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The fifth chairs is the throat chakra. This chakra is symbolized by the colour blue and is centred around speaking your truth, communicating clearly and effectively, and with feelings of being understood by others. Parts of the body associated with the fifth chakra are the throat, vocal chords, thyroid, esophagus, and the muscles of the neck.

As humans, speaking is one of our main ways to communicate with each other. Although most of communication is non-verbal, when we are not feeling heard or understood, or if we are holding back from speaking our truth, it can affect our emotional and physical state.

This chakra is one I have worked on balancing, and continue to balance often in my life. I used to lose my voice often if there was something I needed to say, but was afraid to. It was almost as if my body was saying, “well, if you don’t want to use your voice, then why maintain it?” The fear of the future can also throw this chakra out of balance.

It can be difficult to express our thoughts and emotions. Vulnerability is well… vulnerable. Will they accept my truth? Will it scare them away? How will it be taken? Will I be judged? Can I trust them with this information? How do I find the words to express what I’m feeling? A mantra that I tell myself whenever I’m overthinking what to say or how to say it is, “speak your truth with as much love as possible.” We can never know for sure how someone will react to anything we say as it will be filtered through their own thoughts, feelings, emotions, experiences, and current mood.

Speaking your truth does not mean you have the right to be cruel. Your truth is not always the truth. When expressing why we are upset or frustrated, one good technique is to keep it to “I” statements. “I feel… I think… I’m needing”. This will help keep the other person from immediately going into defence mode. If you accuse or make general statements like “You always…. You never…” can close someone off from really hearing and understanding where you are coming from.

Self healing in this area can look like acknowledging our emotional triggers and learning to express them with the intent of learning from them and eventually letting them go. Expressing to people you trust how and why you are being triggered can help them support you as you unlearn hurtful feelings, experiences, and reactions based on the past.

I will often sing to help bring energy to my throat chakra. You do not have to be a professional singer for this to be beneficial. No one needs to be in audience to let the energy flow. Energy doesn’t need perfect pitch. Energy is intention and frequency.

A healing exercise for this chakra can be as simple as taking a shower and letting the water flow over you and imagining the water washing away all negative energy from your body and purifying you. You can also do a waterfall meditation where you picture a waterfall above your head and slowly flowing down through the top of your head. Allow the water to flow slowly, taking notice of anywhere that the water gets blocked and infuse the water with love until you feel the block release and the water starts to flow downward again, slowly making its way down through the crown, across the third eye in the centre of your forehead, down and around your throat and continuing down your body until it flows out your toes. This will also help cleanse all chakras.

Wearing blue, eating blueberries or blackberries will bring the blue energy into your body. Wearing cobalt, or turquoise gems as a necklace around your neck will be healing as well.

Mantras that you could use in combination with wearing blue to strengthen and clear this Chakra are:

I AM ABLE TO SPEAK MY HIGHEST TRUTH WITH LOVE.

I AM ABLE TO LISTEN AND COMMUNICATE WITH COMPASSION.

I AM UNDERSTOOD.

I EXPRESS MYSELF CLEARLY.

I AM ENOUGH.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL AND I CREATE THE FUTURE I DESIRE.

May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

The fourth chakra is the heart chakra. This is where we feel and express love, and also grief. When this chakra is balanced and the energy is moving, we are able to receive and give love to ourselves and others freely and abundantly. The organs involved with this chakra are primarily the lungs and heart. When we are grieving, this can impact our lungs as well as feelings of “heartache”. When we are in love this can feel like our heart is so full of joy that it is ready to burst out of our chests. The colour that will heal and enhance this area is green. Typically emerald green versus dark green, but all greens will heal this area. Being out in nature surrounded by the green is a wonderful way to support this chakra. Wearing green and eating green foods will also support the fourth chakra. 

A visualization exercise for this area is to bring yourself to a relaxed state by focusing on your breath. Then from there imagine yourself breathing in green light. Let it fill your lungs and your heart centre. With each inhale, the emerald green light fills more and more of your body, until you are filled with green light. Place your hands on your chest and remember a time where you experienced joy. Let that feeling radiate as you feel yourself start to smile. Trust that you are loved and loveable. Repeat this a few times. When you are ready, let your hands gently fall to your lap and return to the present moment.

If feelings of discomfort arise, sit with them a moment. Ask what your heart needs to heal and release these emotions. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, pet, friendship, job, or any other loss, you may feel a big surge of sadness or anger rise to the surface. Make space for that emotion too. It is very natural as part of the grieving process and as uncomfortable as it may feel, it is important that these emotions be released from your heart and not kept trapped there.

Chronic lung or heart conditions may stem from lack of self love, withholding love, or believing we are not worthy of love. Other emotions associated with this chakra are compassion, acceptance, joy, and gratitude. 

Consider keeping a gratitude journal as you learn to step into the emotions and feelings of the heart chakra.

Sending you all green energy today as we heal and amplify the energy of our hearts. 

Happy Wednesday and thanks for stopping by. May you be led to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

The third chakra is our power center. This is where we will feel discomfort when our self-esteem is low or when we cannot “stomach” what is happening in our lives. The organs involved in this energetic space are the majority of the digestive tract (stomach, intestines, colon etc.). The colour that will heal and strengthen this area is yellow. Just like with all the chakras if you meditate on, wear clothes or items, or eat foods that are the colour of the chakra it will help release blocks and strengthen it.

If you perceive someone’s words or actions as a personal attack then it might feel like “a punch in the gut”. That is because this third chakra (located near our diaphragm) is the center of personal power, self-confidence, motivation, and courage.

If you want to help clear or boost this chakra, a mediation or visualization exercise you can do would be to imagine a beautiful ball of glowing yellow light (like the sun perhaps) inside your diaphragm area. As you allow the light to grow bigger and expand from within to without, repeat to yourself all the traits you admire about yourself and the good you bring to the world. If this area is really blocked or stagnant then you might not be able to think of anything at first, and that’s okay. If this happens just repeat to yourself in your thought voice (or outloud is even more powerful): I am worthy, I am deserving, I am whole. Repeat this over and over again until it feels true and until that beautiful ball of yellow light bursts forth and surrounds you. You may feel the shift in your energy or your mood, but if you don’t feel anything… don’t worry! Energy is unseen and therefore trust that it is doing the work on your behalf whether you feel the transformation or not.

Paint a yellow picture, eat or drink lemons, bananas, or yellow root vegetables, wear a yellow shirt, or cosy up under a yellow blanket. If no yellow items are available, just imagine your stomach area surrounded in a blanket of yellow energy and this will be just as efficient.

It is difficult to stay in your power when you are surrounded by negative people or situations. If you find lots of digestive issues (including, but not limited to: constipation, IBS, issues with the liver or colon, eating disorders) it may be worthwhile to look into how you speak about and think about yourself internally and in the world, as well as the things and people that surround you. Are you in a place surrounded by people that help lift you up? If not, it may be time to consider some changes to your phyiscal or mental surroundings.

Sending you all a (physically distanced) yellow hug today.

Happy Thursday and thanks for stopping by. May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

I have been putting off writing this blog for a while, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because I have energy blocks in this area and part of me is aware that by writing about this Chakra and how to clear it, I will begin to clear it. Removing energy blocks is incredibly necessary for overall healing, and general well-being. However, sometimes the actual removal of the blocks can bring up stagnant emotions that we might rather leave dormant.

With the end of the decade approaching I have decided it is important to write this now so I can release any blocks and move into this next decade lighter on all fronts. So with that in mind, let’s dive into the second Chakra, or the sacral Chakra.

The second Chakra is located physically about two inches below the naval (or just above the lower back). This energy area is associated with the colour orange. Central emotional themes associated with this area are: reproduction, sensitivity, expressing needs, sensuality, and letting go. In my life this is where I have carried most of my physical weight and I believe this now to be primarily because of stagnant energy and old belief patterns that I still carry that no longer serve me.

Letting go is not always an easy thing to do—whether it be of a person, place, thing, thought, memory, emotion, or belief. However, letting go often is associated with sadness, goodbyes, and grief, but what if we were to look at it in a more positive light? What if instead of letting go and feeling like we are losing something (which sounds painful) we change our perspective and embrace letting go as a freedom.

Imagine with me if you will, holding tightly onto a heavy grocery bag as many of us have done before. By the time we put down the bag we most likely have at minimum an indent on our fingers or palms where the bag had dug in, or we have actually cut our hand from holding onto the heavy bag for so long. Now think back to a time like this and see if you can remember how good it felt to put the bag down. Remember the moment of complete relief you felt as you were finally able to relax your hand. Only by putting it down and letting it go, could the healing happen and the feeling could return. Blood flow increases, and eventually your skin returns to normal.

This is what the second Chakra is primarily about. When we hold onto our thoughts and emotions related to this Chakra, we are holding the heavy bag full of needs unexpressed. Only by putting down our fear can we being to express ourselves and begin to draw energy into this Chakra once more, just as blood flows back to the hand after carrying something heavy.

I mentioned reproductive issues as one of the themes of this area and yes that does literally relate to physical issues, but it also has a more metaphorical meaning attached to it as well. Our reproductive organs are how we literally share our DNA in combination with another human and are also related to the idea of physical pleasure. Energetically, this area is also attached to how we share ourselves in relationship to others and also what version of ourselves we choose to show those we are intimate with.

Are you being your authentic self in relationships or are you suppressing needs, and desires for fear of how the other will react? In past relationships (both romantic and friendship) I have done this to a fault… withholding elements of myself or wants or needs as to not burden the others and out of fear they wouldn’t accept me if I showed that aspect.

I am now cultivating a soul-circle of people whose energy gives me the space to explore who my authentic self is and to grow into the version of myself I most wish to be. As I continue working on this area, the weight is disappearing the more I connect with the truest “I AM”. It is not always a comfortable process, but it is an important one.

Mantras that you could use in combination with wearing (or eating) orange to strengthen and clear this Chakra are:

I AM BEAUTIFUL.

I AM ALIVE.

I AM PASSIONATE.

I AM EXPRESSING MY AUTHENTIC SELF.

So although the only orange I ate today was made of chocolate, I will consider that a win seeing as it is the holidays.

Happy boxing day and thanks for stopping by. May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

The First Chakra is the first of the seven Chakras. It is also known as the Root Chakra. On the physical body it is located at the base of the spine. If you were sitting crossed-legged on the ground it would be located at the exact spot where your body touches the ground if you were to draw an invisible line from your spine into the Earth. Each Chakra also has a unique name in Sanskrit, and that is because of the area of the world where Chakras were first discovered. Chakra means “spinning wheel” in Sanskrit, and it is a beautiful visual. Just like a pinwheel, windmill, waterwheel or any other kind of wheel, when the energy is flowing the wheel can spin freely. If it is blocked then the wheel stops turning (see previous blog post “It’s All About Balance” for more information on energy blocks).

The Sanskrit word for the First Chakra is Mūlādhāra (Mula=root, adhara=basis). This Chakra is what connects us to the Earth and keeps our energy grounded. When doing meditations around this Chakra—or when I need to ground my energy before or after a Reiki session—I picture a tree with long roots reaching deep within the earth drawing up that Ki life-force energy into my body.

Each Chakra also has a colour associated with it that resonnates at the same frequency. Root Chakra is the red chakra. So if you are feeling that your spinning wheel could use a boost, wearing red will help!

The area of the body that can show symptoms if there is a blockage are all the lower parts of the body near this Chakra point: spinal column, colon, male reproductive organs, pelvis, legs, hipbones, and lower back. If these areas are giving you difficulty it could be because this Chakra is blocked. Consequently, if you draw in more energy to this area you may find chronic pain in this region lessens.

The mind, body, and soul are connected so if you have a physical ailment your Chakra could become blocked and if there is an energetic block, your body might show signs of distress in order to get your conscious attention, or you might feel frustrated or anxious. For example, if your knees hurt, perhaps you are not feeling stable in your personal life. The mind-body-soul connection makes it so what affects one, affects the all, just like if you balance one, you’ll help balance the other two as well.

The emotional/mental themes that are central to the Root Chakra surround stability, safety, security, self-preservation, fear, and grounding. This is our fight or flight center. This Chakra is especially susceptible to imbalances during major transitions in your career, love life, where you live or money (i.e. those areas that create the feeling of a stable foundation within ourselves).

As a Reiki practitioner, it is important that I ground my energy before and after giving Reiki. As the Root Chakra is the one that directly connects us to the Earth, when I am not grounded I feel spacey and like I’m detached from myself and from reality and I feel very depleted. One of my first times giving Reiki after my certification I forgot to properly ground myself and connect myself to that grounding energy. By the end I felt so drained and tired and loopy. Imagine you are watering a garden, but instead of turning on the hose to allow as much water to flow as needed, I was using a jug of water that was bone-dry by the end. It was a very intense lesson I learned that day and ever since I have been incredibly cognizant of the importance of grounding myself and my client.

When you find yourself feeling this way, you may need to ground yourself. Meditation is a quick and easy way to do this. If you aren’t someone who “knows how to meditate” (spoiler alert, there is no “correct way”), you can always just sit cross-legged on the ground (preferable directly on the ground) and spend a few minutes focusing on your breath to help ground yourself and bring energy into this Chakra. If this area is of major concern for you or you require some assistance drawing in that energy, please contact me (or your go-to Reiki practitioner) to schedule an appointment. We would be honoured to help.

I made a little info-poster below to highlight the key elements I have touched on in this blog to serve as a First Chakra Cheat Sheet of shorts. For more information please visit the “ENLIGHTENMENT” tab on the menu for some resources that I have found particularly enlightening.

As always, your support is appreciated and you can subscribe via email to never miss an update through the “FOLLOW” tab or contact me directly through the “CONNECT” tab.

Happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by. May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

Last blog I talked about what Reiki is and touched on a bit of its history. One thing I mentioned is Reiki’s incredible ability to help remove energy blocks. Huh?

Don’t worry if you don’t know what that means—that’s why I’m here! 

Everything in our known universe is made up of energy. This is scientific fact. Just as when a pipe gets clogged, water cannot flow smoothly, when our energy channels get blocked our life-force (the “ki” of reiki) cannot flow smoothly. Pipes get clogged with all the debris they accumulate and from external roots, cracks, and pressure. This analogy works well to also illustrate how energy becomes blocked or stagnates. Except instead of literal, tangible debris, the “debris” in this case could be illness, stress (internal or external), emotional blocks (such as grief, anger, or sadness), or external pressures we are picking up from the outside world—especially if you are empathetic. 

Reiki is a practice that helps remove those toxic energies/beliefs/emotions to allow the flow of energy to resume to its natural ebb and flow. When energy is flowing smoothly we call this being balanced. A Reiki practitioner aids your energetic body in returning to that natural balanced state.

There are seven main locations in the human body that tend to become blocked. These areas are known as Chakras.

Chakras (pronounced shaw-kraw; alternatively chaw-kraw) are energy centers of the human body, located along the spine (center) of the body from the base of the spine (Root Chakra) to the top of the head (Crown Chakra). Below I created an info-graphic to help visualize where the Chakras are located on the human body.

When your Chakras are balanced you will feel energetic, alert, and an overall positive demeanor. However, if there is blockage (especially a prolonged blockage) it can affect your mood and eventually begin to manifest physically. (I will be going into more detail on each of these seven Chakras in future blogs and how you can tell if one of your Chakras might be blocked). 

Now, we are human and experience a wide range of emotions in our daily lives. Just because we have a temporary emotion it does not necessarily mean that our Chakra become immediately blocked. It could just deplete that energy slightly. Sometimes—as I’m sure some of you can attest to—all you need is a good cry and a solid night’s sleep to feel refreshed and “back to your normal self”. However, if emotions are suppressed, ignored, or just very intense—like after the loss of a loved one, the emotion can be too much and result in a blockage. This is where a Reiki practitioner is especially helpful: when its too big to navigate on our own. 

Daily meditation and grounding exercises can also help keep your Chakras flowing well. 

Take a moment to look at the featured picture in this blog: a tower of smooth rocks. When the rocks are all centered they stand tall, effortlessly. If one of those rocks were out of alignment, the tower would lean or collapse. This is the same as our energy. If we are not aligned and balanced we are not able to effortlessly stand tall in our own power.

So although you may be new to the idea of Chakras and energy, my wish for you is that you allow yourself to take time to turn inward and tend to yourself today. Find something (or someone) that bring you joy or soothes your soul to help draw in positive Ki into your life! If you need me I’ll be outside under a copse of billowing trees with my journal doing just that.

Happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by. May you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J

I grew up with a very loose understanding of what Reiki (pronounced ray-key) was and that is primarily due to the fact that my dad works in one of the Eastern medicine fields. Even with that slight knowledge rolling around in the back of my mind, it wasn’t until I went through the process of completing my Reiki First Degree that I really started to not only know what Reiki was, but to fully feel what Reiki was as well.

My hands have always been slightly warmer than the rest of the people in my family and I thought that was because I was just designed differently. Then one day I was at a group meditation with my younger sister where they had Reiki Healers standing around the circle in case someone was in need of them as we navigated an emotional meditation. I sensed my sisters emotions welling within her so I put my hand gently on her back. I imagined sending healing into her and eventually her breath returned to a calm gentle inhale and exhale.

When she opened her eyes she turned to me with a sparkle in her eye and said, “wow! That Reiki healers hands were so warm! I felt so much better with their energy.” I looked at her a little perplexed and said, “the Reiki healers weren’t near us, that was my hand on your back.” She was completely shocked and told me I needed to pursue Reiki. The idea that had been trickling and percolating for years before had finally received a push and I started to search for a Reiki Master. I thought after my attunement to Reiki that my hands would not be quite so warm because now I was trained on how to let the energy flow, but the exact opposite happened. Now that the energy knows it can flow freely my hands are warmer than ever! In fact, some of my family and friends now refer to me as “Hot Hands”. They now even get warm when I’m out in public and a stranger could benefit from Reiki! I don’t always know whom it is being directed to so sometimes I just let the energy flow, knowing it will find the person it is intended for. So if you’re ever out in public and suddenly your mood lifts without reason, maybe some of that Reiki energy has found its way to you!

Now, my understanding of Reiki is evolving even as we speak. By no means do I claim to be an expert, for in fact even by the Canadian Reiki Association standards, I am still technically a student. Everyday I am learning more ways that Reiki is useful and growing my connection. So I will share some of what I have learned and experienced thus far.

Reiki

The International Center for Reiki Training defines Reiki in the following way:

“Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. “
( https://www.reiki.org/faq/whatisreiki.html)

One element I wish to clarify from the above excerpt is that in order for Reiki to be effective you do not technically have to “lay your hands” on the client. Yes, many people choose to grant their Reiki practitioner permission to appropriately “lay their hands” because they find an added level of relaxation occurs by the light pressure. However, if touch is not feasible due to injury or the receiver does not wish to be touched then the same level of healing can occur with the practitioner holding their hands slightly above the body.

Etymology of the word Reiki
Reiki is composed of two Japanese words: Rei, meaning universal, and Ki meaning life force. Just as the above definition states, we all have this universal life-force flowing through us, which when flowing fully allows us to feel relaxed, alive, and joyful. When the stresses of life become too much or if our health declines (often the result of stress as well), our life force energy slows down. Sometimes if it is chronic stress or negativity we harbour our energy can even get blocked. Reiki is a way to help release those blocks (more to come on that later).

History of Reiki

The style of Reiki I practice is called, Usui Reiki, after its founder Mikao Usui. I have included a link below for the full history of Mikao Usui as it is too long and too detailed to address here. ttps://www.reiki.org/faq/HistoryOfReikiToCopy.html

Although he did not “invent” Reiki—since there was life and therefore life-force on Earth before him—Usui, is the founder whose lineage I learned from. Mikao Usui taught his students who became Reiki Masters, who then taught the Reiki Master who then taught the Reiki Master who then taught the Reiki Master etc. etc. who taught my Reiki Master, who then taught me. Much like a family tree, except we do not share the same DNA.

I am not a Reiki Master, though I could become one someday. First, I took my Reiki I (first degree). My next step towards Reiki Master would be my Second Degree before finally working towards Reiki Master. However, for now I am content learning at this level and seeing where it takes me.

Hopefully, I have touched on a few aspects of Reiki that have brought you knowledge and understanding—or even better it stirred up more questions and curiosity! There will be plenty more tidbits of insight and information as I continue to walk this path. I welcome questions and comments and will do my best to answer them in a timely manner!

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Happy Monday and may you be lead to all the people, places, and things that joyfully grow your soul.

-J