Free Reiki Course Certified Practitioner Level 1-2

Natural Healing - Reiki

Natural Healing

Reiki is the name given to a system of natural healing which evolved in Japan from the experience and dedication of Dr Mikao Usui (d. 1926). Fired by a burning question, Dr Usui was inspired to develop this healing system from ancient teachings after many years of study, research and meditation. He spent the rest of his life practising and teaching Reiki. Today Reiki continues to be taught by Reiki Masters who have trained in the tradition passed down from Master to student.

There is no belief system attached to Reiki so anyone can receive or learn to give a Reiki treatment, the only prerequisite is the desire to be healed.

A Reiki Treatment

The method of receiving a Reiki treatment from a practitioner is a very simple process. The recipient simply lies on a couch and relaxes. If they are unable to lie down the treatment can be given in a sitting position, the main thing is for the recipient to be as comfortable as possible. There is no need to remove any clothing as Reiki will pass through anything, even plaster casts. The practitioner gently places their hands non-intrusively in a sequence of positions which cover the whole body. The whole person is treated rather than specific symptoms. A full treatment usually takes 1 to 1½ hours with each position held for several minutes.

Which conditions can Reiki help?

It is possible to heal at any level of being: physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Acute injuries can be helped to heal very quickly but more chronic illness takes longer. In some cases such as terminal illness, there is not enough time for the progress of the disease to be reversed. However, in such cases there is usually great benefit and enhancement of the quality of life giving a sense of peace and acceptance during the time remaining.

Reiki healing can be given anywhere at any time as no special equipment is needed. The practitioner is a channel which the energy is drawn through by the need or imbalance in the recipient. Neither person has to use any effort of will or concentration during this process.

As running water smoothes the jagged edges of a rock until it is small enough to roll away, Reiki flows to the areas of need, soothing pain and supporting the body's natural ability to heal itself. Reiki restores balance in one's life.

Reiki supports all forms of treatment both orthodox and complementary.

Source: http://www.freereikicourse.com

Greater Good in Action

Greater Good in Action is a one-stop-shop for mindfulness-based and research-backed practices that can help you build essential skills for navigating challenges and living a more fulfilling, rewarding, and enjoyable life.

From building empathy to learning gratitude for the little things in life, Greater Good in Action has you covered. This simple website from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley is teeming with new practices for you to try, from mindful breathing to giving yourself a self-compassion break. The website is designed to help you find practices that can make a difference in your life with easy filters to find the practice specifically for your needs. The site is interactive and easy to integrate it into your life. You can save practices that interest you, mark ones you’ve completed, take quizzes, comment on how the practice worked for you, and read how it’s worked for others.

Greater Good in Action’s practices range from casual to intensive. You can choose one that’s five minutes or one that’s a whole day. Each practice has all the information you need to understand it, in straightforward language. When you find a practice you’re interested in, you can view and save it and read why you should try it, how to do it, and scientific evidence that the practice works. Greater Good Science Center revolves around using science to create a more compassionate society and giving you the tools to help. The science and research-backed approach used to create Greater Good in Action means you can see the evidence behind each practice that shows that it works and how.

Easy to use, interactive, and extensive: Greater Good in Action is filled with powerful practices you’ll love and are simple enough that you can start them today.

 

Source: http://ggia.berkeley.edu/
 http://www.mindful.org/news/this-new-website-turned-hundreds-of-scientific-studies-into-meditation-practices-you-can-try

8 Ways to Raise Your Home’s Vibration

Source: http://thespiritscience.net/2015/03/29/8-ways-to-raise-your-homes-vibration/

Ever walked into a beautifully put together, comfortable home that really speaks to you? Where you see all the items have been placed in harmony with one another to create a balanced feng shui. These are the kinds of spaces we need to be creating! If you want to create an uplifting environment in your home, these are the steps to take!

1. Clean and give things away

Start out by scanning all the rooms in your home. When you clean and organize everything, by touching and giving all your items attention energetically; you are charging the environment. Look at everything you have and assess what you really need.

Are there old objects of all kinds lying around that could be donated and utilized more efficiently by another? Don’t be afraid or feel guilty for letting go, it’s the cycle of life.

2. Burn Incense

Burning different herbs or incense sticks not only creates a wonderful, relaxing smell; it raises the vibration of the space.

Everything is made up of different frequencies of energy so when you combine your intent with an action of smudging something like sage, that creates a high level of energy that can translate to feeling calm, happy, simply feeling good from enjoying the smell.

3. Decorate!

Make your space an extension of you; who you are, what you like and how you express all of it. What speaks to your soul the most?

I absolutely love futuristic, sleek, minimalistic houses that are ultramodern yet still dreamy. At the same time, the old history-holding victorian, creaky wood houses are equally amazing.

At my core, I love the colorful tapestries, pink himalayan salt lamps, crystals of all kinds and those awesome hanging bead doors. 

Choose things that you feel represent a part of yourself and express it boldly!

4. Meditate

Meditating or charging the space energetically either through intent or action raises your vibration which ripples out through the environment.

When you feel uplifted, excited or even relaxed and blissful; the energy you emit blends with the energy of the space.

Everything is connected, our solid, 3D reality is an ever shifting soup of energy when you can see it from that perspective! So meditate; it literally emits light from our bodies.

5. Essential Oils

It’s fun going to the store and smelling all the pungent aromas of essential oils. Which ones smell the best to you? Find the smells that evoke a certain memory, feeling or urge to just buy it.
Certain smells remind me of my childhood and others I’ve never even heard of! You can get an oil diffuser to get the smell around or just tab some on a cloth and run it along some wood trim in the room. It’s nice to do that around your bed frame.

6. Get Plants

Plants are awesome, beautiful, fun, and make a space look amazing! If you’re able to go out and buy a bunch of beautiful hanging plants, colorful ones and even some seeds for food; do it!
They clean the air, plus they are alive and so much more in tune than we realize. Being surrounded by that kind of consciousness is amazing for the vibration of the space.

7. Play Music

What kind of music do you like? Really nice, instrumental music can help keep a vibe a calm but uplifting at the same time. If you were to play rap or metal at a certain time, what would that shift the vibe to?

Feel out the energy of the room and match the kind of music that fits the mood. Sometimes fast, upbeat dance music is exactly what a room needs to transform it!

8. Create a Space for Connection

What if your space was the place all your closest friends gathered to connect.

This could look like having incredible, transformative talks to just hanging out playing video games. What brings you and your loved ones closer together?

If you’re able to create a sacred space of fun, uplifting connection then be that facilitator of growth; it’s an amazing and powerful position to put yourself in. When you bring out the best in everyone through that power, then you are changing the world through your space.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember "RAIN"

Four steps to stop being so hard on ourselves.

Illustrations by Michael Woloschinow

By Tara Brach

When I was in college, I went off to the mountains for a weekend of hiking with an older, wiser friend of twenty-two. After setting up our tent, we sat by a stream, watching the water swirl around rocks, talking about our lives. At one point she described how she was learning to be “her own best friend.” A wave of sadness came over me, and I broke down sobbing. I was the furthest thing from my own best friend. I was continually harassed by an inner judge who was merciless, nit-picking, demanding, always on the job. My guiding assumption was, “Something is fundamentally wrong with me,” as I struggled to control and fix what felt like a basically flawed self.

Over the last several decades, through my work with tens of thousands of clients and meditation students, I’ve come to see the pain of perceived deficiency as epidemic. It’s like we’re in a trance that causes us to see ourselves as unworthy. Yet, I have seen in my own life, and with countless others, that we can awaken from this trance through practicing mindfulness and self-compassion. We can come to trust the goodness and purity of our hearts.

In order to flower, self-compassion depends on honest, direct contact with our own vulnerability. Compassion fully blossoms when we actively offer care to ourselves. To help people address feelings of insecurity and unworthiness, I often introduce mindfulness and compassion through a meditation I call the RAIN of Self-Compassion. The acronym RAIN, first coined about 20 years ago by Michele McDonald, is an easy-to-remember tool for practicing mindfulness. It has four steps:

Recognize what is going on;
Allow the experience to be there, just as it is;
Investigate with kindness;
Natural awareness, which comes from not identifying
with the experience.

You can take your time and explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the steps in a more abbreviated way whenever challenging feelings arise.

R—Recognize What's Going On

Recognizing means consciously acknowledging, in any given moment, the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are affecting us. Like awakening from a dream, the first step out of the trance of unworthiness is simply to recognize that we are stuck, subject to painfully constricting beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations. Common signs of the trance include a critical inner voice, feelings of shame or fear, the squeeze of anxiety or the weight of depression in the body.

In order to flower, self-compassion depends on honest, direct contact with our own vulnerability. Compassion fully blossoms when we actively offer care to ourselves.

Different people respond to the sense of unworthiness in different ways. Some might stay busy, trying to prove themselves valuable; others, fearful of failure, may become discouraged or even paralyzed. Still others may resort to addictive behaviors to avoid facing their shame and fear. Any of these strategies can lead to either defensive or aggressive behavior with others, or unhealthy attachment.

Some of us are at war with ourselves for decades, never realizing how our self-judgment and self-aversion keep us from finding genuine intimacy with others or enjoying our lives. One palliative caregiver reports that a key regret of the dying is not having been true to themselves. Rather than listening to and trusting our inner life, most of us try to live according to the expectations of others, which we internalize. When we inevitably fall short of the mark, we condemn ourselves.

Though it may sound depressing or overwhelming, learning to recognize that we are at war with ourselves is quite empowering. One meditation student described the trance of unworthiness as “…the invisible and toxic gas I am always breathing.” As he became increasingly mindful of his incessant self-judgment and feelings of inadequacy, his aspiration to free himself from his painful inner prison grew.

A—Allowing: Taking a Life-Giving Pause

Allowing means letting the thoughts, emotions, feelings, or sensations we have recognized simply be there. Typically when we have an unpleasant experience, we react in one of three ways: by piling on the judgment; by numbing ourselves to our feelings; or by focusing our attention elsewhere. For example, we might have the sinking, shameful feeling of having been too harsh in correcting our child. But rather than allowing that feeling, we might blame our partner for not doing his or her part, worry about something completely different, or decide it’s time for a nap. We’re resisting the rawness and unpleasantness of the feeling by withdrawing from the present moment.

We allow by simply pausing with the intention to relax our resistance and let the experience be just as it is. Allowing our thoughts, emotions, or bodily sensations simply to be doesn’t mean we agree with our conviction that we’re unworthy. Rather, we honestly acknowledge the presence of our judgment, as well as the painful feelings underneath. Many students I work with support their resolve to let it be by silently offering an encouraging word or phrase to themselves. For instance, you might feel the grip of fear and mentally whisper yes in order to acknowledge and accept the reality of your experience in this moment.

Victor Frankel writes, “Between the stimulus and the response there is a space, and in this space lies our power and our freedom.” Allowing creates a space that enables us to see more deeply into our own being, which, in turn, awakens our caring and helps us make wiser choices in life. For one student, the space of allowing gave her more freedom in the face of urges to binge eat. In the past, whenever she felt restless or anxious at night, she’d start thinking of her favorite food—trail mix—then mindlessly consume a half pound of it before going to bed, disgusted with herself.

Learning to recognize the cues and taking a pause interrupted the pattern. While pausing, she would allow herself to feel the tension in her body, her racing heart, the craving. Soon, she began to contact a poignant sense of loneliness buried beneath her anxiety. She found that if she could stay with the loneliness and be gentle with herself, the craving passed.

I—Investigating with Kindness

Investigating means calling on our natural curiosity—the desire to know truth—and directing a more focused attention to our present experience. Simply pausing to ask, what is happening inside me?, can initiate recognition, but investigation adds a more active and pointed kind of inquiry. You might ask yourself: What most wants attention? How am I experiencing this in my body? Or What am I believing? What does this feeling want from me? You might notice hollowness or shakiness, then discover a sense of unworthiness and shame masked by those feelings. Unless you bring them into awareness, your unconscious beliefs and emotions will control your experience and perpetuate your identification with a limited, deficient self.

Poet Dorothy Hunt says that we need a “...heartspace where everything that is, is welcome.” Without such an attitude of unconditional care, there isn’t enough safety and openness for real investigation to take place. About ten years ago I entered a period of chronic illness. During one particularly challenging period of pain and fatigue, I became discouraged and unhappy. In my view I was terrible to be around—impatient, self-absorbed, irritable, gloomy. I began working with RAIN to recognize these feelings and judgments and to consciously allow the unpleasantness in my body and emotions to just be there. As I began to investigate, I heard an embittered voice: “I hate living like this.” And then a moment later, “I hate myself!” The full toxicity of self-aversion filled me.

Not only was I struggling with illness, I was at war with the self-centered, irritable person I believed I had become. Unknowingly, I had turned on myself and was held captive by the trance of unworthiness. But in that moment of recognizing and allowing the suffering of self-hatred, my heart began to soften with compassion.

Here’s a story that helps to describe the process I went through. Imagine while walking in the woods you see a small dog sitting by a tree. You bend down to pet it and it suddenly lunges at you, teeth bared. Initially you might be frightened and angry. But then you notice one of its legs is caught in a trap, buried under some leaves. Immediately your mood shifts from anger to concern. You see that the dog’s aggression sprang from vulnerability and pain.

This applies to all of us. When we behave in hurtful, reactive ways, it’s because we’re caught in some kind of painful trap. The more we investigate the source of our suffering, the more we cultivate a compassionate heart toward ourselves and others.

When I recognized how my leg was in a trap—sickness compounded with self aversion— my heart filled with sorrow and genuine self-care. The investigating deepened as I gently put my hand over my heart—a gesture of kindness— and invited whatever other feelings were there to surface. A swell of fear (uncertainty for my future) spread through my chest, followed by an upwelling of grief at losing my health. The sense of self-compassion unfurled fully as I mentally whispered, It’s all right, sweetheart, and consciously offered care to the depths of my vulnerability, just as I would to a dear friend.

Compassion arises naturally when we mindfully contact our suffering and respond with care. As you practice the RAIN of Self-Compassion, experiment and see which intentional gesture of kindness most helps to soften or open your heart. Many people find healing by gently placing a hand on the heart or cheek; others, in a whispered message of care, or by envisioning being bathed in warm, radiant light. What matters is that once you have investigated and connected with your suffering, respond by offering care to your own heart. When the intention to awaken self love and compassion is sincere, the smallest gesture—even if, initially, it feels awkward— will serve you well.

N—Natural Loving Awareness

Natural loving awareness occurs when identification with the small self is loosened. This practice of non-identification means that our sense of who we are is not fused with any limiting emotions, sensations, or stories. We begin to intuit and live from the openness and love that express our natural awareness.

Though the first three steps of RAIN require some intentional activity, the N is the treasure: A liberating homecoming to our true nature. There’s nothing to do for this last part of RAIN; we simply rest in natural awareness.

The RAIN of Self-Compassion is not a one-shot meditation, nor is the realization of our natural awareness necessarily full, stable, or enduring. Rather, as you practice you may experience a sense of warmth and openness, a shift in perspective. You can trust this! RAIN is a practice for life—meeting our doubts and fears with a healing presence. Each time you are willing to slow down and recognize, oh, this is the trance of unworthiness… this is fear… this is hurt…this is judgment…, you are poised to de-condition the old habits and limiting self-beliefs that imprison your heart. Gradually, you’ll experience natural loving awareness as the truth of who you are, more than any story you ever told yourself about being “not good enough” or “basically flawed.”

A friend of mine was sitting with her dying mother while she was in a coma. At one point the mother opened her eyes, looked at her daughter with great lucidity, and said “You know, all my life I thought something was wrong with me.” She closed her eyes, sank back into a coma and died shortly thereafter. For my friend, her mother’s words were a parting gift. They inspired her to dedicate herself to the mindfulness and self-compassion that frees us.

We each have the conditioning to live for long stretches of time imprisoned by a sense of deficiency, cut off from realizing our intrinsic intelligence, aliveness, and love. The greatest blessing we can give ourselves is to recognize the pain of this trance, and regularly offer a cleansing rain of self-compassion to our awakening hearts.

Clinical psychologist Tara Brach is the author of True Refuge: Finding Peace & Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart. For guided meditations and talks, visit Tara Brach's website. 

This article also appeared in the August 2014 issue of Mindful magazine.

Source: http://www.mindful.org/mindful-magazine/tara-brach-rain-mindfulness-practice

You Are What You Seek - Nonduality and The Awakening You

Indigo Children

It is incredible to be alive at this time of transformation on the Earth, our home. You can see subtle signs of change everywhere you look, and the key factor of the whole thing is happening right before our very eyes.

Our children are going to one day grow up and be the leaders of the world. They are the next generation to take over from us,  and to create a life for themselves on this planet. What this means is that everything we do, has an impact on the world that they are inheriting from us.

Lately there is a big talk about the Indigo child. The word “indigo” in this context is speaking to the intuitive, insightful, and bright essence that flows through the energy of that individual.  We have to be careful, for we don’t want to create spiritual elitism with our kids, that is not going to help anyone.

What I mean by that is if we tell kids that some people are special and some kids are not, then they are going to grow up with a pre-written program that tells them that they are better than someone else. It’s very important to teach compassion, and love, and respect for everyone. That makes all of the difference in the world.

Everyone is God, and in a way, everyone is an indigo. The main difference that we’re actually describing is the amount of vitality and sensitivity within some children, which isn’t as present in others.  I believe the reason is related to where that essence and consciousness came from, and how long they have been on this planet for.

It’s also related to the natural evolution of our human consciousness, and the quickening of the mental processors and ability to communicate ideas.

“Indigo’s” or rather, many of the new children that are being born have a sense of youthfulness and vitality that not all children have, and that’s showing all over the place. They are just like everyone, but far more sensitive to each others energy. They are reflections for everyone on a more intimate level of human connection.

How to Nurture and Support an Indigo Child

This also applies to Indigo’s themselves. If you connect with the traits in the video above, then you can use all of this information to create a supportive space both for yourself, and those around you – including other indigos. Recognizing the patterns and traits that Indigo children often demonstrate will allow for an understanding of how to create a nurturing environment that helps the child or children grow.

indigo3

1. Listen to what they’re “really” saying. Sometimes, it’s hard to match the words to the feelings, and so you’ll have to read between the lines, and then support them in having what they really want. It’s not always what they say they want.

2. When you’re communicating with them, make eye contact and show them that it’s safe simply through being in a safe space. Communicate not only verbally, but with your eyes, with your actions, and with your thoughts.

3. Introduce them to other indigo children or people who would be energizing and inspiring vibrations into their life. People who can help them grow. If this is not possible, find a way to make it possible.

4. Create an environment which allows for a flow of creativity and creation in any regard, such as painting, music, dancing, engineering, inventing, or writing.

5. Talk about fun stuff like past life memories or lucid dreaming, because it’s a regular thing that you can talk about.

6. Support a healthy lifestyle and take a different road than medication, there are plenty out there available…maybe I’ll make a post about that soon. Off the top of my head, check out juicing, cannabis oil, getting lots of fresh air and sunlight, meditation, and a space to exercise their creativity. (Please don’t take that as disregard doctors, just practice awareness with what will benefit the child, and what will harm him or her).

7. Make yourself available to connect with them and to find out what’s going on their world. Don’t be overly pushy though, that might cause them to close down. Simply presence that your present, and give them the space they require to open up.

7.5 – Understand that while anyone can open up, sometimes it has to come from a particular energy. You might be what is required to help them open up, and likewise, it might not be you. You can however – support them in connecting with that person or energy to open up, if that’s the case.

8. In regards to television, set them up to experience entertainment without commercials, however that looks like is up to you. And just make sure that the shows they’re watching are quality. Shows that stimulate the mind, movies that open up the heart, that promote growth and have good vibes about them.

9. Be there for them. Be there when things get emotional. In fact, be emotional with them. It creates a strong connection between the two (or more) of you.

10. Make some popcorn together and watch Spirit Science cartoons. (I couldn’t resist :P )

Maybe the most important thing you can take away from this article is that if we treated everyone like this, being supportive towards everyones needs and cheering them on to become the best that they can be, well that would make the world a very different place in no time.

With love,

Jordan Pearce