2021- Catching Up and a new year of promises...
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything in here. Between Covid, Facebook, Instagram, my Reiki, and Yoga practice, time seemed to have gotten away from me to blog on my website. I am making a commitment, today, to enter more regularly on this page.
So where do I begin…..2020 was a year of ups and downs for me. January and February I had the Flu and that went into an asthma reaction and losing my voice for 2 weeks. It was awful. I Had no energy. Every day felt like a battle to get up and move through the day. In March, the Covid pandemic took a turn for the worst, and as many of you can relate, affected my job as well. I was forced to make a tough decision to give up being a Health Coach, a job that I loved, which allowed me to travel to different locations to speak in groups and one on ones, to help others attain a healthy lifestyle, or work from home for the same company as a customer service agent, mostly listening to complaints or billing issues, with a little bit of coaching on the side. I ended up leaving my Coaching position, in order to stay safe and also keep my family safe from possibly exposing them to Covid. In the end, leaving a job that I truly loved, to work from home for safety.
March 2020 brought on lots of anxiety, worrying about our future, my families safety, and myself. Literally, at times, I worried about dying alone in a hospital, from Covid, and not being able to be here for my family, as I heard about that happening to many people through my job and the news. I worried all the time about my husband, my parents, and my kids, catching Covid and becoming very sick and I wouldn’t be allowed or able to be there for them to help. I decided to shut off the news, stop reading all the FB posts, and decided in order to keep my sanity and physical health, I needed to keep my mind busy on things I enjoy, so I decided to do something I had wanted to do for a while, and get my Yoga Teacher Certification. All online. Safe in my own home. I’m so glad I did this. I absolutely loved it and it really helped keep my mind off Covid and creating a healthier lifestyle for my mind, body, and spirit. Fast forward I received my 200 Yoga Certified on 04/25/2021, and my 300 hour Yoga Certification on 08/08/2021. To celebrate this achievement I purchased a Djembe drum, and started to learn meditative drumming through another online school. That’s been fantastic too, and I also feel so much healing as happened for me through Yoga, and drumming. It’s funny how the Universe works when you open yourself to the Divine and follow the path that all of a sudden appears before you.
In May I changed my website name to Inner Peace Reiki and Yoga and began offering Yoga classes online. It’s been wonderful, and my practice is growing!
Our family experienced two big losses this year in our family. My father-in-law passed away in November. It was very sad to lose him and very stressful too, as we were not able to be with him in the end due to Covid. Funeral plans were on and off and on again, and in the end it was only my Mother-in-law, my husband, and his sister who were able to attend the service for him.
Then on December 4th, my beautiful Heart-Dog, Jasmine, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in my arms, on my birthday. A day I will never forget. I was and still am heart broken and miss her everyday. She was very special to me.
The Holidays were different this year due to extra precautions and social distancing but we made it work outside with heaters, and Christmas brought a special surprise of our 1st grandchild being on the way. Very excited about this!
So, as you can tell, 2020, was a year of ups and downs. The downs were really down, and the ups were really Up! We had other great losses along the way, that were very sad, too, and also some more joyful news, but I think by now you can get the picture here.
It’s so easy to lose focus on the present, being grateful and blessed for everything we have, for every minute we are here, when we are overcome with so much stress, uncertainty, worry, fear, loss, and/or anger. Being able to fall back on my practice of Reiki and Yoga has really helped me work through all of the above emotions. Learning to let go of expectations and being able to go with the flow of change. To be able to quiet my mind and focus on the present. To be able to let go of worry, which keeps us in the future, the “what if’s or “worse case scenarios,” and to let go of anger which keeps us in the past, replaying the scene over and over again expecting a different outcome.
To be able to sit with yourself, or another person, or hold space and meditate with an animal to bring inner peace and relaxation to yourself and other beings, has been such a great gift too!
Before Covid I was regularly visiting a farm sanctuary and local animal shelters, to share Reiki with the animals. The shelters closed their doors to the public, as all businesses closed down, so I was not able to visit during Covid. I really miss my animal friends, but lucky for me I have lots of trees and wildlife in my backyard and neighborhood, to practice and “be Reiki,” with, My husband and I also welcomed a new puppy into our lives, in 2021, who has definitely helped us heal from the loss of our Jasmine. We named our new little guy, Teddy. He is already showing signs of loving Yoga and Reiki. As soon as I roll my yoga mat out, he is right there ready to practice with me. LOL
The word Yoga means to Yoke or Unite, and the practice of Yoga helps us “unite” our body, mind, and spirit. It allows us to let go of the “to dos,” and the “what ifs.” Sounds simple, right? It really is. By regularly practicing Reiki and Yoga, you create a ripple out effect in all areas of your life, and you will start to notice, the difference in the way you carry yourself through-out the day, and also the way you react to different types of situations and everyday stress. My favorite Mantras are “All is Well,” and “I l release it” ….
Reiki is a type of meditative practice that teaches you to go within, and will help you achieve, a feeling of relaxation and inner peace. Animals love Reiki too. I am grateful I found this path for healing. I am also grateful I am able to be able to share these practices with others and teach others to do the same. I believe my true path, my sacred purpose, is to keep learning and teaching about these modalities.