Vitality: What Does It Mean and What Does Vitality Do?

An Exploration of Vitality and the Vital Life Force

What is Vitality?

What are some primordial concepts of vitality rooted in our unique human perceptions?

How does one “turn it on,” and what does vitality do in our bodies?

In this exploration, we, Mark and Natalie, will share our personal visions of vitality and how it shapes our multidimensional existence (as this is fundamental to our work here in Forge and Flow!). Pssst, there’s a video at the bottom of the article in case you’d rather watch.

So, what does vitality mean? Let’s start here…

The definition of “vitality” is… “the capacity to live, grow, or develop the characteristic principle or force that distinguishes living things from non-living things. Vitality encompasses physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual vigor.”

But what does vitality do in the context of our everyday lives, and if we look at it from a deeper well-being perspective? When we examine varying cultural perspectives and their concepts, such as Qi (Chinese) and Prana (Vedic and Hindu), a common thread emerges: we’re talking about the force (or forces) that animate all of life.

In the Forge and Flow container, where we offer practices that build a framework of Vibrational Medicine, we focus on helping others balance their vitality through various methods, including conscious breathing, ancient movement practices, structured water, mineral rebalancing, and other complementary techniques. All these elements contribute to achieving optimal health.

When we observe how all things interplay to create a holistic sense of well-being, allowing us to tap into our multidimensional selves further and align with our true nature, we begin to understand what vitality does in the body.

While there are many parts, this is a very vital part that we must know (aren’t we punny?!). 😛 By the way, as you get to know us, we are goofs, so we try to keep things a little light when we can!

Vitality invigorates our physical, intellectual, emotional, spirit (or soul), and body— it is THE force that drives energy and creates liveliness!

Vigor is an interesting word, too. We adore looking at etymology, which reveals words that provide either medicine or its opposite and play a profound role in our vibrational presence.  Vigor, as part of vitality, can speak to the physical or mental strength, energy, and the force behind things. The enthusiasm or intensity of something.  

For example, vitality is what causes the seed to sprout.

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

That tiny seed goes through all that soil, the Earth, reaches for the sun, and starts to produce leaves and flowers, reaching ever higher, and also goes deeper as it roots down.  That is an AWE-some example of vitality.

What makes our lungs expand and contract when we breathe?

Or, what makes our hearts beat?

What makes our blood flow?

What makes our emotions (e-motions = energy in motion) work?

Those are all aspects that comprise the overall concept of vitality. However, something we need to think about is: how strong is that vitality flowing within us? How easily does it work in a body? Is there enough of it to sustain the body, the heart, the spirit (or soul)?

Vitality should be in a constant state of flow and balance so that we don't have to force things and “fake it ‘til we make it,” so to speak. On the other hand, we also don't want to be on complete autopilot, where we're not even conscious about what we’re doing.

There's always a very fine balance and it’s a dance...

Prana is also a great word to consider. It’s a Sanskrit word, and it means “to breathe or to draw in breath, life force.” As mentioned above, Prana is what fills our lungs. It is the force that allows the lungs to be filled. This is an ever-blossoming process to ponder, and it’s truly amazing to consider the magnificent way that all the living, natural world (which includes humans) is formed!

There are distinct forces that are emanating from the sun, our planet, and other places (or realms), and these “forces” are of the life-giving kind that we speak of, so we could call them the Cosmic or Divine Forces. Some would also say GodSource, God, One Infinite Creator, etc. (say what you want in that space, for we speak of the Divine and Nameless Force that is always felt rather than needing a label).

In ancient Chinese culture, this force is known as Qi. We could traverse the world and find this concept woven into every single culture in some way. The constant truth is that it is an “animating principle” and is electrifying as well as magnetic. Every subatomic particle is brought to life and sustains life.

Vitality is created by the very force(s) that we call the elements— the air element or the water element, for example. It’s the same force behind these elements that enables them to come to life and to exist.  

This Force is behind all of these things, and it generates the propulsion and movement. The ocean tides and the movement of our lungs are operated by an Ever-Constant and Primordial Force that is inherent to all living, organic, and natural things.

Exploring the Vedic traditions, the Vedas are hymns that directly address Prana, the ineffable life source that influences the natural world. These hymns celebrate the joy and abundance that is brought through the rain, thunder, and the flourishing of vegetation, for example.  It’s this underlying principle of the living natural world woven into the fabric of these ancient words.

Now that we’ve covered “what is vitality,” next, we need to look at an important question: how does one turn on vitality? This concept is a foundational principle of what we do here at Forge and Flow.

One thing we feel that’s really vital to look at around vitality (yep, we did it again there, too!) is that we look at vitality as to how it weaves into all the vibrational layers and levels of what makes things come alive. We are multidimensional beings, and this is often forgotten.

In this world, there are things we can see, touch, and so on, but there is a massive amount of the world that remains unseen. When we speak of the multidimensionality of our existence, we’re talking about a lot that’s not visible daily to most people. And that is a vital component in considering where Vitality actually resides within the essence of our being and how we activate it. This penetrates the deepest layers of our bodies, encompassing how they operate, as well as the vibrational layers that surround us and connect us to all things.

The Breath of Life is a force that distributes this Essence of Vitality throughout the body properly as part of the “making of energy” process, and there’s also a critical element, which is the body’s exhaust system. When you create energy, there are parts of that process that must be expelled out of the body. There's an exhaust system. Therefore, the entire system of bringing vitality in, turning it on, and expelling it out must all be functioning correctly for the body to remain in balance. In our view, a key foundational principle is that we must be fully anchored in our bodies. The life force and all of these aspects that we're talking about here can't be felt unless you're anchored in the body. In the world, it’s easy to NOT want to be in the body.

There are a lot of things in this world that get us out of touch with our body through all kinds of toxic “entertainment” (like alcohol or drugs, for example), including other things that create altered states of consciousness, which move consciousness out of the body and into altered states of being. These things can “feel fun,” but to truly feel the Magnificent Life Force and experience what True Vitality feels like, a core foundational practice is getting accustomed to being anchored in the body at all times. It takes practice, no doubt. It takes practice and commitment, that’s for sure.

When we view ourselves as multidimensional, we realize that what has been referred to as the chakra system is both simple and profoundly complex. This is connected to this topic of vitality. In our writings here in Forge and Flow, you’ll see that we will interchange the word chakra for stargate. The energy vortex points, or chakras, in our body, can be likened to stargates, as they are points of spinning energy that connects to the Essence of our being, which is simultaneously connected to other realms (given we are multidimensional).

These stargates or vortices expand outward to the vibrational layers that surround us and extend deep into all layers of the physical body as well. There are also channels of energy (meridians) and points of energy (called acupoints), and the ancient practice of acupuncture works with these to serve as an example. Similarly, Qigong works with acupoints (which we’ll discuss further below), so this type of movement practice also utilizes these principles.

Quick side note to bring in some visuals: We love Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon. Have you ever seen that? Here’s a really great little clip on the chakras (or what we call stargates), which provides a nice visual representation of what we’re discussing here.

To feel and allow the Vital Life Force and its force to FLOW through our body, energy must flow through your body without blockages, so all the “pools” (or stargates) must be free from debris and blockages.

Another core foundational part of the work involves bringing more balance to our daily experiences, allowing these forces to operate more smoothly in our lightbody (also known as the subtle body) as well as our physical body. The most significant factor in bringing balance is also related to purifying and cleansing our lightbody and physical body.

One BIG truth: our bodies are our own Sacred Temples.

Synthetic, inorganic substances toxify our bodies, so when we purify and cleanse our lightbody and physical body of toxicity, this is another way to help vitality FLOW, and it’s how we can begin to invigorate the life force further from within. When you can start to feel what life force energy truly feels like as it FLOWS oh-so-powerfully, you’ll never want it to NOT BE FLOWING again. It’s a WONDROUS feeling to feel that vibrancy invigorating every particle in the body!

There is a balance in this, though. We can't always strive to feel this vitality at all times because then we’re forcing it, which brings stress. Stress is something that dulls the vitality flowing into and through our Beings (especially that of chronic stress). One thing we should all know: there will always (for now in this world at this time) be days when stress enters the picture and, with it, brings emotional imbalances.

Being aware of this is hugely beneficial because it allows us, through awareness, to let our emotions move and flow through us more quickly. This is part of the wave of life that constantly should be forging and flowing. Some days will be harder than others, but it’s having plenty of tools and ways to allow stress to move through and out of the body so that the vital life force can do what it’s supposed to do… FLOW!

Another angle to this is about strengthening our bodies, and we’re not talking about “hitting the gym hard, bro!” but instead, we’re talking about strengthening the body from the INSIDE OUT. From our perspective, this is reflected in the mineral rebalancing that occurs within our bodies. This is vital and a big focus of what we do here at Forge and Flow. Mineral rebalancing is what assists in kick-starting the “gears” in the body; these gears are the tons and tons of enzymatic processes that happen in the body.

Additionally, incorporating movement practices that allow you to tap into the Universal Stream of Life is powerful for your day-to-day life, invigorating rather than depleting. With this in mind, movement can take the form of “moving meditation,” which is what the ancient healing art of Qigong (pronounced like chee-gung) is all about. The more commonly known movement practice Tai Chi (pronounced like tie-chee) is simply one type of Qigong. These practices are core to what we do here in Forge and Flow as well.

These types of movement practices enable the Spirit within you to be invigorated and reconnect with what is simple, pure, and organic. We are meant to move, and everything is meant to move as well. Even grass growing very slowly is still movement. The water, air, and all these things move, and it is very essential. Living a sedentary lifestyle has a very negative impact on us. Many of us are driving too much instead of walking. Many of us spend too much time sitting at our desks instead of engaging in some form of movement. It’s this world and the way it has been set up. And while rest is essential, excessive inactivity can have a profoundly negative impact on the body.

Conversely, too much movement equates to bodily stress. Going to the gym, pushing yourself, and running tons of miles per day can have the opposite effect, overworking and stressing the body. As with all things, we must strive for greater harmony and balance, even in our movement practices. Building strength while decreasing the stress on the nervous system is key from our lens and knowledge. That's why ancient practices like Qigong, Tai Chi, and, if you can find it, the more ancient form of yoga can build strength without depleting the body.

In fact, Qigong places a strong emphasis on the concept of conscious breathing as well. This is a critical part of movement practices to ensure there is ample breath (not gasping for air and stressing the body out), for it is through the breath that nutrients and other essential elements are brought to all parts of the body, allowing us to feel vitality from within.

We take our first breath when we enter this world and our last breath when we exit it.  And in between that expanse, our lifetime, we have a whole symphony of breaths! It's estimated that the average person breathes approximately 20,000 times per day. Without thinking and without even knowing it, the breath comes. In between the first and last breaths, we have a countless number of breaths that we don't even consider. But when we bring our conscious awareness to these breaths through intentional breathwork, this changes a fundamental component of how we operate on a day-to-day basis.

Conscious breathing calms us down. It helps us slow down from the craziness of the day and the chaos of life, anchoring us in the essential core concept that what makes us alive is the very act of breathing. That, in turn, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, one of the two primary divisions of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the relaxation response (often called the “rest and digest” response). In addition, conscious breathing enhances oxygen and nutrient absorption through the blood to the organs. This allows all systems to ignite and go back “online” for optimal functioning… hence vitality!

This is about bringing us back into the rest phase versus the stress phase. This is crucial for allowing our physical bodies and lightbodies to become more balanced in our daily lives. This Breath of Life concept can go even deeper. Breathing helps to dilate blood vessels, which has significant implications and benefits. Improving the flow of blood through our system enhances circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body more effectively and efficiently to our cells and tissues (we also call this our “subatomic particles”).

All the organs require the nutrients that we consume, as well as minerals, as do the bones, tissues, and all other components of our bodies. All of these things need our Sacred Blood to flow powerfully through our bodies, bringing the nutrients through our Sacred Temple. When there are blockages and the Sacred Waters (also known as blood) are not reaching all the places, simply opening up our breath in a conscious way helps to restore that flow. Yet another component in bringing in and allowing vitality to flow through us. Not to mention, conscious (or mindful) breathing will enable us to step into the present moment, bringing our awareness back to our bodies and our very state of Being.

These practices calm the mind, reduce stress, bolster the immune system, increase lung capacity, and improve mental clarity. Who doesn't want ALL those things, right?!

Balance is about restoration and strengthening from the inside out.

We want to address water, given that we are made mostly of water (as is this Earth). We all know that organic, healthy, whole foods are essential in our daily diet, but not many people discuss the importance of water. There's a lot of talk about clean water, but what does that really mean? There's living water and dead water, which is looking at pristine, pure water versus inorganic, unstructured water that's full of toxins.

We want to share that extremely filtered water is essential these days, reaching a level of 0.001 microns. That level of filtering will remove rust, dust, and funk from the pipes themselves, as well as toxins, chemicals, and other impurities typically found in water, including chlorine, fluoride, microplastics, and other harmful contaminants. Reverse osmosis will help remove a significant amount of that material, but achieving the 0.001-micron level is crucial for optimal results.

Deionizing the water refers to the process of removing ions from the water, which can become very complex and scientific if you want to look into it further. There's a lot of information out there, but deionizing the water will remove acids. If there's a lot of acidity in the water that we drink, it’s not good for our vitality, as we don't want highly acidic bodies. We want more alkaline bodies, just like the batteries that we buy that are charged. There's a similar kind of relationship that our body holds in terms of power; the fueling system in us for vitality is that alkaline component.

After you remove all the harmful substances and bring the water to a more balanced point through deionization, the water is still not truly alive. We need to replenish the water with minerals. Think about a stream meandering down through the mountains, touching all the rocks, mosses, and other things. As the stream meanders, it picks up rich minerals.  We need life-giving water that’s high quality, so there are magnesium bicarbonates, potassium, and other salts that can be utilized to re-mineralize the water (which helps us, at a very foundational level, begin to remineralize our bodies).

The other aspect to think about is structuring the water to give it its FULL LIFE FORCE back, and to do so, we need to make it into a SPIRAL once again.

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash

Looking back at  the way a stream moves as it twists and turns, with its ups and downs, spiraling around versus the straight lines and corners of our modern-day piping system, structuring our water is another crucial step. This essentially involves vortexing the water (as shown in the image above). This helps the water have an effervescent, vitality-induced state. There are numerous devices available for purchase to purify your water as a final step.

We personally use a water system that performs all of these functions: it filters, deionizes, utilizes reverse osmosis, remineralizes, and restructures the water. It sounds intense, but those are natural phenomena; some devices replicate them. Ours is called PristineHydro; if you'd like to look them up, but other systems also offer similar capabilities.

Here’s an example of the power of this type of water (which we have all our furbabies drinking, too!). We found a little kitten and nursed him back to health so we could find him a home. We had noticed he had worms, so we had a tincture ready to help him pass the worms and get his little GI tract back on track. However, within two or three days of drinking our amazing water, his little body cleared itself of the worms. WOW, right?!

There is a harmful, parasitic nature to many things in this world, which we won't delve into in this article. However, the best thing we can do is create a body where these harmful things cannot thrive. That is the power of what an organic, pristine environment does, and why purifying and cleansing our bodies and our lightbodies is imperative, forming a core foundation in our Forge and Flow work.

Now, we come to our last question to review: What does vitality really do in our bodies?

From our perspective, it makes us think of the primordial essence of literally how all things are brought together, which is through the sacred energies of the masculine and feminine. Masculine does not mean “male,” and feminine does not mean “female.” Instead, we’re talking about the “magic” or energies that intertwine and are a part of ALL our bodies.

Vitality flowing powerfully through us allows us to have nourishment to do the things that we want to do. It enables us to tap into the Infinite Oneness, this eternal and infinite force that we mentioned above. Vitality flowing in us allows us to feel that powerful force more and more, and once you feel that fully alive within, it’s something that you don’t want to be disconnected from.

To bring vitality in and allow it to do what it needs to do within us, it does require building discipline in our lives. Discipline is a structure that's not negative; it’s a positive aspect that involves creating a framework for practicing things daily that will help build up vitality. This includes meditation (or moving meditation), engaging in more life-giving movements (rather than stressful movement practices), and balancing that flow, as well as purifying and cleansing activities, among others. All of these things bring us more vitality rather than deplete us of it. This kind of discipline, combined with these practices every day, helps us to have more of the Vital Life Force flowing within us and around us, which in turn enhances vitality.

In terms of gaining a sense of vitality and its impact as it moves within us, engaging in activities that promote vitality and feeling the full life force can bring about a sense of awakening, greater awareness, more conscious thoughts, and more balanced thought patterns, which can help balance our emotions.

That's a huge component of becoming a balanced, holistic oneness with yourself. Balancing emotions and avoiding getting stuck in fear, anger, anxiety, or stress enables a better flow. It’s something that requires work and intention for ALL OF US.

Vitality flowing opens up our spiritual awareness, whatever that might mean for you, as it will happen uniquely. It also awakens and releases imprisoned splendor (that’s our tagline here at Forge and Flow: release the imprisoned splendor!). The splendor of who we truly are becomes “imprisoned” through layers of muck and goo that are brought about by interactions in this world, often imposed through societal, familial, or socioeconomic conditioning or pressures to achieve something or be a certain way.

Vitality can help you strip away layers that are not you to get to the core of who you truly are. It can unveil your passions, which can become a purpose of life. Vitality flowing powerfully allows you to dial in, much like adjusting a radio knob, eliminating static, and tuning into a clear signal.

The word "wholesome" comes into our awareness when we experience the vitality it brings to the body. When you feel whole, you feel more at one, and it brings an inner strength, a vibrancy of aliveness. We always think of it as the effervescence when you pop open something with carbonation; the bubbles are a symbol of vitality.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

This image is what vitality looks like and feels like in our eyes… ✨

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Here’s the video version: