Before I tell you about reiki, I would like to explain my version of the human energy field. When you take chemistry, you learn that everything is made of of moving particles called atoms. Atoms hook up with more atoms to make molecules, ect ect ect. These moving particles are what make up our energy system.
Our energy systems interact with other people’s and place’s energy systems. We are affected either positively or negatively by other people’s energies and the environment. When you meet a happy upbeat person, you feel happy.
In cities the energies are very concentrated. There are many people’s energies, the energies of the many appliances, computers, tvs, cars, electrical wires, gas lines, ect that affect each of us. We can be recharged by walking out in a state park area where there are fewer people and less electrical items. We can also be recharged by meditation, positive thoughts, prayer, exercise and laughter. These are all ways we quiet the stimulation of the outside world.

In eastern medicine, a human energy system is described in several ways. The life force energy travels in patterns around the body called meridians. The chakras are spinning vortex energy systems in our body. Seven chakras are frequently described, though like all of physics it is possible that labeling our energy system as having seven chakras is a limited view. So I am explaining chakras to give you a basic idea about energy systems but it is up to you to look at it as a starting point to explore your own unlimited view. I want you to think outside the box. The reality of new discoveries is that their inventors saw something beyond the original idea and did not limit themselves to what the outcome would look like.

Chakras bring energy in to our physical body. According to Ambika Wauters in her book, “The Book of Chakras”, the first three chakras are feminine in that their function is receptive and brings in magnetic energy from the earth. She states that these chakras contain our inherited patterns but also how we master life through our instincts. P.15.
The next four chakras, according to Ms. Wauters are male as they are concerned with giving energy out in the form of love, communication, attitudes and inner reflection. They link us to spirit. This is not to say that these things are male qualities. Eastern systems describe balance as male is giving and female is receiving. Many woman have too much yang ( male energy) which is described as giving and may need to work on their ying ( female energy) which would mean learning to receive.
The energy around us comes in through the acupuncture points and flows to our organs and body parts. If the flow is blocked or unbalanced by physical or emotional issues it affects our physical body. If the block occurs in a specific chakra area,it could affect the corresponding glands in that area. The other chakras will only be affected if the blockage corresponds that area also.

The first chakra is the root chakra. It is located just below the end of the tail bone. It represents our security, our survival and anchors our spirit to the physical plane. Think about the qualities that it would offer us such as courage and vitality. It is usually described as red in color. It regulates the adrenal glands and is said to affect the Kidneys, the bladder and the spine.

The second chakra is the sacral chakra. It is located in slightly below the naval center. It is the center of sexual energy. It is the place of the ego. It is the place of creativiy. According to Ms. Wauters, ” it governs our ability to enjoy life in a physical way. It governs our sense of a good life and our capacity to develop a sense of abundance p.19. ” It is usually described as the color orange. It regulates the gonads and affects the organs of reproduction and the legs. The feelings of other people are directly perceived with this chakra,making it a center of extrasensory perception.

The third chakra is the solar plexus chakra. It is located slightly above the naval. It is the place where physical energy is distributed. This is the center where we store emotions and power.When we have an argument, or are upset we tend to hold our breath which stores the emotion in this center. When we are afraid we tighten up in this center. ” this center is directly related to self value,a primary quality in our relationships with others and the world around us…. consequently this chakra deals with issues of self-esteem, confidence,and freedom of choice.”p.20 It is associated with the pancreas which is a gland that makes insulin for carbohydrate metabolism and enzymes necessary to break down food. It is associated with the stomach, liver and gall-bladder. ” the solar plexus chakra sits over the stomach and the nerve ganglia under the diaphragm. It filters energy into our vital organs so that they can break down nutrients for digestion. This happens on the physical level with food and on the mental level with ideas.” p.19

The fourth chakra is the heart chakra. The heart chakra is where we send and receive love. The primary healing of this chakra occurs when we learn to love ourselves. It is also where we come to realize that we are love. It is usually described as the color green. It is associated with the thymus gland which is important for our immune system. It affects the heart, the liver, the lungs and blood circulation.

The fifth chakra is the throat chakra. The throat chakra is at the throat. It is the center for communication, speaking our truth, expressing ourselves and our creativity. The color associated with this chakra is blue. The organ related to this chakra is the thyroid. The thyroid regulates our metabolism. It is also associated with the throat, upper lungs, arms and digestive tract. Per Ambiku Wauters,” this chakra holds the memory and energy of all that went unexpressed. It is deeply affected by substance abuse, gossip, lying, and lack of personal integrity.” p. 20 As your sense of what you believe in versus what you have been raised to believe in becomes stronger, your ability to speak with truth and integrity will develop. Lying may also be not saying what you really believe, or agreeing with something that is not your truth. The pattern of gossiping can be hard to change. As we realize that we are love, it will be love that will dominate our speaking patterns.

The sixth chakra is the brow or third eye chakra. This chakra is said to be our place of intuition. It is where we see or visualize things. It is the place where experience our feelings. Perhaps this is where the term “brow beaten” originates.We are not allowed to deal with our feelings and we suppress them when we are brow beaten. When the brow chakra is opened we are able to access wisdom, truth and our higher self or soul. It is linked to the pituitary gland which is the master gland or director of all the other glands. The brow chakra is associated with the spine, lower brain, the left eye, the nose and ear. This chakra is associated with the color indigo.

The seventh chakra is the crown chakra. It is located at the top of the head. This chakra connects us to the highest level of consciousness and is said to be where we connect to the source of all. “The Book of Chakras” states that the crown chakra offers us the feeling that we are one with all life.”It controls our sense of happiness and joy and allows us to feel that we are loved, guided, and protected at all times by the love of God” p.21 The gland that it is associated with is the pineal gland which produces melatonin which is a sleep regulator. It is connected to the organs of the upper brain and the right eye. This chakra is associated with the color purple.

Surrounding our body is our aura. Our aura brings energy into the chakras. If our aura is filled with joy, love, happiness and peace it can be huge. Our aura gets smaller when we are sick. It can also be affected by negativity, toxins, drugs, physical trauma and our thoughts.
The life force energy is what makes us alive. It is what makes plants and animals alive. It is in the air around us. As we breathe we have life. When the life force energy is gone we stop breathing, our heart stops beating, our brainwaves stop. In Hawaii it is called prana, in China it is called chi or qi and in reiki it is called Ki.

Though our life force stops when we die, our soul is eternal. It is part of the oneness of all. It connects us to every person on this planet. Have you ever thought that the very person you can not forgive will is totally connected to you through this soul and that one day you will be in the oneness with that very soul.

Many western medicines do not recognize these energy systems. They do have ways to test many of our energy systems. For example, they measure brainwaves thru EEGs, they measure our heart electricity by an EKG, they can measure the electrical impulses in our legs by an EMG, they can bounce magnetic waves off of us to generate pictures in an MRI, ect. The western medicine does not recognize instruments that measure our aura or energy systems. I am adding a link here to an article about Dr. Valerie Hunt, a professor at UCLA. She is 80 years young and offers some different ideas about energy. The article is called Human Vibrations and was written by Stewart Dawes for the FRESH Magazine. It contains a link to the Fresh Magazine and an article about Dr. Hunt with a link to her web site.

We have many ways of describing our energy systems. Times that we may have a lot of energy are when we are well rested, when we are relaxed, when we are having fun, when things are going smoothly, when we feel joy and peace and love. What are the things that zap or deplete our energy? Stress, worry, illness, lack of sleep, junk food, too much caffeine, anger, hanging on to resentments, feeling victimized, lack of exercise, ect. Think about what depletes your energy. Think about what makes you feel better. Try to eat foods that are fresh and have the most life energy. Frozen foods may be better than fresh if you do not have a good source of fresh food.

Source: “The Book of Chakras” by Ambika Wauters which can be found at

“The Book Of Chakras” by Ambiku Wauters or at amazon.com.
I also used my reiki class notes, which came form my teacher Indi Bhatt .Here is a link to her site

Indi at Inner Labyrinth

There are many more wonderful chakra books and energy books. I will be exploring other authors later.
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Have a wonderful day, blessings!

The book “Heal Your Life”, written by Louise Hay, has had a profound effect on my life. I have learned to look at my aches and pains a new way.

Louise Hay is a phenomenal woman. The book explains her philosophy and her beliefs and how she came to believe that we may create healing in our lives by changing our thoughts. She helps us to explore the negative self talk that we may not even be aware is constantly going on in our heads.

She was a spiritual counselor and as she worked with people she saw that people’s thought patterns were related to what illnesses they had. She also believes that dis-ease comes from a state of not forgiving others. She believes that we are all one and so anything that we hold against someone else we also hold against ourselves. So by forgiving them, it heals you at the same time.

By looking at what we think, changing it by doing affirmations and mirror work, we can begin to shift our thinking. Much of her mirror work focuses on learning to love yourself. This in turn heals our bodies.

When I first used this book I had frequent difficulties with a stiff neck. The corresponding thought pattern was “unbending, bullheaded” and her corresponding positive affirmation is ” It is safe to see other’s viewpoints. I did not want to believe that my beliefs would show up in my neck. But as I began to work with her mirror work and affirmations, my life began to change. Now when my neck flares up, I am able to ask myself what is going on in my belief system is creating this problem.

Another example is the problem of constipation. The probable cause is ” refusing to release old ideas. Stuck in the past. Sometimes stinginess.” The affirmation is “As I release the past, the new and fresh and vital enter. I allow life to flow through me.”

She has a list illnesses in the book and corresponding affirmations.

Her book can be ordered at her website

Why meditate?
Meditation is taking time to create stillness in your daily life. It helps us to be in the present moment.
If we are not in the present moment we are focused on the past or the future. We are often thinking repetitive thoughts that we are not even in our awareness. Meditation helps us to hear what repetitive thoughts we are letting run through our mind all day. Are they good thoughts or negative thoughts.
The main reason I meditate is to connect to God, our source. It is different than praying because it is allows us to set aside time to hear rather than praying for the same thing over and over. It creates a space in our day to connect with our source.
Meditation slows heart rate, focuses on slow relaxed breathing, lowers blood pressure and creates a sense of calm
If you are an stress junkie like I was, you may find that when you meditate, your mind is wandering, thinking about all that you have to do. Then you think that you do not really like to meditate because you want to focus on the thoughts and feel stressed by all you have to do. When you do relax, it may make you feel tired. And then you have to wind yourself up to get going.
Do not give up. A relaxed body and mind is better for your health. You can still get everything done but with a calmer more focused approach. Practice carrying the calm state into your life. When you are at the store focus on your breathing as you shop. Smile at everyone you see. Be greatfull for all the choices we have on the shelves. Be thankful for the people who provide all these things for us, the store manager who orders the food, the stock people that put it on the shelves, the checkers who take our money, the truckers who brought it in to the store, the food producers who grew it, ect….
This is just an example of how to change our thinking.
There are many ways to meditate.
I learned by focusing on my breath. Find a quiet place where you can sit or lie down.
Turn off the phone and the t.v. Get into a comfortable position and adjust any body parts that are not comfortable. Start by breathing in for the count of four, hold for four, then exhale for four. Focus on your breath. If you feel comfortable increase the in count to 5,6,7,8,9, or 10. Hold for the same time that you breath in then exhale for the same count.
As you focus on your breath you may be aware of thoughts. Do not focus on the thoughts but let them float by. Think of your mind as a spot on the river bank. The thoughts are in the river. Let them pass. Sometimes I will get uncomfortable with a sore spot in my back. If it is really distracting I try and shift position. If that does not help I will focus my breath on that area.
Start by meditating for 5 minutes. You can meditate longer if you like. When I first started to meditate, I felt like I had been meditating for 20 minutes and it was only 4 minutes. Now I can start to meditate and it feels very short and 30 minutes has passed.

Another way to meditate is to do a walking meditation. Take a walk outside and while you are walking focus on your breathing. Bring your attention to your breathing. Let the thoughts roll on past. Do not focus on your thoughts, but focus on your walking and your breathing. Walking meditation may be helpful if you have suffered abuse or are having relationship difficulties that may make sitting meditation stressful. Sometimes we do not want to be present, to be open to our pain. If this is true for you, it may be helpful to find a counselor.
It is hard to think about forgiveness but it is a needed step. You do not have to condone another’s behavior but you can forgive them. You need to know that non forgiveness hurts you as well as the person who has hurt you. That is where Radical Forgiveness can help, or Dr. John DiMartini’s ” Break Through Experience” or Byron Katie’s “The Work” can help.
This is just the tip of the iceberg on meditation. There are many ways to meditate and music to help . More on that later.
Have a great day. Blessings.

Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT was developed by Gary Craig. It works with many emotional issues quite profoundly.
The theory is that we have energy meridians based on the acupuncture meridians that are around our body and organs. When we have an emotional issue or physical issue it can be the result of a blip in our energy system. The blip may be caused by our thoughts, our beliefs, what someone else does to us, a traumatic event, ect.
By tapping points on our face and hands while stating the problem with an affirmation that we love ourselves we can smooth out the blip.
For example, if you were afraid of spiders, you would do the tapping sequence while saying ” even though I am afraid of spiders , I totally and completely love myself.”
By going to Gary Craig’s site you can download the instructions for free.
If you purchase his dvds you can copy them for up to 100 people.
They are totally amazing.
I have helped people decrease pain from swollen limbs, back pain, headaches, smoking, golfing, fears of heights, limited thoughts, ect. It is unlimited.
So check out Emotional Freedom Techniques

Radical Forgiveness is by Colin Tippin.
This book offers a different look at why we have negative experiences with other people. Colin believes that our life experiences are for soul growth. Before we are born we contract with other souls to have experiences, both positive and negative that allow our soul to grow. Until we learn the soul lesson we are here to learn, we will keep attracting people that will bring us the lesson over and over. The lesson may get harder and harder.
So, by starting with the person who is most upsetting to you, understanding that though you do not condone what they have done, you forgive them. He explains that they do not really need to be forgiven because they have actually lovingly given you the lesson that you have predetermined. But forgiveness shifts the energy, lets go of the energy you have been expending by not forgiving them.
Deep down, the person you need to forgive is mirroring a part of you that you do not accept or love about yourself. This may be hard for you to believe or accept.
You do not have to believe in this theory for this to work. You do not have to believe in reincarnation.
The beauty of Colin Tippin’s Radical Forgiveness site is the free online worksheet. You can go to his site, fill out a forgiveness worksheet as often as you like, and shift the energy.
Try it YOU WILL LIKE IT http://www.radicalforgiveness.com

Today I would like to recommend Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth” and that you sign up online for Ekhart Tolle and Oprah’s web class.
This book is about living in the present. He explains tools that help us to stay present.
He also discusses the “PAIN BODY”. I felt that this was a eye opening revelation the first time I read the book. Now being able to reread it and watch the class, I have been able to take my understanding to a new level.
He explains that how we feel inside will attract the experiences we feel on the outside. I have always attracted people telling me their painful stories. I can now see for myself that I have focused more on other people’s suffering and pain than on their joy stories. I can also see that I can change that focus just by recognizing it.
Eckhart Tolle describes our pain body as all the negative energy that has not been resolved in our life. If this energy has nowhere to go it stays with us. If we identify with it, the pain body becomes part of our ego. The pain body needs to be fed and that is why a small comment by someone else may cause us to blow up, or a hurt feeling may cause us to feel very depressed.
If we can start to identify our pain body we can learn to detach from it, look at it, but not feed it. Thus we can strive to live peacefully and joyfully.

I love laughing yoga. I became a certified teacher last April when I took a class from Sebastian Gendry. Laughing Yoga was started in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, who is from India. He had done a research article on the benefits of laughter. He learned that laughter improves your immunity, decreases stress and tension and elevates mood. It also improves oxygen in your body by encouraging deep breathing and brings more oxygen to all you cells. Researchers are now focusing on measuring the real benefits of laughter. But whatever the scientific data reveals, I know that I feel wonderful after laughing.

Laughing yoga can be done by most people. It is simply fake laughing, breathing, and clapping. When you laugh it is not possible to think of the things you have to do or things that are worrying you or upsetting you or thinking about all that you have to get done. Most classes last about 45 minutes to one hour. At the end we take a few minutes to meditate. When class is over I feel calm, happy and energized.

In my training class I met a woman who had a frozen esophagus… in other words she was no longer able to swallow food. Her doctors had no treatment for her other than feeding her liquids through a tube. She began going to laughing yoga five days per week. After 6 months, she was able to eat again. She is healed. Was it the laughing? We may never know. But what a fun way to focus on feeling better.

In India many laughing yoga groups meet daily in the park. Laughing every day is good for the disposition. I suggest starting the day by laughing at yourself in the mirror, laughing by yourself in the car, and laughing during the day with others especially if you are feeling stressed. Lighten up! You will rub off on the humor impaired people in your life.

May your day be filled with jokes.

If you would like to try a class with me, I teach at:
OPTIONS 4 HEALTH
Marengo, Illinois
815-568-1444

We will also come to your work place or group.

Don’t worry, be happy

Here is one of my favorite laughing yogavideos on you tube:

Reflexology is a science that states that their are reflex areas in the hands and feet that correspond to all the organs, glands and parts of the body. It is a unique method of using the thumb and fingers on these reflex areas. ” It can relieve stress and tension, improve blood supply, unblock nerve impulses and help achieve homeostasis. This is the Ingham method of reflexology and the path that I ultimately followed.

I first tried reflexology at a health fair. I had a lot of foot pain. My feet felt wonderful. I started getting reflexology from Sue Watson. My nursing background made me rather skeptical of the health benefits. But as I returned for more reflexology sessions, the reflex areas in my feet that were related to my current problems, for example: acid reflux, would show up as painful areas on my feet. I became a believer. I could see that I was feeling better.

Eventually Sue left Options4Health and has now written her second reflexology book.

My next reflexologist was Kira Kosta. She was also very good. And I started to realize that after these reflexology sessions I was very relaxed. I felt wonderful. That is when I decided to learn reflexolgy myself. I learned through the Internation Institute of Reflexology
The Reflexology Association of America also lists reflexologist.
Reflexology Association of America.

Reflexology is not intended to replace medical treatment by a physician or a podiatrist. It is not able to heal physical abnormalities, for example a ruptured disc, or spinal stenosis . It can help you feel better by helping you to relieving stress and tension, improving circulation and promotes the unblocking of nerve impulses and helps to balance our bodies. p>

I have seen it help my mother when she was having severe back pain. She was relieved of a severe back spasm. It helped my sister relax after her surgery. Some people worry that it will tickle. I have not had that experience. I have very sensitive feet. It can be uncomfortable if a reflex area is congested.

It can be a blessing to people going through chemotherapy. It can also help make a dying person more comfortable.

I work out of www.myoptions4health.com”>in Marengo.
Kathy Shoemaker works out of Mchenry and you can find her at the following site www.infinitesightwithin.com.