Author Archive: andy

Come From Away

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When I was in New York City in May I saw an amazing musical, about a small town, Gander, in Newfoundland, that unexpectedly ends up hosting thousands of people from planes diverted from 9/11. The title of the musical refers to what Islanders refer to anyone who is not from there: they’ve ‘come from away’.

I was thinking about this because of the amazing international clientele I’ve had at Reiki Surry Hills. It’s been like this from the beginning but seems to be a bit more pronounced lately. I’ve also noticed that folks from outside of Australia are more like to have studied reiki themselves or have friends or relatives that have done reiki, and they’ve had treatments. Australians are more likely to never had a treatment before. This tells me that reiki is more known outside of this country.

In any case, lately, I’ve had clients from Ireland, India, England, Serbia, France, Spain, Finland, the USA, and Canada. While I’ve had clients passing through Sydney from Hong Kong, Texas, Germany and Cairns, mostly all of my clients are based in Sydney, and have come to live here from all over the world (and all over Australia), just as I’ve come here from Canada.

This gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, since I like a city where people come from all over, and it’s a nice gift from reiki to be able to meet some of them and marvel at how complex and mobile the world is and how did we end up here when we came from away.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Away: 9 to 23 August 2017

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If you’ve come for a treatment, you’ll recognise this as the place where we have a little chat before and after the session.

Heads up! Just a warning that I’ll be away from Sydney from 9 to 23 August.

So, if you’d like to come in before then, get in contact!

Or you can book in advance for when I come back too!

Book by SMS, email, calling or online!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Not that kind of reiki!

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As I’ve been explaining to clients, there are a lot of different kinds of reiki out there. Students of Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system, added their own variations of reiki to their teaching, and then from there, with many generations of new students, some reiki practitioners went on to found their own methods and styles of reiki.

Still other practitioners combine what they’ve learned about reiki with other practices or skills: from massage to crystal healing and often clairvoyance and psychic advice. Reiki, particularly in the United States, became associated with New Age practices (and subsequently made fun of in popular media: there were jokes about reiki in Magic Mike 2!). People often combine reiki with reference to the Indian belief in chakras, the seven centres of spiritual power in the human body.

My teacher, Frans Stiene, and the International House of Reiki, aim at focusing on reiki as it was practised and taught by the founder, Usui, to get back to its purest form.

And I’ve followed Frans’s lead…

Lately, different clients have told me about other reiki treatments they’ve had. During one, a client had to remove his shirt, and had crystals laid on him. During another treatment, the reiki practitioner talked during the whole treatment. What I hear often is reiki practitioners who give messages (psychic or spiritual) or diagnoses (saying what part of the body they think is blocked, or if there are imbalances).

So, I thought it might be useful to say: I don’t do that.

  • When you come to the session, you remain fully clothed (except for your shoes) and if it’s cold, or you feel more comfortable, I can cover you with a blanket.
  • If you really have the need to speak during the treatment, then that’s fine (though I think I’ve only had one client talk a bit during a treatment out of nearly 400 treatments), but I will remain quiet once the treatment starts. I think it’s important to not get in the way of the treatment with chatter or noise.
  • The biggest thing is that I don’t do diagnoses, or give messages. What’s important is not what I feel, but what you feel, during the treatment and in the days afterwards. I actually think it can be harmful if a practitioner tells someone that they have a blockage in their heart chakra, or they are imbalanced. How do they really know that, and what does it all mean? Reiki shouldn’t be about practitioners projecting our ideas, assumptions and beliefs onto a client; it is about you taking from the treatment what you need at the time, and then observing how that plays out afterwards.

And a final P.S.: if a person says they are doing reiki and asks you to remove articles of clothing (except for your shoes)… don’t do it. You might consider questioning them… or reporting them.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

The latest reviews

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*

Andy is super nice, patient and caring. He explains the treatment, he communicates really well and demonstrates a lot of interest in the patient’s needs, thoughts and feelings. It’s like sharing with a friend, a really helpful friend that makes things flow more, brings more clarity and strength!

*
Reiki treatment
★★★★★
★★★★★

Words can’t describe how i felt after having Reiki with Andy. I have never felt such a shift after my treatment. A+ service.

I’m definitely more Zen!
Thanks for a great treatment! 🙏🏻

*

I thoroughly enjoyed my reiki session with Andy. I am an energy healer myself who has received many healing sessions by various persons and I am very impressed by Andy’s work. He has a relaxed and comforting vibe and his treatment room breaths beauty and tranquility. During the session I could clearly feel my energy moving, shifting and coming back into balance. I left Andy’s feeling refreshed and vitalised and I am looking forward to more sessions.

*

I couldn’t be more happy with the treatment. I’ve been feeling in a good zone the past few days and I certainly feel in a good place now… I’m still feeling calm, my mind feels pretty clear and I feel relaxed. I certainly feel like you’ve cleared some channels, and I certainly would recommend Reiki to anyone who feels a similar way…
Thank you for the treatment and the effect it has had!

*

I felt happy although tired after the reiki & my happiness continued to improve over the following days. I haven’t felt too much stress or anxiety over the following days…

*

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. I’m away until 9 June 2017 but happy to see you after that!
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Bring a friend!

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My aim during a reiki treatment is to make a client as comfortable as possible.

But I’ve been surprised over the last years when clients have shown up with their partners or friends.

As Reiki Surry Hills is a private space, I don’t have a waiting room that’s separate from the treatment room.

But in the end, I’ve learned that this is obviously the way that the client feels more comfortable, at least for their first session. I understand that it can feel uncomfortable coming into a strange space with someone you’ve never met before to have a treatment, which you may not have ever had before and don’t know what to expect!

I don’t think it’s a perfect situation as an extra person in the room can be distracting, and can take away from the focus of the energy of the treatment, but I guess if it helps to make a client feel more comfortable, this could balance that out!

So, if you’re coming for a treatment, and will bring a friend, please warn me in advance. At least that way I can have time to put out an extra cup for tea! But more importantly, make sure they understand that they will be in a room for nearly an hour, and will need to be quiet and still. If they’d like, they can bring a book, or read on their phone, or simply be quiet and meditate. The husband of one client came, looked uncomfortable and unhappy for the whole treatment, and fidgeted: not good. But another husband was very still and said after that he loved the energy in the room and felt like he had gotten a treatment too!

At the same time, I have been asked if two people can come at the same time, for a treatment at the same time… The answer is no! Although reiki practitioners can give reiki in most situations, and could practice reiki in a group setting, for someone who hasn’t had a treatment before, I really don’t think it’s the best way to have a treatment to have more than one person at a time. It could be distracting and more difficult for everyone, and the aim of reiki is to make things easier!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. I’m away until 9 June 2017 but happy to see you after that!
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

 

 

Protecting yourself from negative and busy energy

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One of my clients noted  ‘I am extremely sensitive to the energy around me. I often feel other people’s energy in my physical body, and get overwhelmed, anxious and drained in noisy or busy environments’

She asked how to protect herself from this energy but also shared that guilt tended to make her sensitive to people’s negative energy, and releasing that guilt was helpful.

So, in some ways, I kind of divide this into two situations, the general clamour and noise of city living, and when you are either around people who are negative or they actually aim that energy towards you.

I think there are a number of different approaches that you can take.

1.

When you know you will be, or if you are in those busy and noisy environments, close your eyes momentarily and envision a bubble of healing energy around you, a positive bubble, and imagine that noise and negative vibrations cannot or have a harder time getting through that bubble.

The mind is a powerful thing.

However, this might strike some people as mumbo jumbo and certainly won’t work if you think it’s silly. In that case, what about some detachment

2

One thing that can help when faced with negative energy is to be objective and distant. It helped me a lot in both my working life and my personal life when instead of reacting to co-workers’ bad energy, I thought, at a distance, I wonder why they’re acting that way. Maybe they had a bad morning or didn’t get enough sleep. Maybe they’re worried about someone close to them.

It’s important to try not to take it personally when someone is in a bad mood, and you certainly shouldn’t think it might be your fault. Even if someone might be projecting their anger onto you, this might not be right or justified or anything you can do about. Adopt the slogan, ‘Your crisis is not my problem’.

It can be challenging to try to create distance and objectivity, especially since negative people can sometimes enjoy trying to get a reaction or invading the space of someone who is sensitive or kind… but it is a useful thing to work towards.

Does all of this sound too complicated? A final suggestion is the most practical…

3.

Get earplugs or headphones. I HATE the contemporary arrangements of open plan offices. Way too noisy.

Whenever possible, play your favourite relaxing music and use it try to block out noisy work or other environments!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Panic Attacks!

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Clients come for reiki for all reasons, but recently a client came because she’d been suffering panic attacks. I had to admit that it’s not something that I was familiar with, but boy, did it sound terrible: the physical reaction and anxiety and sometimes feeling almost out of one’s body completely.

By coincidence (or was it?), a friend came for dinner that night. I mentioned the panic attacks and she said that she had had them in the past too, and that she found a video very useful from Dr Bill Pettit.

In the video, Dr Pettit describes that panic attacks are physical reactions, and that they can pass, or get worse if you allow your body to react to it. If you can notice what’s happening, then most of the attack will pass within five minutes. He says, ‘try not to feed it’.

The other interesting and useful thing is that he says ‘a panic attack is your friend’. It’s actually letting you know how you’re feeling and allowing you to examine your thoughts.

So, if one is coming on, then try to notice what’s happening, find a behaviour to not exacerbate the attack, and then ride it out.

My client found the video very useful indeed, and what’s more, after the reiki treatment, she hasn’t been having attacks anymore, and is very happy about it. She said, ‘I’m just so amazed by this.’

I’m not an expert in panic attacks but this really did feel like useful information to share.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

 

 

Northern Beaches Reiki Studio

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One of the reasons people come for reiki is if it’s convenient enough to do so. The big city life is so busy; it can be hard to find the time to come to a reiki treatment, and then it’s got to be in a location that’s easy to get to, either by car or by public transportation.

I feel lucky that I’m so centrally located that clients come from all over.

However, if you happen to live or work on the North Shore, and it’s more convenient for you to have a reiki treatment in the Northern Beaches, I’ve got a great recommendation for you.

Vicki Huston is another student of Frans Stiene, and I met her when I was doing my Shinpiden training (Level 3). I recently ran into her again when we were resitting Okuden training (Level 2). Frans encourages and allows students to ‘resit’ the courses, which is always a great idea. I learn something new and important every time, and it’s great to be both with Frans but with other reiki practitioners and students like Vicki.

In any case, I think Vicki is wonderful. She gives reiki treatments, teaches reiki, and also runs meditation courses, both at her home and at TherapyWorks in Newport.

If you go, tell her Andy sent you!

www.northernbeachesreiki.com.au
Northern Beaches Reiki Studio Facebook page

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Latest review: I’ve already booked in my next appointment

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I just had another nice review put up on my Bookwell page (that’s the page from where you can do an online booking, as well as pay for a treatment by credit card).

The place was easy to get to and I felt immediately comfortable when I arrived. Andy explained about Reiki and what he does. It was an incredible experience and I felt better straight away and have continued to do so. I have already booked my next session in.

Veronica

I love happy clients!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

 

International House of Reiki: an introduction

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While my brother, Walter, was my first reiki teacher, I’ve been hanging out with the amazing Frans Stiene for longer than a decade now. He and Bronwen Logan run the International House of Reiki. They used to have a little studio in Newtown that hosted both reiki share evenings and classes, but now most activities are in the Blue Mountains.

Frans and Bronwen promote traditional Japanese reiki, studying and researching the work of Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, as well as Japanese philosophy and spiritual practices to put all the pieces together and learn how reiki was first taught.

Since reiki moved outward from the Japan to the USA (starting with Hawaii) and then around the world, many variations have formed. People have combined with other types of healing and different modalities, and people often can’t help adding their own twist to teachings. I guess that’s natural, the idea that we can add something of our own to a practice, but I really love the directness and purity of the work that IHR does.

In the meantime, Frans travels the world, and his courses and workshops usually attract other reiki teachers. This says to me how much he is respected, and really, I think he’s one of the world’s best reiki teachers and researchers and it’s been an incredible privilege to be able to study with him and spend time with him in person, because he lives in the Blue Mountains!

Bronwen offers Reiki treatments in Leura, in the Blue Mountains, outside of Sydney, at the Tomah Reiki Retreat and at Mandala in Leura.

So, if you’re still reading… my recommendation is:

If you are thinking of studying reiki, check out the IHR website, and see if there are dates that suit you. I really believe that you can’t get a better reiki teacher than Frans.

And if you’re in the Blue Mountains, or close to, or visiting, and you’d like a reiki treatment, then look up Bronwen!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.