How do I stay consistent with a daily practice I started more than twenty years ago?

People who know that I start each day by giving Reiki to myself for 15 minutes while meditating often ask me this question.

My answer is simple: I enjoy the benefits, and, so, I want to continue. This daily practice has become a habit that feels like second nature to me and helps me to restore balance.

Did I feel this way when I started? Not at all! Maintaining a daily practice requires commitment and repetition. In the same way that learning to play the piano takes time and practice?which I did every day in my childhood!?so does making something you love an organic part of your life.

Why do we need to restore balance?

We’re human, life happens, and things throw us off balance. It is much easier to have a daily practice that helps us to restore balance than to wait for an emergency before we start trying new techniques.

What does my practice look like that helps me to restore balance?

First, I want you to know that my practice works well for me, and I simply love it. But there are many ways to restore balance. I hope to inspire you to find yours. It doesn’t have to look like mine.

For many years, I tried to meditate. I took classes and read books, but my mind fought me. I always had some resistance to meditation and was never able to stick to it for more than a few days. But when I learned how to give Reiki to myself, my perspective completely changed. From the first time I learned Reiki, I was truly amazed that the simple routine of moving my hands through specific areas on my body created the same effects as meditation so effortlessly.

When I wake up in the morning, I immediately give Reiki to myself in bed. I start from the head. I place my hands on specific energy centers (Chakras) and allow this pure universal energy to flow. When I get up, I already feel a sense that ?all is well,? and I’m at peace.

Then I go to my living room and sit in the same chair every day. I place one hand on my heart and one hand on my solar plexus, set an alarm on my phone, and meditate for 15 minutes while giving Reiki to myself.

Does my morning routine really help me to restore balance?

Don’t get me wrong: I get overwhelmed just like you. I tend to overdo, and I have moments when life feels completely insane. But I bounce back really quickly! I shift my energy so that I can respond rather than react. For me, the true meaning of restoring balance is not becoming ?perfect.? Instead, to restore balance is simply to develop an awareness that you can actively use to shift your energy.

Whether you choose Reiki, meditation, yoga, or another self-care technique, the daily practice is what helps you to restore balance.

Now?I HAVE to share with you this A to Z list?I simply have to!

Since I started my journey with Reiki in 1996, I have committed myself to sharing this amazing healing and spiritual practice in any way I can because I believe that the more people who start the day by giving Reiki to themselves, the more love, peace and positive energy we will each have to share with others.

A few days ago, I posted an invitation to our private Reiki Facebook Group:

?A to Z REIKI
Let’s have some fun!
Think of words and ideas you associate with Reiki.
They can make sense?or not.
They can be serious or funny. Go!?

My intention was simply to have fun with my wonderful Reiki community. But I had an ?A-ha!? moment when reading the responses: Reiki is so powerful?because it shows up in different ways for different people! This pure energy of the universe KNOWS what each of us needs?and, once we tap into Reiki, it gives us what we need.

Don’t just scan the answers. Read them. You will get a better understanding of why using a daily heart-centered technique helps to restore balance.

Reiki A to Z

Michal: A for Animals. Animals LOVE Reiki. Give Reiki or send Reiki?they will accept it with love.

Patricia: B for Beloved. Reiki does wonders for those we love.

Meredith: C for Centered. I feel more centered when I do Reiki.

Michal: D for DOING: Reiki helps us balance DOING with BEING.

Natasha: E for Energize. Reiki energizes me.

Moira: F is FOR everyone, every place, everything, every thought, feeling etc…

Emily: G for Gratitude prayer. I thank the Reiki for being here, I thank myself for being here, and I thank all of you for being here.?

Sharon: H is for Heavenly, helping hands, horizon?giving and receiving a spiritual, peaceful experience, caring for others, and waking each new day with the reiki promise.

Michal: I is for Intentional.

Carla: I is for Infinite energy and love that is ever present.

Angela: J is for Joy (or JUST do it!)? ?

Jen: K is for Key. Reiki and the symbols are the key that open the door to our higher selves.

Patricia: L is for Light, since Reiki lights our way.

Jeannie: M is for Magical, how I feel after giving Reiki to myself.

Nancy: N is for Nurturing. ?

Meredith: O is for the Omnipresence of Reiki around us; Omni means ALL. Reiki is all-present, everywhere.

Diana: P is for how Present I feel after giving Reiki to myself each morning.

Sharon: Q is for Quintessential?the experience of giving and receiving reiki. Each experience is special and unique.

Natasha: R is for Restoration. Reiki restores my soul.

Angela: S is for Sacred. Reiki is the sacred space, the sacred pause I take to restore my spirit and my soul.

Karen: T is for Transforming my life into breathtaking beauty.

Nancy: T is for Therapeutic. It is healing for me to give to others and to receive myself.

(T is also for Thankful, as I am truly honored to share this with others.)

Jen: U can be used for many descriptions, but I’m going to say U for Dr. Mikau Usui for giving us the beautiful gift of Reiki.? ?

Patricia: V is for Victory in overcoming issues that have been healed by the healing energy of Reiki.

Sharon: W is for Water and the flow…Reiki flows everywhere.

Moira: W is for Wisdom that comes from within

Meredith: X is for eXemplifying the ideals set forth in the daily prayer of “Just for today…”

Jen: X is for X-ray, a tool to see ourselves and others in a higher energy form.

Ruth: X is for Xylophone?playing your way through the different chakras and enjoying the different tones or feelings that show up.

Nancy: Y is for Yielding, as in, to just let go and surrender to the process of healing!

Ruth: Z is for Zoom in and be present for a moment or 10 minutes while giving yourself this amazing gift.

Beloved, I am not trying to ?sell? Reiki to you in any way. If you feel drawn to join my classes, either in Atlanta? or New York?to learn to give reiki to yourself, I will be happy to see you. And if you simply get inspired to develop and maintain your own daily practice to restore balance, I will just be happy!

What speaks to you when you read this A to Z list?

What questions do you have?

Write it in the comments area below.

I will answer! I promise!