Daily practice enhancements

The word Reiki is Japanese in origin and is made of two words. Rei translates to a “higher power or wisdom” and Ki means “life force energy.” Reiki was discovered by Mikao Usui or Usui Sensei as he is called by his students in Japan and is the founder of the Usui System of Natural Healing.

As a wellness psychotherapist, I have a passion for guiding individuals toward emotional and physical balance. As a Reiki and yoga practitioner, my journey has led me to explore the transformative power of energy healing and mindful movement. Through years of practice, I've come to embrace the healing gifts of nature, particularly essential oils, which have become invaluable tools in my therapeutic work. I weave these invaluable treasures into my sessions, crafting a warm and inviting atmosphere that nurtures healing and allows deep relaxation and transformation to unfold. Essential oils combined with yoga and Reiki self-care help foster relaxation, emotional clarity, and physical relief, supporting individuals on their journey toward self-awareness and wellness.

About Reiki

Reiki is a gentle non-invasive form of energy medicine that promotes balance and supports the body emotionally, physically and spiritually. In many recent medical studies, Reiki has been shown to help with depression, anxiety, pain management, insomnia, fatigue, cancer care and treatment and other chronic illnesses. During the practice of Reiki, the practitioner places the hands above or gently on the recipient. Many people report warmth or other sensations during Reiki. When used in conjunction with aromatherapy the treatment can be quite powerful depending on the type and properties of the oils used during the treatment. When one’s energy is balanced we are capable of feeling vibrant and fully alive. If unbalanced, we are likely to feel stress or develop a weakened immune response. A practitioner uses his or her intuition to sense where areas of need may exist in the recipient which then enables the body to take on the function of self-healing. Reiki goes where it is needed.

While traditional Reiki practice emphasizes the importance of formal training and attunement by a Reiki Master, some people believe that anyone can learn to practice Reiki without formal training. However, the traditional method involves receiving an attunement from a certified Reiki Master, which is believed to awaken and connect the practitioner to the universal life force energy. Some argue that without this attunement, what is practiced may not be considered traditional Reiki but rather a personal form of energy healing. Nonetheless, anyone can learn basic principles and techniques of energy healing, and some may naturally connect with healing energies without formal training. Ultimately, whether or not one needs formal training depends on one's personal beliefs and goals regarding Reiki practice.

Receiving Reiki

Reiki treatments are often described as a feeling of “warmth and radiance.” Practitioners of this healing art learn ancient tenets and philosophy of the practice as well as the placement of hands to transmit energy, ancient symbols that enhance the process and an initiation that includes “attunements” by Reiki Masters. Reiki is not a religion, however vital to the practice, is the belief that it is important to live in a manner that promotes harmony with self and others. Reiki is helpful for many illnesses and maladies as is always beneficial for the recipient. It has gained the respect of the medical community and is utilized in leading hospitals and medical facilities throughout the world. Reiki is becoming increasingly useful and supportive in conjunction with other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve the side effects of treatment, chemotherapy, anesthesia and medication, fatigue and depression. Reiki is offered as a complement to traditional treatments in many leading hospitals such as Memorial Sloan Kettering, Beth Israel, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, and the Yale Center. In Memorial Sloan Kettering, for example, it’s considered so valuable that it’s offered regularly for in-service courses for all hospital staff so that it can be integrated into their patient care.

This gentle healing art promotes natural healing stimulates endorphins, lessens or eliminates pain, lowers blood pressure, regulates hormone levels, reduces heart rate and anxiety, promotes deep relaxation, and increases energy. The prestigious American Cancer Society recognizes that Reiki speeds healing, contributes toward spiritual and physical well-being, and reduces the intensity and frequency of nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy and medical interventions. Many practitioners attest that Reiki shortens hospital stays, lessens patients’ need for drugs, decreases the side effects of treatment, and improves the quality of life. Children and animals are very responsive to the healing nature of Reiki.

Self Reiki Attunements

The effectiveness of self-attunement compared to receiving an attunement from a Reiki Master is a topic of debate. Some practitioners believe that self-attunement can be just as effective as traditional attunements, especially when done with pure intention and a deep understanding of the energy. Self-attunement involves setting an intention to connect with universal energy and can be repeated regularly to maintain alignment with this energy. However, others argue that receiving an attunement from a Master provides a more powerful and immediate connection to the energy, as Masters have developed their own relationship with the energy over time.

Experiments have shown that participants can feel the effects of both intentional self-attunement and traditional attunements, with some even reporting stronger sensations from self-attunement. This suggests that the effectiveness may depend on individual factors, such as prior experience with energy work and personal intention. Ultimately, whether self-attunement is as effective as a Master's attunement can vary based on personal beliefs and experiences.

You don't need to be a Reiki Master to practice Reiki on yourself or others. The foundational principles of Reiki emphasize self-healing and sharing energy with others, which can be learned through basic training. Typically, a Reiki Level 1 certification is sufficient for personal use and to offer Reiki to family and friends. This level teaches you how to channel and balance your energy and that of others. While becoming a Reiki Master involves more advanced training and often a deeper commitment to teaching others, it is not necessary for personal practice or for sharing Reiki with those around you. By learning the basics, anyone can start benefiting from Reiki's calming and balancing effects.

Essential Oil Therapy

Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment that utilizes essential oils from plants to promote balance and well-being in the body. This practice complements Reiki by enhancing relaxation, reducing stress, and fostering a peaceful environment conducive to energy healing. Essential oils are potent and should be used with caution, often requiring some training for safe application. However, gentle oils like lavender and chamomile can be safely used at home for their calming effects.

Aromatherapy primarily works through the sense of smell, stimulating the brain's olfactory pathways. Essential oils can also be applied to the skin, blended with a carrier oil to prevent irritation, and absorbed into the bloodstream within an hour, providing relief from stress and promoting healing. They are eliminated through perspiration or bodily fluids over several hours.

Essential oils like those from Young Living can be used in various ways, including blending with carrier oils for skin application, adding to bath water, using in compresses, facial steamers, massage oils, body wraps, and diffusers. These methods can enhance mood, reduce pain, increase mental clarity, calm the mind, and support immune function.

Incorporating aromatherapy into a Reiki practice can create a more serene and therapeutic environment. For example, diffusing calming essential oils like lavender or vetiver during a Reiki session can deepen relaxation and enhance the flow of healing energy. Applying essential oil blends to the skin during Reiki can also amplify the calming and balancing effects of the treatment. This integration supports the holistic goals of Reiki by promoting overall well-being and facilitating a deeper connection to the body's energy.

Combining aromatherapy with Reiki can provide a powerful synergy for self-care and life enhancement. Here are some key benefits:

• Enhanced Relaxation and Stress Relief - Aromatherapy can deepen the calming effects of Reiki, creating a more serene environment that promotes relaxation and reduces stress. Some experience decreased blood pressure

• Emotional Balance and Healing - Essential oils can be chosen to address specific emotional issues, such as grief or anxiety, complementing Reiki's ability to clear emotional blockages.

• Improved Physical Symptoms - While Reiki works on the energy body, essential oils can directly alleviate physical symptoms like pain or respiratory issues, enhancing overall well-being.

• Chakra Balancing - Both Reiki and essential oils can be used to balance the body's energy centers (chakras), promoting holistic health and harmony.

• Mood Enhancement - The combination can significantly improve mood by leveraging the emotional impact of scents, leading to a more positive outlook and emotional resilience. Oils can support anxiety and depression

• Deepened Mindfulness and Connection - The synergy of aromatherapy and Reiki fosters a deeper connection to one's inner self, promoting mindfulness and self-awareness.

• Holistic Healing Environment - This combination creates a comprehensive healing environment that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of well-being.

• Insomnia & Sleep Promotion - Essential oils can promote restful sleep and relaxation as well as energize and stimulate the mind and body

Chakra balancing

Chakra balancing and Reiki sessions offer a holistic approach to healing by focusing on the energy flow within your body. Each of the seven chakras represents a different aspect of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and when these energy centers become blocked or out of balance, it can lead to stress, physical discomfort, or emotional challenges. Through Reiki, a gentle hands-on energy healing technique, I work to clear any blockages and restore balance, allowing the energy to flow freely throughout your body. This process helps to release tension, improve circulation, and promote deep relaxation.

Chakra balancing works by tuning into the unique frequencies of each energy center, whether it's supporting your root chakra for stability and grounding, or opening your heart chakra for emotional healing and compassion. By aligning these chakras, we help restore a sense of harmony and well-being. Reiki enhances this process by calming the nervous system, reducing stress, and providing a deep sense of peace and clarity.

Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, physical pain, or simply feeling out of sync, these sessions help to bring you back into balance and provide a safe space for emotional release. The combined benefits of chakra balancing and Reiki healing allow you to not only feel more centered and energized but also to experience greater emotional resilience and mental clarity. These sessions are an excellent way to nurture your mind, body, and spirit, allowing you to step back into your life with a renewed sense of calm and vitality.

Yoga Therapy

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. ~Buddha 

Yoga Therapy is a client-focused approach to managing and improving health and well-being.  All yoga is therapeutic, but not all people have the ability to practice in the form that is taught in most classes. Yoga therapy is not the same as offering modifications in a class. In yoga therapy sessions, the class is modified to fit the client and designed around specific challenges and strengths that the individual presents. In some cases, such as chronic back pain, yoga is a proven tool that often brings complete relief of symptoms. In others, such as chronic diseases and mental illness, yoga therapists work in concert with other healthcare providers to help reduce symptoms and accelerate healing. This is the case in a hospital setting where restorative poses and the smallest of movements or stillness combined with breath awareness works to alleviate pain and quiet the nervous system. In all cases, yoga therapy can help you live more fully and comfortably regardless of your condition. Yoga therapists focus on the whole person, not just their physical condition, and can offer specific tools and individualized support in a one-on-one setting which differs from traditional physical and psychological health care settings. Because much of our daily experiences are stored in the body, yoga therapy can help you learn to pay attention to what is happening in the body at that moment, which may eventually help you generalize this awareness and attention to many other aspects of your life.

Restorative Yoga

Restorative yoga might best be described as a supported, conscious body/mind relaxation practice. When supported with props, the body and nervous system relaxes and opens, releasing tension and stored-up toxins that can cause illness. Restorative poses offer benefits to both the body and mind, for conditions ranging from insomnia, anxiety and depression to asthma, chronic pain, migraines and PMS/perimenopause/menopause.

Chest-opening poses, for example, encourage breath and prana (energy) to flow through the entire body. Forward bends gently lengthen all the muscles of the back body which can do wonders for chronic back problems. Done in sequence, a restorative yoga practice will bring your whole body into a deeply relaxed state, and allow your mind to become quiet and reflective, with your mental, psychological, and emotional bodies in blissful balance often facilitating emotional release.

There are many benefits when you combine the natural healing forces of Reiki, essential oils and yoga therapy…

Combining essential oils with Reiki during a yoga therapy session offers numerous benefits, enhancing the overall experience and promoting deeper relaxation, balance, and healing. Here are some key advantages:

• Enhanced Relaxation and Stress Relief - Essential oils like lavender and chamomile can deepen relaxation, while Reiki helps balance the body's energy, leading to a more profound state of calm and reduced stress.

• Improved Emotional Balance - Reiki can clear emotional blockages, and essential oils can further support emotional healing by promoting a sense of calm and well-being.

• Physical Comfort and Pain Relief - Reiki can alleviate physical discomfort, and certain essential oils, such as peppermint and eucalyptus, can help reduce pain and inflammation, enhancing the physical benefits of yoga.

• Deepened Mindfulness and Connection - The combination of essential oils and Reiki creates a more meditative and mindful environment, allowing practitioners to connect more deeply with their bodies and inner selves during yoga.

• Holistic Healing Environment - This synergy supports a holistic approach to health, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of well-being, which is particularly beneficial in yoga therapy settings.

• Enhanced Mood and Energy - Essential oils like bergamot and lemon can uplift mood and energy, complementing Reiki's ability to balance and harmonize the body's energy, leading to a more energized and positive practice.

• Chakra Balancing - Essential oils can be selected to support the balancing of specific chakras, further enhancing the energetic alignment achieved through Reiki and yoga.

Benefits of Yoga Therapy

• Elevates Mood

• Flexibility and body alignment

• Increased strength

• Improved circulation

• Relieves aches and pains

• Improves energy

• Releases toxins

• Recalibrates the spine

• Improves the physical and spiritual/energy body

• Focus on the present

• Arthritis (RA & OA)

• ADHD

• Cancer

• Rehabilitation for spine, knees and hips

• Gastrointestinal Disorders

• Alzheimer’s/Dementia

Hypnotherapy & Self-hypnotherapy

For over two hundred years the technique of hypnosis has been used in medicine to treat a wide range of physical, psychological and emotional disorders. Hypnosis is a form of treatment in which the client is deeply relaxed on a physical level, thereby allowing the individual to be mentally more alert and open to suggestion than in normal states of consciousness.  Unlike media depictions of hypnosis, the client has control over which hypnotic suggestions to act upon or reject.  During hypnotherapy, I guide clients through progressive muscle relaxation, relaxed breathing, safe place imagery and various visualizations depending on their goals for treatment.  Clients always leave sessions feeling lighter and very relaxed.  It has also long been recognized that hypnosis may successfully be combined with other approaches and techniques – for example, counseling, psychotherapy, EMDR and Reiki and other somatic therapies. Hypnosis can be successfully integrated with psychotherapy and relaxation therapy to help bring about positive change.

Hypnotherapy has the potential to help relieve the symptoms of a wide variety of diseases and conditions. It can be used independently or along with other treatments. For example, it’s one of several relaxation methods for treating chronic pain that has been approved by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.

self-hypnosis to restore balance

Self-hypnosis is a powerful tool that empowers individuals to tap into their subconscious mind, fostering profound changes in thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. By inducing a deep state of relaxation and focus, self-hypnosis allows you to reprogram your mind with positive affirmations and intentions, helping you overcome challenges such as anxiety, chronic pain, and unwanted habits. Unlike meditation, which often aims to clear the mind, self-hypnosis is goal-oriented, using visualization and suggestions to achieve specific outcomes like improved sleep, enhanced confidence, or better performance. This practice not only offers a cost-effective and accessible means of personal transformation but also provides a sense of control and self-awareness, enabling you to unlock your full potential and live a more fulfilling life. Whether used to manage stress, boost motivation, or simply enhance overall well-being, self-hypnosis is a versatile and effective technique that can be seamlessly integrated into daily life.

Some of my favorite aromatherapy treatments for health, spirits and emotional balance

• Lavender - Known for its calming properties, lavender is often used to reduce stress and anxiety, promote restful sleep, and soothe skin irritations.

• Frankincense - This oil is celebrated for its ability to instill deep tranquility and mental clarity, with anti-inflammatory properties.

• Geranium - It is valued for its floral, uplifting notes and is beneficial for hormone balance, particularly for feminine hormone concerns, and skin health.

• Bergamot - Recognized for its uplifting and calming effects, bergamot is used to reduce anxiety and stress while promoting mood enhancement.

• Rosemary - This oil is praised for its mental stimulating properties, helping with focus and memory, and is also beneficial for respiratory health.

• Jasmine - Known for its anti-depressant properties and emotional healing benefits, jasmine is often used to support emotional well-being.

• Ylang-Ylang - This oil is cherished for its calming and soothing effects, often used to reduce stress and promote emotional balance.

• Black Spruce - Appreciated for its grounding qualities and wonderful during massage.

• Holy Basil (Tulsi) - Recognized for its nerve tonic properties and emotional support.

• Cinnamon - Reduces inflammation and mood enhancement.

• Peppermint - Energizing, relieves headaches, aids digestion, and supports respiratory health and lifestyle mood.