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Shifting from frustration to curiosity

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

Have you ever had one of those days?  A day when nothing seems to flow, and everything, even the most simple, everyday tasks run into obstacles and problems.  Do you ever find yourself exclaiming in exasperation “Why is this happening?!?!”  Or, have you ever found yourself in the middle of a challenging week, month, or even a year?  When it seems that no matter what you do, nothing turns out the way you intended?  We know that our thoughts influence and create our circumstances.  And we know that by living in a place of gratitude, compassion and kindness we will attract …

What Others Think of You is None of Your Business

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

It becomes clear with a look, a tone of voice.  Someone doesn’t like you. And they are letting you know. Immediately, a flood of emotions erupts. Confusion, shame, and self-loathing all flare up instantly, putting us into a place of indecision and fear. Thoughts of "why don’t they like me?" rage in the mind, consuming our thoughts and impacting our actions. Our confidence wanes, our power diminishes, and we become small. It kills our joy. It all happens in a moment or two. But the truth is, what others think of you is none of your business. It is only their …

When the Journey Becomes the Adventure

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

As a Reiki practitioner I try not to get angry, I try not to worry, I am mindful of the work that is mine to do, and I try to stay in a place of gratitude, kindness and compassion.  But I am not always successful. In fact, I probably move away from one or more of these principles, and enter an ego-based dialogue with myself, every single day. It is in this self-awareness that I have found the greatest gifts, but I have also learned that this awareness can be a great challenge.   There is a moment, once one has embarked …

Becoming a Reiki Master

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

Simply put, a Reiki Master is a highly trained and attuned Reiki practitioner.  But becoming a Reiki Master is much more than reaching the highest level of training in the practice of Reiki healing.  With the privilege comes great responsibility.  And ultimately the journey becomes an adventure in self-discovery and spiritual enhancement.  ​ Technically, a Reiki Master has a full toolbox of symbols and kotodamas.  The kotodamas are the names of the symbols that can be used as mantras during a Reiki session.  A Reiki Master also learns several techniques of self-purification and self-growth.  These exercises, along with the symbols and kotodamas, …

Don't worry, listen

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

Worry.  That constant feeling of foreboding.  The sick feeling that hits you in the pit of your stomach when you awaken.  The distressing thoughts that that lurk on the edges of your mind, ready to stampede into the center of your life, distracting your focus, and interfering with your day.  And with all this time and attention spent on this emotion, what good does it do?  No good.  That’s why it’s called worry.  There is a difference between worry and concern.  Concern is a matter of interest or importance.  To have concern is to acknowledge that there is a solution to …

Reiki for grief therapy

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

We have all experienced grief in one form or another.  Grief is what we feel when we experience a loss.  Sometimes we grieve over the loss of a job, a relationship, or the death of a loved one.  Unlike other types of negative emotions, grief settles in the heart.  Whereas we feel anxiety in the pit of the stomach, tension in the form of a headache, or anger in the core, grief hits us in the heart.   Initially the heart feels the piercing pain of loss, and eventually settles into a heavy, dull ache. The experience of grieving is different for …

Reiki for Mental and Emotional Balance in Cancer patients

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

A diagnosis of cancer will send a patient reeling into the unknown.  How will I respond to cancer treatment?  How bad will I feel during the treatment?  Will I recover?  Reiki can help cancer patients by increasing comfort levels and enhancing healing.   Reiki is a non-invasive technique that has no side effects or complications, therefore, it can be used on cancer patients at any time after their diagnosis and at any stage of their treatment. Reiki induces a state of deep relaxation and stress reduction that will support cancer patients in dealing with the anxiety of the future and the ultimate outcome. …

Discovering your purpose with reiki

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

We are all entitled to be happy and to live the life of our dreams.  It is our birthright.  The problem is that we are taught from the very beginning of our lives that life is a struggle, you work hard and then you die.   Many of us walk through our entire lives without ever experiencing the true joy that comes from fulfilling our life’s purpose, never really knowing the delight of how it feels to be truly prosperous and abundant.  Because prosperity and abundance have nothing to do with how much money one has.  True abundance is about having …

Reiki for children

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

My granddaughter and I have a thing.  Whenever she gets hurt, she gets a magic kiss.  And no matter how big or small the ouch, she feels better.  Healing begins with the magic kiss.   In fact, studies suggest that Moms who soothe their child with a kiss can reduce stress by calming the hormones that can contribute to inflammation.  At the very least, kisses reduce stress by promoting a sense of being loved and cared for.  And the same can be said for the simple touch of the palm of the hand.  Any parent knows that a simple touch on …

Becoming a more complete athlete with reiki

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

While speaking with a personal trainer the other day she commented that the mind will allow the body to push a little harder, that when the body wants to give up, the mind will tell it to go just a little further.  I was reminded that the mind is stronger than the body.  This conversation started me thinking about the benefits of Reiki for athletes.  Reiki can assist the athlete both physically and mentally.  We all have both a physical body and an energy body.  The physical body is made up of the physical systems that we can see, touch, feel.  …

Getting unstuck with reiki

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

Have you ever been in a place where you cannot seem to move forward, no matter how hard you try?  Whether it concerns a relationship, your vocation, or physical health?  It’s as though you have plateaued – the relationship is stale, the job is going nowhere, and you can’t seem to lose those last 10 pounds, in spite of all the dieting and exercise.   Reiki can help you get “unstuck”.  We all have both a physical body and an energetic body that includes (but is not limited to!) the aura, the chakras, and the meridians.  The energy body consists of …

Reiki Q & A with Cynthia Stavrou

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/26/2018)

Simply put, Reiki is a Japanese technique of stress reduction and deep relaxation that also promotes healing. It is a light touch method that works with the body’s energy systems including the aura, the chakras, and the meridians. Reiki will strengthen the body’s energy systems by unblocking stuck or stagnant energy which will increase the natural flow of energy throughout the body, bringing it into balance. The result is the creation of conditions in the body by which the body can do what it is designed to do – heal itself.  Reiki works by accessing the highest vibration in the Universe, …

The power of words

Cynthia Stavrou, Reiki Master practices at Rising Sun Reiki Studio and has 12 years of experience (11/27/2018)

“Be impeccable with your word…Your word is the power that you have to create…It is through the word that you manifest everything,” writes Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements.   Words are extremely powerful, more powerful than we realize.  Words give form to our beliefs, which develop our thoughts, and result in action.  Whatever our circumstances, they began with the words that we speak to ourselves.  The nuances of words are subtle.  Look at the phrase I AM. In English we say, “I am hungry”.  We literally say that we are hunger. In German it is, “I have hunger.”  To have …

THOUGHTFUL HEALTHCARE DESIGN CREATES A BETTER PLACE TO HEAL

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

Integrative space supports healing on more than the physical level, but also on the emotional, mental and spiritual levels as well. Creating a room with the focus of helping a patient feel safe and comfortable, like they might if they were home, is the aim of integrative space. Debra Levin, president and CEO of The Center for Health Design, published an article in an issue of Healthcare Design Magazine, in which she talks about the concept of “placemaking.” Levin beautifully describes the driving force behind what I term Integrated Space: When healthcare design is done thoughtfully, the concepts of placemaking are innately incorporated into …

YOU CAN’T EXPECT PATIENTS TO GET HEALTHY IF THE HOSPITAL IS NOT

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

When being treated in a hospital for injury or illness, we expect the utmost care, and trust the facility to bring us back to health. In a recent article in the New York Times ( “Bad Hospital Design is Making Us Sicker”), Dr. Dhruv Khullar outlines various challenges that a patient will face when trying to heal in a hospital: Noise Infections Falls Lack of privacy And no connection to nature Perhaps the most crucial contribution of my work as an Integrative Spaces specialist is to emphasize this last point: how enormous an impact nature has on a person trying to heal. When we’re vulnerable to an illness or to …

INDEPENDENT LIVING FOR SENIORS: STARTS WHERE YOU ENTER

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

Living facilities that are constructed for people who are challenged or compromised in some way—-by an illness, disability, surgery or aging—-strive to assure that the occupants feel safe and empowered.  This is particularly true for residents in an independent living facility who are still mobile and active, yet are no longer living in the place called “home.” Whether it was because they needed more day-to-day care, they wanted to downsize their living space, or they felt isolated, seniors see an independent living facility as their answer.  The situation with seniors is different than that of a hospital patient who can look …

VISUAL CUES CAN TURN BACK THE CLOCK IN A RETIREMENT FACILITY

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

Scientific research proves that the environment in which people work and live affects the mind, which in turn affects behavior, which in turn defines a person’s experience in that space.  Depending on the outcome of that experience, it can influence a person’s quality of life positively or negatively. Having a space that supports those who live in it is the intention behind an Integrated Space.™  Creating an Integrated Space is even more important when the people involved are seniors.  How do we create a space that helps them transition to a new version of “home” that supports another phase of their …

WHAT CAN AN INTEGRATIVE SPACE™ DO FOR AN INDEPENDENT/ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY?

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

Independent/assisted living facilities face increased competition in terms of costs, quality, efficiency, and innovation. Resident satisfaction and employee retention are crucial factors in creating and maintaining a successful senior living facility. For these reasons, it’s more important than ever to distinguish your organization as a leading-edge senior living provider. One way to do this is through the incorporation of Integrative Spaces™, a process which can enhance satisfaction, well-being and the creation of a place called “home.” The incorporation of an Integrated Space™ strategy provides a unique and exceptional outcome, assuring that your facility is one-of-a-kind. This approach is perfect for your facility if you want to: Be the place where more and …

IMPROVE THE WAITING ROOM FOR BETTER PATIENT SATISFACTION

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

The design of waiting rooms is a vital point of discussion in the healthcare world.  Some think waiting rooms will become a thing of the past since the patient will be able to check in with ease via a kiosk and report directly to an exam room.  The other possibility is that the patient will call with their time of arrival, at which point they will be given a specific exam room number.  Or a patient may arrange for a virtual appointment with their medical professional. In all cases, there’s no uncomfortable waiting involved. However, those options are still in the …

TECHNOLOGY + INTEGRATIVE SPACE TO IMPROVE THE PATIENTS’ WAITING ROOM EXPERIENCE

Carole Hyder, MA, Consultant (Integrated Spaces™) practices at Integrative Spaces and has 32 years of experience (11/27/2018)

Several months ago, I wrote an article called Healing Begins in the Waiting Room,addressing the issue of what patients are experiencing when they visit a medical facility and have to spend time in a waiting room—-and how to make the wait more enjoyable using the principles of an integrated space. In a recent article in Healthcare Design Magazine, architect Joan Suchomel discusses the topic of the patient waiting experience on a similar level. She notes that the healthcare design industry has recognized that creating a cookie-cutter version of a waiting room in hospitals and clinics that meets the requirements for the specific number of chairs and is …