Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for Jews. We spend it fasting and praying in hopes that we can be cleansed and absolved of all sin. Luckily, on the day before Yom Kippur this past September, I found myself preparing for the holiday in a way generations of Jewish comedians only dreamed ofby having a beautiful woman lay her hands on me.
This young woman was Jaclyn Ramsier, 29, who had been practicing Reiki for a year. Reiki is an Eastern healing technique that uses energy as a healing force. Reiki assists the body in its natural healing process by allowing energy from a higher sourcewhich some call Godto flow through the practioner's hands into the body of another.
Trained as an engineer, Ramsier had a corporate job in aerospace hydraulics in Jackson, which she left in 2008 to fulfill her life-long ambition to help others. She first became a yoga teacher and then decided Reiki was another skill she should offer her clients.
Reiki master Carol Parks, a Clinton resident, "attuned" Ramsier in Usui Shiki Ryoho, the traditional form of Reiki. One can only become a Reiki practioner by being attuned, which is the transfer of ability from a Reiki master to the student. Once a student is attuned, the student can tap into an unlimited source of higher energy. Ultimately, neither master nor student is the source of healing, however.
"The energy doesn't come from you; it moves through you," Ramsier says. She uses the example of the wire that brings electricity to a light bulb. "The wire does not produce the electricity, it just carries it to the light bulb," she explains.
Inside Butterfly Yoga Studio, where we met for the Reiki session, Ramsier instructed me to take off my shoes and to lie down on several purple body pillows she placed on the floor. She began a CD of Sanskrit chants and lit a piece of sage. The scent of the sage transformed the room into a calming respite. She cupped her small hands and delicately positioned them on my right arm. This, Ramsier explained, was how she would "place energy" onto my body.
Slowly, she continued to place her hands onto different parts of my body, moving from my arm, to my shoulders, to the crown of my head, over my eyes, my other arm, my feet and then legs.
Ramsier walked me through the entire session, explaining where she would position her hands next and asking if I felt comfortable. During this time I kept my eyes closed to focus on my body.
The first sensation I noticed was the heat from Ramsier's hands. When I mentioned this phenomenon, Ramsier told me that her hands are generally cold, but the transfer of energy causes the heat.
"When I perform Reiki on my friends they are especially freaked out (by the heat) because they know my hands are typically so cold," she says.
I began to feel heavy, as if my body was being pulled to the ground. I felt a cold sensation over my upper left leg. At certain moments I felt sharp pricks in my lower abdomen. At other times I felt jolts of movement, as if my arms and legs were trying to spontaneously dance. Ramsier explained this sensation was possibly due to my body experiencing a greater level of energy than it was used to feeling. Even with the occasional jumpiness and the few pangs, my body was comfortable.
There was no pain, only the soft warm flow one experiences when dipping slowly into a hot tub. An hour passed as if I had been sleeping, unaware that time was moving past us, and the session was over.
When I left the studio, I felt more awake than when I had entered. I felt calm, and I went home to concentrate on the sensations coursing through my body. The experience was unusual, and I knew that I would have to go back for another session to understand more about Reiki. Although the hard work of Yom Kippur was still to come the following morninga day of fasting and repentance is not meant to be easyI felt grateful to have spent an hour that morning concentrating on my body. I felt ready for the holy day.
If you are interested in experiencing a Reiki session with Jaclyn Ramsier, call 601-383-8817. A one-hour session is $60.
Attuned From God
The word "Reiki" is composed of two Japanese words: Rei, translated as "God's Wisdom" or "Higher Power," and Ki which means "life force energy." The origin of Reiki is credited to Dr. Mikao Usui of Japan, who began to practice in the 19th century. A Christian, Dr. Usui was inspired by miracle workersincluding Jesus and the Buddhawho were able to channel the energy of God to heal people. Reiki tradition states that through deep meditation, Dr. Usui was attuned from God and became a healer himself.
There are three levels of skill for Reiki practitioners. A level one practitioner is able to do Reiki on herself and others. A level two practitioner can do distance and emotional healing. The highest level of Reiki skill is level three, in which one is a Reiki master and can attune others to become Reiki practitioners.
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