HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-01, Page 7The universe has many wonders,
not all of them as obvious as other,
some not meant to be understood.
Opening one’s mind to the
possibilities can be a revelation.
Those willing to accept that one’s
own body and mind can care for itself
if properly trained or taught seek
health benefits in a number of
alternative practices.
Reiki is a Japanese form of
alternative healing, based on one’s
own life force and the moving of
energy through the palms, according
to reiki master Jennie Schimanski.
It originated in 1922, when Micao
Usui ended a 21-day retreat on
Mount Kurama that involved
meditation, fasting and prayer. He
believed that he had gained the
knowledge and spiritual power to
apply and attune others.
“I know it’s one of those that can be
difficult for some to believe, but I
think the fact that it’s eastern, and
that the man who developed it just
happened to be a doctor helps. I tell
people I’m an energy healer,” said
Schimanski.
“Our bodies are surrounded by
energy. That to me is indisputable.
When my mother died, we all noticed
a gap of energy. It was different, very
tangible and noticed even by non-
believers.”
Schimanski further explains this
with a cliché as old as, well, reiki.
“We all know what it means when
you say you can cut the tension with
a knife, and we’ve all felt it. That is
absolutely energy. Bodies are
energy.”
Schimanski said that reiki is
essentially the movement of energy,
using universal energy with the
person’s energy to heal. A treatment
is totally non-intrusive. The recipient
is under a blanket and the
practitioner, after a few moments of
meditation, place hands on the person
or slightly above, in various
positions. They may use fixed
positions or be “guided” to problem
areas. The treatment takes about an
hour.
Recipients may feel warmth or
tingling, and report a feeling of
relaxation and well-being.
“It’s like water in the pool. If the
filter is clogged the water’s murky.
Our energy is the same. Take away
the blockage and you’ll heal.”
For Jay-Anne Rehkopf a shift in
jobs and other pressures had her
feeling out of sync with not just the
world, but herself. Her husband had
gone for a reiki treatment and she felt
it might be something that could help
her as well. “I just felt I needed a
sense of balance, that there was a lot
of negative energy buried.”
Rehkopf noted a sense of lightness
after her treatment that lasted a few
weeks. “Some of the things Jennie
knew about me during the session,
and things she said, just made me feel
at peace. If I could make reiki part of
a regular routine I would.”
If energy around the body is pure,
said Schimanski, clear of physical,
emotional, spiritual debris it will be
less heavy on one’s physical body. So
certain is Schimanski of this aspect of
reiki’s potential that she makes a bold
statement, without pause. “I don’t get
sick anymore.”
She stresses that reiki is not a
replacement for traditional medicine
when it’s necessary, but more a
method for making it unnecessary or
more effective. For instance, she said,
if someone has high blood pressure,
reiki may not be able to cure it, but it
can help someone respond better and
more swiftly to the medication.
Liz Hickling first turned to her
doctor when her seven-week-old
daughter Madison was suffering from
digestive problems with little effect.
As someone who has herself been
getting reiki treatments for a number
of years, Hickling decided it might
work for her baby. “After a night with
a lot of crying I thought, why not try
something different.”
The reiki treatment, she said,
definitely helped. “It seemed to get
rid of some of the yeast that had been
building up.”
Skeptics might argue that this is
simply a case of mind over matter,
and Schimanski wouldn’t completely
disagree. Reiki is a holistic therapy
meant to heal not just the physical,
but the emotional, mental andspiritual as well. Its principles arebased on living well, avoiding angerand worry, expressing gratitude,working with integrity and beingkind. “I would happily put myself out of
business, if everyone could feel as I
do now,” she said.
People can self-treat said
Schimanski. “It’s the lazy-man’s
therapy because you lie there, you
can meditate, and breathe in love,
peace and joy, and exhale anger and
resentment.
Reiki teaching involves three
degrees. Attaining the first degree
means the participant can treat
himself and others. Second degree
enhances strength and distance so
treatment can be done without the
recipient being present. Third degree
is the master training.
“Reiki is about healing yourself
first,” said Shimanski.
After four years of study,Schimanski believes that reiki is “theultimate gift of love you can giveyourself. A pedicure pampers youand you know that makes you feelgood. This pampers your soul, thevery core of you. ”
“I have always believed that there
are other things out there, that we
don’t always need medical
intervention,” said Rehkopf. “You
have to accept that life is not black
and white, that there’s grey area. And
negative energy has to go
somewhere.”
For the skeptics, Rehkopf can only
offer one suggestion. Don’t knock it
until you’ve tried it. “To walk out and
feel this level of complete wellness is
hard to explain.”
“It’s amazing the things that we
will carry with us through life. People
who feel nothing have closed down,”
said Schimanski. “Your body talks.
Reiki helps you listen.”
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009. PAGE 7.Reiki moves energy to help ‘unclog’ the filters
Moving energy
Reiki is an alternative healing based on one’s life force and the movement of energy through
the palms. Jay-Anne Rehkopf puts herself into the hands of reiki master Jennie Schimanski.
(Bonnie Gropp photo)
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