Reiki Blue ... with Yoga Blue

Prototypes Womens Center: Breathing and Sharing. 3.14.11

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by Laurel on March 16, 2011

I have had the pleasure of working with Allee Stillman at Prototypes over the past several months. Working with Allee is really playing with Allee. Working with essential oils is bliss. Sharing such a profound experience of aromatherapy with the amazing women of Prototype’s has been so inspiring and so sweet.

I have wanted to offer Reiki at Prototype’s since before the first day I played there with Allee. I have wanted into the women’s recovery community to help in some way, any way for almost two decades. Assisting as I have has been richly rewarding, and I wanted to introduce the women of Prototype’s to self healing with Reiki.

My lineage in Reiki is that of Master Mikao Usui, the founder of the way of Reiki. Reiki is a Japanese name and when translated means “universal life force energy”. Master Usui said that Reiki is the container of consciousness. Master Usui also called Reiki “The Art of Inviting Happiness”. Who wouldn’t want to share this? I do. I share Reiki every chance I get.

I immediately shared my desire with Allee and then with Winifred. Both of these sweet women were completely receptive and enthusiastic about this possibility. My first day of sharing Reiki with the women of Prototype’s was yesterday, March 14th, 2011. I was blessed to be joined by Allee, her way of playing back with me I guess.

As usual at Prototype’s, when it is time to start a group gathering with the women immense energy enters along with them. The women enter a large room from two different doors and just about every mood that you can imagine comes with these women. Some of the women are wild with energy, some are exhausted. Some of the women are totally stressed out, some are calm and composed. Some of the women are sweet and tolerant; some are not sweet and tolerant yet.

Getting the group settled in is an interesting task and it can be ongoing. The purpose of my time with these women was to introduce them to a basic awareness of the energy body, the chakra system, the aura. I had a sense about the effort required to discuss energy healing with 15-18 woman, in one hour to work with and all of the above to deal with … my approach needed to be solid.

I suggested breath work first, with deep exhales pushed out to the count of 7 followed by simply allowing the inhale to respond to the count of 7. We went for a series of 6 of these deep breaths and I then asked these women to feel the center of their body, in the chest and to feel the beat of their heart. Two thirds of this group had completely different energy. Of these two thirds they were remarkably calmer and more balanced.

We stayed in the deep breath work and the heart beat while I shared with them about the chakra systems and its beautiful spheres of vibrant colors. I mapped the location of each chakra and introduced the women to the idea of the aura that wraps around their physical body. I suggested to them that they controlled this energy with their breath and they loved this possibility.

Over all and over a short amount of time, the majority of the women in the group were relaxed, more aware of their surroundings, more able to define what they were really feeling, they were more present in their bodies. We stayed with the deep breathing and feeling the heart beat in the chest and this time I was able to talk uninterrupted as they were more focused and more responsive.

One of the women mentioned that she had been stressed and deeply saddened because she was missing her children. She said that she had been very emotional but with the breathing and the energy connection she felt better. I shared with her that because her babies were from her body, that the calm state of her body could be shared with her children from a distance. This became very important to this woman and to a lot of the women in the group.

I shared a story of a time when my grown son was very ill in the hospital. I was unable to visit my son but I spent each evening while he was healing, sending him Reiki from afar. I shared with these women, that I would hold a teddy bear like it was my son when he was a baby and I would rock the bear while sending Reiki to my son. I shared that my son felt this in his hospital bed miles away, the rocking and the healing of his body. I did not tell my son what I was doing exactly, but he knew somehow what I was doing and he could feel it. He could feel my love, my calming presence and he could feel the healing energy of Reiki.

The women who had babies and children left that group gathering with the plan to calm themselves first and then send the calm feeling to their babies and children. I had no plan to tell the story of my grown son and using Reiki on him. Seeing the way these women all responded to the story … I couldn’t have planned better than that.

I can’t wait to go back to Prototype’s.