I'm such a nerd! We have a new homework assignment that had me smiling in class! And it isn't actually about healing, it's about writing! This term we are supposed to keep a healing journal and make note of all those instances where our healing practice starts to change our life. Obviously there is the big time commitment that goes with attending the classes, carrying out healing and chasing homework clients to complete the case studies. That and the 5-10 minutes that I should be spending on a daily meditation. But the list does not stop there! There are so many little things that start to change on you, for example the way you interact with the grumpy co-worker. Or my diet - remember that post I wrote a few months ago about red meat making me ill? And how about my heightened sense of smell, or the fact that I no longer feel comfortable in crowds? Becoming sensitive to the energy in food and people can have it's ups and downs, this is what we're going to be writing about in our healing journals.
Coincidentally, I have a great example that I will NOT be handing in at the end of the term. Today was our 1st day back after summer and the school year started with a jam-packed Sunday session that ran from 10 am to 5 pm. It was not easy waking up at 8:30 to get to class, especially because I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday last night. There is a cute little place in Notting Hill that looks like a posh version of Winter Wonderland, mixed with Mardi Gras and some fairy dust. They play dance music from the 80's onwards and sell fruity cocktails, white wine and lots of other drinks. From the outset, the night looked like it was going to be fun, but I decided to pull a Cinderella because of my early start this morning. We spent most of the evening chatting and dancing, a couple friends came in from other parts of Europe that weekend and it was good to see everyone. I was torn between staying out later and having a good time with these friends, but the prospect of dragging myself out of bed at 8 am was too much. So I went home, had a bite to eat and then fell sound asleep.
When I woke up I felt pretty good, if not a little bit dehydrated and tired. It turns out that even that level of dehydration and alcohol remnants were enough to put a damper on my healing abilities! I really sucked today! I was tired, ungrounded and a bit hung over (the Mojito or the white wine?) By noon I had drunk 2 liters of water, one cup of tea and another cup of coffee. All in all, I made it through the opening meditations OK, the sound healing flew by cheerfully and I even manged to remove a cord from my brow chakra. After lunch I started feeling the effects of the hangover especially when we split into pairs to carry out cord cuttings. I have done this a dozen times and could talk you through one with my eyes closed. Cord cutting was my 1st experience with healing almost 2 years ago and I am generally very good at feeling the cords and removing them. Not today! I had to scan the classmates aura three times before I found a cord, and then I couldn't quite figure out if it was her base or her sacral. Granted, if you're sitting in a chair they are very close together! At one point, the teacher was standing next to us, and I was feeling a little bit self-conscious because she was very interested in our little session. The classmate and I talked through it, we came to the conclusion that it should be removed and out it went. The cord cutting went well, so the healing energy was flowing. It was just my sensory perception and grounding that were shot.
So today was a surprise! I have healed people when I've been getting over the flu, when I've been jet lagged, when I've had a sore throat, etc, and its always been OK. Evidently, trying to heal people after a night out isn't. My body didn't have enough energy or fluids to be a clear channel. Alcohol, tea and coffee are diuretics so you end up running to the loo a lot more than you would without them. The water in our body is a conduit for healing energy. Today I was running low on all these things and the class wasn't as enjoyable as it should have been. I'm not sure if the tutors noticed or cared but it was still a big learning for me. What surprised me most was the fact that two drinks did it. Maybe it's because I've hit my 30's and at this age we don't bounce back as quickly? I probably should have had dinner, or had more water. Anyhooo, I need to test my limits and if one drink turns out to be too much I will have to settle for no drinks. Or a very light Mexican beer, which I love. Most nights I stick with my Diet Coke anyway so it's not a big deal. I think I've been out to a club three times the past year, so far this is the only time I've "gone out" before a all-day healing workshop.
