The Simplest Way to Start Feeling Energy: The Palm Exercise Everyone Knows

By Leila Briggs

Let’s go back to the basics for a moment.

Before the advanced techniques. Before scanning a room. Before working on someone else’s field.

Let’s talk about the exercise almost everyone has seen at some point: Rub your hands together. Slowly pull them apart. Feel the space between your palms.

Simple.

Almost suspiciously simple.

And yet - it’s one of the most important foundational practices for developing intuitive and healing awareness. Sometimes the things that look the simplest are doing the most behind the scenes.

A Tiny Room in Egypt

I was reminded just how universal this exercise is during our trip to Egypt years ago.

One afternoon we were gathered in an old room with our small group of powerful women and some of the local Egyptians. We were working with, learning about, and buying traditional Egyptian oils from the locals and their shops.

At one point an Egyptian man entered the room carrying Egyptian Frankincense.

Before explaining anything, he simply asked us to rub our hands together and feel the energy between our palms.

So we did.

Then he placed a single drop of the Frankincense onto one of our palms and asked us to repeat the exercise.

This time, the space between our hands felt completely different. The area between our palms suddenly felt alive with new sensations - stronger, fuller, more active.

It was such a simple moment, but it stayed with me.

Across the world, across cultures, across languages - this tiny exercise translated perfectly.

Sometimes the smallest practices are the ones that travel the farthest.

First: What Are You Actually Feeling?

When you rub your hands together, you stimulate thousands of nerve endings in your palms. Friction creates heat. Blood flow increases. Electrical activity in your nervous system rises.

The human body is bioelectric. Every nerve impulse is electrical. The heart produces an electromagnetic field. Your system is constantly generating measurable activity.

So yes - something "real" is happening.

But here’s the part that matters more:

When you slowly pull your hands apart and keep your attention in the space between them, your perception sharpens. This is also where awareness of subtle energy begins to develop. As you learn to notice these small sensations - your intuition and energetic self-awareness begin to refine and strengthen.

You may notice:

• Tingling

• Warmth

• Pressure

• A magnetic push or pull

• Density

• Pulsing

• Subtle resistance

  
  

And that awareness? That’s the training.

Not fireworks. Not a dramatic spotlight with angels singing around you moment.

Just your system learning to notice what’s already there.

Why This Exercise Matters (More Than You Think)

This isn’t about proving you can feel something.

It’s about building sensory literacy.

And like any skill, it starts small.

1. It Trains Presence

You cannot feel subtle sensation while mentally racing through your to-do list.

This exercise requires:

• Slowing down

• Focusing attention

• Staying curious

  
  

When you can maintain all three, your nervous system shifts into a more regulated state. In that regulated state, you can become aware of your internal landscape.

Intuition begins with internal awareness.

2. It Strengthens Subtle Perception Safely

Your brain changes based on what you repeatedly pay attention to. This is neuroplasticity. When you consistently focus on subtle sensation between your palms, you strengthen your ability to detect nuance.

You are teaching your system:

“It’s safe to notice small things.”

That matters.

Many people want to jump straight into complex energy work without first developing subtle perception. That’s a little like trying to read poetry before you’ve learned the alphabet.

This exercise is the alphabet.

Not glamorous. But extremely useful.

3. It Establishes Your Baseline

Here’s the part most people miss.

When you practice this over and over, you begin to recognize what “neutral” feels like in your own system.

You learn:

• What calm feels like

• What regulated feels like

• What your hands normally feel like

  
  

And once you know your baseline, you can detect change.

That’s not ego control. That’s informed awareness.

If the space between your palms feels chaotic or collapsed one day, you can experiment:

• Slow your breathing

• Ground your feet

• Soften your shoulders

• Focus your intention

Then notice what shifts.

Awareness is the first step toward influence.

Try This Next (Advanced Beginner Level)

Once you feel comfortable sensing between your palms, gently move your hands near:

• A pet

• A plant

• A loved one (with permission)

Don’t force anything.

Just notice.

Do your hands feel warmer? Cooler? Denser? Lighter? More active?

Kiddos especially love this exercise. They’ll happily compare the “feel” of the dog versus their sibling versus a plant with complete confidence and zero overthinking.

You can also experiment with adding a drop of oil or essential oil to one palm before repeating the exercise - just like we experienced in that small room in Egypt. Sometimes introducing another sensory layer can amplify the sensations.

Honestly, we could learn a lot from a child's level of curiosity!