Healing

Reflecting back on the last few months has few months has me thinking: I’ve been meditating and chanting Hindu mantras, hanging out with Italian guys and eating delicious food in Sydney, and now exploring alternative healing practices in Bali… have I turned into Elizabeth Gilbert yet?? I was really wondering that on Monday when I went to see a traditional Balinese healer named Mr. Ketut.

Note: Half the men in Bali seem to be named Ketut, and Gilbert’s friend passed away a few years ago, so I can confirm that it was not the same healer from Eat, Pray, Love.

Ubud rice paddy

I wasn’t visiting the healer for any specific reason, apart from some minor aches and pains. But I was curious to see what the experience would be like, and I had been feeling a bit lethargic from all the physical resting I had done during January. I did some research and found that I didn’t want to go to the fancy spa/resorts that had good reviews because too expensive or to a non-Balinese person because also too expensive and I can do that in America. After reading carefully, I wound up at a place (Ubud Chakra Healing) with fewer reviews but a positive reputation. It was on the Monkey Forest Road across from the soccer fields in the back of a shop. I stopped by to make the appointment a couple days in advance and didn’t provide any other information.

When the day arrived, I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I wore my yoga pants and a tank top (I read that you’re supposed to dress modestly, but that’s all I had). I waited for a few minutes on the patio outside a family’s home and the young receptionist told me her father would be there soon. When the smiling and peaceful-looking healer arrived, we went upstairs to a room with a typical massage table and peaceful mantra music playing. I laid face up in my street clothes—beforehand I wasn’t sure if they’d give me something to change into.

He didn’t ask any advance questions about how I was feeling or why I was there, which I think is the way it should go. They say that during energy healing, the healer acts as a channel for the source energy to pass through. Their hands are supposedly guided to the places that need attention, and I think that sharing too much information might sway the healer to focus on those areas rather than letting the energy work naturally.

I closed my eyes and the healer held his hands over my head and face. He worked from my head down to my feet and back up, then instructed me to turn over for the other side. Sometimes he would gently press on a certain area or simply hold his hands over me. I read some reviews that Balinese healing sessions can be painful with a lot of kneading and pressing, but this session was very gentle with only light pressure—typically in Reiki and energy healing there is not a lot of massage or touching. I felt the most activity in my head. When Mr. Ketut pressed on my sinus area I felt a tingling sensation that lasted after the session. When he pressed his fingers above my eyebrows I could see in my mind’s eye a lot of light, almost like a strobe light or series of flashes that felt very intense. I could be wrong, but he seemed to spend extra time on my left knee, which has been giving me some trouble lately.

The whole process took about an hour and cost $40 USD (just sharing the details in case anyone reads this and is curious to try). Afterwards we sat and he asked how I was feeling. I told him I could still feel a bit of pressure and a pulsing sensation (not unpleasant) in my face and head. He didn’t speak much English, but he told me he felt some blocks in my heart area that he tried to work on. I was expecting some more revelations, but that’s all he told me. We sat for about five minutes so that I could drink water and let everything settle. I left the session feeling lighter and energized, and over the following week I have felt more energized, confident, and content.

The healer asked if I practice yoga and said that he could tell, because most people who come to see him already have a yoga or meditation practice. In my opinion, that’s a little bit of a shame because I think that all types of people can benefit from alternative healing methods. But of course there will always be some disbelievers or those who are less inclined to try.

You’ll see this crazy monkey statue at the corner of the soccer field on Monkey Forest Road

You’ll see this crazy monkey statue at the corner of the soccer field on Monkey Forest Road

In yoga teaching these days, offering physical adjustments has become controversial—and with good reason, after we’ve seen many cases of longtime abuse being exposed. But I hope that, as teachers, we’ll continue to offer adjustments with consent, because even if you don’t believe in the energy work, there is something incredible about the healing power of touch. And I hope to live in a world where we aren’t afraid to reach out and touch someone— in a kind and mutually-agreed upon way, of course.

Hands-on Healing

One thing I love about teaching is that it cannot be separated from the other meditative practices that I'm working on in life. As I teach and work to improve my teaching, I am continuously reminded to step myself, the ego, out of the way. It's distracting to wonder throughout class, "Am I doing this right? Are my words getting through to everyone? Do they like me?" Sometimes it feels impossible not to have those thoughts, but the more I focus my attention on what I'm doing, the more it seems like the teaching is coming from a deeper source, and I'm just another student along for the ride. 

And I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the yoga world has led me to other forms of spiritual practice and healing. It seems like every yoga teacher these days eventually becomes enveloped in a circle of tarot cards, a force field of crystals, and the mist of essential oils. My journey led me last week to become initiated in a more ancient form of energy healing, called Reiki.

Guides.jpg

I visited my teacher, Mer's, house for the initiation ceremony where she worked with me to explain the details and benefits of the practice:

"Reiki is a Japanese word that means Spiritually Guided Life Force Energy or Universal Life Force Energy. It’s an ancient form of energy healing that has a Higher Intelligence that knows exactly how to heal the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of
our bodies."

Reiki is a hands-on healing technique that balances the spirit, promotes joy, and supports a health body. It has been found to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, lower respiration rate, raise red blood cell count, fight insomnia, and, anecdotally, produce some healing miracles.

As Mer and I discussed the format of a healing session, many of the Reiki principles rang true to me, because doesn't this sound like what we should be doing for each other all the time?

  • Focus on the person's highest good
  • Stay in the present moment
  • Provide a safe space that is comforting
  • Stay away from ego
  • Always work with integrity and authenticity

Even if you're not a believer in a thing called Universal Life Force Energy, there is something special about the healing power of touch and a conscious connection between two human beings. 

I'll be spending the next month or so practicing Reiki on myself, so that I may soon be able to offer it to others. Stay tuned!
 

Reiki Level One Certification