…practicing the art of meditation.

Day 2

No, you haven’t missed Day 1. It was never written.

Day 2 is where I begin this adventure. An adventure to write, to proclaim, to pat myself on the back – NO…to high-five myself; and to high-five you, as well.

I want to begin this adventure in hopes of spawning a new culture, a widened view of acceptance of proclaiming our wins in life. I’m not talking about those common milestone wins; although these wins are also reasons to celebrate. I’m talking about those little wins that were baby steps in the larger game called life.

Today was Day 2 in my meditation routine that needed some modification. Let me back up a bit. I have FOREVER (seriously! since I was in high school) struggled with waking up on time. Fast forward over 20 years and three kids later, it is apparent to me that I NEED to wake up before my children even twitch at the lightest noise and begin their day. For six months, I have been trying to wake up at 5 am. Some days I do and some days I don’t. It’s easy for me to talk myself out of getting up when I don’t get a full night’s sleep – my kiddos are still learning how to sleep by themselves throughout the night. This time, however, was different. And I want to thank knowledgable and special friends of my family’s – Abby, Elmo, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang! There’s a phrase that they teach my family; “I Wonder, What If, Let’s Try”.

Day 1 was easy because my daughter woke me up at 4:45 am to tuck her back in bed. So I kept the momentum of being awake and meditated. A routine of 20 minutes of pranayama breathing and two Abraham Hicks rampages. I then enjoyed a warm drink while reviewing my planner and then even read a few pages of my cat magazine! My eyes grew tired and I thought about going back to sleep. As I momentarily reprimanded myself I realized, “at this point, I’m winning!” So, I decided to roll with the tiredness and snuggled back in bed next to my daughter. It was blissful.

Little wins. That’s what I’m talking about.

But it gets better.

Day 2

My alarm went off in mid-REM sleep cycle; I was jolted awake. I slept in another 45 minutes and awoke to the idea of all the ways I could sleep in AND meditate. But I’ve done that before, time and time again. It works, but never the same as if I meditated without my kids awake. And then I heard it, “I wonder, what if I meditated for two days in a row before my kids woke up? Let’s try it and see what my day brings.”

Damn, from not having enough waffles to share to losing a brown marker; I calmly and compassionately diffused each situation. I even had enough energy to go about some of these toddler-catastrophes with humor. Little wins.

Oh, and I also did the daily chores, paid bills, played outside, and while making lunch I quizzed my girls on their colors, shapes, and letters. Wow! For most, these are regular things that must get done. And when I became a parent with multiple kiddos, my time disappeared into disjointed conversations and tasks. I understand creating a family is the natural evolution of joining more individuals into the mix of your life. But as I traveled through the same trail day in and day out, I have learned that I wanted my path to be smoother and easier to navigate through. So I practiced over and over; tweaked my routine here and there. And the final carve in my path, wondering what my Day 2 would look like. In this I found a little win…actually lots of little wins.

And for this, I high-five my rockstar mom of a jam! I feel good, I feel great, I feel awesome. AWE-some. And this culture we live in just got a lot better because this is my proclamation today. And I invite you to join me, talk with me, high-five with me. This postpartum struggling momma with cases of depression, grief, guilt, anxiety, and RAGE knows. I don’t know it all; but I FEEL you! Don’t sustain the culture of quietness; but acknowledge the toughness in life and then high-five the little wins in your day. And tell me your story – what little win did you just have today? Maybe the relief that it is acceptable to cheerlead for yourself. Rest with that!

Come back to high-five me about Day 3.

~Namaste, Christine

I get asked, “what is Reiki?”

Reiki uses these points on the body to decrease blockages

The way to answer this question depends upon the person’s knowledge and/or openness to Eastern medicine.  And as an educator, my technique in answering this question begins at the learners’ level…common knowledge.

In the United States, it is common to see massage and acupuncture businesses offering treatments to soothe, calm, and promote good health.  Moreover, it is common enough that select insurance companies now carry coverage for these treatments.  This knowledge becomes the foundation of my teaching approach.  And as I begin describing Reiki from a simple and common answer, I observe the response from the learner.  Their response is key to knowing just how deep I should describe Reiki.

First, the simple answer is, “it is a technique that decreases stress in the body.”  I then ask the learner if they have heard about or have ever received a massage or acupuncture treatment.  And of course, I am 99% certain the listener has at least heard about them.

I explain that with massage, there are points in the body where tension builds up.  Massage practitioners find those points and manipulate the muscle tissues to relieve the tension.

With acupuncture, there are points on the body in which blockages build up that prevent flow within the body.  Acupuncturists introduce needles into those points to increase flow.

With the understanding of those two forms of healing, I then move into the description of Reiki.  With Reiki, the same idea follows that there are points in the body where blockages build up.  But unlike the manipulation of tissues or insertion of needles into those points, Reiki practitioners do not need to physically handle the body.  They just place their hands at these points, either on the surface of your body or slightly above, to remove those blockages.  And that is usually where I end my description.

If I do go on, I usually say that others find it difficult to understand how Reiki works because there may be no contact on the surface of the body and you cannot visually see anything coming from the practitioner’s hands.  But usually at this point, the learner now knows the answer to, “what is Reiki?”  And I hope you have, too.

~Christine

…be confident in your practice

When you are a beginning practitioner, it is common to feel unsure about whether the Reiki you’re giving is “working.”  And even as a seasoned practitioner, there are times when a treatment doesn’t feel as strong as it had during other treatments.

I felt this same way during a previous treatment.  When I began the treatment, I was working on the receiver’s right arm.  At this position, I felt weak sensations in my hands.  They were slightly warm, but that is all.  *As a side note, remember that although you don’t feel sensations, trust that Reiki is flowing.*  Trusting this, I remained at the right arm for a few minutes.

When I finished the receiver’s right arm, I treated the left arm.  And as soon as I placed my hands on the arm, the sensations were powerful!  Vibrations enveloped my hands, my body temperature increased (I was on the brink of sweating), energy pulled through my hands, and I had an instinct to stand still- to remain at that spot.

It was then that I realized the Reiki I was giving was “working” the entire time.  I was just treating the wrong side.

As a new practitioner, don’t give up because you’re not feeling any sensations.  Become confident in your practice.  Let yourself find where the receiver needs the energy.  Experiment with hand positions.  If you are on the right, then treat the left.  If you are on the anterior, then move to the posterior…..and so on.

Discover good skill and intuition

~Christine

…I study the body’s filtration system

I want to begin a series of posts about the human body’s organ systems.  This week, I will be introducing the Urinary System.  I will begin by discussing the basic function of the system and the organs that are found in the system.  then I will explain how I utilize this knowledge when giving Reiki.

The Urinary System’s main function is to filter the body’s blood from nutritional and waste products.  So, the foods, beverages, water, or whatever you inhale taken in to your body, is processed and added to the bloodstream.  Eventually the nutrients in the blood end up at the kidneys.  If your body does not use the nutrients that you have ingested to build up the cells in your body or for storage, it is considered waste.

The Urinary System (Female) from the MayoClinic.org

The main organs in the Urinary System are the kidneys, bladder, ureter, and urethra.  Each organ has a specific function to reach the overall goal of filtering your body system.  Blood circulates through your body carrying nutrients and waste.  When the blood reaches your kidneys, the blood is filtered.  This means that whichever material is in your blood; glucose, water, sodium, potassium, etcetera, is separated into good (nutritional) and bad (non-nutritional).  All the bad is taken from the kidneys into the ureters, tubular pathways that connect to the bladder.  From the bladder, the bad, also called waste, waits in this “holding tank” until there is enough for you to excrete through urination.  Finally, the passage way from the bladder to the external world – the toilet – is the urethra.

During Reiki, I focus on the Urinary System when receiver’s express dis”eases” or pain in some of the following;

<>  lower back or lower abdominals,

<>  pelvis,

<>  dehydration,

<>  headaches (a symptom of dehydration),

<>  poor nutrition level,

<>  jaundice,

<>  UTI’s, bladder infections,

<>  kidney stones,

<>  fatigue, or

<>  abnormal bowel movements.

While I treat the Urinary System, I place both hands on the anterior (front) of the body above the organ location.  An alternative position would be to place one hand on the anterior (front) and the other on the posterior (back) of the body.  For example, if I am treating the kidneys, I can place my hand above and below of the right kidney, then of course on the left to balance the energy received by the kidneys.

I hope this basic education will help you when treating yourself, friends, family, or others.

Thanks for reading!

~Christine

…my intentions are set for treatment

This week, I’ve volunteered my time to giving Reiki to a new receiver.  This week was the second time I have treated the person, and have a few more sessions scheduled for the future.  This week’s treatment was arranged about two weeks ago; and I have prepared and studied different hand positions for the receiver’s dis”eases”.  By preparing for this appointment, I’ve set an intent for the treatment.  By setting an intent or intention for the treatment, I am focusing the Reiki energy to be beneficial for the receiver.  And as I was driving to the appointment, I could already feel my hands and palms were hot.  Because of the intent, my body was already channeling the Reiki energy even before I was placing my hands on the receiver.  Remember to set your intentions and focus your Reiki energy to get the most out of a treatment.

~Christine

This is a great reference book for common ailments and the hand positions used for those ailments.

…I am amazed at the power of Reiki

This previous weekend, my Reiki group opened the doors and offered free Reiki to the public.  Usually, a good treatment is about 20 minutes long with four practitioners surrounding a receiver.  During times of slow influx of people, practitioners have a chance to receive Reiki from fellow practitioners.  I was fortunate to have a chance to lay on the massage table and receive.

My treatment was bittersweet, however.  Bitter because a surge of public guests entered through the doors while I was receiving.  And, it is etiquette that practitioners who are receiving Reiki finish their treatment quickly so that others’  waiting to receive can have a turn.  But my treatment was also sweet.  Sweet because even though my treatment was 10 minutes long, I felt the most relaxed and grounded I have felt in a long time and was amazed at how connected and satisfied I felt with my life.

The power of Reiki de-stresses a person faster than you would ever expect.  It’s great to be treated and a practitioner.

~Christine

…my intuition is trustworthy

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to treat someone who regularly comes to Reiki Share.  I was one of four practitioners working with this person.  Usually during the beginning of treatments, we ask the receiver if there are certain problem areas that need more focus than others.  But at the beginning of this treatment I was away, so I did not hear about the receiver’s problem areas.

When I came back, the treatment had already begun; so, I quietly sat down and began to give Reiki.  I was sitting on the left side of the receiver, so I placed my hand on the knee and the shoulder to balance the side of the body.

After a few moments, I was very compelled to give Reiki to the receiver’s lower back.  I slid my hand underneath the lower back and the other hand at the same location, but on the front of the body- above the abdomen.  As I gave Reiki to this area, I felt pressure within my head, specifically between my ears.  I also felt so still- that I did not and could move my hands to any other place.  When I feel this pressure or that I am frozen in the spot, I know that position I am treating is exactly where the receiver needs energy.

The twenty minutes passed by rather quickly.  As soon as I knew it, the treatment was over.  But what is most fantastic is that I was fortunate to speak with the receiver directly after.  I was told that while I was away during the beginning of the session, it was revealed that work needed to be done on the second chakra.  This was exactly where I was compelled to give Reiki!  Wow, my intuition was what told me to move to the lower back.  It was trustworthy , and I am glad I listened.

Begin to listen to your intuition.  You will only amaze yourself when you trust and respond to it.

~Christine

…I don’t always buzz

There’s a term that I have come to know as a Reiki practitioner- the word “buzz”.  When you receive Reiki, there is a feeling of “buzzing” caused by your sensitivity to the vibrational energy that comes with clearing your auras.  It is an amazing feeling that brings me happiness and gratefulness to the world.  Usually you feel this when you receive a Reiki treatment, or when you are attuned to any level of Reiki.  Today, when I gave myself Reiki, I didn’t feel this vibrational energy until maybe, just maybe, the end of my treatment.

When you give yourself Reiki and do not get the same feeling you felt when you were first given Reiki, do not worry.  You know that Reiki is there, and it is always working with you; whether you physically feel it or not.

The reason you are not feeling as you did when you first received a treatment is because at the first time of Reiki healing, there was a lot of energy blockages Reiki was working with.  Now, after however long it has been, Reiki has an easier channel to travel through.  And your auras are more clear than they were the first time.

Again, Do not Worry.       ~Christine