DISCOVER YOUR PATHWAY TO HEALING

There is so much to understand about the human body and mind, and there are plenty of disciplines to help us understand, and most importantly, heal our bodies. What I have found in life is that the truth is the truth; however, each person has his/her own avenue to finding the truth. It is totally OK to move on if a topic does not resonate with you; it may in the future when your life experiences are more related, or it may not at all. For me, each new area of knowledge unfolded into the next. I started with Bill Bryson’s "A Little History of Everything" which gave me a glimpse into the fascinating world of scientific understanding. Next, Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life,” opened me up to the world of Energy Healing. Then Cyndi Dale, who has written some amazingly detailed books on the energetic make-up of the human body, came into my life. Just to name a few. And of course I have to mention the miracle of synchronicity taught in "The Celestine Prophecy” (by James Redfield) and the nuggets of truth in “The Four Agreements” (by Don Miguel Ruiz) and "The Secret” (by Rhonda Byrne). 

 

Self awareness is a whole body process that needs to move in multiple directions: physical, mental and spiritual. Each area impacts the others. How you treat your body, how you talk to yourself and how much faith you have in your future will all have direct impact on your ability to find peace and heal.  

 

So let’s start with an understanding of the energetic parts of your physical body, the chakras. And then a brief summary of Native American Animal Medicine and the emotional/mental connection to physical pain, as outlined in Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life".  There is an abundance of well-written research already available so I will just plant some seeds here so you can delve deeper into whatever areas you feel drawn to. I recommend you read what you are drawn to because that is probably your Soul whispering to you. Whether it is a resource that is listed here, a book that catches your eye, or something you hear a random person mention, just pick one and start.      

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CHAKRAS

Chakras are the body’s gateway to life force energy, which is a necessary component to health and vitality. Just as every physical organ has a biological purpose in the body, all of the chakras have an energetic purpose. In essence, they are spinning wheels of energy that feed life force energy into your body. The main 7 chakras are located along the spine at specific locations. A brief understanding of the chakras is important to understanding how your body works; when you are feeling emotionally or mentally stuck, or suffering from physical ailments, chances are that at least one of your chakras is out of balance or blocked. Note that the characteristics and colors I list here are based on my experiences during Reiki sessions; there are slight variations based on what resource you utilize because the human body has many levels of evolution and purpose. 

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Root Chakra  

Location:  Base of spine; pelvic region

Color:  Red

Center:  Connection to earth, home, ancestors; feelings of physical safety 

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Sacral Chakra

Location: About inch below naval

Color:  Orange

Center:  Creativity, emotions

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Solar Plexus Chakra

Color:  Yellow

Location: About inch below the solar plexus

Center:  Will power, mental abilities/thoughts

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Heart Chakra

Color:  Green 

Location: Heart area

Center:  Giving and receiving of love

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Throat Chakra

Color: Blue

Location:  Throat area

Center: Truth, expression, authenticity, power

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Brow Chakra

Color:  Purple

Location:  Between eyebrows (some people connect this with the third-eye; others keep it separate)

Center:  Higher vision, clairvoyance, self reflection

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Crown Chakra

Color:  Gold (or white)

Location:  Top of head

Center:  Spiritual connection, wisdom

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There are plenty of books and web sites written about the chakras.  Here are some detailed sites:

https://www.chakra-anatomy.com/root-chakra.html

https://www.thelawofattraction.com/root-chakra-healing/

       

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NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL MEDICINE

The Native Americans believed that every animal carried a meaning for the person interacting with it. If your eyes pick up on that bird, animal, insect, etc., if you are drawn to (or afraid of) an animal, if you keep running into the same animal over and over, than somewhere deep within your mind, your unconscious has been drawn to the Spirit of that animal. To find out more of what these meanings could be, check out my favorite resource:

 

Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small by Ted Andrews

 

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EMOTIONAL & MENTAL CONNECTIONS TO PHYSICAL PAIN

Louise Hay wrote a phenomenal book called “You Can Heal Your Life”, where she gives a thorough explanation of the mental and emotional links to physical illness and pain. According to Hay, "Life is really very simple. What we give out, we get back.  What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. I believe that everyone, myself included, is responsible for everything in our lives, the best and the worst. Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.” To learn more about the underlying mental and emotional issues that are probably underlying your physical circumstances read:

 

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

https://alchemyofhealing.com/causes-of-symptoms-according-to-louise-hay/ (Quick reference site) 

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MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS

There is a huge misnomer that only certain people are “good” at meditating. In fact, meditation can take on numerous forms and there really is no one “correct" way to meditate. However there are certain aspects to the practice that can do a better job than others of quieting the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn, helps reduce stress. Some specific details include slowing the breath, relaxing the body, sitting up straight, not crossing body parts and being in a quiet room without distractions. Focusing on the breath and quieting the mind is one way of meditating. Guided visualization towards a happy or peaceful place/time is another. Deep breathing from the belly 4 or 5 times certainly helps (my daughter called it magic when she suddenly felt calmer after a panicked middle school melt down). I especially like to do this while breathing in a “quality" that I am searching for in the moment. So for example, I breathe in peace for 6 seconds, hold the breath for 4 and then breathe out tension for 6 seconds and hold for 4.  Do this 5 times in a row.  Try it with wisdom, joy, love and power.

 

Mindfulness is another aspect of meditation that is especially helpful in healing. Mindfulness literally means putting your full attention on some activity/body part and fully engaging in it. Ultimate awareness brings healing,  and importantly, a feeling of empowerment that change can happen. Mindfulness empowers you with the ability to relax (and heal) your body, which is also a benefit of Reiki. Our brains hide in the unconscious all of the details of how our body is responding to our environment.  As Brian Greene explains in “Until the End of Time,” from an evolutionary perspective, we gain no survival benefit from being consciously aware of the biological and chemical process that occur when we eat certain foods or feel certain emotions.  Our brain literally quiets the chemical reactions happening inside of us and we have an overall sense of “satisfied” or “ow” or “sad”.  But when these experiences bring discomfort, there ARE things we can do to bring information into the consciousness so that we can take action.  Here are a few techniques that have made an impact on my health.   

 

Body Mindfulness

By becoming aware of the actual place(s) that we hold tension, we can consciously relax them.  And surprisingly, as I often see in Reiki, the physical source of the anxiety or tension or pain is not always where we think it is.  For example, headaches are often linked to abdominal discomfort.  Both literally as the microbes in the gut have been linked to the brain, and energetically as the lower stomach is the heart of the sacral chakra where we house emotions that can impact migraines.  You may be surprised to learn where in your body the tension is held.  So a great technique is to scan every part of your body (top of head, eyes, ears, jaw, throat, shoulder, etc) and then focus on relaxing each and every part, one section at a time. Sometimes when my son and daughter are having a hard time falling asleep I have them do this and it does help relax them.  There are numerous highly-qualified meditation teachers out there.  One great mindfulness teacher in Northern, NJ is:

 

Jenny Mills at https://www.rootsandwingsonline.org

 

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a great way to become more conscious of how food impacts your body, and has the added benefit of helping you really enjoy your food, beyond the fleeting satisfaction of your taste buds.  Practice by yourself with a small snack/treat (I love doing this with my daily, post-lunch indulgence of dark chocolate).  Just engage fully in each bite, noticing how it feels/tastes/melts in your mouth, only paying attention to each bite and nothing else in your environment.  Notice how completely different of an experience you have with your next treat/snack when you sit outside in the sunshine and quietly enjoy each bite vs. sitting at your desk mindlessly eating the food.  Over time, mindful eating automatically helps you start to eat healthier; by fully engaging in the process of eating, smaller portions become more satisfying and your brain starts to become conscious of the foods that make you feel good in the long run.  

 

Movement Mindfulness

How we align our bodies when we walk, run, lift objects, bend down or do any other mundane activity has a great impact on the overall health of our body.  Correct deep belly breathing helps build stronger abdominal muscles.  Standing correctly with your weight over your heals builds strength in the hips.  Holding your abdominal muscles in when you lift an object, bend over or do a push help strengthens them and takes strain off of the lower back. (Did you know lower back pain can sometimes be helped by building abdominal strength?)  We spend countless money making sure our cars move smoothly and efficiently, our electronics are constantly updated to run as efficiently as possible, and yet so many of us have no idea how to make our bodies move efficiently. Below is the name of an incredibly knowledgable book about foot health:

        

Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief; The New Science of Healthy Feet by Katy Bowman, MS