I don’t know about you, but my family doesn’t really get the whole Reiki practice thing. My mom, who’s from Spain, thinks it’s some sort of Japanese santeria. She doesn’t say it in so many words, but her not-so-subtle eye-rolling every time I mention Reiki makes it evident. She was visiting me a few days ago, and we started chatting. When I said the word Reiki, boom, there it was: eye rolling.
—But Cotufa—Cotufa or popcorn is my nickname for her—it’s not santeria, it’s just breathing and connecting with your body.
The word breathing caught her attention. She has emphysema.
—What do you mean, breathing?
—Using your breath to align mind and body.
I left out the word energy on purpose to avoid the famous Cotufa eye rolling.
—Breathing into your body? That makes no sense. You can only breathe with your lungs.
—Think of breathing more in terms of awareness. You use your breath to bring your awareness to different parts of your body: hands, feet, skin.

Blank stare.

When we’ve been practicing for a long time, we start using terms like breathe with your whole body or create spaciousness. But these terms sometimes feel very vague and esoteric to people who have not practiced any mindfulness techniques.
In the case of my mom, simple facts caught her attention more than terms like non-duality or balancing energy systems. Her eyes came awake at the idea that they’re 100 million neurons in the gut and that, when you breathe and expand your belly, you relax that area. Or that creating spaciousness could be taken as using your whole nervous system versus just your brain.
I’m not saying that Reiki talk should become all about science. It’s, after all, a beautiful spiritual practice that goes beyond that. But there are many layers to this system. You can practice Joshin Kokyu Ho for years and still discover new depths to this meditation.
Simple, down to earth facts may prove appealing to some. For others, it may make the practice to sterile and be a complete turn off. It is up to us, as teachers to go deep enough into our practice that we can provide the right guidance.

To breathe is to be alive. The ancients knew this and cultivated whole rituals around deep breathing exercises and techniques.  Yoga, one of the more famous transplants of the Indian traditions adopted by the west is, at its core, about breathing deeply and cultivating pranayama.  Most disciplined exercises from Qi Gong, Aikido and Tai Chi are also about cultivating breath or qi, the life force or energy. The following herbs can help you cultivate your own qi.

Huang Qi (Astragalus membranaceus)
This versatile herb is one of the best herbs to tonify lung qi.  Its warming and moistening effects help nourish dry and damaged lungs.  It is specific for asthma, dry coughs and people suffering from shortness of breath. 
Preparation: 2 tsp. root to 12 oz. Water, decoct 20 mins., steep 30 mins.
Dose: 3 cups, daily.
Do not use to treat influenza or other bacterial or viral diseases as it causes stagnation.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Non-irritating expectorant. That means, when you have a cough or even laryngitis, smoking this in combination with the other herbs suggested below can reduce irritation.  A tea can also be made of the dried leaves for bronchitis, pertussis and asthma.
Preparation: 2 tsp. dried leaves to 8 oz. hot water.  Steep 40 mins. 
Dose: Drink 2-3 times, daily.

Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula)
If you suffer from a dry cough and shortness of breath, Codonopsis is your herb!  A qi tonic for people who suffer from deficient lung qi, Dang Shen nourishes and moistens the lungs.
Preparation: 2 tsp. dried root to 16oz. Water, decoct 30 mins. steep 1-2 hours.
Dose: Drink 2 cups, daily.
Do not drink if you have diarrhea.

Prince Seng (Pseudostellaria heterophylla)
The “Ginseng of the lungs,” this root has it all.  Not only does this root restore damage from too much heat or dryness, but it can also help alleviate bronchitis, hot pneumonia, COPD and even emphysema. Useful to replenish vital energy and reduce symptoms of ashthma.
Preparation: 1-2 tsp. root to 12 oz. Water, decoct 30 mins., steep 1 hour
Dose: 4 small cups daily.
Do not use for damp lung conditions with mucous and do not exceed more than 16 oz. daily.

Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis)
A caterpillar fungus with an alter ego!  This fungus is so powerful that it's been used traditionally as a tonic for pulmonary tuberculosis. 
Preparation: ¼ tsp. with other herbs (any of the above or more traditional, chamomile, etc.) to 10 oz. Water, decoct 15 mins., steep 1 hour
Dose: 2 cups, daily
Do not exceed recommended dosage.

BONUS: You can go one step further and combine all the dried herbs below. 
A part can be ¼ cup, ½ cup, 1 cup, etc. depending on how much of the blend you'd like to make.

• Mullein  - 3 parts
• Mugwort (slight mind-altering effects.  Also welcomes dreaming) – 2 parts
• Peppermint or lavender (for flavor) – 1 part

My two favorite sites to order great quality herbs are Mountain Rose Herbs and Kamwo.

Lauraine Velez is an experienced clinical herbalist who trained at the David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies. She uses Traditional Chinese Medicine along with Western, Ayurvedic, Middle Eastern and Cherokee herbal traditions. She's the founder of Apothecratic Oath.