As the weeks go by, it amazes me how fast we can adapt to the new normal. I do what I need to do, and then my new chill time consists of texting with my niece about which face masks are the cutest, watching martial art movies, and indulging in some social media binging. 
On these binges, I see many posts like “anxiety is a choice,” “anger is a choice,” “gratitude is a choice.” I totally get and agree with this sentiment. But I also wonder, is it as simple as that? Do we have a choice when our nervous system is in overdrive? When our survival brain is pumping adrenaline like mad into our bodies to keep us safe from what it perceives as aggression?
So perhaps it’s not really a matter of choice, but a practice, like in martial arts. Instead of repeating a move over and over until it becomes second nature, we learn how to come back to our breath when we lose it. To our bodies. To the present. Over and over. To let go of the future, of over planning, of anxiety. To forgive ourselves when we become angry or forget to be grateful. Over and over, until it gets easier.
Remembering that, like in meditation, getting distracted by anger or anxiety is not a “fail.” It is part of the practice.
That the healing is in the return.
Not in being always perfectly centered.

It feels like day 813205 of the lock-down. It's rainy. I am not feeling that great. And that's OK.
Sometimes, I try to justify all of this madness by thinking of all the good things coming out of it. I am practicing a lot. Becoming closer to friends and family who live far away. And—because of my niece's obsession with a psycho-socialite that teaches killer workouts—I may even end up with a soupcon of abs for the first time in my life.
But staying positive all the time can feel exhausting. On those moments, I need to let go. To understand shit happens, and there is no need to justify it. To eat pancakes for dinner. To take a day off Zoom and listen to my worries, my anger, my grief. To hold space for these feelings that are often overwhelming, often enlightening.
Because balance is only found in that tiny space that lies between our joy and our grief, our hopes and fears, our OKness, and not OKness. Without darkness, there is no light.
Love,
Nathalie

My Belgian family has a knack for weird stories. Fake suicides that become real. Covering up for Russian spy networks during WWII, and marrying exotic dancers with fake names stolen from novels. They lost many houses to gambling, and many lovers to drink. No wonder they ended up ruined.
But despite their madness, they were also survivors. A great, great uncle survived close to two years in a concentration camp at 60. When he was released, he avoided the issue by joking that the “simplified meals” helped him get rid of gout.
My great uncle made his way out of occupied Belgium and France bribing guards with cognac.
And my grandparents and father survived 13 days in a lifeboat with scarce food and water after their boat was sunk by a German U-boat.
Through the years, they have been my inspiration. All of them…except my grandmother. She is reported to have spent the 13 days in the lifeboat putting foundation powder on her face to look immaculate while repeating “this can’t be happening” like a mantra.
She made it through in one piece. And now that the first thing I do every morning is to put on lipstick, I have a newfound understanding and respect for her. Like her, this simple routine helps me feel like myself again.
We all are different. And we all have our ways to cope. For me, it’s lipstick and meditation; for you, it may be yoga, and, for others, it's a zoom happy hour. The important thing is to check with ourselves:
What do we need to feel more calm and centered?
What brings a little bit of happiness and joy to our life right now?
Is it reasonably healthy for us emotionally and physically?
Is it respectful of other people’s well-being?
And then go for it, without self-judgment and with loads of compassion.
Love,
Nathalie

[Excerpt from the upcoming Reiki Healing Handbook].

Imagine the universe and everything in it: humans, animals, plants, mountains, and even stones. All of it has energy—yes, even the stone! Although invisible, this energy is unlimited and all-encompassing. While science is now demonstrating the impact of energy in our lives, ancient cultures have been aware of this fact for centuries. Known as Chi in China, Ki in Japan, and Prana in India, energy has been and continues to be the basis for many healing modalities.

How does energy healing work? Well, imagine your energy flow is a river. When it flows freely, you function optimally—feeling good, energized, and inspired. However, life’s challenges can affect your energy. Worries, fears, anger, and trauma pile up like stones and mud in the river, obstructing its flow until only a trickle is left. You may feel drained, disconnected, and can experience physical pain or disease. So, how can you get your energy flowing freely again and, by doing so, jumpstart your body’s innate ability to heal? Meet Reiki, a century-old Japanese practice that combines hands-on-healing and mindfulness techniques to restore the flow of energy, promoting balance and well-being at all levels: body, mind, and spirit.

The word “reiki” can be translated from the Japanese as “universal life force” or “spiritual energy.” By connecting more consciously with this energy, or Ki, through the Reiki system of healing, you can feel more relaxed, centered, and improve your overall health. You may also start an incredible journey of self-discovery, self-forgiveness, and self-acceptance—letting go of anger and worry to discover a life filled with gratitude and a sense of purpose.

Originally developed as a spiritual practice by its founder, Mikao Usui, Reiki has become one of the most popular energy healing modalities in the West because it’s simple, effective, and can be performed by anyone. It is a nonreligious practice. It is also non-invasive, which means it won’t interact with medications. Reiki practice consists of five elements:

1. Precepts—To meditate upon or use as guidelines for the other aspects of the practice.

2. Hands-on Healing—The placement of hands on key points of the body to balance energy.

3. Meditations—To center the mind and build energy.

4. Mantras and Symbols—To connect to more specific types of energies or achieve a determinate state of mind.

5. Attunement—To significantly increase the flow of energy. It is also a way for a Reiki master to transfer wisdom to a student.

All of these—except the attunement, which is performed by a Reiki master—can be practiced on the self. Self-practice is, in fact, the cornerstone of Reiki practice. Because when we heal ourselves, we heal the world. This may sound like a bit much. But think about it: When you feel calm and happy, every person around you benefits from it. You also make more conscious choices at work or as a consumer, thereby helping the whole planet. And it all starts with a simple practice: Reiki.

The first step to slowing down is to control stress in all its expressions: worry, pressure, insomnia, anxiety, depression and numbness... Here are a few allies we use in Spain to fight back stress: 

FIGHT INSOMNIA
Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) + Passionflower (Passionaria incarnata) + Orange blossom (Citrus aurantium) + Linden (Tilia platyphyllos)
Mix in equal parts. 1 tbsp per cup. Boil for 1 minute and let it rest for 5 minutes. Take 30 mins. to 1 hour before going to bed. 

FIGHT ANXIETY
White Hawthorne (Crataegus monogyna) + Melissa (Melissa officinalis) + Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) + Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
Mix in equal parts. 1 tbsp per cup of boiling water. Steep for a few minutes. 

FIGHT DEPRESSION
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
1 tsp. per cup of boiling water. Steep for a few minutes. Do not take if you are pregnant, breast feeding, taking contraceptives, taking antidepressants, suffer from severe depression or schizophrenia. Check for harmful interactions if you're taking medications. 

FIGHT LACK OF ENERGY
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) + Sage (Salvia officinalis)
1 tbsp if the mix per cup of boiling water. Steep for a few minutes. 

IMPORTANT TIPS:
—Prepare whole jars of the infusion of your choice to save time.
—If you have a health condition or are taking medication, always check with your doctor before taking herbal remedies to avoid harmful interactions.
—If you are pregnant, be specially cautious when taking herbal remedies.

Based in Madrid, Spain, Eva Miquel specializes in preparing simple and safe natural remedies to balance and energize your body. She can be reached at evamn@hotmail.com. 

“La vida no se mide por los momentos que respiramos,
sino por los momentos que nos dejan sin respiración.”  
—Maya Angelou.

Que con frecuencia hacemos un montón de cosas automáticamente, no es secreto. Pero repetir una acción entre 17.280 y 23.040 veces por día y no notarlo conscientemente ni una sola vez… es, como diría uno de mis instructores de yoga, la prueba innegable de que no vivimos en el presente.
Concedo que respirar —sí, esas son las veces promedio que respira un adulto sano, por día— es una función automática, pero dedicarle nuestra atención consciente unos minutos cada jornada puede brindar beneficios físicos, emocionales y hasta me atrevería a decir, espirituales.

1…2…3… Relaaaaax…
Cuando comencé a estudiar Coaching el énfasis estaba en el proceso, en la clarificación de la meta, en las preguntas poderosas, en los planes de acción… Sin embargo, con frecuencia mis Coachees llegaban a las citas casi sin aliento, corriendo de tarea en tarea, sin pausa para pensar, para sentir lo qué ocurría en sus vidas, hacia dónde deseaban ir, o cómo llegar allí. ¡Era claro que había espacio para mejorar!
De mis clases de meditación, yoga y sesiones de Breathwork, decidí tomar algunas técnicas de respiración para incorporarlas a las sesiones de Coaching. Cada cita inicia con al menos tres respiraciones profundas, conscientes, en las que invito al Coachee a cerrar los ojos y a visualizar el aire que entra por su nariz, llega a sus pulmones, lo llena y se expande… Y luego, a hacer una pausa por unos segundos y visualizar nuevamente el aire que sale por la nariz. Un simple ejercicio que me permite ser testigo privilegiado de la transformación que ocurre ante mis ojos: De un Coachee generalmente agitado y con entrecejo fruncido por el estrés, paso a contar con un Coachee presente en el aquí y en el ahora… en apenas unas respiraciones.

 Y respirar… ¿para qué sirve?
Y es que esa respiración clara y consciente ayuda a centrarnos, a enfocarnos en nosotros mismos, a sentirnos y fundamentalmente a reconectarnos con nuestro ser a diferentes niveles. Respirar, ayuda a balancear los ritmos de nuestro cuerpo e incluso, a aquietar nuestra mente para que encontremos un espacio en el cual esas preguntas poderosas del Coaching encuentren terreno fértil para que las respuestas ya no sean agitadas o reactivas… sino profundas y conectadas con intenciones.
En lo físico, más allá de mantenernos vivos en este plano (¡menuda tarea!) respirar conscientemente restaura los movimientos naturales internos del cuerpo, masajeando los órganos y posibilitando una mejor oxigenación.
Emocionalmente, ayuda en el proceso de transformar nuestras creencias limitantes, identificar patrones, liberar emociones y abrirnos —gracias a la relajación que sentimos— a nuevas posibilidades. Al centrarnos, podemos sentir alivio, menos stress y ansiedad, y dejamos ir con menos resistencia aquello que ya no sirve a nuestro bienestar.
Y espiritualmente, respirar de forma consciente nos permite conectarnos con el flujo de la vida, o lo que en algunas prácticas se llama Chi o Prana. A través de esa conexión, podemos expandir nuestro nivel de consciencia y acercarnos más a nuestra naturaleza espiritual.

¿Listo para probar?
Como suelo decir con frecuencia: ¡No tienes que creer todo lo que digo! Por eso, te invito a probar, a incorporar una práctica diaria de respiración consciente.
La sugerencia es que hagas este ejercicio al menos dos veces por día. Quizás, la primera, por la mañana, antes de arrancar con tus actividades rutinarias, y la segunda, por la noche, antes de acostarte. Por supuesto, si en el día pasas por un estado de ansiedad o simplemente necesitas un “recreo” para llenarte de energía, busca un sitio tranquilo y repite… que mal, ¡no hace!

Siéntate en un sitio cómodo. Sé consciente de la postura de tu cuerpo… ¿Cómo está tu espalda? ¿Tus pies? ¿Tu cuello? Rejala los músculos de tu cuerpo. Cierra los ojos e inhala por la nariz. Retén el aire. Cuenta hasta tres suavemente —o menos, si sientes que tres es mucho tiempo—, deja ir el aire suavemente por la nariz. Repite entre cinco y 10 veces, lo que sea mejor para ti. Puedes ir ampliando el número de repeticiones a medida que expandes tu práctica.
Con cada respiración, nota como el aire ingresa por la nariz, va hasta tus pulmones e incluso hasta tu abdomen…como llena cada espacio… Siente la fuerza vital que ha entrado en ti y te llena de energía. Y cuando dejes ir, nota conscientemente ese aire, ahora más cálido, que sale por nariz.

Es mi deseo que esta simple práctica los ayude a centrarse en el presente. No en el ayer, que ya no se puede cambiar. No en el mañana, que pudiera generarnos ansiedad… Sino en el mágico momento del aquí y el ahora, el único momento que realmente nos pertenece, el que notamos y apreciamos conscientemente… Ese, que como decía Maya Angelou, puede “dejarnos sin respiración”.

Niky Pauli es una "life coach" certificada por el International Coaching Community y el Sura Center. Es la fundadora de NikyCoach, que combina técnicas tradicionales de Life Coaching con modalidades de meditación o de sanación energética tales como Reiki. 

 Photo Credit: Amanda Hirsch via Flickr