Yesterday was struck by sharp contrasts. Every Tuesday I walk into the hard, bland courtyard of ward 20, the high security male forensic ward at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital.
Most days are uneventful, save for a few more than interesting engagements. This Tuesday we were greeted by a water flooded courtyard floor, apparently a patient beat someone up, they used a hosepipe to wash the blood away. The overflow had spilled into our yoga space, we had to tip toe through the bloody puddle to get into the room. They couldn't find a mop to clean it, like the time one of the patients dug his fingernails into my skin and they couldn't find a plaster for the cut, like the time one of the patients died because they couldn't get to the resuscitation machine in time, as there were a barage of gates, locks and doors between them.
From my spot on the mat I face the door we slipped through. I do not miss the blood laced footprints that pattern the floor of the room around our mats as we do our yoga.
Earlier that morning I found myself giving Reiki to a woman at the gym who had had a massive panic attack while in a spinning class.
Post teaching my first morning class I decided to have a coffee. Generally on Tuesdays my ritual is to have a sauna after the yogaing, not very yogic, but my Tuesday ritual!
Next to me, on her back, on the adjoining couch was a woman speaking in panicked whispered tones to a biokeneticist and a gym staff member. I knew instantly that she was having a panic attack, my hands started pulsing with heat and all I wanted to do was place them on her. I waited, drank my coffee, and distracted myself with my phone until I couldn't wait a moment longer.
I walked up to them, knelt down and asked if she didn't mind if I asked what had happened. She said "You do Reiki" I said "Yes!" The two men looked at each other and said " Oh you know each other" we said "NO!"
She asked me to put my hands on her heart. She took my one hand and placed it onto her racing chest and gently rested her one hand over mine. Her tears rivered, tremors rippled through her body and her heart rate started to slow. I tuned into the powerful rush of energy moving through me and allowed its flow.
I never doubt the divine flow of life. We are always at the right place at the perfectly right and divine time for the lessons we need to learn, teach and share. Always.
The fun part was that they were monitoring her heart rate as my hands rested on her body, it visibly started to drop, she started to calm. This beautifully intuitive woman said she could feel me sitting on the couch next to her, she couldn't see me, but knew I could help her. She intuitively knew I did Reiki, a beautifully delicious and rich moment of connection. Once she softened and dropped deeper into her body I gave her the amazing, ancient and healing Sitali Pranayama to practice. It is a blessing to share these teachings that we have at our disposal as healing tools on our path, as we negotiate and process our lives that are full to the brim with glowing gifts disguised as deep, dark, insurmountable challenges for us to wade through and ultimately transcend. Yogi Bhajan said to:
"keep crossing the crisis" ultimately he taught that eventually you will win!
Crisis and challenge will come. How do we choose to negotiate them? How do we choose to face them?
I love the situations that unfold as gifts that continually allow me to deepen into trust.
Thank you life
Sat Nam
Most days are uneventful, save for a few more than interesting engagements. This Tuesday we were greeted by a water flooded courtyard floor, apparently a patient beat someone up, they used a hosepipe to wash the blood away. The overflow had spilled into our yoga space, we had to tip toe through the bloody puddle to get into the room. They couldn't find a mop to clean it, like the time one of the patients dug his fingernails into my skin and they couldn't find a plaster for the cut, like the time one of the patients died because they couldn't get to the resuscitation machine in time, as there were a barage of gates, locks and doors between them.
From my spot on the mat I face the door we slipped through. I do not miss the blood laced footprints that pattern the floor of the room around our mats as we do our yoga.
Earlier that morning I found myself giving Reiki to a woman at the gym who had had a massive panic attack while in a spinning class.
Post teaching my first morning class I decided to have a coffee. Generally on Tuesdays my ritual is to have a sauna after the yogaing, not very yogic, but my Tuesday ritual!
Next to me, on her back, on the adjoining couch was a woman speaking in panicked whispered tones to a biokeneticist and a gym staff member. I knew instantly that she was having a panic attack, my hands started pulsing with heat and all I wanted to do was place them on her. I waited, drank my coffee, and distracted myself with my phone until I couldn't wait a moment longer.
I walked up to them, knelt down and asked if she didn't mind if I asked what had happened. She said "You do Reiki" I said "Yes!" The two men looked at each other and said " Oh you know each other" we said "NO!"
She asked me to put my hands on her heart. She took my one hand and placed it onto her racing chest and gently rested her one hand over mine. Her tears rivered, tremors rippled through her body and her heart rate started to slow. I tuned into the powerful rush of energy moving through me and allowed its flow.
I never doubt the divine flow of life. We are always at the right place at the perfectly right and divine time for the lessons we need to learn, teach and share. Always.
The fun part was that they were monitoring her heart rate as my hands rested on her body, it visibly started to drop, she started to calm. This beautifully intuitive woman said she could feel me sitting on the couch next to her, she couldn't see me, but knew I could help her. She intuitively knew I did Reiki, a beautifully delicious and rich moment of connection. Once she softened and dropped deeper into her body I gave her the amazing, ancient and healing Sitali Pranayama to practice. It is a blessing to share these teachings that we have at our disposal as healing tools on our path, as we negotiate and process our lives that are full to the brim with glowing gifts disguised as deep, dark, insurmountable challenges for us to wade through and ultimately transcend. Yogi Bhajan said to:
"keep crossing the crisis" ultimately he taught that eventually you will win!
Crisis and challenge will come. How do we choose to negotiate them? How do we choose to face them?
I love the situations that unfold as gifts that continually allow me to deepen into trust.
Thank you life
Sat Nam
No comments:
Post a Comment