 What is energy work, as it pertains to healing? I had a client ask me this the other day and I told her about how I came to learn about energy and using it in my life and to benefit others.
We all use energy daily and are probably not aware of it. One example is when you get hurt and the first instinct is to put your hands on the injury to make it feel better. Other examples; we pet our animals and feel calmer and they do too. By focusing on your breath, you become calm, centered and more grounded. You instinctively feel whether you are safe or unsafe in the presence of a stranger. You know when you are being watched. You put on quiet music to sooth your nerves, etc. This goes on as to the many small ways energy is part of our daily lives. When I look back, Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, was my first teacher of energy. I have a passion for working with dogs, especially the fearful and aggressive dogs. I studied videos of his show, read his books and watched the DVDs several times. I practiced with the dogs I was working with at home and at a kennel I was working at during that time. I began to understand that energy could be controlled and how to use it to change a situation with animals or people. About that time I entered massage school and Reiki was offered as part of the curriculum. Reiki is an energy work that was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan during the early 1920s. I was curious about the class and needed the credits to finish, so I enrolled in the course. The Reiki Master was also my massage instructor so I had a great amount of respect for her, but was pretty skeptical of this whole “healing energy” thing. She related a story about her husband and how he had accidentally cut himself with a chainsaw in the upper thigh and ended up with a raging infection. The doctor had little hope of getting it under control and thought he might lose the leg. Being newly attuned into Reiki, she sat down and laid her hands on his leg and after awhile the heat and swelling from the infection started to lessen. She kept working on him and his leg ended up healing just fine. In class, she had us partner up with another student to practice what we had learned and also to experience the work for ourselves. My partner was pretty skeptical too, so it was really exciting when both of us experienced the same sensations as I was working on her. It was the same when we changed places. After that I practiced using Reiki on myself, my animals and my plants and used it at any opportunity I could. I had several incredible situations, such as the time one of my chickens got attacked by a visiting dog and I used Reiki on her for several minutes and she came out of shock and her injuries healed quickly. I have been part of a healing circle and there have been several cases of people with cancers, tumors or heart problems that healed or became healthier than expected. Now that I teach Reiki, it is always interesting to watch the students as they go through the process of learning, initiation and practicing the use of energy. They tell me the reasons why they have attended and usually leave having exceeded their expectations. I especially love hearing about their experiences in using their skills. What is the difference between Reiki and the healing energy that we are all born with? Reiki has attunements included in the initiation process and you learn to focus the energy on different parts of the body. Reiki can be used to heal body, mind or spirit in this dimension, the past or the future. Reiki is just one form of energy work; Quantum Touch, Healing Touch, Sound Healing, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Love & Gratitude, Karuna Reiki, Rainbow Reiki, Zero Balancing, just to name a few. My recommendation is to ask your friends if they have experienced this type of work and who they recommend. There are many talented healing facilitators out there and who knows; maybe you will be one of them too! For more information about Reiki, visit www.reiki.org  I have back issues and a lousy mattress and between the two, I am lucky to get a good night’s sleep. You know the kind that you hear about where you wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world? Yeah, well I can’t remember the last time I felt like that. However, I have found something to be true...I HAVE BEEN DOING IT WRONG! All these years I’ve been sleeping on my side with my legs bent, in the fetal position because “they” say it is the best position for the back. When I would get out of bed, my back was tight and it took a while for things to “warm up” and I could move better. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, so I started experimenting with sleep position and found a better way. In my massage practice I have numerous people complain about low back pain and when I ask them how they sleep, they all, with a rare exception tell me they sleep on their side in the fetal position. Some use a pillow between their knees and some don’t. Now I know what you are saying to yourself, right now…”But that is what the doctor/chiropractor/physical therapist, etc. told me”. Yep, but they could be wrong and let me explain why: A muscle called the Psoas (so azz) is connected to the top of the femur and the front of the spine, just above the bony plate called the sacrum. It is the muscle that helps you lift your leg if you were marching or dancing the Can Can. When the muscle is contracted for long periods by sitting, bending or sleeping in the fetal position, it spasms and pulls on the low back causing discomfort. If you think about it, isn’t your back tight after a long drive or when you’ve been sitting too long? Well, the legs are in the same position when you are in the fetal position. If you live a life with stress and tension, as we all tend to do, the tension keeps the muscles taut and leads to tightness and spasm even when asleep. So tonight when you go to sleep, try sleeping on your side with legs straighter. Use a pillow between your knees if you want and just see how you feel in the morning. You just might wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day! 
 About three years ago, I was talking to a young lady and was telling her that I did massage. She exclaimed, “Wow!, I wish I met you last week. Because my boyfriend and I paid $120 each for massages at {well known spa in my area} and it wasn’t very good!”
At the time, I was working at a spa and also building my own practice closer to where I live. I always have a habit of checking Craigslist to see what jobs are available and saw that the {well known spa in my area} she had told me about, was hiring therapists. I sent in my resume. I was called about a week later for an interview and because it was a bit of a drive to get there, I asked what the rate of pay was, so I didn’t waste their time, or mine. She gave me such a ridiculous answer that I figured there had to be more benefit to working there and scheduled the interview. {Well known spa in my area} has beautiful landscaping and a gorgeous hotel that is tucked among the hills and you walk into a nice lobby that has that feeling of luxury and expensive. I was told to have a seat and my interviewer would come and get me. When she did, we walked to a secluded part of a dining room and proceeded with the interview. She seemed impressed with my experience and wanted to know if I was interested in scheduling a “hands on” interview with me demonstrating my skills, which is a normal part of the hiring process. At this point, I finally had to ask her how they could justify asking a therapist to work 5-6 hour shifts, being paid only if a massage is scheduled and only paying 33% of the amount of the price of a massage. She said, “Well, we supply the sheets, the room and the client”. Considering that I was being paid between 40-50% at the spa I was currently at and I knew the average in our area was 40%, I told her that what she was paying was too low…needless to say the interview ended there. So here is the deal…many spas will hire anyone that is certified, breathing and will work for low wages. regardless of experience. So always do your homework when scheduling bodywork at the spiffy and expensive places. I have heard so many times of people paying a lot of money and being disappointed in what they experienced. The same can also be said for the lowest priced massages too. Are their prices so low because no one will pay more to go there? Do they require the proper certification and training of their people? Now days with the availability of internet, go online and see what information is available about their therapists and their backgrounds. Check the review websites and see what the ratings are. When you see information on Yelp or Google or any of the other search engines about independent therapists, don’t discount them. They are independent for a reason and are able to be independent because the have the client base to support them, so that right there tells you something. There is probably little more frustrating than to spend your money on a service that ends up being unsatisfying and leaving you more stressed than when you walked in the door. |
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