Ki to Health=Ki to Happiness
Do you want to live in harmony with the earth, maintaining your health with all the resources the earth makes available?
I designed this course to help you do just that: to live a healthy, happy life in harmony with nature. You will gain from this course an understanding of our connection to the earth and the energy of creation. You will learn how to live in harmony with the earth and her rhythms and to maintain your own health with all the resources the earth puts at your disposal to keep energy flowing. Traditional Asian medicine is an energy-based, earth-based medicine that can assist us with this re-connection to the earth and her resources for health. Living in harmony with the earth will in turn help the earth heal and return to a balanced state.
In my 35-year reiki and shiatsu practice, I have helped thousands of people find ease and have introduced many to an experience of energy that was new to them. I have had clients who thought they would have to live with pain, lack of balance, fatigue, or other symptoms, find that after energy that was blocked was released, they lived comfortably and vigorously. I have seen increasingly that we expect physicians to ‘fix’ us, and I have seen many instances of discomfort or ‘disease’ caused by medications taken to relieve symptoms. Our medical system is being overwhelmed and is not sustainable. In this time of environmental crisis, our medical practices are the source of a great deal of pollution. Our water is polluted with medications and therefore we subject animals and plants to our imbalance. Materials and implements used in hospitals and clinics are ‘one-use’ to prevent contamination and minimize cost, but how can we sustain this level of use?
I understand that there are times when we are overwhelmed and when we do require medical care, but if we take responsibility to maintain our health, perhaps we will need less medication, less surgery, less emergency intervention.
The main reason I have designed this course is that I care about the earth and I care about people who live on this earth. I want to help you nurture your own health and, in doing so, begin to restore health to our environment. This course is especially for you if you want to find a way to sustainable health. And isn’t sustainability the definition of health? Ki is the most sustainable resource I know of, so I want more people to understand how to access ki, how to allow ki to flow rather than resisting the flow.
Who is this course designed for?
Anyone interested in supporting their own health and understanding how the principles that govern the earth also govern us as humans, will find this course helpful, insightful and also fun. If you are curious, this course is for you!
This course is especially appropriate for reiki students desiring an enhanced perception of energy and an enriched understanding of the movements of this dynamic life energy or ‘ki’. This course will give reiki students an understanding of the context in which reiki developed and the general principles that govern the movement of energy. This will also give you tools to assist you in maintaining a healthy flow of energy to deal with life challenges.
People involved in systemic constellation work will find this course engaging and supportive in their work. The principles of energy flow are the principles that govern constellation work. Familiarity with the yin/yang theory assists in understanding dynamics of reciprocity in any system. Body/mind awareness cultivated through ki training allows participants in constellation circles to be more open and sensitive to the system that is represented in a circle.
Students of shiatsu will find this course to be a useful and supportive resource, either in preparation for study or as a review and a way to become refreshed and re-inspired. This course will help you if you have been practising shiatsu for some time and are experiencing some ‘burn-out’. It will help you re-claim the health and balance that inspired you to practise shiatsu at the outset.
In a similar way, anyone studying T’ai chi ch’uan, yoga, or other energy based health practices will find this course of value, helping with an enhanced self awareness and ability to sense and release held energy.
Some comments from past participants:
“It was very valuable, I want to learn more! I found the focusing of ki energy very powerful. I loved the variety of breath/stretch/ki testing/massage–such a nice balance of activities.”
“I enjoyed the camaraderie, joyousness, body/mind awareness…it was wonderful, enlightening and revealing and relaxing.”
“I have been learning with my mind for years, now it is time to learn more through my body. What a joy to find this stepping stone on the path to who knows where!”
If you want to know more about how you will use the course, the time and dedication required, and other practical questions about using this course, have a look at the PDF download ‘How to Use this Course‘, linked below. If you have further questions, please email me.
How to use this course (download the pdf)
Traditional Asian Medicine and Ki versus a Western View of Medicine
Traditional Asian medicine takes a holistic approach to health, focusing on quality more than quantity and nurturing health, whereas western medicine tends to be reductionist and relies greatly on quantifying to define and control illness in an effort to achieve health. These two forms of medicine grew out of very different environments. Traditional Asian medicine is an ancient, earth-based medicine which was developed through centuries of observation of living patients and extensive record-keeping. Western medicine was developed more recently, largely by dissection, observation of surgery, and clinical studies. An interesting difference in emphasis is demonstrated in that traditional Asian doctors were (and still are) engaged and paid to keep clients healthy whereas western physicians are consulted and paid when patients are ill. Having stated that, I have also observed many instances where patients were told by their physician that nothing could be done for them, but were helped toward recovery by a practitioner of traditional Asian medicine. In general, and in my experience, traditional Asian medicine can address chronic conditions and health maintenance more successfully than Western medicine, while Western medicine may very successfully deal with acute conditions.
A Course Based in My Own Experience
Practitioners of traditional Asian medicine understood long before Western physicists that everything in our world is composed of energy, known as ki in Japanese and chi in Chinese. Through observing the environment and their patients, Asian scholars of ancient time divined the rules that govern the flow of ki. Over years of observing my garden and surrounding landscape and watching myself and my family and my clients grow and change, I have come to a much deeper understanding of Asian medicine than that with which I began my career. What I present in this course is from a lifetime of education, experience, and insight that has been enriched by many teachers. I share from my own experience rather than trying to teach what is already available in courses in acupuncture or shiatsu massage or other disciplines. I endeavour to share what I have learned of the art of healing rather than the science of healing.
I would like to acknowledge some of my most influential teachers: Ted Thomas, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, Paul Mitchell, Wanja Twan, and probably the most influential, my mother, Helen Easthope. They have provided deeply appreciated guidance along my path. I have also learned a great deal through research and study over the 35 years of my practice, and you will find included in the course a list of resources that acknowledges the indirect source of much of what I share. I have not used footnotes, as I teach from my own experience and have not compiled this from any specific sources. I have also learned from every one of probably thousands of clients I have assisted. I thank these people for trusting me and allowing me to be a small and sometimes large part of their lives.
Are You Ready for an Abundant flow of Ki to Create a Healthier, Happier Life?
Join me on this fascinating journey toward a better understanding of energy. By embarking on this course, you are taking more responsibility for your own well-being. I offer this course as my own experience and the content as what I have found useful both in my personal and my public practice. It is up to you to decide what is useful and helpful for your own health. Do only what feels right to you, and do it at your own pace. This course is not intended to replace medical care, but to give you understanding and skills that will support your general well-being and create resilience in your life.
Over the seven course modules you will discover how ‘ki’ or life energy flows in your body, nourishing the five elements identified in traditional Asian medicine: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. The first module will give a general introduction to ‘ki’ and to the five elements. Each of the following five modules will focus on one element. The final module is to give you support in continuing the lifelong study of ki. At the end of the course, you will have tools to bring balance and health to each of the elements and all the organs of the body in order to live a harmonious life. That is a big statement, but from my own experience, it is true!
You will find a PDF in each module to orient you to the aspect of energy studied in that module and provide you with theoretical background. The PDFs also offer suggestions for further investigation to make the material more relevant to your own health.
The experiential activities making up each of the six modules of the course are:
- Five Element Stretching
A series of stretches which are valuable self-assessment and therapeutic tools to keep the channels (meridians) flowing and maintain balance and flow in body, mind and spirit. - Ki Testing
Develop sensitivity to relaxation or resistance, indicating flow or blockage of ki and awareness of ki in self and others. This is a magical tool with applications in many areas of life. - Shiatsu Routines
Specific points and channels, also called meridians, of energy flow and how to stimulate them for yourself or others. - Breathing
Simple breathing exercises which support our own health by enhancing the movement of ki (which can also be translated from Japanese as breath). - Visualization
Guided visualizations which assist your deep relaxation and exploration of the emotions associated with the five elements.
Through these exercises, you will understand the basic principles of Asian medicine and learn how this approach can work with Western medicine in a supportive role, enhancing well-being and self-care. You will gain awareness of what creates ease in your life and what creates stress for you. With this awareness, you have more choice for a healthy, happy life.
Included in this Course:
- Overview and Understanding of Ki and the Elements. (PDF Downloads)
- Instructional Video of the Ki Tests, Stretches, and Shiatsu Techniques.
- Description of the Stretches. (PDF Download)
- Recordings of guided visualizations for each unit.
Video Material
