My favourite quote from the
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh is "If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we
can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society will
benefit from our peace."
Many of us long for greater
peace, especially when there is violence like the recent attack in
Tunisia. In my experience the best way
to achive this peace is through better self care.
When I'm not taking care of myself
I'm more irritable and less tolerant, due to stress and tiredness. Most of all I judge myself. This has a negative impact on those around me
and I then react to their negativity, creating a downward spiral that is far
from peaceful. If you have small
children exhaustion may be unavoidable, but many of us tolerate a level of
stress and ill health that simply isn't good for us or our community. The Reiki Principles advise "Just for
today do not anger" which could be interpreted to point towards self care,
so that irritation and anger are less likely to arise. Could there be a link between the amount of
anger in the world and the lack of self care - the terrorist suicide bombers being
the extreme example?
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| Feeling more positive! |
Over the years Reiki practice has
helped me to judge myself less harshly, achieve better health and greater
happiness. I'm aware that being more
peaceful benefits others, because I have seen the results in my family, friends
and others I'm connected with. Instead
of being fearful, angry and resentful I bring more positive feelings of
kindness and tolerance (not all the time, I'm still human!) which encourages
more positive feelings in others.
So how does Reiki help with this?
While filming the Reiki Council film introducing Reiki, I was fortunate to meet
Dr Rosie Daniel of the Bristol Cancer Centre.
In her interview about Reiki she talked about how when your energy is
low, your thoughts are often more negative and you can be less good at caring
for yourself. If you then judge yourself
for not doing what you know you ought to, such as taking more exercise, this
further depletes your energy. By receiving the energy of Reiki, your energy
levels can be raised enough to begin to make some better self care decisions. I'd also say that the effect of Reiki that
many people experience (myself included) is a reduction in stress levels, better
sleep and peace of mind, resulting in more positive thoughts and better self
care decisions.
Self care also means having
greater awareness and taking action, which isn't easy when you're exhausted and
stressed. However when you have a little
more energy, or space in your head, it can be easier. Making one small decision - to receive Reiki
- can be a catalyst for improved self care in many forms.
The ability to serve others is
greater when you have more vitality. Taking
care of yourself can therefore bring greater peace and well being to your
family and community. So instead of
blaming yourself for a lack of self care, do something to improve the situation:
get more sleep, change your diet or simply receive Reiki!
