I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I love sharing thoughts and ideas and working with children. A few years ago I took a break from teaching when my family moved out of state. During this time I did a lot of studying about the science of complementary and alternative medicine. On my own, I studied Chinese Medicine and naturopathic therapies for everything from headaches, eczema and allergies, to sleep troubles and stress relief. It never ceased to amaze me the power of the body’s ability to return to balance. 

Upon returning to teaching during and post-pandemic, there were some big shifts that occurred that impacted students, their families and educators themselves. 

Children often need to “borrow calm” from their teachers and caregivers: those with more regulated nervous systems. Typically this meant that children were able to fluctuate between stress and relaxation states with ease. The pandemic brought many changes including the stress of isolation, little to no extended family support, economic, political and health concerns. 

I saw it first with the kids. News reports were stressful. This was a time of great uncertainty for many. Now students couldn’t always depend on borrowed calm from their overwhelmed caregivers. Their stress response seemed permanently activated. They lived in the red zone (or very close to it). Everything felt like a threat. Not getting the seat or pencil they wanted in class felt like just too much to handle. There were blow-ups, melt-downs, tantrums, and shut-downs. It was not always easy to get them to talk it out. My heart went out to them.

In class we spent a lot of time in class working on emotional regulation. How can our bodies show our brain that we are safe when it perceives even the smallest things as a threat? We focused on breathwork, self-regulation, and revisiting some of the same social skills we normally acquired in preschool and kindergarten. 

As parents, we were also doing the best we could. We were also stressed to the hilt. How could we model calm in the face of all that we were dealing with? We were all feeling the squeeze.

Finally, teachers were experiencing compassion fatigue and burnout. Often felt by others in the helping professions: doctors, nurses, veterinarians, police officers and firefighters, compassion fatigue is a physiological, psychological and emotional wall that we hit from thinking, helping and feeling so much. 

What drew you to practice Reiki?

I began studying Reiki and using it to help my colleagues, friends, family and my own children. I felt that sharing what I had learned about this ancient, well-researched technique for stress reduction and relaxation was the key to bring more much needed calm to the modern world. I am happy to impart to you the many benefits of Reiki as a complement to traditional medical and psychological therapies. Thank you for becoming a part of the community.