Meet Andrea S. Barone, Reiki Master Healer and Founder of Crystal Hills Organics – your solutions to heal the body, mind, and spirit.

What is Reiki? Reiki is a type of healing modality that uses energy work to help heal and balance the body. It is based on the premise that ‘life force energy’, which is often referred to as chi or qi, flows through all of us and that a reiki therapist can channel energy into a patient. For those who have a hard time picturing how energy can flow this way, it is interesting to note that the energy from a proficient reiki practitioner’s hands creates a measurably larger biomagnetic field than normal.

“Reiki is a type of healing modality that uses energy work to help heal and balance the body. It is based on the premise that ‘life force energy’, which is often referred to as chi or qi, flows through all of us and that a reiki therapist can channel energy into a patient.”

What drew you into this line of work? After a severe car accident, I tried more natural and holistic alternatives instead of going on the strong medication that was recommended. The natural therapies helped me so powerfully that I decided to research this field. Even though my background was in biological sciences and occupational health and safety, I loved learning about traditional remedies, natural alternatives and energy work that complemented modern medicine. I discovered a new passion and went on to become a chartered herbalist and reiki master healer.

How do we know when our chakras are out of balance? Are their emotional, mental, and physical symptoms we can pay attention to? Depending on which chakra is out of balance, certain emotional, mental, and physical ailments may be prevalent. For instance, if someone’s root chakra is out of alignment, they could physically notice discomfort in their tailbone or legs, etc. and could also have associated emotional problems such as not feeling supported. Whereas an unbalanced throat chakra, may manifest as neck discomfort or a person may notice that they have issues properly expressing themselves.

How do the chakras work through us, and how are we limited when unhealed and unaligned? Chakras are basically energy centers located in different parts of our body. So, when one or more of these chakras go out of balance, we may feel run down, have a lack in overall energy or be plagued with various physical symptoms. This definitely limits us in living life to the fullest, thereby experiencing a happy and abundant life.