Ashley Mitchell Scott has a superpower. She has the ability to translate the dry tundra of the adult gaze into a fertile wilderness of magic and adventure. Talking with her is like falling through a portal into a vivid world of play and joy. Incidentally, Joy is the name of her spirit guide, and if you decide to book an appointment with Ashley make sure you ask about her.
Today I want to talk with you about Ashley's gift for Reiki, a Japanese relaxation technique that promotes healing in the mind, body and spirit. I have, at the time of this writing, experienced two Reiki sessions with Ashley, and both times I found a connection to my inner voice that surprised and soothed me. In this review I will do a deep dive into how our first session went together.
Since Ashley and I live on opposite coasts we did our Reiki sessions virtually. Ashley asked me to take ten minutes before our session began to journal and write down what was weighing on my mind. I dutifully sat down to write in my journal, and found myself lost in pages of prose about the highs and lows of motherhood, my deep devotion to my family, as well as my hopes and vision for the future.
When she called to start the session the tears were already pouring out. I had so much emotional density inside me waiting for the healing glow of Reiki, and couldn't wait to crack through the hard stuff.
We talked about my journaling and where I felt pain in my body. Then she led me through a short meditation, and asked me to set a timer for 20 minutes, complete my meditation and call her back.
For me, it was an average meditation. I had no context for whether the flotsam and jetsam of thoughts floating through my mind in between my breaths were unusual or meaningful in any way. But I "noted" them, released them, and connected with my breath through the twenty minutes, imagining the whole time a beam of Reiki energy washing through me from the crown of my head down my body through my feet and into the Earth.
The timer ran down, I fluttered my eyes open, shook my joints loose and reached for my phone. I called Ashley and we shared notes.
Both Ashley and I had whimsical imagery and visualizations dancing in our minds during the twenty minutes we were off the phone. For me, it was a series of animal transformations from a hungry, angry, bear, to a nurturing loving blue whale, to a free-flying cardinal, and finally a playful flamingo. I also saw myself inside a lotus flower, and heard myself say that there was no need to see the lotus flower as stuck in a muddy swamp. Instead, I should just enjoy the light and beauty of the flower itself, like a fairy napping inside the petals.
For her, the twenty minutes of meditation were filled with jars of fireflies buzzing in her hands as the Reiki energy built up in intensity, fairies in a meadow trying to capture my attention, and a bubblegum pink aura (like a flamingo)!
We settled on the conclusion that my "work," was to be more playful, and take full enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life. Over the next several weeks I noticed the pains in my body, once sharp and inconvenient, had subsided. I felt more connected with myself, and the thought of dropping into a meditation felt more playful and nourishing.
In short, my session with Ashley helped me to feel more grounded by gifting me the freedom to hear and trust my spirit's cry for whimsy and play. If you are intrigued you can reach out to her for a consultation at Ashley@ourmindfulnest.com or by phone at (440) 785-4779. read more