Winter ends, Spring begins

Happy Winter-Ing!

 Today, February 1st is a special day to me for a few reasons.  Nine years ago today, my first son was born - in the middle of the night, in the middle of a snow storm.  Birthing him was a long, intense experience that made me feel like a bear sinking into the dark, quiet of a cave.  He arrived Earthside, and I emerged as a different person - the day of his birth also marking the day I became a mother.  It feels fitting that this day lands at the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox.  We’re still feeling the raw, cold days of Winter but Spring is just around the corner.  In Celtic traditions, this day is celebrated as Imbolc (pronounced im-molk), which is the cross-quarter holiday of the hearth, invoking the elements of fire and water, and honoring Brigid, the goddess of fertility and protection.  The main intentions I invite to set on this day, this year are:

Patience, Preparation, Purification, and Protection.

Warmer weather and longer days are coming and it’s as though the Earth is asking for our Patience, to continue to rest and dream for the next few weeks of Winter before we really start to feel the turning of the wheel into Spring.  This time of year is also associated with fertility and Imbolc translates to “in the belly”, similar to the word umbilic, meaning the center, a middle point, a nurturing link or connection.  Mama Earth is pregnant with seeds, just underground, ready to burst forth in Spring. 

But for now, we are invited to Prepare for the coming season in our thoughts and actions, making plans and laying the groundwork. Just as the squirrels prepared back in Autumn for the Winter, by gathering nuts and padding their nests, we can prepare for Spring in these last weeks of Winter. Are there seeds to gather, tools to find, and travel to plan for?

In another week and a half, it will be the Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon.  This tradition welcomes Purification, by cleaning, clearing, de-cluttering.  Letting go of those ideas, habits, beliefs, or behaviors that hinder instead of help your growth.  Imagine the fire-breathing Dragon, burning off all the old, dead weight in your life and as you sift through the ashes, find what remains.  What is still important? Ask yourself this question and in the quiet stillness, listen for your answer.  

 When we discover what is important to us, we hold it close and Protect it, as a mother does for her children.  We can ask the Divine for protection for ourselves and our families.  Protection from the suffering of change and the wisdom to melt into transformation instead of resisting it. 

Some questions you can ask yourself as you consider this special time:

• What is important to you?

• What are you preparing for?

• What are you purifying in your life or body?

• In what areas of your life are you going through a “fire”?

Thoughts on the effects of trauma and how we can heal

Trauma's Effects on the Body and We Can Heal

In the years since 2006, when I began teaching yoga and offering massage and energy work, I've seen the wide variety of ways that the effects of trauma show up in the body.  From the posture a person holds or the way their shoulders are hunched, to rapid breathing or the necessity for constant distraction.  

It appears differently from person to person and can be a subtle, nagging experience or a full-on debilitating one.  Trauma isn't always the result of a catastrophic emergency, like surviving a crisis situation.  It can be caused by a seemingly insignificant event.  The cause is not as important as how the body reacts to it.  Whatever the body perceives as a threat is real and causes a reaction.  Something that might not cause you to think twice could have a lasting effect on me because of how I’ve taken in the information of the event.  Some factors that might impact my perspective can include my past experiences, my physical well being, my capacity for resilience, or my epigenetic history.

This body of study - Somatic Therapy, was first researched by Dr. Peter Levine, who writes about it in his groundbreaking book, Waking the Tiger, published back in 1997.  In it, he describes how animals in the wild experience traumatic events and how their subsequent actions differ from humans.  When a herd of impala senses danger as they graze, they immediately run from the threat of being captured by a hungry cheetah.  If one young impala trips and loses precious seconds, it is singled out for the chase.  When the cheetah eventually catches it, the impala falls to the ground, looking as though it is already dead.  It instinctively goes into an altered state of consciousness, shared by all mammals when death seems imminent.  This is called the “freeze” response.  It's one of four primary traumatic responses we have when facing a threat to our lives.  

Most of us have heard of the “fight or flight" responses.  We recognize “flight" when we envision the impala running for its life. Or, if it was of equal strength to the cheetah, the impala might try to “fight” back.  

The freeze response has been less well known for too long, but the ability to identify it is now being taught to police and EMS workers to understand why victims of rape and assault don’t fight or run from the attacker, but instead stay still and silent.   (The New York Times 8/22/2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/briefing /rape-victims-trauma-response-biden-hawaii.html)

Even more obscure, as it is only recently being recognized as a trauma response, is “fawning”, which is where we abandon our own needs, to serve others in order to avoid conflict, criticism, or abuse.  It's where we might try to please or appease a threat in order to keep ourselves safe and it's often learned in early childhood, developing into overly nice, people-pleasing behavior in adulthood.  

The difference between animals and humans is that animals have a way of discharging the negative energy of trauma and humans typically don't.  If the impala had escaped the clutches of the cheetah and lived to run away, what we would observe it do next would be a full body shake from head to tail to release the pent up rush of nervous feelings brought on by a life-or-death situation.  It might also find the comfort of another impala to nuzzle with or stand near.  It might go to a stream and drink big gulps of fresh water.  It instinctively does the things that bring it back to homeostasis.  

In contrast, humans typically survive an overwhelming threat and try to return to business as usual, as soon as possible.  We're told to "buck up", "let it go" and "move on".  But those are empty words without acknowledgement of the event, its after effects, or a physical remedy to release the anxious energy.  When we are faced with a threat, our bodies naturally respond with a list of physical changes that prepare us to take on the danger: eyes dilate to take in more of our environment and look for an escape route, heart starts pumping faster to send more blood to the muscles in case they are needed to quickly run away, muscles tense, breath comes in fast and shallow.  When we're on the other side of a threat - real or perceived, we need a way to release all that excess adrenaline and return to homeostasis too.  Otherwise, we may experience lasting physiological or psychological effects when triggered by the memory of the initial threat. 

Some of the symptoms of a body still living in a trauma response can include:   

• Hyperarousal or hyper vigilance - always on guard for the next fire to put out or shoe to drop and/or hyperactivity - always keeping busy so we don't have the time or energy to face what we're feeling below the surface.                                                                           

• Constriction - in the physical body, it may be harder to take a full breath or relax muscles; in the psyche, it may be a narrow way of thinking or an oppressive belief system, limiting ourselves of the full range of experiences due to fear or fear of being seen, or an inability to have close relationships.  Or, on the opposite extreme, exaggerated emotional and startle responses, abrupt mood swings, feeling easily stressed out.                                                            

• Dissociation - spacing out, forgetting things easily, living in denial, blocking out memories.  Or, on the other extreme, having intrusive flashbacks, visualizations, or nightmares, and difficulty sleeping.

Trauma has a cycle. 

First, the traumatic event happens >> the body, brain, every part of the self feels overwhelmed and reacts to the event >> the threat goes away >> (in an ideal situation) the body releases the negative energy of the event >> returns to homeostasis and is able to function and thrive in a healthy way.  If another traumatic event occurs, the body utilizes the learned skills to return to homeostasis.  

OR  

The traumatic event takes happens >> overwhelm and reaction >> threat goes away >> (not ideal situation) the body stores the effects of the reaction, which can result in physical changes to the body and brain, potential for anxiety and depression to develop, atypical/high risk behavior, repetitive negative patterns emerge >> less able to function in a healthy way, higher likelihood of another traumatic event with undeveloped tools to manage it.  

Which option do you want for yourself and those around you?  What can we do to shift into a healthy cycle?

In order to counteract the freeze response, we need to learn how to thaw - melt the tension and relax the body. 

To counter the fight response, we need to learn to take positive action, to meet the body’s need for movement in a healthy way.

To counter the flight response, we need to practice stillness, to sit with the uncomfortable memories and feelings that arise in a safe and quiet space.

To counter the fawn response, we need to get in touch with who we really are, what our boundaries are, what our needs and desires are, and give ourselves permission to voice these imperatives.

Knowing how important it is to direct healing towards a positive outcome, how would you approach a child who comes to you after an overwhelming event?  Would you take them into your arms, offer them comfort and warmth, acknowledge the event and validate their feelings, compassionately listen and hold space as they describe things from their perspective and the accompanying sensations, emotions, thoughts?  And if they needed to shake off the residual fear or nervous energy, would you help them in their release?   Yes! We all would.  We grown-ups need that same level of compassion to heal.

Now, I invite you to take a breath.  Notice the fullness of your breath in, the small pause at the height of your inhale, the release of your exhale, and the still space before the next breath in.  

Each breath is its own cycle as well.

A big part of the healing process is the act of simply taking a breath.  Mindful breathing slows down our thoughts, helps our minds to focus on bodily sensations, the muscles start to relax and feelings of expansion and fluidity emerge.  When I work with clients, whether one-on-one or in a group setting, the first thing we do is connect with our breath. It brings us home to ourselves, our bodies, and the present moment.  

In this moment, we are safe. 

In this moment, we are well.  

The work I offer is all-encompassing and approaches healing through a holistic lens that looks at the body, heart, mind, spirit, the past, present, and future. 

You might wonder how we can heal from events that have already happened. It doesn't matter how long ago a traumatic event occurred, the body carries the charge as though it has just happened.  The mind is able to picture places and people from the past and imagine alternate outcomes and an ideal future.  We can recreate the event, but this time with support and nurturing guidance to complete the cycle in the healthiest way possible.  

These are the ingredients I work with, while also combining breathwork, vocalization, reiki, massage, yoga, and ceremony.  I'll go into a little detail on each of these now.  

I've touched on some of the benefits of breathwork, but there are more - a deep wellspring of tools actually, and they’re available to tap into with the practice of breathwork.  There are forms of breathwork that incorporate arm movements to accentuate the fullness of the breath as well as associating colors, sounds, internal affirmations, and visualizations with each breath.  Taking deep breaths clears the stale air at the bottom of the lungs and invites refreshing, rejuvenating new breath in, which brings more oxygen to the brain and allows us to think more clearly.  The body, when taking in full, deep breaths takes on a wider, stronger posture which sends signals to the brain that the body is more capable and in control.  Incorporating a longer exhale to inhale ratio stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the “rest and digest” response - the opposite of the sympathetic “fight or flight” response, so we feel more relaxed and calm. There are a variety of breathwork techniques, and I cater the technique to best suit the person and situation.  

Because the throat is an area of the body that can hold onto so much emotion and is at high risk for feeling constricted, we use the tool of vocalization to release the "lump" in the throat, loosen the tight jaw, and to give voice to those emotions that swirl around down in the heart and the thoughts floating around up in the mind.  Sound is a powerful vibration.  The ancient yoga practitioners knew this and used mantra to help them find enlightenment.  In his book, The Healing Power of Sound, Dr. Mitchell Gaynor presents research that demonstrates how integrating music, vocalization, breathing, and meditation can lower blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, reduce cardiac complications, increase the immune response, and boost our natural opiates.  Hearing your own voice, owning your unique sound can create a deep shift within that allows the dam to break so you can access suppressed feelings and speak with confidence.  I’m here to bear witness and really hear you as I offer you guidance in practicing vocalization techniques.

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that begins with the receiver settling into a relaxed position either sitting in a chair or laying on a massage table.  The practitioner’s hands are held slightly above or lightly upon various parts of the body - feet, legs, hips, belly, chest, throat, forehead, and crown. The receiver typically enters a twilight mind space where they are neither fully awake or fully asleep.  There may be the sensation of vibration in the extremities, a current of air in the limbs and torso, or an unraveling of muscle tension, which can be understood as an energetic release.  Images, thoughts, emotions, or memories may rise to the surface to be healed and discharged. I think of it as a way of connecting the body with the mind and integrating the healing, coming from Spirit, that I harness and direct through my hands to help you process and release trauma.  Afterwards, there may be a range of experiences: from feelings of raw vulnerability as emotional layers peel back, to the clarity and euphoria of “leveling up” to the next stage of personal evolution.  I’m here to support you through all of it, with tools such as: journaling, grounding, reading or listening to articles that nurture your growth.

Massage works in much the same way, but instead of a subtle touch that focuses on the energy centers of the body (called chakras), it focuses on the tension held in the muscles. There is Reiki energy coming through too and in a Reiki session, there is release of muscle tension too, but each respective session has its own focus.  The massage I offer is a combination of the modalities I've trained in:  Thai Yoga Massage, Cranio-sacral, myofascial, and traditional Swedish massage.  Massage sessions offer deep relaxation and the feeling of being held in a warm, safe space.  For those who have dissociated from their bodies due to trauma, massage can be the guide back to a sense of self and self-esteem.  I cater the length of the session, the areas to zero in on, and the depth of pressure to the stated preference of the client.  The ongoing support I offer post-massage includes: teaching safe and effective ways to self-soothe, self-massage, and manage stress.

Yoga as a therapeutic modality provides us the opportunity to process trauma in a way that balances the movements of the body, with the healing aspect of the breath, along with the philosophical tenets that invite us into a broader perspective of self awareness.  In a yoga practice, we move the body in ways that make it feel empowered, strong, and flexible.  We are able to heal unconscious wounds and create new neural pathways through these repetitive, therapeutic motions.  The increased self awareness yoga imparts helps us clear emotional drama by inviting us to view ourselves on the micro level - as a unique individual impacted by our own history and desires; and on the macro level - as part of something greater than ourselves, something which is wise and caring. We embody those virtues of care and wisdom when we practice yoga. We feel them within ourselves first, as each pose highlights the intelligence of the body’s functions.  The more we practice, the virtues multiply and ripple out to encompass loving compassion for the people, animals, and living world around us.  The style of yoga I have studied and practiced for 27 years is therapeutic yoga, which incorporates meditation, philosophy, mantra (chanting sacred sounds), and pranayama (breathwork) -all which are proven to be beneficial for healing trauma.

Finally, ceremony as a healing tool for trauma addresses the soul's need to complete the cycle by being witnessed and guided across the threshold between two worlds.  Instead of remaining stuck in the role of Victim, we engage in the ritual of ceremony and cross into the role of Hero.  Ceremony acknowledges that a special transition is taking place and invites in Spirit to guide, protect, and bless the transition.  We incorporate the elements, the directions, and the help of ancestors into the ceremony and raise the vibration of the trauma so that it transforms into fertile soil for growth instead of a heavy muck that could pull us down.  Ceremony also creates a narrative of your experience so that the psyche can better process the life cycle of the trauma.  There is a beginning, middle, and end.  There are visual, audial, and tactile clues throughout the ceremony that inform the psyche that a change is taking place.  Ceremony has the potential to retrieve and reunite lost pieces of a person’s soul with their bodies, and the feeling of “being in spiritual limbo” dissipates.  I’ve held ceremonies for a variety of occasions, from the first Wedding ceremony in 2007 to the Mid-life Reawakening ceremony just last month and each time there is a transformation of the human spirit as it connects to the Great Spirit of Creation.  Each ceremony is an opportunity for us to better understand ourselves, our experiences, and our role in this divine story.

To sum up, trauma is a pervasive fact of modern life that most of us have experienced, not just those who were soldiers or victims of attack or abuse.  Our bodies don't differentiate between a real or perceived threat and when the cycle of experiencing the threat doesn't complete in a healthy way, there is potential for trauma to become locked in the body and affect our lives for years to come.  When our bodies can discharge the pent-up fear from a traumatic event, the nervous system finds balance and freedom from that burden.  A healing moment can ripple back to the past and forward into the future.  Instead of rehashing old traumas, we can bring up the sensations in the body of what the trauma feels like and heal it in the present moment.  Trauma is just energy that needs to complete its cycle without interruption.  My gift to you is to offer this with compassion, validation, and care through the modalities of breathwork, vocalization, reiki, massage, yoga, and ceremony.

Thoughts on Traditional Thai Yoga massage

Traditional Thai Yoga Massage

History of Traditional Thai Yoga Massage (TTYM)

Traditional Thai Yoga Massage is a therapeutic technique of bodywork that was developed over 2,500 years ago by Jivaka Kumarbhaccha. He was a friend and physician to the Buddha, renowned as a healer in the Buddhist tradition.  When Buddhist monks and nuns migrated from India to Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, and Thailand, they brought the knowledge of Thai Massage and medicine with them, which is why TTYM is a powerful combination of Yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, and Eastern spiritual and philosophical wisdom.

What is TTYM?

Traditional Thai medicine is a natural, holistic approach, which includes proper nutrition, physical exercise, medicinal herbs, and therapeutic massage to maintain health and well-being.

Diagrams inscribed on the walls at the temple at Wat Po in Bangkok illustrate one of the fundamental principles of traditional Thai medicine: that energy flows through the body along ten major channels, called Sen lines, and that a prolonged obstruction in any of these channels can result in pain or disease.  This idea, which can be found in many other ancient healing systems as well, states that imbalances - either internal (originating within from unprocessed trauma), or external (caused by outside forces in the environment) can cause illness within our human bodies.  Many ailments have been treated with massage to restore the flow of energy to the body. 

A Thai yoga massage differs from a Swedish massage in that it is offered on a thick, cushioned mat on the floor and the client remains fully clothed in loose pants and a comfortable shirt, which allows for the optimal ease of movement.  A session can last anywhere between one to two hours and consists of fluid movements that stretch, lengthen, and twist the body of the receiver, while they recline on their back, side, front, or sit on the mat.  No two Thai massages are the same, as they are catered to address the individual client’s needs, which can change from day to day.  The massages help alleviate aches and pains, especially issues with the back, shoulders, neck, hips, head, and legs.

Thai yoga massage is a comprehensive, full body treatment that relieves muscular tension, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, and increases the flexibility of the physical body. On an energetic level, TTYM brings balance to the body’s energy system, creating stress reduction and relaxation, while promoting inner peace. It reaches to the deeper layers of the self: the emotions, thoughts, and senses.  It’s common for recipients to enter into a yoga nidra state, where the tethers of time and space dissolve and awareness floats just outside of the body.  Most clients report that following a session, they feel lighter, taller, and more graceful, with a sense of alignment between their body, mind, and soul. 

My Personal Experiences

I was first introduced to Thai Yoga Massage in an almost accidental way. It was 2010 and two different friends of mine were going to be traveling in Thailand at the same time. I knew I wanted to visit each of them while they were there and since Thailand had been on my bucket list for years, I decided to plan a trip. Me being who I am though, I couldn’t just go and not learn something while there. I did a search to see what kinds of yoga were taught in Thailand and that’s when I came across Thai Yoga Massage. I had never even heard of it before, but the more I read about it, the more I wanted to learn and practice it, so I found a school - The Sunshine Thai Massage School - with a program that was running during my time frame of travel and signed up.

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! My teacher, Fabian Scapan was knowledgeable, kind, and had a gift of combining patience and humor into his instruction. The days were long and hot on the island of Ko Tao, where we stayed. We started our training each morning with the sunrise, practicing yoga to prepare our bodies and minds. Fabian would meet us in the courtyard of our rented cabana, then we would eat breakfast and meet him up at the training space. It was a steep hike on a narrow dirt road up to the training space. We would chant mantras in Sanskrit for motivation as we trekked. One of my favorites was, Manme Ram, Hathme karm, which means, “In the mind, God; In the hand, work.”

We studied from cover to cover, the book: The Art of Traditional Thai Yoga Massage, that Fabian’s teacher, Asokananda wrote. We practiced all day, taking breaks for water and lunch. Fabian would use his machete to cut fresh papaya down from the trees around his home and serve it to us with the shiny black seeds still in the center. Each evening after a delicious dinner of rice and vegetables, we practiced what we’d learned that day. Then we would take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand before heading to bed.

I traveled with, and took the course with my dear friend, Joy Ravelli. She and I were the only two people who signed up and (because we both had already been studying and teaching yoga for well over a decade) we received in depth, personalized, advanced instruction for the 10 day long course. Learning the movements came very naturally to me and I found that giving Thai Yoga Massage felt as good in my body as it did to those receiving. I always feel invigorated, strong, and energetically clear when offering this type of massage.

When we returned home to San Francisco, we had a long list of people to practice on and a few months later Joy, who owns Purusha Yoga Studio, asked me to teach a Thai Yoga Massage training course for her students. Preparing for and teaching this course for 8 sessions over the next 4 years really helped solidify what I had learned. I practiced, wrote lesson plans, and continued my studies so much that I embodied the knowledge and let that understanding flow out of me and into the students and recipients.

I learned how to adapt each of the movements to best serve the wide variety of bodies that I have seen over the past 13 years. I’ve combined what I learned in Thailand to the expertise I gained through completing my 2 year western massage therapist training program. My understanding of all the various physical contraindications and potential areas of concern, keeps my clients safe and healthy. I layer that comprehension with my 20 years of training and practice in energy work to perceive and support the universal flow of energy that is always available to help each person reach their optimal level of clarity, peace, and flexibility.

I look forward to guiding you in your exploration of Thai Yoga Massage and all the benefits it holds for you. Please contact me to schedule your appointment today.

Thoughts on Reiki

I want to share with you my thoughts on Reiki - it’s history, it’s unique qualities, and my own personal experiences with it - to better acquaint you with this powerful modality and how it can help you.

History of Reiki

Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing tradition that was brought to the world through the transmission of knowledge from Mikao Usui. In the mid-1800’s, Usui was a scholar who went on a quest to find the origins of the method of healing that Jesus and the Buddha worked with.  

He traveled to the U.S. for seven years to study Christianity, returned to Japan and took up residence in a Zen Buddhist monastery for several more years. There, he studied Sanskrit - the original language of many sacred texts - and after reading ancient writings, he found a simple yet effective method.  Usui then set for himself a 21 day test, which included meditation, fasting, and prayer on Mt. Koriyama in Japan to integrate what he had learned.  At the end of the three week period, in the predawn darkness, he saw a powerful beam of light, shooting straight toward him.  He considered running away but resolved to stay and accept his fate, even if it meant sudden death.  When the projectile struck his third eye, he fell unconscious, and saw in his mind’s eye “millions of rainbow bubbles”.  This was the first attunement.  The Reiki symbols were revealed to him and he understood how the information about each of them could activate healing energy.  Usui left the mountain knowing how to heal as Buddha and Jesus had healed. 

At first he brought healing to the slums of Kyoto, then took Reiki on foot through Japan.  Eventually, he met Chujiro Hayashi, a retired naval officer, and after the two of them worked together for many years, Hayashi received his Reiki Master’s training from Usui in 1925.  Hayashi opened a clinic in Tokyo, which healed scores of people and trained teams of hundreds of practitioners.  Both men and women received the training and 16 of them went on to become Reiki Masters.  

One of these Reiki Masters was Hawayo Takata, a Hawaiian woman who traveled to the clinic in Japan and lived there for four months in order to heal from severe physical problems.  With her mind, body, and spirit restored to health, she requested to be trained in this powerful modality but Hayashi refused, as he did not want to train a foreigner who would take the knowledge out of Japan.  Eventually Hayashi relented and trained Takata, who lived in Japan for two more years before returning to Hawaii to open her own successful clinic in Kapaa.  

In 1938, Takata was appointed by Hayahsi to be his successor.  He had predicted years earlier that a war was coming that would shut down the healing clinics.  World War II did indeed close the clinics, but Takata was the means by which Reiki persisted.  She taught and healed with Reiki not only in Hawaii, but also on the mainland of the U.S. in Canada and in Europe.  

Takata lived to be 80 years old and trained hundreds of people before she passed in 1980.  The teaching methods have varied as the years have passed, but at the heart of Reiki is a deep love and reverence for humanity, as we heal ourselves and each other.

What is Reiki

The word Reiki is composed of two Japanese words - Rei and Ki.  Rei can be defined as the Higher Intelligence that guides the creation and functioning of the universe.  It is the subtle wisdom that permeates everything and is available to help us in times of need and to act as a source of guidance in our lives.

Ki is the energy that animates all living things.  When a person’s Ki is high, they feel strong, confident, and ready to enjoy life’s challenges.  When it is low, they feel weak and are more likely to get sick.  We receive Ki from the air we breathe, from food, sunshine, and from sleep.  

It is also possible to increase our Ki by using breathing exercises and meditation.  When a person dies, their Ki leaves the physical body.  

Reiki can be described as healing that is made up of life force energy, guided by Higher Intelligence.  Negative thoughts and emotions are not just in our brains, they also collect in various locations throughout the body.  Sometimes we are not even aware of them, which may inhibit our ability to change or eliminate them.  Because Reiki is guided by a Higher Intelligence, it knows exactly where to go and how to respond to blocked Ki energy.  As Reiki flows to an unhealthy area, it breaks up and washes away negative thoughts and feelings lodged in the unconscious mind/body, allowing a healthy flow of Ki to resume.  As this happens, the unhealthy organs and tissues become properly nourished with Ki and function once again in a balanced way.  

The process for giving Reiki begins with the receiver settling into a relaxed position, typically laying on a massage table or seated in a chair.  The Reiki practitioner then holds their hands lightly upon or just hovering over various parts of their body: the feet, legs, hips, belly, chest, throat, forehead, and crown of the head.  A Reiki session can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half.  Reiki can be given in person or at a distance of thousands of miles away. The receiver usually enters a twilight mind space where they are neither fully awake nor fully asleep.  It may feel like being in deep meditation or dreaming.  There may be the sensation of vibration in the extremities, a current of air through the limbs and torso, or an unraveling of muscle tension.  Images and thoughts may come to mind, while memories and emotions rise to the surface of awareness.  Overall, it is a very relaxing and enjoyable experience that gives the person a feeling of clarity, lightness, and joy that may remain for hours or days into the future. 

Reiki is a non-invasive technique that has long been growing in popularity and practice. 

As integrative medicine continues to explore and research the benefits of alternative modalities, Reiki will continue to serve an important role as a valuable healing method.

My Personal Experiences

I was first introduced to Reiki in 1997, when a friend gave me the book, The Essential Reiki, by Diane Stein.  I read it cover to cover, fascinated by the mind-expanding possibilities, even though at the time it didn’t all make sense to me.  A year prior to that, I had begun the yoga practice that has since sustained me throughout the ups and downs of my life and the more I practiced yoga, the more I came to understand the ideas and embodied experiences of Reiki. One of the facets of yoga that I’m most drawn to is its philosophy and the style that I practice aligns with Samkhya, which proposes that there is a duality found in our awareness, composed of Purusha, which is known as the Seer, or witness of life’s experiences and Prakriti, which is the part of ourselves that has thoughts, emotions, senses, and operates in the physical world. 

I draw similarities between Rei, which is Higher Intelligence and Purusha, the Pure Consciousness; and Ki, animating energy, to Prakriti, the source of all action.  Even though these ideas originated in different locations (Yoga in India and Reiki in Japan) they share a similar wisdom that provides us with a road map for understanding the Self and how to heal.

I can’t help but draw parallels between the effects of Reiki and those of the Traditional Chinese Medicine practice of acupuncture in the way that both nourish and balance the flow of prana (life force energy), as well as the Sen lines found in Traditional Thai Yoga Massage and the Flow lines of Jin Shin Jyutsu.  Even with different names and origins, the healing speaks for itself.  Having studied all of these modalities, I find they harmoniously overlap and inform each other when I work with clients.

The progress and transformations I’ve witnessed in clients over the years has been astounding.  The heavy weights of emotional baggage have lifted, years of unprocessed trauma and repressed memories have come to the surface to be resolved, physical limitations have become unbound, and a lightness and clarity has returned to their inner world.  How does this happen?  By creating a safe and supportive space to process in, by guiding the flow of breath though the lungs and the relaxation of the muscles.  And simply because this practice is subtle, yet powerful.  I think of it as a way to connect the sensations of the body to the workings of the mind so that they are in an aligned and cooperative relationship.  

I begin each session with a check-in and grounding meditation. I offer helpful guidance during and after the Reiki part of the session in journaling, reflecting, breathing, and movement, which is inspired by both my Yoga Therapy training and my lived experience.  

My official Reiki training began in 2006, when I received my Reiki Level 1 attunement and the following year, I received Level 2.  I recently earned my Reiki Master’s certification, after years of study and practice and I feel blessed and honored to share my gift.

I personally believe it is my life’s purpose to share this healing practice with people so that we can feel better and create a ripple effect of positive growth.  I love introducing people to the idea of weaving the joy and magic of energy work into their mundane daily tasks by slowing down, breathing deeply, and noticing the sensations that are present in the body.  When we feel the vibrations in our own bodies we become aware that consciousness and beauty are alive in all things.  In this way, we align with and recognize the intelligence in every being -animal, plant, crystal, and human - and prioritize caring for this miraculous living world.

I hope you find this information to be a useful resource when deciding which modality is best for you at this present moment. Please reach out to me with your questions and curiosities. I’d love to chat with you!