by Julee LePera 

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to laugh out loud, but were forced to hold it back because laughter would be inappropriate to express? This scenario creates an emotion that traps energy within the body. Scientists have established that energy never dies—it is simply translated or stored until it can be released. The energy produced from an unexpressed laugh has to be funneled somewhere else.  

As a result, humans tend to hold this energy in the same places within their bodies. For instance, you might have heard someone comment on holding their tension in their neck or lower back.  The muscles or organs that hold stress are crying out for that knotted, uncomfortable sensation to be relieved.  Some scientists believe this stuck energy combines over time to cause muscle tension, disease and even tumors.  

Unexpressed energy can come from many different sources. In the course of your life, you feel emotions that range from true happiness to depression. You could experience stressful or traumatic situations such as divorce and joyful occasions such as winning an award. Both positive and negative, these emotions create energy which pulses through the body. However, since this energy is not always expressed, it can also become stuck in the body.   

Stuck energy, which has been transformed into tight muscles, can then be transferred out of the body using Reiki therapy. This particular modality has been around for centuries due to the extraordinary benefits it provides. Reiki therapy encourages the body to use its own natural self-healing abilities which address energy blockage where stress and tension accumulate. During a Reiki treatment the client does not disrobe.  The therapist places his or her hands on the body with a gentle, soft and light touch to identify stress holding patterns. This does not involve massaging or manipulation of the body. 

A Reiki Master will concentrate on seven major energy centers which start at the top of your head to the end of your tailbone.  These centers work like a circuit breaker in your home. When one of them is tripped or “stuck,” it turns off the area around it. Each energy center has qualities that it represents which usually correspond to an area of problems in the your life. The job of the Reiki Master is to locate the energy center that is not working correctly and encourage the body to turn it back on.   

When energy is low in an energy center, you are often more vulnerable sickness or stress. If energy levels are high, you will be more capable of enjoying happiness, health and well-being. Reiki treats your whole self including the body, emotions, mind and spirit. Many athletes and celebrities have found Reiki to be effective for various aliments. Christine Aguilera used Reiki for weight loss in order to untangle the complicated emotional spiral of weight gain. Golfer Phil Mickelson used Reiki to calm his psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Oz invites Reiki Masters into his operating room to tend to patients who undergo precarious surgeries like heart transplants.  He finds that it reduces complications and accelerates the healing process. 

Julee LePera’s career background is Corporate Meeting Planning, where she has specialized in high-profile and C-suite events for fortune 100 companies for over 25 years. Searching for ways to relieve the stress in her life, she looked towards Integrative Medicine. As a second career, she received training from the Great Lakes School of Integrative Medicine, and has her Massage Therapist License in Florida. She now has her own five-treatment room spa located in downtown Sarasota where her team assists others in enhancing their health and wellness through massage, energy work and facials. 

If you think that you might benefit from a long-term release of tight muscles to decrease your stress and anxiety, schedule an appointment with a Reiki Master. Contact Boju Integrative Bodywork, located in downtown Sarasota at the corner of Fruitville Road and Route 301. Call 941-203-5857 or visit BojuBodywork.com.