If you visualize the human body as an energy field, it is easy to imagine it receiving stress from everywhere, including what we eat or drink, watch through various media formats and feel from different environments. Experts say the body craves solutions that shake off negative, stagnant, ailment-prone energy and replace it with a positive, life-affirming, restorative vital life force.
That positive energy is a major component of every living thing, according to ancient Eastern culture, known as Chi / Qi (Chinese), Ki (Japanese / Korean) and Prana (Sanskrit). Passed down through the centuries and into the fabric of modern societies, the principles and healing properties of chi have become a way of life for those who practice.
“We all have the ability to heal,” explained Tara Tech, Dahn Master and owner of Qigong for Health AZ. “We just need to learn how to tap in. Qigong is a beautiful, gentle, loving way to help restore your physical, mental and emotional health. I have practiced Qigong with clients who are in the hospital, who are in wheelchairs, and some who are bed-bound in their homes. It can be done anywhere and at any time.”
With the guidance of a facilitator/instructor, an individual can learn basic principles and mirror movements designed to free the body of emotional baggage and worries. The balance of yin (substance) and yang (function) facilitate vitality, longevity and emotional equilibrium.
“We do what we can comfortably and allow ourselves to get into a state of relaxation and healing to allow our bodies to heal naturally from the inside out,” said Tech. “We facilitate our vital life force energy to flow smoothly through and around our bodies, removing energy blockages, stagnations and imbalances which cause pain, illness, disease and physical and emotional trauma. There is a sense of peace and calmness, even tranquility, in the air after Qigong class. Everyone experiences it. You can see it on people’s faces.”
The human body has meridians connecting all major organ systems, according to Debbie Dunbar, one of Tech’s Qigong students, a Reiki Master Teacher and realtor with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty. “Each meridian plays a specific and crucial role in the health of the entire body. Energy blockages in those meridians can be the result of trauma, stress, emotions, bad living habits, addictions and diet. The root of all physical, mental and spiritual problems can be traced to these blockages.”
Qigong and Reiki are said to help unblock chi and keep it flowing. Chinese Qigong utilizes universal energy supplies to impart healing to self or others, while Japanese Reiki opens the body as a conduit for energy from the cosmos. Reiki meshes cosmic energy (Rei) with the energy within a person (Ki). Knowing how to harness energy from the earth and the heavens unleashes the vital life force for optimal living and success in life’s paths, Dunbar says.
“Reiki is a natural healing art and a spiritual discipline. Energy is transmitted through the hands to all levels of your being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The person receiving the Reiki healing does not need to understand Reiki or believe in its power. It still heals. ”
With the ability to work at all levels of a person’s being, Reiki can strengthen the immune system, eliminate toxins and facilitate personal transformation.
Dunbar became involved in holistic healing through her daughter, who four years ago urged her mother to join a yoga class. At a point in her life when personal loss and high stress opened her mind to something different, Dunbar agreed. She signed up for classes through Yavapai College Community Education. Ultimately, she became certified as a Reiki Master Teacher with the Usui System of Reiki Shiki Ryoho Natural Healing.
Managing stress in a healthier way is one of the prime benefits Dunbar has found with Qigong and Reiki. She cited giving up coffee as one positive life change. Following a Reiki class one morning, she said she knew it would be the day she quit because she felt great and her body no longer desired caffeine. She has made the practice of Reiki, QiGong and Yoga a daily habit.
Dunbar challenges everyone to practice the Five Reiki Principles, which state: “Just for today…I will not worry; I will not be angry; I will do my work honestly; I will give thanks for my many blessings; I will be kind to every living thing.”
Dunbar says she has chosen a path of holistic healing. “My whole life, I have taken in people and animals in need. This nurturing comes to me naturally and is very important to my essence and chi.” FBN
By Sue Marceau, FBN