I have been studying energy manipulation for 10 years, I am not a master or a teacher, but I do love to help others on their quest.
My story is about, my experiences.
I am an empath, and I do have some psychic abilities, such as reading people and feeling there presence, I have been manipulating my energy for some time, at least 8 years, first I did theory now I do practice methods. I still study and continue to do so, I used to do Reiki healing at one point as well, but when I found out that I am just a energy rod (like a lightning rod) I gave up thinking that I wanted to use my own energy, I do still use this ability for the best, it keeps me positive all the time because it is rare, so many can be skeptic, others also study, meditation works amazingly, I can meditate for a good 20 minutes and open my eyes to feeling many different things, sensing energy and focus is an issue due to distractions, a lot of distractions and being an empath does not help, I do not think of my ability to sense emotions or energy as a curse, I love it a lot, because it makes me different, those who are skeptic I do not tend to bother about, but if this ability fuels my path then I will use it no matter what others believe.
I can sense energy, feel energy and place it in different parts of my body, constructing an energy orb/sphere does not work due to lack of concentration (think of a water balloon with a pin hole and slowly leaking water) but I do still continue to train my mind, body and spirit into making this ability heighten. The distractions are easy to work with, all I need to do is find a place where my mind can focus and then I put my skills to the task. I hope to have my skills completely mastered by the end of the year or sooner, maybe even later due to the distractions. Thank you all, and I am happy to help others with their skills or issues.