing. Some people may find that they can’t get their body into the seated position, so try the standing version instead.
The Crown Pull
Reference: Innersource – The Crown Pull
The Crown Pull exercise is about opening the energy of the skull, which can become congested for various reasons. I find this exercise excellent to do throughout the day, especially if I have been concentrating on something for an extended period. It feels really good, just like a massage can.
Although not shown in the videos below, I suggest adding this piece to the Crown Pull. After doing the Crown Pull, with your hands on either side of your head at your temples, scoop the energy from your temples, behind your ears, down the sides of your neck and then flick this energy off.
When we do the Crown Pull exercise, we are pulling the energy from the top of the head and placing it lower down. This places the energy close to the Triple Warmer meridian (which runs up the neck, behind the ears to finish at the temples). The last thing we want is to add more energy to the Triple Warmer meridian, since it is often chronically over-energized.
Neurolymphatic Massage
Massaging specific neurolymphatic points on our body can help to move lymph, flush toxins and clear stagnant energies from the body. The Neurolymphatic Massage formed part of the original DER. I’ve included it here because it of its value in helping the body’s immune capacity.
Connecting Heaven and Earth
For energy to move freely, it needs space to move. The Connecting Heaven and Earth exercise creates a beautiful body stretch. Its many benefits include turning on the Radiant Circuits (this stretch feels good!) and activating your immune system.
The Celtic Weave
The Celtic Weave enhances and revives the aura and builds resiliency throughout your entire energy system.
The Celtic Weave formed part of the original DER. Super useful!
The Zip Up
As with all these exercises there are a multitude of benefits for each one.
One of the great benefits of this exercise is in boundary protection. By zipping up we are creating a protective field around our body, which reduces our vulnerability.
When we are dealing with stress or stressful people, this exercise can help us keep our energies contained and we may be less likely to take on the negative energies of other people.
The Hook Up
This exercise seems too simple to be as effective and powerful as it is, but it serves a multitude of uses including activating the Radiant Circuits, strengthening your aura, and instilling a sense of calm.
When we do the hook up, we are bringing together the meridians of Central and Governing. Central runs up the front of the body, nourishing our organs and chakras. The Governing meridian brings energy up the spine to the brain.
Another use for this exercise is upon waking. Sometimes when you wake you don’t feel quite “with it”. I use this exercise to help me feel less spaced out after sleeping.
Energy Medicine Demonstrations
Donna Eden and her husband David Feinstein demonstrate what Energy Medicine is all about.
Connecting Heaven and Earth exercise (if you are starting to get sick/cold/flu/arthritis and stagnant energies – helps move energies out of the body, good for sleeping problems)
Wayne Cook (overwhelmed and can’t think, scrambled energies, get tired reading, falling asleep while reading, dyslexia, learning problems, feeling overwhelmed, hysterical, too emotional, can’t pay attention, can’t comprehend what you are reading, stuttering).
Daily Energy Routine Resources
I would like to express my deepest thanks to all the amazing energy medicine practitioners for sharing their knowledge, and of course to Donna Eden, founder of Eden Energy Medicine, who, along with her husband, Dr David Feinstein, has brought this amazing body of knowledge to the world.
Donna Eden
Website: Eden Energy Medicine
YouTube channel
Books
Dondi Dahlin
Website: Learn the Five Elements
Titanya Dahlin
Website: Energy Medicine Woman
Melanie Smith
Website: Well Within
YouTube channel
Articles by Melanie Smith
Prune Harris
Website: Prune Harris
YouTube channel
Ellen Meredith
Website: Listening In
Carey Phillips
Website: Well Into Life
YouTube channel