MY REIKI STORY
Reiki is a therapeutic
and spiritual practice. On the therapeutic aspect, it helps me to cope with stress, headaches, the ups
and downs of life in general, the fast pace of life in New York city.
On
the spiritual aspect, Reiki has become the natural path of a search that began over ten years ago as I came to New
York City from Seville, my home town in Spain.
For many years I have been committed
to the practice of yoga and meditation, and it was at Mount Tremper Monastery, a Zen Monastery in Upstate New York, that I
learned the value of silence, the importance of self respect and the joy of giving to oneself and to others, the value of
work.
I enjoy being around friends and peers, people
in general, and I believe that is part of the reason I chose to be a teacher as a career. I love the magical exchange of giving
and receiving that goes from teacher to student and from student to teacher, the connection, the challenge, the communication,
the creativity, the gratification, the love and the joy that comes with it. As I experience it, Reiki is all of this
and much more.
One day my father was diagnosed with
cancer. I wanted to travel to Spain and be more than a gentle witness to his condition. Around that time, I became acquainted
with the work of Barbara Brennan, a well-known healer and scientist in the healing field, both through her book Hands on Light, and
most importantly, through different practitioners and my experience with them as a receiver and as a curious learner. I started
being more exposed to different alternatives to the traditional medicine practices such as acupuncture, reflexology, hipnotherapy.
But in the back of my mind I wanted to learn something that I could give to my father soon, that was my true motivation.
It was then that through my friend Liz Taub, a clinical
social worker and hypnosis practitioner, Reiki came into my life. She told me Reiki could be learned by anyone who would
be drawn to it and that we all had the potential to be able to channel Reiki. This was a turning point for me.
I studied
in New York City with Reiki Master Brenda Lehrer of the Western Usui Ryoho System, and in Madrid with Reiki Master Olga
Pintó, where I became certified in the Western-Traditional Japanese Usui Reiki Ryoho,as taught by Hiroshi Doi. Both
teachers are very important in my life and I honor both traditions as well.
I started giving Reiki to my father on a daily
basis for a month, as well as to my mother, the main care giver, the one who has been supporting him since the first day he
fell sick. My father did not have any side effects from all the chemotherapy sessions. He did not lose his appetite
and during the time I spent with him he put on 15 pounds!! He could sleep well and his mood improved. This also affected my
mom, who was more relaxed and happier. Our relationship deepened.
My father passed away on August 10,2008. I am grateful to have been
able to spend his last days with him, to help him with the transition. I do not know how I would have coped with it without
having this tool. I will never forget his smile and relief every time I would ask him " Papá, ¿ un Reiki?"
I think the gentle touch soothed him and brought him the peace he was longing for.I know now my father will be always connected
to my Reiki practice because I believe this was his beautiful legacy to me together with my love for music. He also made me
very sensitive to cancer patients who I work with as much as I can.
Reiki has become a way
of life for me and I have seen the transforming effect both in myself and in others. Here, in New York City, I became familiar
with the work of Pamela Miles, a Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher, who has contributed through her research and articles
to bring Reiki into NYC hospitals.
I have participated as a Reiki practitioner
at the Reiki clinic she supervises in the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan. This has given me a unique opportunity
to experience Reiki with other professionals in a clinical setting.
As I continue both
studying and practicing, I had the honor to be taught and attuned by Hyakuten Inamoto sensei, a Buddhist monk and a Komyo
Reiki Master based in Japan .
Here,
in my practice in Brooklyn, I continue
sharing Reiki with all my dedication. I have seen how people with many diverse needs benefit from its healing
effects. Children love it, relieving the anxiety of school days, my plants thrive and I marvel at its powerful, at times miraculous, effects...
Marta Hernández
