Living Energetically by Staying Open, Aware, and Anchored
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 28
- 5 min read
Elaine McGoogan is the founder of The Oneness of You and is a transformational guide promoting self-realisation and oneness. She focuses on embodied transformation and holistic self-awareness. Her programmes, 'Transformational Journey' and 'Living Your Magnificence', aim to reveal an individual's true essence expressed through the body.
What does it mean to live energetically, not just in motion, but in deep awareness, especially in the second half of life? As we move beyond midlife, many of us feel an inner call to live more fully, more intuitively, and more radically honest. We begin to ask new questions. And the answers aren’t always about doing more but about being more present, more connected, and more grounded.
Here are a few powerful insights that have emerged from my own journey and the work I’ve done with clients navigating this threshold.
The grounded self: Reclaiming presence
Most of us know what it feels like to be ungrounded. We’re scattered, distracted, and foggy. We lose our train of thought. Decision-making feels impossible. There’s often a subtle (or loud) sense of disconnection from our body and our surroundings.
Being ungrounded can happen in small moments, like when a song pulls you into a memory, or in deeper ways, after trauma or emotional overwhelm. But often, we don’t even notice we’ve “left” until we start to feel the effects: fatigue, confusion or disorientation.
Here’s the truth, though we haven’t left our bodies. We’ve simply lost awareness of them.
When we come back into our bodies fully present, fully here, everything changes. We feel clearer. We can sense our boundaries again. We’re able to actually listen to the subtle messages our body offers, the whispers of intuition, gut feelings, even flashes of insight.
Grounding isn’t just a wellness buzzword. It’s a return to our natural state. And it doesn’t have to mean just “connecting through your feet.” What if you could ground through every cell of your body? What if your entire being could be an anchor?
Nature helps. So does the breath. Even the hum of bees (yes, really studies show that being near an apiary can have a regulating effect on our nervous system).
Grounding is a practice and more importantly, a habit of awareness. But life is full of distractions, right? So the real practice is learning to notice: Ah, I’ve checked out. I’ve left my body and then gently come back. Back to centre. Back to alignment.
Embodying expanded awareness
The more we can anchor into our body, the more we are able to live with expanded awareness, not as an idea, but as a daily practice. But what does that mean?
You know those days when everything just feels right? Synchronicities unfold, people show up just when you need them, and insights seem to drop in from nowhere. That’s expanded awareness in action.
Energetically, I often picture a golden line running through the centre of the body from Earth to sky, anchoring and aligning us. When that channel is constricted, we’re limited in how much energy, insight, and connection we can access. But as we do our inner work, releasing outdated beliefs, clearing old energy, and remembering who we truly are, the channel begins to widen. And as it does, we can experience what expanded awareness really offers us: more of ourselves.
This isn’t just a mental shift. Expanded awareness isn’t something we think. It’s something we embody.
We live it through the body. We feel it. This is where the magic in life happens.
Simple practices like body scans, breath awareness, energy work or self-massage can help us return to the body and deepen our felt sense of self. Not the “idea” of who we are, but the experience of it.
And just as important: we nourish ourselves by giving energy to what lights us up – time in nature, creative expression, deep conversations, and meaningful work. These aren’t indulgences, they’re essential fuels for living an energetically aware life.
Staying open without absorbing everything
As we expand our awareness and embody more of who we truly are, we naturally become more open, but with that openness comes a new challenge: how to stay connected without becoming energetically overwhelmed.
If you're someone who feels everything deeply, you’re not alone. Many of us are waking up to our empathic sensitivity, and with that comes a question: How do I stay open to energy without absorbing everything around me?
Empathy is a gift. But without the right tools, it can become overwhelming. You might feel like a sponge, soaking up emotions, stories, and sensations that aren’t yours to carry.
One of the most powerful tools I share with clients is this beautiful triad of awareness:
Witnessing. Asking. Experiencing
When you’re in a charged or emotional situation, pause and ask:
Is this mine to hold?
Is there something here that resonates with me?
Can I offer support here or is it wiser to step back?
And most importantly: What would Love do?
These questions activate the inner witness, the part of you that can stay present without being consumed by the energy around you.
Empathy doesn’t mean you lose yourself in someone else’s story. In fact, the more you can open your heart while strengthening your energetic container, the more powerful your presence becomes.
I often suggest visualising a “golden body,” a radiant, high-frequency energy field that surrounds and nourishes you. This field isn’t a wall, but a membrane, intelligent, flexible, and supportive. It allows energy to move through you, rather than stick to you.
And remember to check in with your body throughout the day:
Can I feel my feet? My hands? Am I still here?
This isn’t about protecting yourself out of fear. It’s about honouring your energetic capacity and recognising that sensitivity can be a strength when paired with awareness.
More recently, I’ve been noticing a shift. The world is chaotic right now. There’s collective grief, urgency, uncertainty, as well as the new coming in. And I believe we’re being invited to use this beautiful gift of empathy differently, not as a way to absorb pain, but to meet it with clarity, embodiment, and love.
This is the kind of empathy that doesn’t overwhelm; it transforms.
A final thought
If there’s one thing I hope you take away, it’s this:
Remember how magnificent you are and radiate your light out into the world each day — people love it when they get to see it.
Living energetically as we get to midlife and beyond isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming more of who you already are, open, aware, and anchored.
Elaine is an energy practitioner supporting individuals in reclaiming their intuitive power and embodied presence. She offers private sessions, classes, and retreats designed to help people live with greater awareness, clarity, and joy. Learn more here.
Upcoming offerings include:
Embracing Change & Living Magnificently (August)
Unveiling the Infinite Self: A Journey to Oneness (October)
A 3-day retreat in the South of France (September)
Read more from Elaine McGoogan
Elaine McGoogan, Energy worker & Transformational Coach
Elaine knew from the age of 30 that her mission in life was to support people energetically during change and transformation. She understands very well the challenges we face when making changes having travelled and lived in many countries. The biggest constant in her life has been her work in the fields of energy and transformation. She trained for 6 years with the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, focussing on energetic body-centred personal process and healing, and has been working with clients since 2007. Elaine is particularly adept at creating a safe space for clients to explore their true nature, their magnificence,e and mastery. A space that connects you to the bigger field of all possibilities.
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