I spotted this wonderful letter on social media by Dawn Arkell, a Pilates Teacher and Women’s Health Coach.

She wrote it whilst recovering from big surgery. I thought it so very beautifully, succinctly and gracefully described something that I often try to communicate that I got in touch and she has kindly let me share it.

Thank you Dawn.

Listen to your body!
I have many, many conversations with my clients, (as well as with my friends and even myself!), about how as humans we rarely give ourselves enough time to recover from anything. It might be simply a long tiring day, a headache or a simple cold, it might be flu or the dreaded covid, it might be minor or major surgery or the ravages of grief and emotional trauma. Almost always we push ourselves to do too much too soon.

It is common to find people in the wellbeing industry talking about the importance of ‘listening to our bodies’. It sounds so wonderfully simple and enduringly sensible. Easy, right?

What it fails to take into account, in its instruction, is that we are more than just a body...
 

Today I ran a half marathon, although, to be truthful, there was quite a bit of walking involved. This is the fourth time I have run this distance, (and my third at an official event), and it was my slowest time so far! Interestingly, it was also the most enjoyable. 

I began running back in March 2020, at the beginning of the first lockdown. Like many people, not being able to work and moving into such a strange world of extreme restrictions was rather an adjustment. I'd never run before; I hated running at school and I never imagined that I even could run further than a quick jog for a bus. I will never be breaking any speed records but it has become something I very much enjoy. I love heading out on the trails with a friend, and sometimes with our dogs. We plod along at a steady pace whilst we chat away and put the world to rights.
 

Many people who come to me for Reiki aren’t aware that you can learn it to use on yourself, or that in fact pretty much anyone can learn it! Before I delve more into the benefits of these two ways to receive Reiki, I will take a few steps back and briefly explain what Reiki is, in case you’re new to it!

What is Reiki?
Reiki is a particular vibration of healing energy, of which there are many, that we can learn to use on ourselves or on other people. It exists in the world around us and is natural to our planet, not unlike water or oxygen. It isn’t a spiritual practice or a type of meditation but more something we can think of as a type of energy medicine. Following what we call an attunement, the student of Reiki is able to place their hands on their own or someone else’s body and allow the Reiki energy to flow through.
 

I was recently interviewed for an online magazine about some of the wonderful things that energy healing can help us with. You can have a read here.