Seven Sedona Energy Meditations for Returning Home to Your Heart

Meditation in Sedona

Millions of people travel to stunning Sedona, Arizona every year. Some come for the fantastic views of the red rocks and green junipers; others for the wealth of hiking, camping, and climbing available; and still others as part of a spiritual journey, hoping to take advantage of the “energy vortexes” and the many mediums, guides, and teachers that call this renowned place home.

I also came to Sedona looking for a place in the United States that I felt was a spiritual center. I’ve since made it my home because Sedona has a spirit that promises awakening, renewal, and a coming together of many groups and individuals seeking to create a new consciousness of compassion, responsibility, and harmony on earth. That spirit doesn’t just reside in the many unique and amazing people who live there, but in the land itself.

It’s difficult, however, to perceive Sedona’s spirit if you don’t have a sense of the energy that flows through everything, including our own bodies and minds. That’s why I wrote a book of my experiences titled, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart. I wanted to help people to be able to connect with the heart of the land through energy, and in the process, connect with their own heart. For one thing Sedona has showed me is that more beautiful that the most beautiful spot on earth is our own soul, which resides in our heart.

Read on for energy meditations you can use to feel energy for yourself and move forward on your own journey, whether in Sedona or wherever you may be.

Ilchi Lee is an educator, mentor, and trailblazer who has developed many mind-body training methods including Dahn Yoga and Brain Education. He is also the founder of Sedona Mago Retreat and the author of thirty-three books, including the New York Times bestseller, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart. For more information about his Sedona experiences, visit this website!

Clearing Your Energy with the Sound of Water

Our brain has the natural ability to sense energy; however, that sense may be dormant from lack of use or from our own energy not flowing freely and, in a sense, covering our innate sensor. Letting go of your thoughts and emotions with meditation is one way to clear your energy. You can use the sound and sensations of water to transform your body’s energy from a stagnant pond to a fresh stream.

To do this meditation, sit near a source of water, such as Oak Creek in Sedona, or play or imagine its trickling sounds. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Straighten your back and breathe steadily. Focus on the sound and let it relax your mind. Imagine the water flowing through your whole body from the top of your head to your toes. As it passes through your body, it goes through every organ and cell, carrying away the old energy of thoughts and emotions stored in your body. If you feel an obstruction, focus on that area and let the water wash it away until it feels clear. Let it all run out through your feet until you feel deeply refreshed.

Activating the Energy in Your Body

Once your energy is clear, it’s a good idea to get it moving in order to feel it more easily. There are many exercises available to do this, but vibration exercise is something simple that anyone can enjoy. One of the best places to do it in Sedona is Airport Mesa, a scenic outlook where the outward flow of energy is particularly stimulating in an active way. But it is effective anywhere at any time.

You can do vibration exercise sitting, standing, or lying down. You just need to shake your body. At first, try standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Push up from the ground and bounce your knees and hips lightly. As your body relaxes, allow the movement to expand to every part of your body to make waves of energy. As you bounce, exhale through your mouth. Keep your attention on your body’s sensations. You may feel tingling, pulsation, heat, or cold. You may even feel a little pain if your body is a little stiff or if your energy is blocked in different parts of your body. You can remove the pain as you move by focusing on it and breathing the blockage out of your body through your mouth. Don’t continue the exercise if you have too much pain, however.

At first you’re vibrating deliberately, but if you do it long enough, you can begin to feel your natural rhythm and move to it automatically. Give your body the reins to its movement and keep your mind on your body, and you’ll be doing a simple moving meditation that can quiet your mind and bring you deeper awareness as well as a sense of liberation. Stop when you feel loose, happy, and relaxed, and then take some time to feel your body as you breathe comfortably. Any tingling or other sensations you feel is the energy moving in your body, just as energy also moves in rocks, trees, water, and animals.

Getting to Know the Energy of Your Body

Once your energy is moving, you can try to feel it consciously with your hands. Your hands are two of the most sensitive areas of the body in many ways, including in feeling energy. With a relaxed body and mind, sit with your back straight. If you are in a chair, put both feet flat on the floor. Bring your hands in front of your chest and face your palms toward each other about two inches apart. Focus on your palms. Then breathe in and move your hands apart slowly. As you breathe out, bring them closer together without their touching. Continue moving your hands in this way, feeling the sensations in your palms. Do you feel resistance, tingling, heaviness, or stickiness? That is energy. This energy meditation can also quiet your mind, calm your emotions, and open your heart.

Communicating with the Energy of All Life

Now that you’ve felt your own energy with your hands, you can try sensing the energy of other things. Start with something that is natural but not moving to make it easier. If you can go into a natural area, find a tree or a rock that attracts you. Approach it softly, taking in all of the details of its appearance. When you are close, you may first want to activate your sense of energy by shaking and clapping your hands, and then moving them toward and away from each other as you did in the previous exercise. Afterward, hold your hand out about an inch or two from the tree or rock. Pay attention to your hand’s sensations as you breathe in and pull it away and then breathe out and bring it closer. Through energy, you now are communicating with the tree. What do you sense from it? How is it different from your own energy? What would you like to tell the tree? Say it out loud or just feel it in your heart. By connecting your energy with that of a tree, rock, or other natural element, you can experience the oneness that underlies the many expressions of life.

Deeper Relationship with the Earth

Another way to connect to the land is grounding your feet to the earth. Moving your body and feeling the bottom of your feet gives you a chance to bond with the earth and feel the life force inside you. When the life inside you awakens, you can feel joy for all life. Then you can experience that everything in this world is the same but different; you can feel that every blooming flower is beautiful.

Areas like Boynton Canyon in Sedona are wonderful places to walk and experience nature’s variety. Along the long trail of this box canyon, the landscape changes from mostly bare red rock to friendly shrubs to a tall green forest.

Before you start, shake out the tension in your body and then stand up straight. Stand so that it feels like there is no empty space between your feet and the ground. Focus on the bottom of your feet. Eventually, you will feel all of your weight on your feet without any tension in other parts of your body. You may notice the weight of your body being delivered to the ground and the strength of the earth that supports it. This isn’t merely weight or pressure in the physical sense. It is a real, living sense of energy. Below you, the land supports you sturdily and fills your solid legs and lower abdomen with abundant energy. Above you, the vast, infinite, empty space opens for you, which allows your heart to open and your head to clear.

Then slowly start walking with your senses aware of your body’s sensations and the life energy around you. Pay special attention to the soles of your feet. Watch all sensations, memories, and emotions come and go. When you continue walking like this, your thoughts and emotions will die away, and your connection with the earth will deepen. As you walk, let go of the urge to fixate on single objects. Instead, remain open to the earth in its entirety and expand your awareness.

Open Your Heart with Energy

Schnebly Hill is one of my favorite places to watch the sunset in Sedona. Around the time of sunset, the golden light of the changing sky contains a remarkable healing energy. It’s the best time to awaken your heart and mind and connect with the energy of the sky. After taking a moment to relax, sit in a half-lotus posture or stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Look at the sun as it starts to sink into the horizon. As the golden rays of the sun meet your eyes directly, extend your arms out so that the palms of your hands face the sunset. Imagine that the energy of the golden light is coming into your palms, penetrating all the way to your heart in your chest. Golden light energy fills your chest. It removes the layers of pain from your heart and allows the pure energy of love to awaken within you. Now the golden light goes up and fills your mind. It pushes away any negative thoughts and makes your outlook brighter. Imagine that the light then passes through the crown of your head, around your body, and down into the earth. This cocoon of light nurtures your true spirit. It is a place where your heart can be at peace, and your soul can soar.

Revealing Your True Purpose

Every time I visit Bell Rock, one of the most recognizable formations in Sedona, I feel the vision I have for my life strongly inside and I receive new determination and hope. Even by meditating on Bell Rock from afar, I get new ideas for the next steps I need to take in achieving my dreams for a healthier, happier, and more peaceful world.

This connection to my true purpose is possible because of energy. It comes from the energy of my soul that speaks to me from my heart, which Bell Rock enhances.

Even if you cannot visit Bell Rock, you can listen to your soul and discover what it really wants to do. After doing all of the exercises I’ve described, your heart will more be open, your mind clearer, and your energy more grounded. It’s the perfect time to find a quiet place and listen. Breathe comfortably and direct your mind to the center of your chest. Keep breathing and listening until you get a clear feeling there. Rest with that feeling until you gain a strong sense of it. It is your soul, the real “you” that can exist without your body. Ask it, “What do you want me to do? What is my purpose?” Don’t give up. Keep asking and listening until you are satisfied with what you discover.