In my early twenties, I was invited to a spiritual center where a great teacher (one of the founders) was giving a talk. At that time in my life, I was suffering from bulimia and depression, and was actively seeking anything and anyone that may bring me some relief.
A large group had assembled and a gentle-looking, bearded man entered the room. He was not big in stature, but he had this amazing energy. I remember that he spoke about the transformative benefits of a meditation practice. Apparently, he spent much of his time away from the city and populated areas so he could meditate in peace.
We were all sitting on the floor of this center (I believe that they also taught yoga classes there), and I stretched out my legs during his talk. Right away, one of the members asked me not to point the bottom of my feet toward the teacher, as this directs dirty energy toward him. I found this weird and annoying, but I complied. (Yes, I was rather grumpy and unsympathetic at that stage of my life).
As I was driving home after this event, I noticed something. The cloud of heaviness and depression that was weighing on me had completely lifted! I was filled wth peace and contentment. it was amazing!
Sadly, I was not able to sustain this level of freedom and I slipped back into my old thoughts and behaviors. It was many years before I was able to free myself from bulimia and many more before I was able to process and heal the depression.
However, that evening I got a glimpse of what is possible, and I witnessed the power of being in the presence of an illuminated being.

Imagine if you had magic glasses and were able to see the energy field of other people. People we refer to as charismatic and powerful are actually people with large & bright energy fields. People who suffer from ailments, physical and mental, have dimmed auric fields with darker spots and holes.
Then we have everyone else in-between!

Can you see how the health of your chakras and the brightness of your energy field influences everything in your life? Why everything (manifesting, attracting, etc.) is so much easier when you shine brightly?

We all have our favorite methods and modalities, but the goal is the same. We all wish to remove the dirt, the negative thought forms, and blocks from our energy field. We don’t usually phrase it like that. We typically ask for: health, loving relationships, wealth, etc. How can we attain the things we wish for?
By removing the dirt (blocks, beliefs, negative thoughts, grudges) from our energy field.