Everyone’s experience of Reiki will be different and there are many styles of Reiki being taught today, many of which bear little resembalance to the original teachings of its founder, Mikao Usui. I am a fully qualified Reiki Master/Teacher, having trained via Reiki Evolution in the UK.

At Dragonfly Release our teachings closely follow the material developed by Taggart King, the founder of Reiki Evolution. This is a very simple, uncluttered style which is easy to follow as you take your first steps towards bringing Reiki into your life.

At Dragonfly Release we recognise that everyone learns in different ways and at a different pace. To this end initial training is undertaken at your own pace in your own home using a detailed manual and cds as study aids. As your Reiki Master/Teacher, I will be available to you during this time via email, and telephone if appropriate, should you have any questions about your learning.

You will arrive at the practical training with already knowing much of the theory behind the Usui method of Reiki. This will help ensure you gain the most from your practical training.

The manuals and cds are yours to keep so that you may refer back to them after your practical training. Following the practical training you will be invited to join a support group to help you expand your knowledge within a wider Reiki environment.

In addition if you train with Dragonfly Release I will maintain daily contact with you via email for three weeks to help you establish your own daily Reiki routine within your life.

Your training will start at Shoden (level 1) and progress if you want to through Okuden (level 2) and on to Master/Teacher.

I am able to adapt classes for those with limited or no vision if this is of interest to you please contact me for details.

On an introductory level 1 course you will be connected to the energy (‘attuned’) and learn how to use Reiki for your own benefit and for others. You will also learn a simple set of ‘rules to live by’ set down by Reiki’s founder Mikao Usui.

The cost for Shoden training is $195 this includes cost of 170 page manual, two audio CDs with commentary and guided meditations, your certificate and one full day of practical training and ongoing support following completion of your studies.

Reiki level 2 provides you with ways of deepening your experience of the energy, furthering your self-healing and spiritual development, and provoding you with approaches that will enhance your treatment of others, whether in person or at a distance.

The cost for Okuden training is $275 this includes cost of 110 page manual, two audio CDs with commentary and guided meditations, your certificate and one full day of practical training and ongoing support following completion of your studies.

Training dates for the first part of the New Year will be:

Shoden (level 1) January 14th

Shoden (level 1) February 18th

Okuden (level 2) March 10th

Call me to reserve your space – (902) 471 5059

2011 has been my busiest year so far and started out with me taking on the new challenge of delivering business practices and skill sets to the potential Massage Therapy graduates of the 2011 Year at the Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy (CCMH).  Of course, this is effectively teaching the competition how to take the first steps in business – but someone has to show the pitfalls!  I find myself here today preparing for the new term that starts in January with more experience under my belt and ready to try to help the next graduating class on their way.

In between those two graduating classes I’ve covered a lot of ground – I’ve talked about a lot of the first six months here if you want to see what I was up to until July.  So what else have I been doing?

As you may know, I operated out of Massage Addict in Lacewood, but having had the experience of working at Fox Harbour for the first part of their season, I knew it was time for me to move on.  Enter Bella Sante Spa in Truro who just happened to be seeking a RMT to join their team.  Using inescapable logic of being only one hour’s drive as opposed to two for “Fox”, I joined them in July and am still there with a busy clientele.  There are many RMTs who don’t agree with how Massage Addict operates, but I can’t thank them enough for the flexibility they gave me and it proved to be an ideal introductory base after leaving college.

The home business, Dragonfly Release, continues to grow, albeit in competition with my other activities at CCMH and Bella Sante.  Reiki training classes have also increased this year with a steady stream of people taking their first steps through my courses.  I was also very proud to take my first student through to Master/Teacher in August.   I am currently being asked about courses for 2012 and will be setting some dates soon.

Following another introductory session in Jade Stone Therapy at the college I am also planning a full course, which is in its final stages of preparation.  Once the finishing touches have been applied, I will be contacting those interested with likely dates.

On the volunteer side of things, two major areas have been the Canada Games and M.E.R.T.  Firstly, as you know, the 2011 Canada Games were held in Halifax during February and I was invited by Ryan Young to be a member of the Medical Team.  This was an experience I will never forget and my thanks to Ryan for his support in choosing me.

Secondly, what’s a M.E.R.T.?  Well, this is a new concept for the Province, which has been successfully pioneered in the United States.  M.E.R.T. stands for Massage Emergency Response Team, its role is to provide support to First Responders at major incidents such as fire, flood etc offering chair massage or, simply, a helpful hand.  Associated with and led by the HRM Firefighters, the team is a mixture of RMTs across the Province and we are receiving a broad depth of training to allow us to operate effectively in what could be harrowing situations.

On the personal side of things, we welcomed our first Canadian citizen to the family in November with the birth of our third Grandchild, Amelia (Milly).  Boy, is she strong!!!!  Steps will also be taken to improve the surroundings and our home, which has commenced with more privacy outside with the erection of bamboo screening.  This, at least, gives us a more private seating area to the rear of the home.  Next will be internal work over the winter months.

So, what does 2012 have in store?  Maybe I can take Ange’s advice in hand and restart my articles and blogging in a more structured approach?  Reiki courses have proved to be a case of responding to applicant’s wishes and needs, therefore, we may post dates on the website for the first six months, then allow free flow to occur.  We are also working on introducing some different workshops into our program but will let you know more about them as they are finalised.

Time management for Dragonfly will be key this year and the On-Line Booking System has proved its worth, allowing potential clients the opportunity to see when I am available.  There still exists the option to supply me with alternatives, but these occasions are now a rarity!  As for other activities, these will also be posted on the website.

Enjoy your Christmas and New Year, where we hope to see you at some point during 2012.

I will rekindle the fire in my belly

by leaving the unhealthy stuff behind

and making room for the childlike part

of me that delights in exploring the new!

My word for 2011 was CREATIVE, Jeff’s was BUILDING -  what was yours? Did you actually have one or are you sitting there wondering what on earth am I going on about?

I wanted to move ahead with lots of minor goals that all came under the heading of creative in one way or another so that became my watch word for the year.  I chose to be creative in the way I achieved my goals.  Jeff wanted to build networks, build his business, build his portfolio of workshops and so on you get the idea.

I wanted to get my photos and music sorted out as they were both all over the place on computers, hard copies mp3 player etc.  So I challenged myself to get them sorted – I still have some way to go with my photos but they are at least all stored by year now and I’ve got some tied down by quarter following the Stacy Julian class Finding Photo Freedom based on her system of Library of Memories.

My music was sorted with the gift of an iPod Touch – thank you Jeff!  (This was an early image of my iPod – I now have way more apps than this!)  My original goal for the year was to have more music in my life.  My iPod allows me to do just this and to be more flexible in where I can listen to my selections so for me it was a positive and I love having my whole collection in one place – love it!  A side benefit was getting a subscription for Rdio.  This has worked out more cost effective for me than buying tracks from iTunes and gives me almost unlimited choices in my music so I’ve widened my listening choices too.

I wanted to spice up my cooking whilst introducing healthier eating options – and have done this by sticking with Clean Eating principles whenever possible.  I also followed the Hormone Diet for 5 weeks and found that there were things I was regularly eating that were not actually agreeing with my digestive system so I have found that yoghurt and cheese made from cow’s milk are off my menu!  The good thing is this helped me lose a whole bunch of inches and 15lbs in weight.

I also acquired a dehydrator principly, for preparing apples for drying – thing is the grandchildren loved the new apple peeler, corer, slicer so we didn’t get as many into the dryer as intended – and when we did I found Jake on the chair eating them whilst they were still drying out.

My healthy kick also eventually included a visit to the doctor which necessitated various blood work.  This eventually identified I have an underactive thyroid and I start with medication for that tomorrow.  So I’m wrapping up 2011 much more in control of my system – which I never would have had I not decided to start the year off trying to be more creative in my approach to food.

I also picked up my craft projects again and have done some scrapbooking and card making as well as invested in a sewing machine for home decor projects I wanted to get moving with like new window dressing for the kitchen.

Another goal I had was to widen my reading options and I’ve gradually done this over the year although I did get hooked on a couple of series which took a chunk of the year to get through.  I discovered Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire and of course I had to buy the new Kobo Vox to make the most of my reading experience!!

So here I am wrapping up 2011 and starting to think about 2012 and all I would like to focus on in the coming months.  Jeff and I will definitely be setting time aside at the start of the year to work through our plans and goals both personal and business and then I’ll be creating my vision board for the year.

If you would like spend some time reviewing your year and setting your new goals then email us at info@dragonflyrelease.com.  We will work with you to create a workshop for you to explore goal setting and vision boards in a fun and creative way – workshops start at just $75.

This first step into Reiki is a wonderful start to your journey towards peace with yourself as you learn how releasing it is to try to live by the Reiki Precepts:

Just for today do not anger,
Just for today do not worry,
Be humble,
Be honest in your dealings with people,
Be compassionate towards yourself and others

Here are comments made by some of Jeff’s previous students:

“Jeff was an amazing teacher and I got so much more out of the day than I would have ever expected… I learned so much and can’t wait to learn even more. Thank you Jeff!”

“The course was great! I definitely felt the Reiki energy as soon as we started. And the pre reading  of the manual prepared me for the day.  The Dragonfly Retreat is perfectly set up for courses, Jeff is a fabulous teacher and I liked the Simplicity with which he taught. I feel prepared to start my Reiki journey so Thank You!! I would recommend Jeff as a teacher to anyone looking to learn Reiki for themselves. The course was just 2 days ago but so far I have done Reiki to my family, pets and friends with great success. It definitely works and anyone can do it. Thanks so much”

“My training session for the first reiki level was an absolutely wonderful experience. I went in with high hopes for the day, and those hopes were not only met, but surpassed. Jeff is an excellent teacher with a talent for melding whimsical humor with more serious moments, and the house practically overflowed with serenity.

Words cannot quite express how I feel about the experience, but it feels like a marked turning point in my life. Thanks for helping me find that turn.”

If you would like to know more about Reiki and how you too can start your journey towards peace within yourself give Jeff a call or email him at jeff@dragonflyrelease.com

From here on in both Jeff and I will contribute to the blog and we will include some more personal posts as well as pure business.  This is in response to some of you wanting to know more about us before you put yourselves in our hands!  With Christmas coming around so soon I doubt we will get much posted in the next couple of weeks but we will try and then make a commitment to posting consistently in the New Year!

Talking of Christmas approaching, NOW could be the best time to consider purchasing a Gift of Healing Certificate at 2011 prices!  Don’t forget, the Gift Certificate is valid until such time as it is redeemed for the service/cost required, so there’s no rush for the recipient to access the service!

To access this offer, please visit our website store here where you can view the services offered, identify the most appropriate Gift Certificate cost and proceed to checkout for payment.  Simple, easy, no hassle shopping from the comfort of your PC!  The Gift Certificate, for your completion, may be printed off accessing the download page on the website.

While you are at it you may also like to check out our sister blog, Dragonfly Heart Memories, to find out how creating art from your heart can also bring fun, laughter and healing to your life.  You don’t have to be an artist in the sense of picking up a paint brush and suddenly finding you are a budding Picasso, we will help you discover your creativity through scrapbooking and memory making.  If that’s not your thing we’ll show you how to produce cards that will speak from your heart to those you give them to.  Click on the image below to visit Dragonfly Heart Memories for more details about how you can expand your creativity.

To assist my college students for May, I put together a summary of my journey for the past year, its ups and downs, challenges and success stories.  It had the effect of not only clarifying what their journey might entail, but also led the college to taking the article and using it for all new students coming into the programme!

My time at Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa ran its course during the May and June months, finally coming to an end on the 28^th June.  They have successfully recruited one of my students into a full time position for the next two seasons and I wish this new graduate every success in her time there.  During my brief period with Fox, I also rewrote their Spa Intake forms and created a booklet for the resident Golf Professionals to help players with stretching and self care exercises, which was received with a great deal of interest and will be passed on to the resident Fox Harb’r community.

Having said goodbye to my new friends at Fox I found me looking around for another centre where I could offer my services and as of the beginning of July I can be found at Bella Sante Holistic Spa on Thursday and Fridays.  The home practice continues to grow with more enquiries and I’ve found that I’m having to open up more availability to meet requests for treatments.

So, what else has been happening?  The one off discounted rate chair massage to an office based facility proved so much a success that the proposal, talked about in the April blog, was accepted resulting in me now working with this company on a two weekly basis delivering this service.  In addition to this, two other similar events were delivered which have the distinct possibility of creating more avenues for Dragonfly Release – more of this in the July blog

This July also sees us proudly sponsoring the Bedford Basin Yacht Club Women’s Keel Boat Championships, where I will also be supporting the students from the college who will be offering a well earned massage to the ladies once they cross the finish line.  Thanks to my involvement with Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa, I also managed to obtain their additional sponsorship of the event, which was enthusiastically received by the club.

As for college, my final lessons were delivered in late May with the final exam being held on 6^th June.  I was really proud to attend this year’s graduation as part of the faculty team who had successfully steered 43 students through to become Massage Therapists.

With business settled down for a little while we turned our attentions to our garden where we want to include a meditation area and a peaceful seating area for my Reiki students to relax in during their training events.  We finally had the plans drawn up and agreed, which now means moving ahead with initial preparation and planting.  We’ve managed to more or less finish creating the shady border which will form part of the meditation area but there is a long road ahead before it is complete.  I’m sure if will prove to be well worth the effort and rewarding once all is completed….roll on 2012 for completion of this focus, which will be a joy to watch unfold.

And talking of Reiki students, congratulations to the girls who successfully completed their Shoden training on Saturday.  Good luck with your studies and remember I’m here when you need a helping hand.

I recently wrote this article mainly for the benefit for my PDIII students recalling some of what I’ve been through in the last year but I thought I’d share it here as well if only so you can see why I never seem to keep on top of my blogging and twittering!

A Year in the Life of a Massage Therapy Graduate!

So, where do I start?

Some background…my name is Jeff Phillips and since July 2010 have been a practicing Massage Therapist and Reiki Master/Teacher in the province of Nova Scotia.

This wasn’t always the case though.  My employment life started in the United Kingdom Civil Service with the Ministry of Defence in January 1975, a strange beginning for a Massage Therapist you may think!

After 32 years in Government service, working for a number of different Government Departments where I became involved in payroll, personnel management, recruitment, audit, inspection, company law administration, organized fraud investigation, training, marketing and sales, the time came to take a good hard look at where I was going and what did I want to do from here on in.

At my age most people would probably be thinking about retirement at this point in their lives but actually I was facing another 15+ years in a job I had come to hate.  This was 2005, I’d become a proud grandfather for the first time and our daughter had just told us that they were thinking of emigrating!

I knew it was time for a change, in fact I had already started to train to become a Reiki Master Teacher, but I’d not thought that I would ever make a change that would include emigration!  My wife, Ange, just said “…why not – we are already thinking of opening an oceanfront retreat in the UK – why not overseas?”

Visiting Nova Scotia in September 2006 and 2007 showed us that this was the place we wanted to be, but how to get here and to live the dream?  Ange came to the fore again searching websites and coming up with a two year Massage Therapy Diploma program offered by the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy (CCMH) in Bedford, Halifax, NS.  To cut a long and involved story short, I applied for a student visa and we arrived here in May 2008, prepared to start the diploma program in late August 2008.

Leaving behind a comfortable world where we were both working within senior management grade was no easy decision, however, at the tender age of 52, I re-entered the world of learning – what was I thinking!!!  The course, despite the many training sessions and courses I had attended in the past, was one of the hardest things I have ever done, as I had never before become involved in anything to do with anatomy.

Seeing students, far younger than myself, fall by the wayside was heartbreaking to watch, but I and 42 others made it through and came out with a Diploma in Massage Therapy.  During my course, I had also attended additional courses in Soft Tissue Release, CranioSacral and Jade Stone Therapy, whilst also delivering courses in Reiki.

At my Graduation in June 2010, I was pleased (and shocked) to be presented with the inaugural Wholistic Practitioner Award by the Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners Association of the Maritimes (more of the MTWPAM later).

So, there I was in July 2010, our business, Dragonfly Release Holistic Centre had been created and registered (after some struggle with the name!), I had a Diploma in Massage Therapy, registered with Blue Cross as a Health Provider and had my Association number.  One drawback, no employment and no clients!

Having applied, in writing, to a number of clinics and attended several interviews prior to and following graduation, I found that either I received no response or was told that whilst I had a strong resume and had interviewed well I was “unsuitable” for the advertised positions – now I’m making no assertions here one way or the other but funnily enough these positions were all subsequently filled by young female therapists – it was very disheartening.

This, I believe, is still one of the downsides of the industry in that the clinics and more importantly clients, both male and female, appear to prefer to have female therapists. It’s not something I can change, as Ange says I am what I am – a 54 year old granddad!

I did receive some “offers” but they were rather insulting to the intelligence and I’d have been better off working a checkout in one of the local stores.  Let’s not forget that whilst I’d just spent over $15,000 for a quality education I was not a youngster just starting out in life.  I have a wealth of life experience that I bring to the table as well as my new diploma.

Two weeks after graduation I secured employment with Massage Addict.  I was very careful to review their remuneration package and their expectations of me.  I found that despite some negative feedback about the company from long standing therapists that Massage Addict was a perfect fit for me.  I did not have to search out clients – they have a membership of over 1000 people on their books, I was able to negotiate the days I wanted to work to give myself freedom to build my home based practice rather than having to build their business and I would be able to practice the skills I had learned within a safe environment, with back up of other therapists if I needed it.

Within six weeks of starting work I was achieving 70% of my availability.  Almost a year later I’ve adjusted my working days a couple of times to come up with a schedule that suits my business.  I’m now considered one of the senior therapists and the “go to therapist” by others when they have queries on client assessments or need another professional, e.g. chiropractor, to refer their clients to.

I’ve maintained my learning, with additional training courses, and stuck to my principals that I will always carry out an assessment with new clients even if that means they don’t have a full hour on the table.  I’ve found that this has gained me respect within the business and ensured that I’ve built up a decent client base within the group.  Other therapists are happy to refer to me when they are absent or unavailable and that, after 35 years in the workplace, I’m working in a job I love every single day!

I have also stuck to my dream of building a home based business and I’ve slowly built a loyal client base which I hope to build on over the next year.  It has not been easy, and I’ve worked hard to widen my network – don’t forget I’m an immigrant.  I don’t have a “home base network” to draw on – people who I’ve grown up with and who know and trust me already.  This is a definite advantage and the lack of this network has been the biggest drawback for me compared to others I graduated with who returned to their home towns and set up in business with a ready client base to draw on.

Since leaving college, I have actively sought out, attended and presented to a number of organizations, lunch and learn groups etc. to market my business Dragonfly Release.  I’ve been into businesses offering chair massage for extremely competitive rates in order to get my name out there and introduce myself to new people.  I always work on the basis that if an event of two hours delivers one client to my home business, it’s been worth it.

To spread the net wider, I joined three networking groups within the Halifax area and always have business cards at the ready wherever I go, being prepared to offer my services and also to establish what the potential client is looking for.  In addition to this, I also make Dragonfly Release visible through free marketing such as being “in the picture” when SNAP Halifax is attending an event.  See the face, remember the name and connection!!

During this period, I was also approached by MTWPAM, being voted in as Director of Wholistic Services, responsible for monitoring all membership applications from wholistic practitioners.  I also maintained my links with the college where I trained and when there was a short fall in supervisors for special events I was asked to step in and help out.  I was happy to do this and yes I always promote the college and the student clinic but I also looked for opportunities to bring myself to the attention of anyone receiving treatments who might also be looking for a new therapist.

It was in this way I first connected with the Spa Manager for Fox Harbour, who found my enthusiasm and passion of the massage industry infectious and asked if I would consider working for them.  Now, I had never wished to work in a spa environment, as I wanted to be more of a clinical therapist.  However, Fox continued to pursue and I agreed to deliver a training/awareness course to their therapists on body mechanics.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Fox Harbour and actually found myself seriously considering working for them.  With nothing to lose I was able to work with the Spa Manager to come up with an attractive and flexible package that I was able to work in with both my home business and my work with Massage Addict.  I have now undertaken my first sessions at Fox Harbour and will continue to work with them over the 2011 summer months – who knows where this association will go?

2011 also saw another opportunity present itself and I grasped it with both hands.  During my previous working life I had spent several periods as a training officer, presenting business training.  CCMH asked me to use this knowledge and experience to work with the graduating Class of 2011 and teach Professional Development III – the business class.  This presented new challenges, having recently graduated and knowing a number of the students on a personal level it wasn’t an easy transition.  My previous experience had perhaps not prepared me for dealing with some of the situations I faced – after all I have previous delivered technical training for particular situations to established Civil Servants rather than business skills to students entering the service industry.

However, taking the course and revamping it to introduce more guest speakers throughout appeared to address a number of “holes” in knowledge base.  That, together with my experience of audit, inspection and management carried it through and gave the students far more to think about.  This has resulted in a number of students approaching me for guidance in interview and resume techniques, when approaching potential employers for the first time in this field.

There are things I would do differently and there are areas I can definitely improve on given a chance to present again, but that is what makes life so interesting – you learn something new every day!

Education has not stopped though with additional and continuing courses in Cervical Spine Assessment, Sports Massage, CranioSacral and others.  A bonus of having attended these courses, together with CCMH student experience at the Bluenose marathon and other World Class sports events we covered, led to me being selected for the 2011 Canada Games Medical Team and the newly formed Massage Emergency Response Team (MERT).

And so, although my first twelve months as a Registered Massage Therapist has been eventful, 2011 continues to be a great year with new opportunities opening up to marketing activities, show attendances and discount rate treatments.  Let no-one tell you it’s an easy path, you have to work at building a practice, clientele and a reputation.

The best advice I can give as you enter this competitive industry is to have confidence in your abilities as a prospective Registered Massage Therapist.  Ensure you have multiple forms of income – massage or otherwise.  Don’t become disheartened and, in your early days following graduation, find suitable (and acceptable) employment to get your (massage) hands busy.  Use it or lose it!

Jeff Phillips

Registered Massage Therapist

Reiki Master/Teacher

May 2011

April commenced with assisting our local church with their Spaghetti Men supper, once again proving successful for all concerned.  On the College (CCMH) front, students presented their marketing skills at an in-house Trade Show, which proved to them all that they could effectively market themselves and the product they were training for.  A huge well done to them all for the effort and creativity involved in putting on such a great display.  Again with the college, I attended two events in marketing the student clinic and the diploma course.

Clients for Dragonfly Release continued to fluctuate, but in a good way, with a new opportunity opening up by delivering chair massage to an office based facility.  This went down so well that I have been asked to produce a proposal for their other site, with the prospect of making this a regular attendance!  Staying with Dragonfly Release, another Reiki II training session was effectively delivered, with the intention of the student taking their Reiki journey into Master/Teacher level – my first foray into this level of training but it promises to be of benefit to all.

After many months of planning, finally made it to Fox Harbour Golf Resort and Spa to deliver a mini training and awareness session for their therapists.  This proved to be very successful and much appreciated by the therapists, who learned some new techniques and ways to care for their own bodies while treating others.  Also, following many discussions with Fox Harbour, we finally agreed terms and I will be working for the Spa over the summer with a flexible agreement that would be advantageous to both me and the Spa.  Looking forward to this new aspect of my career and to working within such a prestigious facility.

Finally, a vacation!!  Cambra Sands is a wonderful facility of several cottages which is located directly on the shore of the Northumberland Strait near Wallace (close to Fox Harbour).  Not everybody’s cup of tea as there was still snow on the ground but for us it was ideally situated away from traffic and the busy lifestyle we have been involved in over the past three years, it was great to just get away and enjoy peace by the sea.  Oddly enough (no planning here) it is also near (3 km) to the Jost Vineyard Winery, which we of course visited and came away with some excellent bargains.

So, again no entries for the website regarding homecare.  However, they are ready, it’s just a case of moving them!  Always the simple tasks that take the longest time…….