As a Level I Reiki Practitioner who deeply enjoys researching each subject in depth, I was delighted to meet an experienced Reiki Therapist who has traveled the world investigating the same subjects as me. I had the pleasure of meeting Sonia Cheng from London Heart Healer, Healing with Heart at the Kung Fu Retreat and we immediately connected as we started to share our paths up until that point. Sonia is not only a glamorous woman as her presence is very peaceful and you immediately notice an energetic serenity when she’s around. No wonder Sonia is an energy healer! It was an honor to hear Sonia first hand and to learn with her. I even had the chance to receive a Thai Massage from her that I vividly recommend.
Energy Healing is still something relatively new – as is Energy Psychology – for we are still in the process of fully absorbing Quantum Physics. In Einstein’s own words: “Everything is energy and that is all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you can not help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”
So let’s hear more about Sonia’s path and energy healing in her own words:
1 – What is your experience with energy healing both from a receiver’s point of view and also as a Reiki Practitioner?
I have been working with energy work for the past decade. At that time, i stumbled into it as a result of health issues which western doctors across 3 continents could not figure out what was wrong with me. I was constantly getting sick, had various respiratory infections and was exhausted all the time. I was working insane hours and travelling about 80% of the time back then and in the field of technology consulting. Out of desperation, i stumbled into reiki and various related energy healing work. When i first experienced it, i felt a tremendous sense of calm and it helped a lot with my insomnia and anxiety issues. Each reiki practitioner has different approaches. I also felt heat emanating from the healers hands and also a subtle but noticeable movement in energy in the body. I had a friend who had been practicing Reiki since she was a little girl, and i was down with a terrible flu. I felt movement of chi in my chest and also a warmer than usual heat. The next day i was feeling much better. For each person, their experience with Reiki is unique, but most of my clients report feeling a great sense of calm and are ready to sleep. Others experience emotional release. When i was obtaining my Reiki certification, i felt a stronger movement of energy, than when i was a recipient of healing. It was a very strong emotional experience for me which enabled me to deal with unprocessed trauma from the past. As a Reiki practitioner, i have become much more aware in working with my own chi and also sensitive to energy of others. I incorporate Reiki into daily life such as when i meditate or as part of massage.
2 – What has drawn you into holistic healing?
I was drawn to holistic health out of a desire to manage my health and sanity in a better way. I have been pursuing self-development since i was 8 years old, when i first was interested in psychology and neuroscience. I wanted to understand how our minds worked. I had a challenging childhood and somewhat dysfunctional family situation and initially i wanted to know ‘what does normal look like?” I thought the answers would be in the books, so i read and read, and eventually when i was old enough and could afford paying for therapy, i tried nearly every from of therapy and healing that was out there. 20 years ago, much of the energy and alternative therapy work was still raw and unformed. But i was curious, open minded and strongly motivated to work on myself. I have learned healing from many different cultures. Some highlights include Reiki, Pranic Healing, Kundalini Healing, Tantra, Shamanism, Somatic processing, Bioenergetic psychology, Electric Healing, Orgasmic Meditation and many others. I struggled initially because much of the healing modalities felt fragmented and i stumbled a bit, sometimes feeling more confused afterwards then when i started. At the same time i was building my professional career in spent many years in consulting, working with clients, and i remember when i was 24, my client said, ‘Sonia, you are like a modern day shaman, when you enter the room, no matter what the situation, the energy shifts, you heal people.” Although professionally, i was working in technology, much of the work i was doing was transformative. Albeit, compliance and technology related, but fundamentally, i was helping companies and individuals to shift old patterns to new ones and changing the flow of energy in the organisation. I believe that taking a holistic approach to healing and life has fundamentally shifted my world view and I am passionate about bringing healing to others in a simple and accessible way. I think people, especially those new to this world can be intimated or turned off by by the overly esoteric or sometimes cultish nature of some of these groups. I think each person’s healing journey and stage is unique, and it’s important to start where they are, and apply different modalities can be used or blended together depending on their situation.
3 – What is Reiki and how does it work?
Reiki is a form of energy healing which originated in Japan in the late 19th century. It works by the practitioner connecting to universal energy and life force which is channeled through a series of positions over the body which helps to clear potential blocks in energy or chi which may be related to mental, emotional or physical issues. Typically the client is lying down with eyes closed while the reiki practioner is sitting or standing near the client. Though interestingly, Reiki also works remotely and i have given and received distance healing as well. There are energetic symbols which can also be visualised to accelerate healing, promote balance or helping with grounding. I learned a branch of Reiki called Reiki Tummo which enables accelerated healing through Kundalini energy. Kundalini is a Sanskrit word that means coil. Every person has Kundalini, however, in most humans the Kundalini lies dormant in the perineum. Traditionally, it is believed that after being awakened, Kundalini will be able to remove the knots of the major chakras, cleanse and open chakras. When working with clients, i keep it simple and typically don’t go into terms or symbols. I will start with a few simple breathing exercises, ground myself and prepare myself and the individual for energy work. Once i open up the individuals energy channels, i will begin connecting and channeling Reiki. My hands typically get warm or hot and depending on the situation i may be directly touching or hovering my hands over the individual. I benefit from the Reiki as well, as i find the energy flow very calming and beautiful. Once finished, i close their energy channels, express gratitude and slowly bring the client back to present moment. Though i am an engineer by education, i have accepted that not everything can be scientifically explained, at least not yet. Love is an example of a force which can be felt, and even partially explained with biological and neurological processes in the body, and yet, we know that there is something greater there. For me, Reiki is like that, it’s an energetic force which is there, can be felt and is unique for each person which experiences it.
4 – What does spirituality mean and how come we seem to be so far away from it in modern societies? How can we incorporate it in our daily lives? What’s its connection with health and wellness?
Spirituality is a sense of connectedness to something greater than ourselves. Historically spirituality was characterised by religion and religious beliefs, but I believe it’s much broader than just a set of beliefs. For me, it’s fundamental to how you live your life with awareness, living in alignment with your higher purpose, and in harmony with nature. I think modern lifestyle has strayed us away from spirituality as a result of a strong emphasis on external and superficial pursuits. Modern societal, familial and cultural pressures typically value external metrics such as how much monetary wealth you accumulate and show, the image of the ‘perfect life’, the ‘perfect body’ on social media, the ideal partner, that next promotion. The media tells us that we will be happier, if only we attained the next and the next. And yet, as a civilisation, we are more anxious, depressed and unhappy than ever. With the rise of populism, there is a tendency to prioritise individualistic benefit at the cost of someone else. It’s connected with the increasing fragmentation that we feel, and mental and physical sickness that we are suffering on different levels politically, socially and spiritually. I am seeing a sea change in awareness — people are starting to ask questions, realising that true happiness and joy does not come from outside but actually from within. We have an opportunity to incorporate it every day through small actions. Practice self-care, coming from a place of peace and calm, and through that bring about change to the world around you, a person at a time. Do something which makes you feel present and happy that could be through yoga, meditation, cooking, running, playing with the kids, anything which enables you to connect more deeply with yourself and others. When we are doing something we dislike or not what we are supposed to be doing, it creates a negative imbalance which often results in mental, emotional and physical issues. When we are living in harmony with ourself, ultimately your health and wellbeing will benefit because you will be living in alignment with your deeper purpose.
You can find Sonia in London Heart Healer!
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