My phone burbles with an incoming text. I know what the message is because it comes at the same time every day, five days a week. “Sending chi.”

I stop in my pre-Christmas housecleaning tracks, brew a mug of green peach tea and sit in an easy chair. Soon I am zoned out in a pleasant haze, getting my chi fix for the day. Chi and tea, a perfect combination.

In the next room my husband sits in front of his computer, eyes closed, hands spread. He, too, is receiving the energy flow but he is probably giving as much as he is getting. He is a powerful chi generator himself. If I need an extra dose, I often ask him to direct the flow my way.

We subscribe to a remote “chi clinic,” five days a week, a service of the Sun Shen center in Ann Arbor Michigan. An hour a day several healers send energy to participants, both at the center and in any remote location. I don’t know how this remote stuff works but it does, at least for us. It provides instant relaxation, sometimes relief from discomfort or sensations in the body, a meditative mood if you want that, or a burst of energy if you continue your tasks in a conscious way. The healers say the more recipients there are, the stronger the flow among us all.

A side benefit is that it creates a decisive break in the day, a stop, like Muslim prayers or Benedictine offices. I find it best to use it that way whenever I can, rather than continuing my work. It is a signal to shift attention, to connect with the energy of Creation, to receive and pass on this mysterious essence of life. Sometimes I pray and pass the energy to specific people. I often think about the connection of chi, intention, and prayer. Sun Shen combines Christian and Taoist traditions.

Feeling and working with chi–the basis of Chinese medicine and many other ancient spiritual and healing traditions–may take some practice. We have been beneficiaries of Sun Shen’s unique therapies for several years and find that our responses and awareness increase over time.

The Chi Clinic is a good way to start. Imagine taking a whole hour to relax every day in this busy time of year! Or using it for a fresh start in the new year.You can try it for a week, free. If you feel some benefit, you can subscribe to the service by the month. If you’re like us you may find it addictive.

Another text burble, an hour later. “That’s all for today.” Back to cleaning, laundry, and stacking gifts to wrap.