“Energy – it’s what’s make the birds sing and the flowers grow.”
What a beautiful thought that instantly lightens your heart and makes you smile.
This was just one of the many poetic things that came from my Energy Healer during our session. Not only did this paint a picture in my mind, it also gently emphasized the power and importance of this little thing we are all made of – ENERGY.
Positive, negative, wounded, growing, energy.
And with that, how many of us are in tune with our energy? Our bodies? I don’t mean in the traditional, workout and eat healthy sense, I mean, how many of us truly listen, communicate, care, and understand our bodies?
Modern society tells us that disease and illness are inevitable. And when our predetermined illness(es) surface, which they most certainly will, the only tool in our toolbox is Western medicine. Medicine that must eradicate all things bad, and good, from our bodies.
In case you didn’t catch my undertone, I don’t believe modern medicine, drugs, and antibiotics are the end-all-be-all. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a time and a place for modern medicine, however I am beginning to understand how much power each and every one of us naturally harnesses. There is no doubt in my mind that our bodies are more intelligent and sophisticated than any medicine we have, or will, create. Although humans have been studying the body for hundreds of years, we are still learning new things, systems, and components of our bodies. (Some research indicates that when they first discovered white and red blood cells, there was only one white blood cell. With our evolution and need for greater immunity, we have an increased number of white blood cells present in our bodies today! How incredible to think we have adapted and evolved at such a deep level to keep ourselves healthy… whereas we can become immune to, and render certain medicines ineffective, over time.)
Our bodies are constantly evolving, adjusting, and compensating to keep us pain free and functioning. How many of us have gone to the doctor, chiropractor, gotten a massage, etc., and the practitioner says “wow, I can’t believe you were living with this (pain, alignment issue, etc.)”? It is truly amazing how much our bodies want to take care of us. Without being forced or asked, our bodies automatically take care of us and keep us moving.
So what happens if we gained proper knowledge of and established a deep connection with our bodies so it didn’t have to compensate and adjust? What could our bodies do then?
I don’t think anyone has the answer to this question, but it is one of the beautiful things we get to uncover on our own…
What is reiki?
Prior to two months ago I had no idea what reiki was. Two years ago, I probably wouldn’t have even been open to, or receptive to, the concept and experience. Maybe it has been my own personal growth and being comfortable with who I am and who I want to be, or maybe it is my growing desire for a full, complete, honest life. Either way, I have evolved and incorporated a number of holistic, ancient, and spiritual practices into my life… most recently including reiki.
Reiki is a Japanese practice, and was described by my Energy Healer as “guiding” and “encouraging” the body to release. The release of emotion, tension, trauma. It is very gentle, and includes limited hands-on contact. The practice helps move and transfer energy, which creates a reduction in stress, and promotes healing (of all types of illnesses, diseases, and ailments).
I also thought this was a beautiful translation:
My experience
I will be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in… will my Energy Healer be wearing a rainbow mumu with dreadlocks and sage burning? Will this session take place in a yurt? Not a fan of incenses, will she be burning those?
To my relief, it was better than my best case scenario.
Her studio was tucked into little downtown Willits, California. Which, if you have never been to Willits, is its own unique, hippy-esque, happy nugget of Northern California. The town as a whole dances to the beat of its own drum. Upon meeting my Energy Healer I was instantly calm and comfortable. She exudes such peace, calmness, and acceptance. We dove right into introductions and chatted like old friends. I was fascinated by her history and experience. Notably the fact that she attended and completed chiropractic school. Which also helped me feel more comfortable, as she was well-versed in all things skeletal, muscular, and nervous system related. She also shared her own health “issues” and triumphs. It was encouraging to listen to her and the beauty of what she had learned and practiced.
As we moved into why I was there and what I wanted out of the session, we started getting deeper. While I am mostly an open book, I am also very reserved when it comes to emotions, feelings, and trauma. I like to bottle that up and wrestle with it by myself. With her, I didn’t feel I needed a guard. I didn’t feel judged. I would say just talking to her was an emotional release in itself.
After talking through some physical and emotional injuries/traumas/events, I lied down on the table where the session would take place. The table was similar to a massage table, and included a pillow for both my head and under my knees (my idea of ultimate comfort), and an infrared heating pad under my back. There was also a sheet to lie under. The set up felt very similar to a massage, except I was on my back the entire time, and fully clothed.
She started with my left leg, gently rocking, moving, and rubbing it as we talked. It was like a therapy session mixed in – she gently asked questions and guided as I rambled and emotionally “dumped”. As I talked, she would say “Ah, there ya go. Your muscles let go. You’ve been holding that trauma and tension in your leg.” Which, to many, may sound ridiculous. But it made sense emotionally, physically, and comparatively. As she continued to work, I felt my right leg stiff as a board (which is how my body normally feels) while she was freely moving and wiggling my left leg (think limp rag). No matter how hard I tried to relax and release tension in my right leg (prior to her working on it), it was stiff, and that half of my body was rigidly elevated off the table. She dropped little bits of insight and wisdom as she moved and we talked, I found it fascinating that our bodies hold on to emotion and trauma on a cellular level. If we don’t release and take care of that pent-up emotion, we carry it around forever… our proverbial baggage. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be weighed down by those past experiences forever.
She moved from my left leg, over to my right, and then to my midsection, neck, and head. The transformation in my body as she worked was amazing. I truly felt lighter and more relaxed than ever. Although very limited hands-on contact, it had a similar physical effect of a massage.
As she worked we talked all through things health and wellness, including nutrition, supplements, and our body’s intricately connected systems. She explained the ripple effects of tension, tightness, and emotion throughout the body. She had an amazing way of connecting the physical with the spirit, which helped it feel more “real”. I was extremely intrigued as she explained the diaphragms throughout our bodies, and what she was finding in my body. A few of the things that she noted were: my sightly inflamed kidney and “stuck” wings. She also moved my Hyoid bone (which can get shifted, mine probably happened when I got in my four wheeler wreck. It can pinch the esophagus, and has been connected with sleep apnea), and released some tension in my chest diaphragm to help me utilize the full capacity of my lungs. (Turns out I had only been using a portion of my lungs, which would explain why breathing felt really hard sometimes. I am a natural breath-holder when I get tense or stressed, but even at periods of rest breathing felt labored and like I couldn’t get a full drink of air.) It was such an interesting experience – not only physically, but also for learning. I wish I could remember everything she said!
The session was supposed to last two hours, and ran over to three. If I didn’t have to hit the road, it could have gone even longer. She was so thoughtful, and I love that she wasn’t limited by the clock. She was in-tune with what she was doing, and was focused on just making me feel better. It certainly made the experience feel even more special.
Final thoughts
I think it goes without saying, that I recommend this to everyone. Well, as long as you’re ready and open to accepting it. Without a receptive mindset, you won’t see and feel the benefits of reiki. But that goes for just about everything – even modern medicine (hello, placebo effect!).
Reiki opened my mind and heart to so many things, not only spiritually but physically, and how I want to care and communicate with my body. I am even more amazed by what our bodies do, and just want to nurture and understand mine. I think everyone has something to be gained from reiki, and I will continue sharing my experience with friends and family. I want all of us to live to our highest potential and let go of what isn’t serving us any longer. Our bodies have the ability to do amazing things – we just need to communicate with it.
Beer in a Martini World 
I need to go too… would be a very eye opening experience.
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