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Self care

  "King, did you hear that? The hands of a healer, I say."

Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkein
Reiki altar

Shortly after moving to McMinnville in the early 1980s, I began volunteering for Hospice. A few months later, I met my massage mentor Jeanne Christensen at a community event where we both had booths. 

I'd grown up with a family practice of massage, rubbing my mom's back and feet from ~ 5 years old - and of course, receiving massage from her! 
I got a short session from her booth partner,  and quickly signed up for a series of massage classes Jeanne was offering! 

When I learned that like my mom, Jeanne had polio, and massage was a saving grace of her treatment, I realized I'd found my career path! Jeanne was looking for a couple of massage therapists to join her practice, and open a clinic!

Little did we know that 42 years later, Nan and I would have renewed our licenses over 20 times each, and still offer sessions!
Medicine Basket
A blessing of growing up with my mom and my studies with Jeanne was their commitment to self care, to minimize the effects of having had polio! 

Jeanne encouraged us to:
  • Use good posture and ergonomics when offering sessions
  • Take at least one day off weekly - and two consecutive days as soon as possible! (In her 60s, Jeanne did 20 sessions weekly, and took 3 day weekends)
  • Drink water between sessions - and encourage our clients to drink 'more water' as well
  • Receive massage!! (My ideal is 2× monthly - currently it's one a month)
  • Exercise! She encouraged us to take Tai Chi classes - a practice we could continue lifelong.
  • She also encouraged us to keep learning, and incorporate different modalities, and energy work - work smarter!
I began my journey with Reiki over thirty years ago, in Nov. 1989, six years into my massage practice.

Jeanne had introduced us to Polarity early on.  When I attended a talk on healing, the speaker (Analyse Chamberlaine) mentioned she was offering a Level I Reiki training in a couple of weeks. I realized 'this is for me!' & signed up. I continued to study with Analyse over the next several years, becoming a Reiki Master early summer of 1991.

A guiding principle of Reiki is 'Reiki for the self first' - we can better share harmony and balance with others when we seek that for ourselves. 

Do you struggle with finding time for self care?
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