The Holistic Health Show in Birmingham
As there are so many aspects to holistic health, there are inevitably many approaches and many therapies, which work to bring people this all-round and balanced state of health: physical, mental and spiritual. Among these, Reiki is very well positioned: it delivers amazing results on its own, initiating or enhancing the self-healing process within an individual, but equally complementing many other therapies – massage, reflexology, acupuncture etc. so it was great to witness this yet again at the Holistic Health Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
On 19-20th May 2019, the UK Reiki Federation was invited to have a stand at the Show – with the generous help of Balens Ltd, our long-term partner providing discounted specialist insurance for many of our members. Sylvia Clegg and your humble narrator (plus my most amazing and helpful fiancée Amanda Richmond) were manning the stand for two full busy days and talking to a variety of visitors.
On the first day of the Show, two main groups of enquiries were: where can one study Reiki; and, from those who got attuned to Reiki I or II years ago, what is the best way for them to reconnect to Reiki. We very quickly ran out of lists of Reiki sharing groups, and hope that those Master teachers on our approved directory of courses will get some business in the coming weeks. Of course, we also hope to welcome new members to the Federation.
On the second day (Monday), we mostly talked about Reiki in general and how one can be sure that the practitioner they have found is good enough. We were happy to direct people to the directory of practitioners on the UK Reiki Federation website and mentioned the register compiled by CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council), as we continue to advocate getting verified and registered with the Council to our members.
There was strong interest in animal Reiki too: people were particularly asking about working with horses and dogs and shared stories of how Reiki was of help to their and their friends’ four-legged companions.
Of course, no public event can go by without someone starting a conversation about the demonic nature of Reiki, and Sylvia bravely and with utmost compassion faced a gentleman, who enjoyed playing a devil’s advocate (or shall I say – prosecutor?).
Overall, we felt that two days spent at NEC were a great success and agreed with Balens Ltd that there is no reason why the UK Reiki Federation cannot hold a stand in May 2020 again. Perhaps, some of our member would love to join us and run taster sessions for the public? Please, drop us a line if you are interested in contributing to raising awareness of Reiki and the UK Reiki Federation.
Ignaty Dyakov
Management Committee, Master Practitioner, Life Coach
