The ultimate gift that Reiki has offered me over the years has been discovering what it means to be fully present from moment to moment.

I was recently having lunch with a friend at an outdoor cafe in Riverside Park, New York City, and we were amused by how the birds made themselves at home, as they picked leftover food right off the tables. While laughing at their bold behavior, I mentioned to my friend how in recent years there’s a deep wonderment I’ve been experiencing with nature as my Reiki practice has evolved. Now I understand why we often times see old ladies sitting on park benches feeding the birds and squirrels.

There is an authentic heart centered quality surrounding this small act of kindness towards these small animals existing side by side with humanity. As one tends to the needs of another with an open heart, the soul of the giver mysteriously receives nourishment that reaches far beyond what we intellectualize as “good karma.”

As my friend and I walked along the Hudson River after lunch, one of the park’s resident red tailed hawks landed on the fence just next us. Pleasantly surprised by this rare close encounter with such a splendid creature, we stood in his regal presence for the better part of 20 minutes. As the hawk stretched one of his legs and leaned over to check us out, my breathing began to quiet along with the mental chatter, and the moment turned into a spontaneous meditation, leaving us both rejuvenated and filled with gratitude when we finally did move on our way.

Whether one is in a small patch of a city park or surrounded completely by wilderness, I’ve come to understand that nature reinforces and strengthens our spiritual connection with life. Through practices such as Reiki, yoga, Qigong and meditation, as one focuses on connecting with spirit and expanding mental awareness, the experience of life becomes more centered in the heart and nature is a great reflection of this process.

“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity … and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” ~ William Blake

The ultimate gift that Reiki has offered me over the years has been discovering what it means to be fully present from moment to moment. As with many other eastern practices that have migrated to the west, Reiki’s focus can get caught up in the external form of the healing techniques, lending for the internal process to become diluted. Instead, when one shows up to cultivate a personal relationship to the presence of this transcendent energy, the intention of the practice of Reiki becomes crystal clear.

While giving and receiving Reiki through hands-on healing is a beautiful, nourishing and important element to the system of Reiki, it is through the tools used in one’s personal practice that Reiki can be fully discovered for what it is. The practice of Reiki is about embracing our human incarnation while also surrendering every layer of our being to the spiritual flow of life itself.

This is something that cannot be intellectualized or completely understood through words. It is something that gently unfolds with each breath taken as one responds to life with an open and compassionate heart.

Jean Bromage is a Reiki master teacher offering classes and workshops in New York City as well as private sessions. www.ReikiEssenceHealing.com. She is also the creator of Dancing Light Candles, a line of handcrafted candles infused with the light of Reiki. www.DancingLightCandles.net. Jean has a BFA in Dance from Purchase College and has performed with several choreographers in NYC. As both healer and artist, Jean helps people connect with the flow of creative inspiration that reawakens when one takes the inner journey to cultivating happiness and wellbeing in life.

Photo: Teresa Kruszewski – www.51artstudio.com

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Editor: Olga Feingold

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