In 2011, I completed my Reiki training & became a Certified Reiki Master :) A who?! Let’s back track a bit and let me explain how I even got to this point in my life…
Growing up in my household has always been a mixed bag of tricks- in the most loving & enjoyable way possible. I distinctly remember one point in time in which I swear there were at least 30 books on Reiki stacked & sprawled out across the kitchen table. The fact that my mom would check out 30 books from the library (which by the way is the MAX amount of books you can check out from our library) seemed a little ridiculous to me. Then again, my mom has ALWAYS been ridiculous- in the most loving & enjoyable way possible ( I LOVE YOU MOM!). So by ridiculous, I really mean amazing! For God’s sake her latest endeavors include growing some healing mushroom elixir under our sink & becoming a laughing yoga instructor. Sometimes you just have to be right there with her laughing and accepting, honoring & loving the woman’s WILD, divine spirit & soul (ps I am very blessed to call her my mama!).
So my mom goes on to study Reiki, which is an hands on energy healing system. She did self-healing treatments on herself & also did healing sessions with me & our family. At that time, the whole concept of Reiki was something I didn’t completely understand, so I never truly rejected it or accepted it. She then encourages me to become interested in it because she’s heard of many doctors using this approach & she believes I can use it to make my sessions with my own patients even more powerful. NATURALLY, I think that this is RIDICULOUS…and I went about living my life. I went on to complete my yoga teacher training certification & would tell my mom about all the wonderful & magnificent things I was learning. I was learning how yoga could help you learn about your imbalances, it could clear your chakras, it could help you find you Higher Self! This was deep & juicy stuff mama! Then she came back at me saying she also learned all about chakras, auras, & self healing journeys through 
Reiki. Mmm, oh really mom? What is this Reiki thing you speak of again? (I’m pretty sure I’d heard her explain Reiki a million times before) Reiki is an ancient hands on energy healing system. Reiki is capable of balancing & harmonizing energy on physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, & karmic levels. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “Universal Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. Realizing that Yoga & Reiki had so many parallels allowed me to finally be more open to the idea of energy healing.
Then I found myself in a situation in which I needed more healing than I could ever imagine. My relationship at the time fell apart in the most unimaginable way possible. It all unraveled so fast I didn’t have enough time to process what happened. All I knew was that it felt like someone took a 2 x 4 to my heart & went to work. Then the dust started to settle and I felt hurt, betrayed, & lost beyond words. I struggled to understand how it was possible for me to regard such dishonesty from someone as something so real and true. I was restless thinking about how someone could make me feel like my most genuine commitment & unconditional love wasn’t enough. I choose to invest an endless amount of MY time, energy, and trust into someone who, even then, still stepped outside of our relationship to feel fulfilled, and that left me feeling hurt & disrespected on so many levels. All the unraveling and sleepless nights weren’t really contributing to my cause either. It was easy to sit with the heavy feelings & give into the darkness of the circumstances. Forgiveness, on the other hand, was a difficult road to travel. Especially, when I felt like every time I brought my peace offerings & sought out closure, it never failed, the situation became more complicated & more hurtful.
Forgiveness was something I felt would set me free from my pain, but I was unsure how to get to a state of forgiveness. Insert guidance from Reiki Masters, other energy healers, 
meditations, family, friends, psychologists, yoga, books, & my intuition Here. All the advice pointed in the same direction…Know the Truth will always set you free. Your happiness is not determined by anyone or anything but yourself and your Truth. You can’t control another person’s actions, but you can forgive their actions & send them love so that in time they begin their own journey of self healing. In the mean time let this go & focus on healing yourself.
In time, I stopped focusing on myself being the victim. I stopped thinking “all these horrendous things are happening TO me”, and adopted the belief that “all these things were happening FOR me”. Everything that has occurred over my lifetime has only served to shape who I am & allow me to reach the next level. I am the person who I am for EVERY moment (good or bad) that I have lived. The universe is a tough teacher if we aren’t open to learning from it. One of my favorite Reiki Healers that I work with recommended that I read a book to aid in my self-awareness. One of the most memorable things I read went a little something like this: At some point on your personal journey, everyone must separate themselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and at times even physically from the silent pressures of society, parents, family, & friends. Sometimes these influences can hold us back from finding ourselves. Only when we make decisions that feel right in our heart & souls can we reap the benefits of self-awareness & responsibility. The great thing about making a commitment to knowing your truest self & understanding your motivations and beliefs is that it opens up your ability to see the fears and painful wounds that you unknowingly allow to drive your life.
These words spoke to me because there was a point in time in which I felt so broken I was unsure whether I would be able to put myself back together again. Then it dawned on me that if I didn’t begin on a path of self-discovery now, then when? Sifting through the ruble of a painful situation isn’t fun per se, but it allows you to uncover the root of your fear and pain in a way that makes you aware of your patterns and tendencies. This can be very powerful because it gives you the potential to heal and make yourself whole again.
When I began creating a healthy relationship with myself, things changed. I realized The Universe helps those who help themselves. I reconstructed my thoughts and patterns to become more positive. This required a whole hell of a lot of self-compassion. Through this, I came to the conclusion that not only do I enjoy independence, but I am also the type of woman who will always make the most out of love and life & I want to be with someone who wants to be a part of that. I choose to surround myself with the positive & I choose to share my time & energy with those who are committed to self-awareness & personal growth. I pursue ONLY the things I LOVE, because I know I can only become truly accomplished at something I love. THAT is who I truly am when I set myself free to be ME.
It’s now very clear to me that that which does not support or sustain me is blocking me from my own personal growth & spiritual progress. Acknowledging this is what led me towards learning more about Reiki on a deeper level. Reiki works on so many levels, it can serve as a holistic approach to: support the body’s ability to heal itself, expand spiritually, align with your unique Purpose & Truth, reduce stress, and promote relaxation & well-being. For me, it is now a lifestyle. Now, I choose to wake up everyday & live positively, live from my Highest Truth, LOVE at every moment, and have faith that The Universe has prepared me and The Universe will take always care of me. Reiki is not the only form of energy healing, it’s just the path I choose because of what I have had experience with before (thanks to my super rad mom). In fact, the more I expand my knowledge, the more I will begin to incorporate other healing techniques into my sessions. Reiki in conjunction with any other positive beliefs & techniques can only serve to amplify the benefits received :)
How did I exactly get to the status of Reiki Master, you ask? First, I got right with myself and did a lot of soul searching and self-healing. Then, I took a series of Reiki courses. In each level, I continued to set the intention to LOVE, live from my Highest Self, trust my intuition ALWAYS, & practice, practice, practice my Reiki! There are a total of 3 levels/Degress of Reiki. The 1st level is focused on self-healing. Which holds up to the belief that you can’t help anybody else, until you help yourself. The 2nd level is dedicated to healing others & doing distant healings. The final level, Reiki III/Master qualifies you to teach the Reiki Energy Healing system & certify others.
I am so happy to have finally become a Certified Reiki Master because I feel passionate that through my experience & commitment I am going to be able to use Reiki to provide others with insight & direction for their Highest Good. To some, the word Master may sound like a title of exaggerated importance, but it’s really not. Master doesn’t mean end all be all. Rather, your extensive experience in the matter develops a familiarity with it, an expertise if you will. You never stop being a student though. The day you renounce your status as a student is the day you no longer learn. When you can no longer comprehend things with an understanding that keeps evolving you lose your status as “Master”, but more importantly teacher.
As I continue on my path of self-awareness, I can honestly say that I am 100% committed to this journey & am dedicated to inspiring those out there who need help workin it, twerkin it, & keepin it real! ar-yoga.com will allow for my Reiki Healing, educational, sensational, yoga services to become more accessible. I’ll keep you posted, stay tuned :)
Live consciously! Own your power, beauty, & happiness ALWAYS,
xoxo ar
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