North Austin Community Reiki Day is June 3, 2022. Come in and try out Reiki with a quick 20 minute session. Sessions are donation based to eliminate financial barriers. Sign up below.

7 Ways to unstick your energy, without Reiki
7 Ways to unstick your energy, without Reiki
Lets face it. Not every day is easy. If you’re reading this now, you may be asking yourself some hard questions like, Where is the joy? The excitement? The movement? If day in and day out it’s always the same, your energy may be stuck. A lot of people seek Reiki during these times because the purpose of Reiki is to move and balance energy. Reiki works not only in your body, but in your mind, spirit and life in general. I highly encourage using Reiki daily to help move and balance energy, however there are some quick ways to get you feeling good now without the use of Reiki at all and I thought I’d share a few that I’ve done personally. So, if you are feeling stuck in the same old grind and you’re ready to get out of it, then try one (or all) of these 7 Non Reiki ways to shift your energy, get it moving and start feeling that spark of the divine in your life again.
MEDITATION
“Are you kidding me?” you might be thinking. I’m feeling stuck and you want me to sit here and wallow in it? Bare with me friend, follow me down the rabbit hole. You would be amazed at what five minutes of breathing can do, add a little focus to it and you are on your way to reliving the joys of your youth. You can start out simple using a guided meditation app like the ones at Calm.com or headspace.com but once you’ve had an intro and you get going, that’s when the real work (joyful work) begins. Begin by finding a comfortable seat and connecting with your breath. Notice how it feels coming in and out of your body, where you feel it most (your nostrils, your lungs, your belly, your rib cage — where YOU feel it most is key), once you’ve connected to your breath, think back to when you were a child, try and remember what it was then that made you most happy, that made your cells stand on edge, try and remember where you found the magic in the world. As the thoughts enter your mind allow yourself to really feel the magic in your heart. For me, it was laying in the grass in the summer or walking a trail in the fall and seeing the sunlight filter down through the tree branches and the leaves. The streaming speckled light was magic to me. Another thing that brought me joy was dancing. Feeling the control I had over my body with many years of ballet. Twirling and flying through the air, feeling the music move through me and allowing my body to


Move Your Body
Stretch and breathe, jump, run, skip, hop, dance, wrestle with your kids, shoot some baskets with some friends, join a company softball team, go for walk or do some yoga. It doesn’t have to be hard, or long, but as Nike would say, just do it. I’m not a huge fan of sweating in all honesty, and running makes me feel like I’m dying due to lack of oxygen, but the Anxiety and Depression Center of America’s most recent research shows that only 5 minutes a day of aerobic exercise can alleviate stress and help to eliminate depression. My movement jam is yoga, and I have committed to doing a minimum 6 sun salutations each morning to unstick my energy and get my day off to a good start. This practice alone has done wonders for my attitude. Getting started with a movement ritual can seem daunting but start out small and watch it grow along with your your desire for more, but don’t over commit yourself in the beginning. If its too hard you’ll never get started, or end up quitting quickly due to the added pressure of one more thing you think you HAVE to do. Final tip, make sure its something that feels good to you, make it something FUN so you’ll want to do it again tomorrow.
Try Somethng New
Easier said than done I know, but nothing unsticks dead energy like the power of the new. Think back to when you were most excited about your life. Was it when you were slow and steady getting things done, doing exactly the things you knew how to do? Or was it when things were NEW and the possibilities were endless and unknown? Like when you first started college, got your first job, met a new love interest, moved to a new city or tried a new hobby. I’m willing to bet it was the new thing that made you excited. It’s hard to feel excited about something you do every. single. day. You don’t have to quit your job, or leave your spouse to try something new, (though if that’s what you’re inkling to do, by all means…) but go back to that meditation and remember what things made you happy, or what things you’ve always wanted to try, and then, go try them. Sign up for an art class or dance class, enter one of those crazy races like the Tough Mudder or the Terrain Race, learn to ride a motorcycle or shoot a gun. Challenge yourself! Take an online course on how to write your life story or learn how to read tarot cards. Whatever it is that sparks your heart, give it a go. This is your life, live it!


Immerse yourself
I’m not sure this should count as its own number but I’m going to put it here anyway because while it could be an extension of trying something new it could also be renewing the joy of something you already do. For instance, I’ve been doing yoga for over 15 years. I love it, it makes me feel good, but I’m really on again and off again with my practice. It’s OK, life is cyclical, no need to get down about it, but last year I started to feel useless, lifeless and worn down. I decided I needed to renew my practice, to dig deeper and so instead of signing up for a new yoga studio and trying to push myself to get to class on the regular, I signed up for a 200hr yoga teacher training intensive. I had to shake my life up a bit to do it too. I had to find child care for my daughter, get my husband to commit to being Mr. Mom and be willing to be in class 9 hours a day, six days a week for 3 weeks. Man, it was AWESOME. I was surrounded by people who shared my passions and was asked to dig into the depths of my psyche that I was NOT expecting to have to do. I practiced yoga several hours a day and meditated even more. I studied the body and how it works and not only the body, but my body. It was so enlightening. Maybe yoga is not your thing, but whatever your thing is, immersing yourself in it completely for a longer than average bit of time can really renew your passion!
Take a New Way Home
We are creatures of habit. I’m willing to bet you take the same exit every day to get back to your house even though you could get there using the back roads or by taking a different exit. Sure, your exit is the most efficient, but life is not about only being efficient. Efficiency is for robots and you are a sparkling shining vibrating bunch of cells just begging for newness and joy. Drive a different way home. See what you can see. Stop and try and new coffee shop. The other day, randomly, I decided to stop with my 7 year old and test drive our fantasy car on the way home instead of rushing home to make dinner. We had SO MUCH FUN. We told the salesman we were just fantasy shopping and were not in the market to buy the car, and he was super nice about it and offered to let us test drive it anyway. Just that 30 minute change in routine made our whole week more magical and gave life to more desires (like actually having a fancy new car) It sparked us both and we rode that spark all week. What little change of routine might spark your week? Drive a new way home and see what you discover. A new park, a new restaurant, an old restaurant you used to love? Maybe just a new face you can wave at along the route. Life is out there, just look for it.


Talk to a stranger
This one is a lot like taking a new route home, only it’s just talking to a new person. What good will talking to someone new do? A lot. Share a smile, compliment a stranger, ask some questions and the next thing you know you are on a journey to somewhere you have never been. People are so full of stories and life experiences. Maybe they’ve traveled somewhere you’ve never been, and you can live vicariously by listening to their story. Maybe they tell you about all their woes and you exit the conversation feeling awed by the strength of another, or grateful for what your life looks like in comparison. Maybe you get a new perspective and you are inclined toward action, toward helping them or others like them. Maybe they are doing amazing things and you are inspired to step into your true self and do amazing things too. Who knows what you might find, but if nothing else, you will find connection and according to a Harvard University study that began in 1938 the most powerful finding was that good relationships keep us happier and healthier. There is a direct correlation that if you are more socially connected to family, friends, and a community, you will live longer and be happier than someone who is less well connected.
Get Outside
The benefits of spending time in nature are seemingly endless and range from increased ability to concentrate and reducing stress hormones all the way to living a longer life. I’m no scientist but I can tell you that a brisk morning walk outside smelling the spring flowers, fresh cut grass and listening to chirping birds can completely change my attitude. Moreover, waking up in a tent to the crisp fall air is completely invigorating and can give you a completely different perspective on your life. It doesn’t have to be that intense though. Walking outside and standing in the grass barefoot (called grounding or earthing) can have instantaneous benefits in many physiological areas, like better sleep, faster wound healing and reduction in stress. Couldn’t we all use better sleep and reduction in stress? I know a good, restful night’s sleep alone can change my whole attitude!

What have you tried?
These are seven things I’ve done, in addition to Reiki, to help get my energy flowing and bring the joy back into my days, but I’m willing to bet you’ve tried a thing or two yourself. Let me know if you try any of these ideas and how they made you feel or tell me about other things you’ve done to get unstuck. I’d love to hear about them, as I’m sure would the rest of the folks reading this story. Leave some comments and talk to a stranger. We can all learn together.

Karisa Prestera
Your Reiki Practitioner From Afar
“Reiki does not heal you; Reiki simply provides you the space and path that allows you to heal yourself. It is my intention to share the gift and the path of Reiki with as many people as are willing and open to receiving it, so that each person might find the space to relax, breathe, connect with their higher self and heal. "
Related Articles
Related
North Austin Community Reiki Day
Trisha Wright, – Participating Reiki Practitioner
Trisha is a Master/Teacher in Usui Reiki and has committed to sending Reiki to our subscriber list 5-6 days a week. We are always so excited to have new practitioners join us in our mission to make the world a better place through Reiki. We hope that you will reach...
Krystal Bellamy, – Participating Reiki Practitioner
Krystal, is a Usui Holy Fire II practitioner and has committed to sending Reiki to our subscriber list 5-6 days a week. We are always so excited to have new practitioners join us in our mission to make the world a better place through Reiki. We hope that you will...
Denise Gilbert, – Participating Reiki Practitioner
Denise is a Usui level 2 Reiki Practitioner and has committed to sending Reiki to our subscriber list 1-2 days a week. We are always so excited to have new practitioners join us in our mission to make the world a better place through Reiki. We hope that you will...