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When a Client has a Disability or Special Needs

January 19, 2015 By

My nephew (actually great nephew) is charming, handsome, loquacious,  funny, intelligent, and very gracious.  Grady recently visited me from Minnesota with his parents.  When he was 8 y.o. he has hit by a truck while riding his bicycle.  He was in a coma for over 6 weeks and even though he survived with incredible love and support from his family and medical teams, has extensive physical and functional limitations.  He lost vision in one eye, had extensive brain injury, a hand is locked in a painful grip, and there are numerous other health challenges including seizures; he has also had over 20 operations thus far.  Grady is a testimony that spirit can triumph over great crises and losses; he prays for others and tries to be an inspiration giving hope to others.

Grady asked me to do Reiki on him.  If he was at home, I would probably want to work on him 3-5x/week for a minimum of 1-2 months.  Since that was not possible and I didn’t want to trigger a healing crisis, I worked less time on his head.  I of course started out each session with byosen scanning to get familiar with his system and to prepare him for deeper healing.  I did focus additional time on the arm/hand that is most problematic.  Since he has a short attention span, sessions were limited to 15 minutes or so.  Although he needed to talk though out the sessions, it was clear that he was connecting with the Reiki energy.

Before leaving Tucson, Grady gave the following feedback regarding his Reiki sessions:  ‘my body felt happy and I have never felt this relaxed before.  It was like a spiritual enlightened journey and felt like I was in such a better place’.  He added that his whole left side that once had been paralyzed felt ‘more cool, calm and comfortable’. Grady asked if he could contact me if he needed additional surgeries; I told him that I would gladly send him distant Reiki.  I also told him that I was certain that many of my Reiki students, colleagues and friends would be glad to support him with Reiki as well!  In advance, thank you all so very much!

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Participating in Energy Research

December 27, 2014 By

I have been privileged to participate in some Reiki research over the years.  My first research study involved sending Reiki to a ‘leaf’ vs the control leaf that did not receive the daily energy; the results were statistically positive.  I’ve been involved in having energy measured thru my hands as a healer, doing Reiki on individuals with shoulder issues and more recently on horses.  The latter was an ‘equine facilitated learning research’ out in Sonoita.  It was a wonderful day and of course being around the horses was magical.  I highly encourage you to begin to get more interested in Energy research this year and either read studies that have been published or if you get a chance, get involved as a practitioner if you qualify.  This is the year of taking new steps in your Reiki practice.  I am very proud of my students, fellow practitioners and colleagues who  create so much value in their lives, communities and the world with Reiki.

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Happy New Year 2015: a Year of New Beginnings!

December 27, 2014 By

In Buddhism there is a term, Honnin’ Myo…starting fresh.  For many of us, January 1st is an opportunity to start fresh with new determinations, goals and intentions.  If you compassionately bring awareness to your Reiki practice in 2014, what do you feel proud of?  What do you feel was missing?  Was it your daily Reiki practice on yourself?  Did you fall short on working on others either in person or thru Distant Reiki sessions (if you are at least a Level 2)?  Was it not attending an Energy Share this year or participating in a community event as a Reiki practitioner?  Did you want to participate in an Energy research project, but never created the time nor opportunity to do so?  Let’s start 2015 with a refreshed attitude and have the most awesome Reiki year yet!

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Sending Reiki when there is a Global Need

December 15, 2014 By

I first went to Australia in 2002 for my daughter’s wedding.  I also taught my first international Reiki class there during another visit.  Australia (Sydney in particular) has been particularly welcoming to my daughter, and the people always gracious  and kind.  I was saddened and shocked when my daughter who no longer lives there contacted me to inform me about the recent hostage crisis and asked me to send Buddhist prayers.  Not only did I do so but also began to send Reiki for the best possible outcome.  I contacted members of both my Reiki community as well as my SGI Buddhist community to support .  Please recognize that we live in an interdependent world.  When there is a crisis or challenge somewhere outside of our own home communities, we still can send powerful prayer, energy and intention to support healing and positive change.  All those impacted by this recent crisis still need the support that additional Reiki can provide!

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Reiki, Hugs and feeling Connected

October 21, 2014 By

On a recent trip to Chicago for a family wedding, we went to Millennium Park.  Since the weather was wonderful for an October day in Chicago, we bought  sandwiches, picnicked and enjoyed people watching.  With Mindfulness, everything and everyone…every sound…was interested and inviting.  After we took photos by the Cloud with what seemed like at least 100 other folks, we started strolling around this wonderful park.  All of a sudden I saw these brightly smiling young faces of college age women; they were Psychology students and had an assignment to offer ‘hugs’ to individuals and then ask them a few questions about whether they felt better after the hugs and if they felt more connected.  We had such a joyful interaction that we also wound up taking photos together.  I must admit that even though I had been feeling very happy and connected on a body-mind-spirit before the hugs, I definitely felt even better afterwards.

Feeling more deeply connected with oneself, with others if you are working on another individual and spirit is also what happens with Reiki.  For so many of us, even if we are

Hugs in Millennium Park

Hugs (like Reiki) can make one feel more Connected!

feeling well before giving a Reiki session, we usually feel even healthier, fuller and more connected afterwards.

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Mindfulness and Meditation Group

July 24, 2014 By

There is no Mindfulness and Meditation group on Monday, September 01 due to Labor Day; group will resume on 9/8.  All sessions will be meeting in July and August.

Filed Under: Meditation, Mindfulness

Reiki in India

April 20, 2014 By

I just returned from a 12 day trip to India; this was my first time and quite honestly I had never felt a prior desire to travel there.  With being an empathic healer, I believed that I could feel overwhelmed by all the poverty, suffering, noise, crowding and needs of the people and country.  Something, however, shifted and I knew that it was the time to go…even though I wasn’t certain what was calling me.  It turned out it was a few things calling me (besides of course wanting to experience the Taj Mahal!).  One thing was an opportunity for me to live mindfully and be present in mind, body and spirit; using the Mindfulness practices that I teach at UAMC, I could bring curiosity and compassion to the moment while releasing judgment and any ‘drama’ or ‘trauma’.  This was an amazing time of experiencing colors, movement, outstanding forts, palaces and practices.  It was an opportunity to open my heart to the people and sights throughout the 5 cities (and many miles) that I visited whether on the Ganges, at a small local school, the site where the Buddha gave his first sermon and more!

In terms of Reiki, I use hands on Reiki practice on myself  frequently during these types of travels.  In particular I did self Reiki sessions on myself during long plane or bus rides, daily in my hotel to rebalance my system, if I had eaten too much of the fabulous cuisine and more.  Remember that Reiki isn’t just what we do, but whom we are and the intuition and connections that come thru us.  Reiki allowed me to connect on a full level daily with vitality and clarity.  In addition I worked on two individuals from my tour group; one was a man who had a recent knee replacement, and the knee was painful and inflamed; the other was a beautiful disabled veteran who  didn’t feel well for a few days

Marsha at the Taj Mahal

The Energy of the Taj Mahal

from a cold or some type of virus.  Both responded well to the Reiki intervention.  In addition, when I visited with Indian family of my daughter’s sister in law in Varanasi, both Babu and Auntie were amazed by the benefits of Reiki.

So…the next time you go traveling, please remember that you always take your Reiki with you and whom you are as a Reiki practitioner!

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Being ‘Peaceful and at Ease’

December 7, 2013 By

I recently returned from an amazing adventure to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma).  My niece lives  there with her husband and 18 month old daughter.  Since I missed their wedding in Egypt 4 years ago I definitely did not want to miss seeing their lives in this very unique country; Myanmar  has only opened their doors again to many foreigners during the past 2-3 years since there has been a government shift towards more democracy.  I was fortunate to meet up with my older daughter  for part of the trip, and together we visited Inle and Bagan besides Yangon.  Do see the movies ‘the Lady’ and ‘Beyond Yangon’ for a historical perspective about the challenges that this country faced not too long ago.  Parts of the country were also impacted by the 2008 Tsunami  with a loss of possibly 140,000 lives despite there not being much publicity about it for various  reasons.

I want to talk about my intention for this trip:  to be ‘peace and at ease’ ….no matter what!  This is a phrase that we repeat in the Metta Sutta which I have been teaching and using for the past 2 1/2 years.  To be honest, in the past, I would get uneasy by  new travel experiences especially if I was to be traveling alone.  My goal was to totally overcome this issue, and I did send Reiki to many aspects of the trip even before I left Tucson.  For example, my flights on Air China (they were great!) from LAX and  thenTaipei were very close in time and in different terminals; they were even closer in time (with us also having a 1/2 hr delay leaving Yangon).  I was amazed by my sense of comfort and pleasure, even enjoying my interactions with individuals at the airport.  I was initially also worried about whether there would be difficulty with changing my $100 bills; the country does not yet take credit cards, and it is recommended to bring ‘crisp and new’ $100 bills.  I addressed this concern with Metta and Reiki and it went well.  One time my taxi driver had no idea where to take me and had little English comprehension; he drove to the side of the road and sat for nearly 15 minutes; I focused on my breath and brought mindfulness  to the experience of being in that taxi at that particular time in that particular circumstance and remained ‘peaceful and at ease’.  At times I wandered around the city of Yangon (probably the only American woman there) not knowing where I was heading and finding a wonderful flow to that
 adventure; I even wound up finding a neighborhood festival and was an honored guest being fed wonderful delicacies and having many photos taken with the participants (especially the beautiful children).

I am grateful to this experience.  I truly believe that with this new confidence about traveling while being ‘peaceful and at ease’, additional parts of the world are now calling to me!

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Being Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s Life

December 7, 2013 By

This past week I explored with women in one of my support groups at the Medical Center how Nelson Mandela’s life might inspire them in their own lives.  Women were inspired by his ability to forgive others and not hold onto grudges, as well as his stand for non violence.  Others addressed being inspired by his passion about the ’cause’ and his ability despite obstacles and extraordinary challenges of imprisonment to never lose his focus.  Still others talked about his connection with humanity  and a clear vision that he worked tirelessly to see manifested in society.  I personally was touched by his life condition that seemed to continually shine thru his eyes, smile and essence.

Although individuals frequently minimize their own impact on society and ability to facilitate change, remember that we all carry a piece of the responsibility and opportunity.  Let’s remember Nelson Mandela in our Metta prayer.  Let’s remember him when we work with the Reiki Ideals especially:  ‘just for now I shall not anger’, ‘I shall honor and respect all beings’ and ‘I give thanks in gratitude for my many blessings’.  I give thanks that Nelson Mandela lived and brought so much light, wisdom and positive  transformation to not only South Africa but the world.

 

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What is the Quality of your Sleep?

August 20, 2013 By

How often do you wake up feeling rested and restored after a night’s sleep?  Many individuals feel challenged to fall asleep, stay asleep or enjoy the nourishment of a fulfilling night’s sleep.  I would encourage each of you to assess aspects of your sleep hygiene and ask yourself how you might make positive changes.  First of all, be mindful about having drinks with caffeine  (as well as eating chocolate which can stimulate the endocrine system) too late in the day/evening; perhaps you need to also be mindful about the amount of liquid you drink before sleep if you find yourself waking up to go to the bathroom.  Avoid getting on your computer or other electronic devices within an hour of sleep.  Begin to dim the lights in your home to stimulate your melatonin.  Start to decrease outside stimuli which can over-excite the system.  Also, avoid having lights from alarms, answering machines, or clocks close to your bed.  I personally find it helpful to set a routine such as putting on some lotion or massage oil on my feet and hands as well as on my shoulders.

In terms of Reiki, do you remember to do your energy clearing before going to bed?  You can set your intention to have a good night’s sleep and recalling aspects of your dreams that could be helpful to your learning,   growth and healing.  I sometimes do a chakra balancing while in bed in that state between awake and falling asleep.  If I am too charged up or connecting energetically with individuals or circumstances, I might draw the sequence of symbols in my left hand, energetically write and state my intention 3x,draw the symbol sequence again, bring my right hand over the left , and send Reiki to having a deep and restorative sleep.  One can also picture a beautiful flower with petals over each chakra and see the petals closing slowly and comfortably; this allows the energy to quiet down and to prepare yourself more deeply for a delicious state of sleep.

If you have a dog or cat at home, watch them sleep and allow their behaviors to inspire and teach you.  Remember that our sleep is also impacted by what we are thinking and feeling; make certain that you are giving yourself regular Reiki self treatments and also working with your Reiki Ideals.

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