Unit #7

My meditative practices for the week consisted of a chakra meditation and practicing Reiki on myself.  The “Meeting Asciepius” exercise was hard for me the first couple of times doing it.  I kept visualizing my grandmother with the light coming through her which made me think of death.  It is an uncomfortable feeling to associate the light with death, but my grandmother is in her late 70s.  I guess the fear of losing her is what made me uncomfortable.  So I tried the exercise again and saw the light as a positive energy flowing through her to give her energy and strength.

Meditation has greatly increased my psychological and spiritual wellness.  I have felt a great amount of release from the anger I had bottled up for years.  My spirit feels lighter.  I feel more connected to my inner self since I chose to incorporate meditation into my daily schedule.

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself.”  This means to me that you can’t take someone on a journey that you haven’t traveled on without getting them lost.  It’s hard to lead a person to the wonders of self-healing if you haven’t already experienced the journey yourself.  There aren’t many people who will follow someone who hasn’t already done it. 

The same is true for a health and wellness professional.  A client will be more willing to try a new procedure or therapy if they professional has had a personal experience or a lot of knowledge about the recommendation.  I had never experienced a massage before starting my training as a massage therapist.  It was a requirement to experience other therapist’s work and techniques.  This opened my eyes to how unique people can be in their techniques and therapies they offer.  One therapy I experienced was reflexology.  If I hadn’t tried it, I wouldn’t be able to refer my clients.  Will I could, but would they really take the recommendation seriously?  They might consider it, but probably wouldn’t try it.

We have an obligation to our clients to develop our health psychologically, spiritually and physically.  We can’t give our best to clients if we aren’t at our best.  Professionals need to take care of themselves before they can care for others.  If I’m having a bad day, my massage will make the client feel bad as well.  They won’t come back if they feel bad when they leave.

I already implement psychological and spiritual growth in my life with meditation and affirmations.  I also have hobbies like crocheting which helps my growth.  I’m sure there are more things to incorporate to continue my growth.  What ideas can you come up with and how will it help me grow?