Australian Yoga Journal - April 2016

72

april 2016

yogajournal.com.au

REIKI

A Japanese technique based on the

principle that a practitioner can channel

energy into a client by means of gentle

touch or near-touch to activate the innate,

natural healing processes of the patient’s

body, Reiki is often used for stress

reduction and relaxation. “It’s based on

the idea that an unseen, universal life-force

energy flows through us,” says Andrea

Hakanson, a licensed massage therapist

and reiki master in Taunton, Massachusetts,

and technical reviewer of the book Yoga

Journal Presents Your Guide to Reiki.

“In yoga, we call it prana; the Japanese

call it ki. If that energy is low, we’re more

likely to get sick and feel stressed; if it’s

high, we’re better able to be happy and

healthy.”

So, the reiki practitioner channels

energy to her client to help boost or balance

that life force. The result? Relaxation, more

energy, and improved health overall, says

Hakanson. In fact, many hospitals are

starting to incorporate reiki and similar

therapies (e.g. “healing touch”) into their

offerings to help calm patients and prepare

them for anxiety-provoking procedures

such as surgery and chemotherapy.

ZERO BALANCING

Developed by an osteopath who became

an acupuncturist, this modality works

on the relationship between a person’s

energy system and their physical

structure. So, while it is a hands-on

treatment—practitioners use finger

pressure and gentle traction on areas

of tension in the bones, joints, and soft

tissue—the areas where you’ll be gently

manipulated depend on where your

energy is “stuck”. It’s believed this

therapy helps to clear blocks in the body’s

energy flow, amplify vitality, and improve

postural alignment, says Linda Wobeskya,

a licensed physical therapist and

co-director of the Zero Balancing

Certification Program in Marin County,

California. “We balance the areas where

your energy meets your physical structure,”

she says.

ROLFING STRUCTURAL

INTEGRATION

While a Rolfing session can feel like a very

deep-tissue massage, there’s actually a lot

more going on. Named after its founder,

biochemist Ida P. Rolf, PhD, this form

of bodywork reorganises the connective

tissues—called fascia—that surround,

support, and penetrate all of the muscles,

bones, nerves, and internal organs. Your

practitioner will use his or her fingers to

press deeply into your muscles and release

tension in the fascia.

Rolfing is such deep work that it can feel

as if your practitioner’s fingernail is digging

into your skin, even though it’s not. As

such, there’s a good chance you may not

find a Rolfing session as relaxing as

massage therapy. However, intense

sensation often passes quickly, and most

proponents say the muscular release is well

worth any discomfort, helping to restore

good posture, energy, and flexibility to the

whole of your body.

ACUPRESSURE

Perhaps you’re interested in acupuncture

but hate needles; or maybe you want an

even more hands-on manipulation than

acupuncture provides. If so, acupressure is

a great option, as it targets the same points

as acupuncture—minus the needles. To get

a similar effect, the practitioner will use his

or her fingers, hands, or elbow to apply

pressure to specific points of the body in

order to help relieve pain and to influence

the function of internal organs and body

systems. There are a number of studies

showing acupressure may be helpful in

easing pain, nausea, and anxiety.

BIOFEEDBACK

Imagine your doctor connecting a handful

of painless electrical sensors to various

spots on your body in order to help you

receive real-time feedback via a computer

screen about what’s happening internally.

Then, using this feedback, he or she helps

you make subtle changes—like slowing

your breath or visualising the muscles of

your bowel relaxing—to elicit physiological

changes that you can see on a monitor,

ultimately helping you learn how to use

these techniques when you’re at home. This

is biofeedback, and it’s proven to help treat

a variety of medical conditions, including

urinary incontinence, chronic pain, anxiety,

high blood pressure, irritable bowel

syndrome, and more.

ART AND MUSIC THERAPY

Using art and music to address physical and

emotional needs might sound like just a

nice way to spend the afternoon, but there’s

a growing body of research showing these

artistic interventions can deliver a wide

range of benefits. One review of 12 studies,

published in the journal Psycho-Oncology,

found that giving cancer patients an

opportunity to express themselves via art

helped them manage treatment-related

symptoms. Music therapy—everything

from playing soothing tunes in the

neonatal intensive care unit to applying

low-frequency sound (a.k.a. vibration)

directly to the body of Parkinson’s disease

patients—can improve outcomes and

symptoms.

AROMATHERAPY

Essential oils extracted from plants

have been used therapeutically for

thousands of years to improve physical,

emotional, and spiritual well-being.

While experts aren’t entirely clear how

this process works, many believe our sense

of smell communicates with parts of the

brain that store emotions and memories,

which influence health, says Covington.

“For example, there’s some evidence

to show lavender stimulates activity of

brain cells similar to the way some

sedative medications work,” she says.

What’s involved in a session? Your

aromatherapist will apply essential

oils topically, or ask you to breathe them

in via a piece of cloth, steam machine,

vaporiser, or spray.

“Aromatherapy can be used in a range of

settings—from hospitals and integrative

treatment rooms to your own home,” says

Covington, and it’s been shown to help

ease pain, depression, and more.

No matter which complementary

therapy you choose, try to keep an open

mind, and remember Allyn’s advice to

continually check in with yourself: “As

yogis, we have a unique ability to trust

ourselves, which puts us in a good

position to be able to receive the

benefits of many of these healing

modalities,” she says. PHOTO: THE VOORHES

If you... want a hands-on

approach,

Consider... bodywork

therapies that involve a

practitioner using physical

manipulation.

If you... don’t want to feel

like a patient,

Consider... therapies that

require you to put in some

work and tap into your

senses.