Hello. My name is Irene Forsyth and I host Yorkshire Reiki training courses from my base in York. I am very much enjoying what I do, and have always felt that there’ve never been any ‘coincidences’, and that each major change in my life has been a stepping stone to where I am now. I also know there will be more changes to come and this incredible journey with Reiki will continue.

To tell you a bit about my background, I have been a Reiki Master Teacher and Flower Essence Practitioner since 2005. I am also employed part-time by the local authority in Adult Services as a Social Care Manager (Social Worker) for the past 9 years. I moved to the UK from Canada where I had been a Social Worker working with Adults, the Elderly, and the Psychiatric Population since 1987. It was highly rewarding and I loved it. I had done my BA, BSW and my Master’s in Social Work, but felt after 14 years of practising that something was missing. It was more than just missing that one-to-one contact with people. It was that I didn’t feel I was ‘helping’ to any great extent. My whole ethos from when I was a child was ‘what can I do to help people help themselves’. I also believed that everyone has access to the same resources I did but they just needed a little guidance, support and reassurance that they possessed the ‘tools/resources’ required or knew where to get them. I realised early on that constantly doing things for people was not only draining but more seriously it would not help them in the long run because they wouldn’t believe they could do it themselves(!) and this, sadly, would be disempowering.

I believe we’ve all been there at some time or another. A lack of direction, confidence, sense of self, or of peace because of the situation we are in or how perhaps we view ourselves and the situation we find ourselves in. You may be asking yourself, could Reiki help someone with any or all of those issues? Is Reiki empowering? What follows is how I came into contact with Reiki and how it helped me.

When did I first come into contact with Reiki? I recall having a 20 minute taster session after a lovely massage from a local sports injury massage practitioner. I had been feeling unrooted and low from being so far away from home and my fairly large family (of 300!) and no one here except my lovely husband. I was also under incredible amounts of stress from my job. After my Reiki treatment I felt my energy levels soar and my heart felt so light that all my worries just melted away. I couldn’t believe it. I was very intrigued but i didn’t take it further. Five years later I found myself low again after my place of employment was going under some major restructuring. My mentors at work were being made redundant and many colleagues were going off on sick-leave. To add, I had also given birth to my second child then, and began suffering from a major low. A year and a half later and I still couldn’t find a way out, and worse than that, I didn’t care. My spark had gone, and I felt ungrounded again and felt abandoned by everyone, even by God. Looking back I couldn’t believe I was having these thoughts. God had always been my major source of support and had always been there through all my lows and highs in my life, and can without a doubt say that He has saved my life many times. Ever look back at times in your life and say how did I ever survive that car accident (in my case, many accidents). To be fair, when one drives in Canada in the winter after a blizzard and you go over black ice, there is no control in which direction your car goes no matter how many lessons you’ve had on how to drive out of a skid!

I had heard that the Cosmic Trader in York had a Master Teacher/Reiki Practitioner and had also found a listing of other Reiki Practitioners in York but my thoughts kept being drawn there. Eventually I took a deep breath and met a lovely caring spiritual couple by the name of Mark and Satya Lane. After 6 treatments I started slowly feeling better, my mood started lifting, and I slowly started returning to my former self. All my friends started noticing a change in me. They said I looked brighter and I also noticed a change in myself. Several months later I was taking Reiki 1. The day of the course was, without a doubt, such an eye opener and life changing event! Soon after I started questioning what was important in my life and started prioritising. I also felt more grounded and more connected once again with people, my husband, children and life….and the beautiful thing was, and still is, that it has strengthen my connection to God and my own spirituality in such a deep beautiful way! This is why I am so passionate about giving Reiki and teaching Reiki!!!. It helps to balance one on all levels whether it is on a spiritual, physical, emotional or cognitive level. It’s energising and uplifting. It gives once such a sense of peace and a life’s purpose. It helps one balance life and it is the most simple but all encompassing therapy I have come across, and I love that one can share this beautiful loving energy with family, friends, animals and nature.

I didn’t do my Reiki 2 until six months later because I wanted to feel more comfortable with working with the energy. Reiki 2 further strengthen my connection to the Reiki Source and my treatments became more intense, more healing within my own life took place, and my intuition increased incredibly quickly. In any case, as *coincidences go* a month after taking Reiki 2, I was being asked to work in a beauty salon and give Reiki to clients. My clients were enjoying all the wonderful benefits of Reiki so much that they started to ask me if I would teach them.

I wasn’t sure I was ready for the Master’s Course, but deep down I have always felt drawn to teaching and Satya, an incredible teacher with many years of experience and wisdom, felt I was ready. I took my Reiki Master/Teacher’s Course with her in 2005 and started teaching January 2006 and I’ve never looked back. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and see it as a blessing. I continually feel I learn so much from my students as they have learned from me. The course material that Taggart has put together is very comprehensive, professional, and easy to learn particularly since the pre-course material it’s learnt in the comfort of your own home. It’s been a fantastic life changing journey and one I hope you will want to experience as well.

I have a thriving practice at the Zentist, formerly the Cosmic Trader, where I rent the space, in York. I give treatments over several days in a week, and also teach all levels of Reiki. I have Reiki Share evenings the first Monday of each month (except for Bank Holidays) and recently held a wonderful Reiki Share Day in April which most of my former students attended. I am accessible by e-mail or mobile anytime. If you would like to discuss about anything I’ve written above, or have a query about anything please feel free to call or write. I would love to hear from you.

The support and advice that Taggart gives and the team of Associate Teachers and other Reiki practitioners is immeasurable. After you’ve taken Reiki One you can start receiving the quarterly e-Zine from Taggart which is free and one can be part of the Reiki discussion group on line.

 

 

Irene Forsyth