Hi joangolfing,
Thanks so much for your message.
I think with me, I got to the point where I realised that most of my life has actually been struggling outside of the "zone". I've been lucky enough to have what many would regard as "success" in my field of work, but funnily enough I found that I wasn't really "there" to fully enjoy it the majority of the time. In my mind, I would always be onto the next challenge or the next task or worry - I suppose very much like the so-called rat race everyone talks about. The simple principle of focusing in on the now, brought me out of my ever-striving and relentlessly over-ambitious mindset and made me much more aware of the simplicity and I suppose freedom of letting go, even if only for a moment.
I've just entered my thirties and (surprise, surprise!) have begun to experience the debilitating physical effects of relentless stress (e.g. the sudden onslaught of severe upper back pain, chronic throat infections etc) - the causes and symptoms of which have no doubt been building throughout my "busy" twenties. I have found that Reiki and now also SFQ, quite remarkably in only the last two weeks since I read Chunyi Lin's book and started doing his exercises, have helped me to begin getting off the relentless hamster wheel and to open up to a life that is full, honest and totally aware. Of course, I spend most of the time at the moment bearing witness to lots of different types of resistance which I seem to be very good at throwing in my path, but isn't that what I've diligently taught myself to do for thirty years? What I love most about Chunyi's book is the gentle, kind, loving spirit in which it is written. When I find myself becoming over-judgemental or critical (both of myself and others), I remind myself to flick through the chapter on Love, Kindness and Forgiveness. After all, it was when I was in the throes of back pain only two weeks ago, that I picked up the Born a Healer book by chance for the first time at my mother's house. My mum was in hospital (she has Lupus - SLE) and I was minding the house in her absence. I was feeling particularly worried and scared and my back was particularly sore. I have to say (without sounding overly-dramatic) that I felt an immediate softening of the pain in my back when I read through the chapter on forgiveness and love. I even felt a warmth growing in the area where the pain was particularly acute. Unsurprisingly I had been in the middle of "busying" around the house, cleaning out fridges etc (not really something you should do with a bad back to begin with!). This book helped me to stop, breathe and let go. It really made all the difference. (no wonder I've just ordered the Level 1 course materials!) :0)
