Stress Management And Reiki: Restoring Balance Through Energy Work

We live in a hectic world, where the affects of acute and chronic stress can have serious impacts on our health. Although conventional and alternative medicine offers many options for stress management, there is an ancient healing technique that works especially well: Reiki energy work.

What Is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese energy technique that produces a relaxation response to reduce the feelings of stress. Reiki practitioners are trained to tap into the Universal energy force and, by the laying on of hands, transmit healing energy to another person or animal. The premise of Reiki, which is a very spiritual stress management technique, is that it increases your life energy. Reiki is considered to be a holistic therapy because it addresses the mind, body and spirit.

While Reiki is spiritually based, it isn't associated with any specific religion. That's why there are no intellectual or spiritual requirements to give or receive Reiki. In other words, you don't need to have any particular beliefs about religion (or any beliefs at all) to either benefit from it or practice it.
Because Reiki is based on the principles of peace, harmony and balance, anyone can learn it. Although it's a simple technique, the process must be passed on from a Reiki master to her student during a process called "attunement."

What to Expect During a Reiki Treatment
During a Reiki treatment, you should be fully clothed and will usually lay flat on a massage-like table, although seated or standing positions can be used in a pinch. It's important to be comfortable and warm, so let your practitioner know if you need to adjust your position. (Simple things, like placing a pillow under your knees to relieve low back pressure or adding a lightweight blanket, can increase your comfort level.)

When the Reiki session begins, your practitioner may close her eyes and take a moment to gather her own energy before placing her hands on or near your body. As the treatment progresses, your practitioner will move her hands along your body, concentrating on areas that relate to your specific issues. When using Reiki for stress management, for example, your practitioner may spend extra time around tense neck and shoulder muscles. Although even a few minutes of Reiki can reduce stress, a typical full-length treatment can last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
A full-length Reiki treatment should make you feel extremely relaxed and may even cause you to fall sleep. You should be able release the tension being held in your body as you reach a new level of peace.

Why You Should Choose Reiki for Relaxation
Reiki practitioners believe that negativity doesn't exist solely in the brain. Instead, they believe that negative thoughts and feelings are also stored in other areas of the body and in the body's surrounding energy field (known as the aura). When negative energy collects in and around the body, the flow of life force, or Ki, is restricted. This results in headaches, body pains, feelings of stress and, if left untreated, more serious physical illness.

The healing energy of Reiki is guided by a Higher Intelligence that intuitively understands how to release restrictions to the flow of Ki. This energy is able to work in harmony with the unconscious mind to dissolve negative thoughts and help remove them from the body and its aura. As these energy blocks are cleared, your Ki begins to flow unhindered, sending the healing life force to unhealthy bones, organs and tissues. With a consistent treatment plan, Reiki allows your body to heal itself and restore optimal balance and function.

Although people with serious health problems should consult their doctor before undergoing treatment, there are no known side effects associated with Reiki, which is proven to be a safe therapy for people in all stages of wellness or ill health.
Stress management is often a lifelong pursuit that requires an entire toolbox of traditional and alternative therapies for maximum relief. Consider incorporating Reiki treatments into your self-care regimen. The only thing you've got to lose is a little stress!

Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation And Sleep - The Recipe For A Healthy Lifestyle

I can honestly say I felt at my best when I was in my thirties. I was physically, mentally and emotionally at my peak and firing on all cylinders.
Since then, it's definitely gone down hill and I've lost plenty of brain cells and lean muscle. I haven't lost weight though as muscle has been replaced by fat - plenty of it.

Over the years it's crept on. I've gained a pound here, a pound there, but regrettably haven't taken action to get rid of it straight away. Now over the past twenty years those pounds have turned into stones, so no prizes for guessing what my New Year's resolution was.
I watched a programme on tv over the festive period which was probably cleverly scheduled to prevent people from eating too much over the Christmas break. It was about a poor man who had to lose 30 stone or risk dying. He had reached the point where he couldn't even get out of bed and his whole life was spent in the confines of his four walls.

He'd lost all self-esteem, and was physically incapable of doing any activity without getting out of breath. He'd been the butt of jokes and ridicule so had stopped venturing outside. He ate for comfort.
It seems he's not alone. Obesity is common and the numbers of morbidly obese are growing. People often turn to food as a substitute for something missing from their lives.

We all do things for a reason and apparently this poor chap had a cruel father and an unhappy childhood. He'd been forced to eat everything on his plate or suffer a beating. Even after the death of his father he continued to eat everything put in front of him. It became a vicious circle. He got depressed because of the name calling, being unfit, unhealthy and not finding clothes to wear, so to comfort himself he ate. Consequently, he got bigger, and even unhappier.
It doesn't matter what size you are as long as you are healthy and have self-confidence. This poor chap didn't. Self-confidence is a wonderful thing. When you feel good about yourself, life is wonderful and you can achieve so much.

In my thirties I felt elated, engaged, excited and focused. I want that feeling back again so I am not going to "diet" but focus on four areas in my life - Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation and Sleep.
I've neglected them all lately. My excuse is I've been very busy and this is true. However, if I want to get the most out of every day and live a lot longer I need to address them all. Excess weight carries lots of health issues and if you are morbidly obese, can reduce your life span by several years. Thankfully, I'm not in that category, but the thirty stone that man had to lose wasn't put on over night. It creeps up gradually as I've discovered and it's about time I reversed the situation. Hence the New Year's resolution - no diet, just a healthier lifestyle.

Nutrition is what, when and how much I eat; Fitness is sensible exercise and improving my recovery rate; and Relaxation and Sleep are the times during the day and night when I switch of and just rest, not only my body but my brain.
Friends and family say I'm doing "too much", but if I want to be more productive and expend more energy I have to become more efficient at renewing it.