Reiki

Last Monday, after listening to Deepak Chopra speak to the power of the mind to heal the body and reading from his new book, “Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul,” I decided to make an appointment for a Reiki treatment. I had never experienced Reiki before, and had always been intrigued by the (what I thought to be)  non-massage-massage.

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing. Reiki practitioners use their hands to promote the flow of “life force energy” through the body.

For the previous month or so, I had been feeling drained. I’d been battling a cold for weeks, which included lots of coughing and a nearly constant runny nose. I was sick of being sick! A Reiki session seemed to be in order.

I made an appointment with the Reiki and massage therapist who practices at one of the gyms I teach yoga at (gotta love employee discounts!). She was able to get me in last Wednesday. I heard from two friends that I would love Reiki. One even shared that her experience was so powerful she cried afterward! I had varying expectations as the day of my appointment approached.

I arrived at my appointment after a extremely stressful and annoying situation at work…being talked at for nearly 2 hours by a person who was ignorant to the fact that his ideals were falling on deaf ears…but that’s another story…

So, with all these emotions of frustration, anger and anxiety boiling about in my body, I followed my therapist into a small room with a massage table. I’d had massages before, so this was all familiar to me.

For Reiki, you keep your clothes on. I laid with my back on the table (each time I have a massage, I want one of these things in my house!). My therapist instructed me to being with deep abdominal breathing…I guessed to get myself to relax and settle into the room.

The “treatment” is hard to describe. My therapist brought her hands to different parts of my body and held them there for varied lengths of time. I eventually turned onto my stomach, and she touched other areas of my body. Finally, she brushed my body with her hands as if she were brushing off dust.

I was instructed to slowly sit up. I was a bit light headed at first, more relaxed than when I walked into the small room. The therapist asked me to rate my level of relaxation from 1-10. I felt pretty relaxed, so I said between a 7 and 8. She looked at me with surprise, and said that usually people will let out a sigh at some point and let go completely.

I took that to mean that I was not one of those people. I reevaluated my answer…my mind was still during the session, but perhaps my body was tense…

To be honest, I left the room feeling slightly defeated and wondering if any of the treatment would “take” after all! I decided there was nothing I could do now, I just had to wait and see what happened.

I taught a class about 15 minutes after my treatment. Class was great, as usual. I went home, ate, read, slept. The next morning I woke up and did a mental scan of my body for any illness. I felt pretty good, the best I had in a while.

I wasn’t sure if I should attribute all my healing to the Reiki or the Emergen-C I’d been taking for days. Either way, I was glad to be feeling like my old self!

Since my treatment, which was about 5 days ago, I’ve been feeling better every day! On the second day, I felt an openness in my neck and lower part of the back of my head (areas I’d mentioned to the therapist as being tight and holding much stress).

I am undecided as to whether I will go back for another session. I think I will be able to become more relaxed the next time because I will know what to expect. I believe my inability to relax was from anxiety about the session and the expectations I’d had. But, I’m unsure whether I will go back to the same place (it wasn’t till after the session that I was told the rates had changed and raised…ugh!).

I am excited to try other forms of healing. Anyone out there have suggestions? What have your experiences with this type of therapy been?

Update!

For anyone out there still reading this lil blog, I am still alive!

I’ve had trouble deciding what to write about, though there hasn’t been a shortage of interesting happenings in my life since August 14th (the last time I posted!).

One of the biggest changes in my life has been my new position as a Member of AmeriCorps, the Career Corps, specifically. The Career Corps is a new program for AmeriCorps-St. Louis, which was designed to help alleviate the overcrowding in career centers across the state of Missouri. So, for the past month or so (man, it’s gone by fast!), I’ve been serving at SLATE (St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment) Missouri Career Center in downtown St. Louis.

My efforts have mainly been dedicated to assisting our clients while they search and apply for jobs online. There is a huge portion of our population that hasn’t the faintest idea how a computer works. So, I teach two classes here, one on the basics of computers (how a mouse works, what the desktop is, etc.) and how to use email (go GMAIL!).

The work is rewarding, and I’m learning a lot about people, myself and the state of our economy today. I wouldn’t have though when I moved to St. Louis that I’d be serving the community in such a way, but I’m glad I chose to take this path. The next 10 months or so (the length of my service with AmeriCorps) will probably end up being one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.

I’m still teaching yoga! I teach five classes throughout the week, and I love seeing my students GROW! It’s so great to see how they are progressing in their own practices, and I enjoy seeing people return again and again for my classes! Teaching (yoga or computers) is so rewarding for me…I’m toying with the idea of graduate school…maybe I will teach yoga and writing for a living someday

I’ve got a few exciting posts coming up. On Monday, I attended a book club meeting with a special guest–Deepak Chopra! So, I will tell you all about that…I’m trying to finish the book before I post, so hold on tight (I’m more than 1/2 way finished!).

Also, last night, I experienced my first Reiki therapy session. I’m going to give the treatment a few days to “kick in,” so check back for that as well!

Wow, I’m so happy to be writing again…even if no one reads this!

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know if there are any topics you would like to read about! I love constructive feedback!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

At-home Yoga Practice and Playlist

I had a great at-home practice yesterday morning. Using the following playlist as inspiration, I flowed through my hour-long impromptu practice.

The following songs and sequence are a suggestion for you, if you’re looking for a fun at-home practice. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and your own playlists and sequences!

“Northern Lights” by Emily Bear

Neck rolls, easy sun salutes, chakravakasana (cat/cow), child’s pose, centering, pranayama (breath exercises)

“By the Morning Sun” by Sound Tribe Sector 9

(more sun salutes, adding lunges, deepening cobra and moving with the breath)

“Bus Ride” by Marco Benevento

(half down dog, elongating the side body, getting warm with more sun salutes with side-angle stretches, Warrior I)

“Bhajore” by Jai Uttal & The Pagan Love Orchestra

Tadasana (pushing hands overhead as if I’m going to push against the ceiling, preparing for handstand), L-pose (hands on mat shoulder-distance, feet walk up the wall so the body comes to an L-shape)

“Eyes of the World” by The Grateful Dead

Inversions! Kicking up to handstand at the wall, try leading with each leg, (I got very close…but this is still a pose I’m working hard on), To boost my self-esteem, I popped up to Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock pose, forearm balance), concentrated on working the ribs back and lengthening through the feet (I balanced here for almost a whole breath!)

“Positive Vibration” by Bob Marley and the Wailers

(rest in child’s pose, soften breath, down dog (had to sway my hips here and bend my knees one at a time with the beat)

“Gold to Me” by Ben Harper

Hip opening time! Pigeon pose, triangle, wide-legged forward fold, Warrior I

“Living in the Moment” by Mason Jennings

Tadasana, Ardha Chandrasana (Half-Moon Balancing Pose), Triangle

“Across the Universe” by The Beatles

Standing forward fold, into Malasana (squat), flowing back and forth a few times

“Sky Blue Sky” by Wilco

seated forward folds…can’t remember all the variations…I was sooo relaxed and tuned in by this point!

“Fearless” by Pink Floyd

child’s pose, bridge, back-lying twists

“The Wind” by Cat Stevens

Apanasana (double knee hug), Pavanamaktasana (one-leg knee hug), windshield wiper legs, prepare for savasana

Namaste

Spring…Summer…is that you?

Slept with the windows open last night!

Master Cleanse…See you later!

I’m a quitter! Last night, when I hadn’t eaten anything all day and could only get down a couple gulps of lemonade, I decided that this obviously isn’t the right cleanse or the right time for this cleanse for me. I quit. 

So, this morning, I started with some freshly juiced apple juice (I love having a juicer), and now I’m eating some rice cereal. I’m still feeling pretty weak and my stomach isn’t quite back to normal. I can always try again another time. Next time, I’ll know what to expect, too!

Master Cleanse Day 2 (Afternoon)

Ugh…that’s really all I can think to say right now. This morning’s salt water definitely did the trick. I was back -and-forth to the bathroom all morning. I drank almost a whole nalgene (32 ounces) of water after that, but felt too nauseous to drink my lemonade. 

I had to go home from work, and I threw up a bit. After puking another time, I took a nap…hoping to feel better when I woke up. I just woke up and I tried to drink some lemonade. The smell immediately brought on my gag reflex. I really don’t think I can get that stuff down!

Since it’s my only source of nutrients, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t see myself going on with this much longer and it being healthy. I’m not hungry, but I know that I have not eaten anything or drank my nutrients, so I’m worried.

I’m going to look into other fasting options because it may be that I have an extremely sensitive stomach and something in that drink is not working for me!

Master Cleanse Day Two (Morning)

Yesterday was interesting…to say the least. It may be because I practice yoga, but I was extremely aware of my abdominal and pelvic region all afternoon. For periods, I had pretty intense headaches and nausea. To cure this, I took a pretty substantial nap for most of the afternoon.

When I woke up, I decided to take my first cup of “Smooth Move,” laxative tea. The book says that discomfort is caused by not enough elimination. I could barely get the whole thing down; the nausea was almost unbearable, but I didn’t want to throw up because I knew there really wasn’t much in my stomach at this point. So, I went to bed early. I lay there for a while, listening to my tummy churn.

I woke up twice in the night. I was sweating profusely. Sometimes I think I sleep with too many blankets, but even when I took some off, I was still damp. Then, you know how it goes…you get cold cause of the sweat…not comfortable. I went to the bathroom, but I had no “smooth moves,” just urine.

It wasn’t until this morning that I had a movement, and it wasn’t very smooth. It took some time and dedication to drop those kiddies off at the pool!

Now, I’m finishing up the last of my liter of salt water, which should send me to the bathroom in the next hour or so. Hopefully, I will get the gunk out so I don’t feel nausea.

The most interesting thing about this cleanse, so far, is that I have not been hungry. The drink, which doesn’t taste bad to me, yet, is satisfactory. I did have some weird dreams last night…the kind that seem like real life till about 10 minutes after you wake up!

Master Cleanse: Day One

Today I’m starting the Master Cleanse. I’ve been noticing some irregularity in my digestion, so I figured a nice cleanse would do my body good. I’m also hoping that this cleanse will break me of some of the bad eating habits I have and give me some clarity!

It should be an interesting journey, and I hope you enjoy hearing about my experience. I will warn you, this may get personal. And, if you’re squeamish, some of these posts may contain information about bodily functions that you don’t want to know about.

I just finished my first glass of “lemonade.” It was pretty tasty. I had it warm, so it probably helps that I’m a big fan of herbal teas. Tonight, I will drink my first cup of laxative tea–yeah, I said it. Imagine how I felt asking for it at the health food store yesterday…good thing I don’t embarrass easily!

Globalize Peace

My friends Steve and Bryan have been hard at work on their new website www.globalizeit.org/PEACE.

Our products offer a simple message, a message that needs to be spread throughout the world now more than ever: Globalize Peace! We began using grassroots tactics to spread the message of Peace in 2003. Since then we have worn our shirts while riding down the iconic Colorado River, hiking to remote hill-tribes in rural Thailand, climbing massive peaks in Mexico and South America, and attending anti-war protests throughout the States.

Wherever we wear our products, we speak to local people about the importance of Peace. We truly believe that simple compassionate contact with people around the world helps to improve America’s image one person at a time. In today’s world, we need people to
understand that not everyone supports a Wal-Mart in every country, a McDonalds on every corner, and the violent “democracy spreading” tactics that our government has used for the past 8 years.

Please take a look at our “World Map”, which shows some of the locations we have worn our shirts throughout the years. We hope that you find our message a positive one and that you would like to participate in our project. If so, please look through our products. We would love it if you could buy a shirt and send us a photo of you wearing it! In the coming months we will be uploading more photos to our World Map, photos from customers just like you!

Me @ Rothbury Music Festival 2008 Rothbury, MI

Check out their message and buy a shirt to support PEACE! Look for me on the World Map!

Freecycle–More Than Old Junk

Freecycle is a great resource to any community. Join to be part of an email listserve to pass off unwanted, but still usable, goods to your neighbors. I’ve had a few successful transactions since I joined my local group about six months ago.

I responded to a “WANTED” posting for a sewing machine. I had picked up a couple machines from another freecycler a few months back. They weren’t what I was looking for, so they sat in my garage. I jumped at the opportunity for someone to take them off my hands. I responded to Amy and she planned to come by to pick them up.

I answered the door and didn’t realize at first that Amy was an old friend from high school. She had a pretty good idea it was me she was coming to see, but her new last name left me shocked to see her. We talked for a while, caught up. She’s recently married and moving to California in two weeks!

This chance reunion is such a neat occurance that I had to share and tout the great community groups such as freecycle.