Autumn Healing Guide & Meditation

Dear Friends,

Autumn Blessings to you!

This beautiful (but at times challenging season) is associated with the direction of the West on the medicine wheel I work with. This is the season of shedding and letting go of what no longer serves us. It’s a time of completion, endings, gratitude, and honoring the energies of the harvest and abundance.

It’s also the time associated with the setting sun, of saying goodbye to the old and and making room for new visions and dreams.

Sometimes, it can be difficult for us to release and let go, even of painful patterns and energies. Consciously or subconsciously, we sometimes fear the unknown and find comfort in the familiar, even if the familiar no longer serves us.

I hope the guided visualization below will help you to release energies that don’t serve you and assist you in grounding yourself to the healing energies of the Earth and of your own essence and spirit.

In addition to listening to the guided meditation/visualization recording, I invite you to CLICK HERE to check out this Autumn Healing Guide to assist you in enhancing your whole mind, body, spirit well-being this season. The guide has 10 tips for how to stay grounded, healthy, and centered during the dry and airy energies of the Fall months. I hope you enjoy exploring it, and please let me know if you have any questions. Big hugs and blessings to you for a beautiful Autumn.

All About Reiki Healing

Many people are curious about Reiki and often ask me a variety of questions: What is Reiki? How does it work? What does it feel like? Do distance Reiki sessions really work? This post will serve as a brief guide to answer these questions and share testimonials from graduates of our Reiki classes to give you a sense of how Reiki can impact individual’s lives for the better. 

What better place to begin than the fundamental question, 

What is Reiki? 

Reiki is a form of energy healing that promotes healing, relaxation, balance, and overall wellbeing. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver a gentle, beautiful energy flow that supports the body, heart, mind and spirit. Reiki originated in Japan and has become increasingly popular in the West. 

In fact, it is used as a complimentary healing modality in hospitals and hospice facilities. It is sought by more and more individuals seeking Reiki sessions to facilitate body, mind, heart, spirit healing and optimize wellbeing. It is also done in group settings through Reiki shares and circles. 

Reiki is used to reduce stress, enhance relaxation, and promote healing. It can be done in person or by distance. It is the use of universal life force energy to promote the highest and best good for self and others.

Where does Reiki come from? 

Usui Sensei

Founder of the Reiki Healing System

Mikao Usui, also known as Usui Sensei, founded the Reiki healing system in Japan in the early 1920’s. There are different versions of Reiki origin story, but they generally agree that Usui Sensei was dedicated to a spiritual path and was seeking spiritual enlightenment when he had a profoundly healing and awakening experience at Kurama yama, a sacred mountain near Kyoto.

A powerful jolt of light entered his body causing him to fall unconscious. He awoke the next day full of vitality and energy, experiencing himself as part of the universal consciousness. In excitement, he ran down the mountain, but stubbed his toe against a rock. He placed his hands over his toe and felt the healing energy of light flow from his hands into his toe. Thus, the healing gift of Reiki was discovered. Usui Sensei went on to become a renowned teacher and healer, spreading the powerful gift of Reiki.

What are the benefits of Reiki?

Here are just some of the benefits of Reiki:

1.      Deep relaxation, restoration and rejuvenation. Reiki brings about a sense of inner peace and harmony and optimizes one’s overall health and well-being.

2.      Reiki helps to bring balance to the mind and emotions. Provides relief from emotional distress and helps to clear stuck emotions.

3.     Promotes physical and energetic healing, reduces stress and dis-ease, strengthens the immune system, relieves physical pain and speeds up recovery after surgery or illness.

4.     Clears emotional blockages. Reiki helps open and heal the heart, allowing one to strengthen and heal personal relationships with self and others.

Do distance Reiki sessions really work? 

The amazing thing about Reiki is that it does not have to be done in-person. Because energetic or spiritual healing has no time and space limitations, we can send Reiki across vast distances and into the past or future. When we learn Reiki, we get a distance symbol that we use specifically to do distance or remote healing. Because I have extensive experience in both giving and receiving distance Reiki, I can confidently say that it’s very powerful and equally effective as when received in person.  Click here to learn more about distance healing. 

While I had done distance healing sessions for my clients for years, at the start of the pandemic was the first time I taught a remote Reiki session. In preparation, I took a special class in which I was trained to do distance attunements. I was stunned to find that I actually found the distance attunement I received to be even more powerful than the ones I had received in person.

This gave me the confidence to offer Reiki classes via Zoom, and much to my delight, the feedback from my students was very positive, and some even said that they preferred the Zoom class because they loved being in their own space and enjoyed being able to relax into the experience on an even deeper level. So, whether Reiki sessions or classes are done in-person or via distance, they are beautiful and powerful.

What do graduates of our Reiki program say about their experience? 

Over the years, I have had the honor of guiding many students through Reiki classes. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Reiki Master Teacher is seeing what a profound impact Reiki has on my students’ lives and how they use Reiki to benefit themselves, their families, their communities, and the world. I want to share some of their inspiring stories below. 

“I was initially drawn to Reiki following a Healing Touch session during a shift at the hospital where I work with the NICU population. After some research online, I was lucky to find Parminder and to experience Reiki first hand. As a healing practitioner in traditional western medicine, I was very curious about learning to use Reiki as a complementary method. Through the Reiki classes and community created by Parminder, I found myself opening to new ways of looking at healing and connection. Reiki feels like a calming, peaceful balance in situations where it is welcome. I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from Parminder and the beautiful group of students learning by my side!” - Jennifer

“Reiki is like having a medicine cabinet in the palm of your own hands. Instead of reaching for Tylenol or Vicks, you start turning towards the energy radiating through your fingers. Tapping into Reiki energy is subtle yet so profound. I initially became interested in Reiki to help calm my very active dog and then continued with the journey to help my mother cope with her ALS diagnoses. Reiki has helped me and continues to benefit my family and friends. Parminder is a wonderful master teacher who radiates SPIRIT in a very grounded digestible way. I have so much gratitude for her attuning me and so many others with Reiki’s healing energy. Thank you Parminder for this life enhancing experience.” - Michelle

“Taking Reiki classes at Shamanic Soul Center has been life changing. Parminder is a true guru, loving, kind and supportive during and even after the classes. I feel so empowered using the beautiful healing and magic of Reiki to face life’s challenges, or just for some self-love and relaxation!” - Sherri

“I LOVED taking the Reiki program with Parminder at Shamanic Soul Center. I first discovered Reiki working with her in private sessions where I experienced the powerful, profound healing for myself. I had to learn more! I’ll never forget the Level 1 class where I received my first attunement - it was the most beautiful experience, like magic! I now share the gift of Reiki with others and use it almost every day as part of my personal practice.” - Sarah

I feel so blessed to share this beautiful, natural healing way with others. I would love to answer any and all of your questions.

Thank you and blessings for a beautiful day.

My 27-Year Journey to Freedom

My Before and After.png

Written January 3rd 2021:

Yesterday may have been one of the most important days of my life. It’s the day I did something I had feared doing for 27 years. To the outside world, it may not seem like a big deal. But to me, it is everything.

One of my greatest longings in life has been a desire for freedom. 

Freedom from the sometimes excruciating pain I felt inside. A pain that drove me to an eating disorder in my teens, sank me into serious bouts of depression, drove me to an almost ever-present state of anxious worry for much of my life, and had me engage in years of overwork and various forms of what I have come to realize was self abuse. 

This pain began when I was very, very young. 

It began with child sexual abuse that started early and lasted until I was 8 years old. It continued through a punitive education that included harsh discipline and physical punishment. It escalated with the trauma of leaving my home in India and moving to the United States, a country where I did not know the language or culture and felt like an outsider. It calcified in my psyche and body with seeing the bruises on my mother’s body after being hit by my father.

Trauma does crazy things to one’s body, mind, heart, spirit, and soul.

It has us in constant states of high alert and hyper vigilance, which just feel normal. It has us feeling somehow bad, damaged, broken, dirty. It shatters any sense of self-worth and has us question our right to even exist. It fills us with unconscious fear and dread, so even when things are going great, a part of us is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It manifests as physical ailments, such as digestive disorders and cardiovascular problems.

I, of course, did not have an intellectual understanding of the impacts of trauma when I was young, but as far back as I can remember, I longed for freedom and escape from my felt experiences of it. 

As a teen, I fantasized about running away from home. I escaped into daytime soap operas and soap opera style romance novels. I contemplated suicide. At times, I ate to the point of feeling sick to my stomach. At others, in an attempt to gain some sense of control, I overexercised and deprived myself of food to the point of anorexia. 

I went away to college and began being exposed to new ideas, a diversity of people, and a sense of boldness and possibility I had not experienced in my small, sheltered life. There was a girl in my freshman class who had a shaved head, and she seemed to carry herself with so much confidence and power.

I wanted that confidence and power…and I longed to do something wild and brave and freeing. 

Some part of me became fascinated with the idea of cutting off my hair and shaving my head. I took a class on Buddhism and started noticing Buddhist monks and nuns on campus. I felt drawn to their Zen vibe of peace and simplicity. That life of wearing simple robes and spending time in quiet contemplation seemed like such a welcome solace from the craziness of my internal and external worlds.

I seriously longed to shave my head. I longed for the freedom, escape, simplicity, boldness, and personal power it represented.

But I was too afraid. I fantasized about it…had visions of a happy, healthy, free, peaceful being with a shaved head looking towards me from a beautiful meadow…but it stayed in the realm of fantasy.

I ignored my longing for a number of reasons: 1) I knew it would upset my parents who are very conservative and see long hair as a symbol of their religious faith. 2) I was terrified that I would feel ugly and exposed with no hair. 3) I wasn’t ready to make such a bold statement to the world or myself. 

Over the 27 years that have passed, the thought has come to mind multiple times, but I continued to shy from any serious consideration of it for some combination of the original reasons.

But, yesterday, after 27 years of nursing that longing, I did it! The idea came to me as I was looking at myself in the mirror late Saturday afternoon. I had been needing a haircut for a while and had missed the opportunity to go to a salon when things opened during the pandemic.

Because hair salons were once again closed, I contemplated cutting off several inches myself but thought that was crazy and it would be better to wait a while or find a stylist who might see me outdoors. 

As I was considering my options, the long-buried idea of chopping off my hair popped into my head again. This time, I didn’t push it aside. It was a time of transition for me and the world. We had just said goodbye to 2020, and I, like many others, felt ready for a big reset.

I reached out to a couple of soul sisters who had offered to come to the sanctuary to help and support me during this time of transition. I shared the idea with them, and everything fell into place.

The next morning, we were gathered in the new, ceremonial yurt and we had a ceremonial shaving of my head. It included music, prayer, a beautiful altar of sacred items, a labyrinth walk. And it was followed by a sacred release and cleansing in the ocean.

This beautiful, sacred, impromptu personal ceremony proved to be more healing and powerful than I could possibly have imagined. It created an opportunity for me to do a big release of an old pattern of shame and fear and allowed me to experience a sort of rebirth and to come home to my self. 

I was always afraid of how I would feel about my appearance if I did shave off my hair. And I did have a bit of a shock for a few minutes as judgements about my appearance came up. I felt very naked, exposed, vulnerable, and almost raw. But those feelings were overshadowed by the sense of freedom, joy, and rightness I felt.

I don’t know how to explain it in words, but I feel more like myself than I ever have before. And as the reality sets in, it feels amazing at all levels of my being. My heart is happy, my spirit feels lighter and brighter, and I keep caressing my almost bald head in awe.

A few times, I’ve wondered, “Why did I wait 27 years to do something that feels so damn good?!” But I know it feels so good because I am ready for it now. The freedom, confidence, and sense of personal power I was seeking as a freshman in college could not have come from shaving my head.

It had to come through deep inner work; through healing of the pain and trauma I experienced; through coming to love myself and see my inherent beauty and worth. 

Over the years, I have come to know that the healing journey is a continuously unfolding process and that I will be healing and growing for the rest of my life. The healing path is certainly not for the faint of heart. There are ever-deeper layers to be explored and excavated.

But some tipping point had been reached after 27 years of a seed first being planted in my heart and mind. I had done enough healing and gained enough courage to carry out the longing from a space of inner peace and calm.

Fascinatingly enough, this act of shaving my head leaves me with a sense of celebration for having come to a place I had been seeking for so long, and, at the same time, it opens me to deeper layers of healing of what held me back all those years. 

I am so very grateful that life gives us many opportunities to follow our hearts, to learn, grow, and heal. I am excited to see where this journey of both celebration and deeper healing will take me. 

I hope the sense of freedom and joy I have gotten from this small act will inspire me to be more bold and brave as I face future possibilities. 

I also hope this act of sharing my personal journey will somehow resonate with others…that it will provide them with comfort and solace…that it will let them know they are not alone and that we all can heal what hurts inside…and that we can take our time, allowing ourselves to move forward and make progress at our own pace.

Blessings and gratitude to you for allowing me to share this journey with you,

Parminder

Two Healing Mantras

Healing Mantras

It may sound like a cliche, but in all my years of being on this healing path, I have come to see very clearly that LOVE is the most powerful healing force and the best medicine.

In my younger years, I worked hard to “fix” the parts of myself I did not like. This ranged from trying to whip my body into shape to disowning parts of myself that I was ashamed of…the part that got angry for example because I was so scared of the fiery energy of anger.

Over the years, I learned that rejecting any part of myself was a form of violence and a kind of abuse. We can bully or ignore parts of ourselves and feel fine for a time, but the hurt and pain of treating oneself so harshly lingers beneath the surface.

All beings need love, understanding, and appreciation to heal, grow, and thrive. One of the most powerful ways we can heal the hurt/wounded parts of ourselves is to love them. We can do this by accepting and caring for those parts instead of trying to push them aside.

Another very powerful way we can heal is to understand that we are created from love and are loved eternally. There is absolutely nothing we need to do to prove our worth or earn love. Spirit loves us unconditionally and is constantly showering love on us.

Our job is to open our hearts, know we are worthy, and let the love of the divine fill us up. Here are two mantras that I find very helpful in reconnecting to our hearts and healing with love:

1) This first mantra came to me during a ceremony. It can serve as a beautiful affirmation/reminder that we can repeat daily to help us remember to open our hearts and let the love shining on us in.

I recommend placing both hands on your heart and saying this mantra after any form of meditation or prayer. Visualize the love and light of the divine shining on you and pouring into your body as you repeat the following:

I am loved. I am so deeply loved.

I am loved unconditionally.

I am loved eternally.

I am loved just as I am.

I am loved. I am so deeply loved.

2) This second mantra is from the end of a body mind appreciation meditation from Deb Shapiro’s Your Body Speaks Your Mind book. It’s a wonderful one to repeat after doing any form of self-healing, meditation, or any practice that connects you with your body and being. I recommend placing one hand on your heart and one on your belly as your repeat the following:

May I be well. May all of me be well.

May the healing power of love be with me always.

I hope you enjoy these healing mantras. If you have any questions or would like to share your experience in working with them, please don’t hesitate to email me at heal@shamanicsoulcenter.com.

Big hugs and blessings to you on your journey to welcoming in more love and light.

Does Distance/Remote Healing Really Work?

Distance Remote Energy Healing

Friends, I have been getting a lot of questions about remote/distance healing sessions since the start of the pandemic. While this type of experience is new to many, I have been both receiving and providing remote sessions for years, so I thought I would share a bit about remote sessions with you.

Does Remote/Distance Healing Really Work?

This is definitely the most frequently asked question I get. And that’s very understandable. For those who are new to spiritual/energy healing, it may take a leap of faith to try something new…and doing so by phone makes some individuals nervous because they wonder how it could be effective.

My experience in both giving and receiving distance sessions is that it’s VERY powerful. Because with energy and spirit, there are no time and space limitations, we can send energy/spiritual healing across vast distances and into the past or future. There are various techniques by which we are able to heal past traumas and childhood wounds, for example. 

As part of my Reiki and Shamanic studies programs, we received training (and even a special Reiki symbol) to perform healings remotely. So, when I wanted to continue working with my teachers (who all live out of state), I was excited I would get to experience distance healings and intuitive guidance sessions firsthand. 

Since those early days, I can’t even count how many phone sessions I have had. Definitely way more than the amount of in-person sessions. Sometimes, for me, distance sessions have been even more powerful than an in-person session. Why might this be? Because there are fewer distractions and less stress involved. 

When I schedule my regular sessions with my teachers (who all live out of state), I do my very best to make them at a time that I can be completely free of disturbances with a few minutes free before to get myself mentally ready and ample time after to enjoy the benefits of the healing.

During the majority of the sessions I receive, I’m resting in my bed with my journal handy to share what I want to focus on (which may be something very specific or a more general well-being tune-up/relaxation) at the start of the session and to take notes on anything that came up during. I haven’t had the stress of driving anywhere and I can stay in my bed resting after the session. This makes a huge difference in my ability to relax and let go.

Of course, there have been times I have not been able to be in my bed. Sometimes, I’ve taken a break during my work day and received sessions while I’m in my office. And at times, I have even been parked in my car or resting in a quite place outdoors. 

The important thing has been to not be disturbed and be fully present for the session just as if I were seeing the practitioner in person. During these remote/distance sessions, I have experienced some amazing sensations in my body, some powerful releases, and wonderful insights…just as I would if I were receiving it in person.

Sometimes the sessions have been less dramatic and other times they have been more so. This is also the case with in-person work. We need different things at different times, and we are more sensitive sometimes and less at other times. So, it’s normal and understandable that our experiences would vary from very subtle/gentle to very powerful/dramatic.

In addition to receiving sessions by phone, I have also provided phone sessions for many years. I’ve had the blessing of working with individuals thousands of miles away…as far as Puerto Rico and France, not to mention other states in the US. 

Rather than tell you about others’ experiences, I thought I would share their words with you. Here are reviews from 4 beautiful souls (Amir, Anna-Maja, Stephanie, and Genny) that talk of their experience with distance healing:

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Google Reviews:

  1. Parminder has brought about so much positive change in my life in such a short period of time that at times I’m still awestruck. After just a few sessions with her I experienced larger shifts than I ever could have imagined. Issues that I had been (unsuccessfully) tackling for over a decade were suddenly resolved and I felt happier and freer than ever before. Notably, our sessions were all over the phone as I live about 2,000 miles away and the results were/are still indescribably great. I can’t imagine there is anyone out there who wouldn’t benefit from sessions with Parminder. ~ Amir

  2. UPDATE! I recently moved out of the area in February 2020 and started doing weekly REMOTE healing sessions with Parminder, and it has been awesome. It has been uniquely beneficial during these unprecedented times with the pandemic and social injustice to have my teacher available remotely to support my journey toward love and light in all things. To my joyful surprise, remote sessions are just as effective, healing and restorative as in person sessions.

    Parminder has my highest recommendation. She is a relatable spiritual teacher right in our backyard who breathes new life into the great teachings of our ancestors. Her refreshing, genuine and compassionate approach was exactly what I needed to get myself out of a feeling of hopelessness and back to connecting with my spiritual life. Whether you are facing a major life challenge, a minor set back or simply want to live a more peaceful and fulfilling life, call Parminder. You'll be happy you did. I know I am. ~ Anna-Maja

Yelp Reviews:

  1. Thank goodness for virtual healing sessions! If you don't live in San Diego and can't make it to Shamanic Soul Center, I HIGHLY recommend Parminder's virtual sessions. I moved away from San Diego at the start of 2017 and was really missing my regular healing sessions with Parminder. When I got pregnant later in the year, I realized how much I needed energy healing and Parminder's support on my journey to motherhood. When Parminder told me about virtual sessions (over the phone), I thought I'd give it a try.

    I was blown away by our session - it was just like being in person in her office! Although I anticipated that it would be beneficial, it far exceeded my expectations. Our coaching session at the beginning really helped me to shift my perceptions around some things that I am working on as I prepare for motherhood. They are subtle shifts, but with really huge impacts, and really helped me to see some of the challenges I am struggling with in new ways - and as blessings and gifts on my path. As soon as she started guiding me in the visualization for the energy healing part of the session, I immediately felt an energetic shift in my body. I laid on my couch at home, and it felt just like I was on her reiki table at her office. At the end of the session I felt so peaceful, calm, nourished and lighter - just what I was looking for. I am so grateful that virtual sessions are possible! I can't recommend it enough :). ~ Stephanie

  2. I've been working with Parminder for a couple months now and it's been truly amazing and transformational, it's hard to even put into words!  I originally went to see her for energy healing  - not knowing exactly what it was or how it worked but knowing that I needed something to help me experience less stress, anxiety, better sleep and overall help me regain a sense of self again and confidence.  I've experienced so many amazing things since I've begun working with Parminder, it's completely renewed me and allowed me to experience true joy in my life. I feel like the world has opened up to me since I've begun this journey.and feel truly blessed that life led me to her.  She's amazingly talented and intuitive with the ability to zero in on your issues upon first meeting.  In the span of just a couple months, I can honestly say the issues I was having prior to seeing Parminder have virtually disappeared. 

    I do believe there is "undiscovered" science behind energy work that the general public does not fully understand - it is very real and very powerful.  In a recent Reiki session Parminder did with me, she performed reiki in her office in San Diego while I was in my home in Los Angeles.  Within 5 minutes, I actually felt a very specific sensation occur that I've only ever felt in certain acupuncture sessions and I immediately recognized it.  The only way to describe it is a pleasant whirling feeling and my energy moving throughout my body, slightly out of body sensation.  This lasted the entire session and just amazed me, literally validating everything for me!  The fact I felt this energy work with her in a different location is proof of how powerful this all is.

    Overall, this work has been life changing.  In just a short amount of time, I've felt such a tremendous impact on my life - more than any other work I've ever done.  So grateful for Parminder and her talent, devotion and passion for helping others! ~ Genny

I have been feeling so incredibly grateful and fortunate to be able to continue my work during the pandemic. I shifted all of my sessions to phone sessions in March, and now that I am living in Julian, there is an extra sweetness to working from home where I am surrounded by the incredible healing power of nature.

I’ve also had the blessing of teaching a remote Reiki Level II class via Zoom in early June. The students and I were equally amazed at how powerful their attunements were in spite of the distance. Some students commented on how wonderful it was to be in their homes for the experience and said they enjoyed it even more than the in-person class they had done in January.

Also, the Monthly Healing Circle I have been facilitating with several Reiki practitioners who have taken Reiki classes with me has been so well-received with individuals reporting such beautiful benefits. It also happens via Zoom with all of us sitting in different places (as far as Australia!). 

So not only is distance/remote healing powerful and effective, so are remote attunements for Reiki students and distance healing with large groups of people scattered all over. This makes me so very happy because it will make it possible for so many more individuals to experience the beauty, magic, and power of this healing way, especially during times where social distancing is important. 

Soon, I hope to write another post on what you can do to optimize your experience with remote sessions. The most critical aspect of one’s experience are one’s openness/mindset and the environment, so I look forward to sharing some tips with you about mindset and setting. 

In the meantime, please enjoy browsing the Shamanic Soul Center website if you would like to learn more about Healing Sessions, Reiki Classes, or the Healing Circles. I have not yet had the opportunity to revise the site to reflect that all services are being done remotely but will be doing so soon.

As always, I love hearing from you, so feel most welcome to email me with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Big hugs and lots of love to you all. May all beings be happy, healthy, and free.