E-Newsletter:
Work with Your Natural Cycle of Energy (3/11)

Last March's article was titled “Elevate Your Energy Without Training or Cost.” Extra energy is one of the main reasons we use Reiki, right? It is for me. I can't get enough energy! So I nearly dropped my Starbucks cup when I watched this video of Seattle fitness expert Peter Shmock saying:

You can have breaks. You go through the natural cycles of your life, of your energy, day in and day out. What does it mean to take care of yourself when you're overworking? Do you really need to do that? Does that create a situation where you do not have as much energy, where you could be better off in pulling back for a day, as opposed to grinding it out every single day?

I pushed away the caffeine and thought about accepting the low-energy days instead of constantly causing — and then fixing — energy problems. I searched for more of Peter's fitness philosophy and thought about how to apply the wisdom of working with your energy cycles beyond exercise, in Reiki and everyday life. Here's what I figured out:

Peter says, “If you're running along and feel tight or low energy, slow down or walk. There's no rule that says once you start you can't stop, and if you do, you've failed.” When we expend more energy than we're getting, we create a deficit that we need to resolve with sleep, food, or Reiki or similar energy work. When we keep our energy output in line with our energy input, we can avoid running a deficit in the first place.

“Our culture doesn't support the way of doing less and being quieter. I think of myself as a recovering doer,” Peter told a reporter in 2003. In the beginning, Reiki students try to do Reiki, but eventually they simply allow the Reiki energy to go where it needs to go. What else are we trying to do, when being would work just as well?

In 1994, talking about his Olympic training, Peter said, “I needed to relax to allow things to happen.” Stress leads to energy blockages, which we experience as obstacles to solving creative, logic and emotional problems. Though Reiki practitioners can easily clear these clogs, the blocks return if we keep “grinding it out.” If we relax, though, our high-level thinking engages and we make our biggest breakthroughs.

Asked to describe his philosophy last year, Peter said, “I want people to pay attention to their bodies, to observe their cycles of energy so they don't push too hard.” During Reiki sessions, clients are advised to focus their attention inward. How much better would we feel if we treated every day like a Reiki session, focused inward to learn about ourselves?

I'm looking forward to “not pushing so hard and making the whole of life a negative experience,” knowing I can always turn to Reiki if I fall back on old habits. I hope you've enjoyed this alternative to the usual more energy messages. You can read more about Peter at his website, PeterShmock.com.

If you've pushed too hard or need an energy blockage cleared, email Erik LaBelle, Reiki Master/Teacher, or call 312-504-7693 to set an appointment for a Reiki healing session.

Anna Schibrowsky
Chicago Healing Studio