A former officer at the Asian Development Bank, Pamposh found her urge to “heal” was too strong to be denied
The beautiful energy of Reiki burst into my life in the most unexpected way 20 years ago and shook up my way of thinking. Back in 1996, I was skeptical about anything not proven or accepted by the scientific community. Then I saw the amazing impact of Reiki on someone very close to me and found it impossible to ignore.My mother had been ill for more than a month with severe damage to the sciatic nerve, suffering from a sharp pain that ran from her back to her feet. For weeks she had been bed-ridden in a New Delhi hospital, where the city’s top orthopaedic surgeon said she needed spinal surgery just so she could sit. He did not expect her to stand, let alone walk, even after the operation.
While we were waiting for my mother to have the operation, a friend suggested Reiki. Soon, a healer was doing distance Reiki for her. My mother would often say excitedly that she could feel energy along her legs and feet. My father and I were glad to see her more cheerful, convinced she was imagining things. We assumed nothing would change until after the operation.We were in for quite a shock! In just over a week, before the scheduled surgery date, my mother was sitting, standing and slowly walking – without any support. Her doctor, who was just as shocked, had no explanation and said he had never seen anything like this before.
Intrigued, I started reading about Reiki and slowly began to understand Reiki as an energy that heals physical and emotional wounds, brings mental clarity, and promotes spiritual growth. It helps us be calm and peaceful, bringing balance and harmony within.The Reiki system of healing was founded by Dr. Mikao Usui, who is believed to have meditated on a mountain near Kyoto for 21 days before he found the energy he called Reiki, a Japanese word that can simply be translated as Universal Life Energy. Practitioners hone their ability to channel this energy via their hands by doing Reiki on themselves and others, even animals and plants. Advanced practitioners can do distance Reiki, sending the energy to anyone anywhere in the world, as was done for my mother.
The traditional Usui system has three levels with Reiki Master being the highest. A student is initiated and taught by a Reiki Master at each level. It was in the Philippines in 1998, two years after my mother’s experience, that I found my Reiki teacher. A Filipina friend in Manila referred me to a massage and yoga center, which I was glad to discover taught Reiki too. I received my levels 1 and 2 initiations from someone who was possibly the only Reiki master in the Philippines those days. That was my calling and I started doing Reiki for family and friends.
In 2006, I completed my Reiki Master’s course in Singapore. The urge to heal and teach was too strong to be denied, so in 2007, I started a weekend practice from home while still working as a communication specialist for the Asian Development Bank. My desire to heal continued to grow, so the following year I quit my job to focus full-time on my new calling. Today I run the Terataii Wellness Centre in Singapore, where I counsel, coach, do and teach Reiki and meditation.
Written by Pamposh Dhar
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood Online
