Holistic and utterly happy

At the outset, it should be said that Reiki isn’t for everyone, and all the misconceptions and negative connotations attached to holistic healing will not tempt many to read about local Reiki master and yoga instructor, Lee Davenport-Brown. However, none of this creates any doubt in this journalist’s mind that Lee’s story is worth telling and makes for an interesting experience.

For decades all sorts of negative assumptions have been made about holistic healing, and, Lee says, “That will never change – people will always doubt what I do, call me out to be a witch, satanist, pagan or hippie and denounce the positive effects of what actually boils down to self-development and extensive meditation.

“Reiki, crystal healing, past-life regression and even yoga will never be everyone’s cup of tea, but I believe that if more people tried to solve their life’s issues internally first and externally second, the world would be a happier place.”

According to the 37-year-old mother of three,

“People are lost in the world.”

“We live in a disconnected society – disconnected from our own values and beliefs and disconnected from each other. The media and corporations tell us who to be, what to buy and what to expect, but the truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all model of living. We’re trained to believe from a very young age that success means a better title at work, more money, a new car, a marriage, children. You’ve made it when you have it all. Yet, people who enjoy societal and corporate success form a large part of my client base. Their unhappiness is deep-seated; they’re lost, and the fact is I’m often the person they turn to last, their last resort.”

Many people with terminal illnesses, suffering from cancer or living with HIV/Aids are also referred to her.

In an interview with the Record prior to performing a Reiki session, Lee said a lot of her clients approach her on the quiet. They don’t tell family or friends because they believe Reiki to be other-worldly, wrong, leftist, liberal and some go so far as to think its unChristian, unMuslim, unJewish, anti-religion and rooted in evil.

To understand what it is that Lee does for people, one has to attempt to define Reiki – it’s a simple, natural and safe method of healing, relaxation and self-improvement that can be used by people of all religious denominations, races, ages and sexualities, according to her. It functions around the concept that energy is life, and a practitioner works by a laying-on-of-hands to channel universal life force energy into the body to bring about balance and assist the body in healing itself physically, emotionally and mentally.

Lee has been practicing holistic healing for the past eleven years and left her job in hospitality to pursue it. She was rather unhappy in her professional life at the time and discovered Reiki “quite by accident” during a self-development course she undertook.

She used to have a mobile practice, visiting people’s homes, but in 2012, she made Reiki her full-time business. She renovated parts of her house, creating a Reiki studio, an Ishta yoga studio and a wellness shop, where a lot of the products she sells are self-made. These include oils, soaps and all kinds of spoils, it seems. She does not subscribe to any of the major world religions but appreciates their place in society. She caters for her clients’ particular needs, however. She’s been divorced for three years and her children Tyler, 20, Teagan, 10 and Tamika, 6, live with her.

A journalist’s experience with Reiki

One lies on a bed, covered with a blanket while meditative music, usually oceanic or nature sounds, plays in the background. Lee circles the bed, hovering her hands above you and reading your energy. In doing so, she will often speak and ask questions in a direct manner, either about your thoughts, your emotions or your interactions with others. Her hands are covered in some aromatic oil that really helps in the relaxation process. Deep breathing also helped, but that was something I decided to do on my own, based on previous interactions with yoga.

She explained the chakras, a Sanskrit concept of seven centres of spiritual power in a human body, that were heated in me and thus imbalanced. She said my thoughts might race and indeed, they did. I was worried about what she’d find, what she’d say, whether I’d feel embarrassed and whether things would be uncomfortable, but I continually reminded myself to be open to new experiences – particularly this one, as I had previously met and profiled author Jennifer Rossouw, who was greatly assisted in finding her purpose by this method.

Lee gave me advice, asked more questions and provided an idea of the first steps I should take to balance out my chakras. If I remember correctly, in my case my ajna (intuition) and anahata (emotional power) were particularly concerning to her. We spoke about my often-guarded personality, my inability to trust others and rely on those close to me. I did not tell her about these personality traits and it felt like she didn’t guess them, either. Her identification of these areas in me didn’t feel intrusive, nor did her concern or advice. This was nothing new to my ears, but to know I need not be concerned about my uladhara (basic needs), swadhistana (creativity), manipura (personal power), vishuadha (verbal communication) and sahaswara (spirituality) was particularly relaxing and encouraging.

Next, she said she’d be working on my energy and reinforcing it positively. I had no idea what that would mean but can explain it in terms of receiving a massage. With me lying in the same position, she lightly touched areas around my face and head, my shoulders, my arms … I blanked out somewhere in the middle of the process and assume she also touched my stomach, legs and feet gently. It was all soothing. “Dozing off is a regular occurrence during a Reiki session”, she calmly said when I awoke. She pulled at my legs but nothing was uncomfortable or unsettling. She invited me to sit up slowly and handed me a glass of water as we discussed the effects. Overall, the session lasted just under an hour and it felt like I’d had an exceptionally good night’s sleep. My mind felt clear and fresh. I’ve heard that different people experience Reiki sessions differently.

*This account is based on a single experience and is by no means a reflection of the beliefs of the journalist, the newspaper or the company.

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