The Reiki Cafe 

Hello Everyone,

Im training for a marathon which will be in March. I've been running long distances (12-16 miles) as part of the training and I seem to develop pain in my right knee only. I talked to a healer and she says that I not running from my hara or tantien. She asked me to focus energy down there when Im running.

What I wanted to find out from you people is:
1) Are there any excerices that I can do to energize my hara
2) Also, I've been told that martial arts prescribe some methods to energize the hara. Does anyone know about it?
3) And any methods in Reiki for the same?

Thanks in advance from my knees, legs and myself.
--Anil

Hello Anil...

Nice smile!

I sent you info via email....way to much info to print here....sent to email.....Hope they help!

Blessings
Laloba

It might be a good idea to take an ashtanga or hatha yoga class. It might also be advantageous to do pilates if you want quicK results that focus on strengthening the abdominals.

Good luck. It seems like you have a lot of endurance!
aim

Greetings anil;

namaste.

Try doing hatsurei ho.

Part of Hatsurei ho is doing a breathing with gassho meditation, and another part is seishin toitsu both with breathing reiki into the hara.

You might also want to do tanden chiryo ho, which is a technique to bring energy into the hara.

Hope that helps;

Vinny

Anil,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

Assuming that your right knee is not a chronic issue, there any number of practices to energize the through the Hara - here one suggestion -

- it is also a "grounding" practice - and, of course, the knees are one of the vital links between Earth-Sentient

- stand in Mountain Pose and with gentle but full breaths (through the nostrils only) pull Chi in through the Hara Line -

- at the same time draw Qi up from Earth through the feet and legs together -

- if you feel the need to focus a little more of this practuice to the right side - OK

- remember - if the right knee is not a chronic "complainer" then you are running out of balance as you increase your distances - be more Mindful of your mechanics.

- hope this helps,

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

firekeeper

Hi anil and welcome,

I have bad knees from diving when I play Raq. ball.
I was told to use RICE: rest ice compression and elavation.
I also try to strengthen the muscles round the knee by using lite weights and standing in the horse position while doing deep breathing exersizes.
Good luck in your marathon

peace and light

david

Hi Anil,

I know this isn't very reiki, but have had your knee checked to make sure that your cartlidge isn't slighty torn?

You may also need to build up the muscles that surround the inner part of the knee..I only say this as I had what sounds to be a very similar problem.

L&L
Roger.

Hi Anil,
I have been practicing Tai Chi for a few months; and my Tai Chi teacher keeps telling me that my energy is too high in my body, and that I should keep it at my lower abdomen for best results, the tantien area. He tells me to breath thru' my nose and use my abdomen instead of my chest,to inflate it while inhaling- that happens when we use the lower part of our lungs, he says.
You think that might help ?
Other than that there is the microcosmic orbit meditation.Maybe that might be of some help too...
Best wishes and good luck in the marathon
Selva

Dear Anil,
In my experience, knee problems in running can be a result of pronation in the foot. At some point, if you wish, a chiroprator or sports medicine specialist (doctor or physical therapist) may have some valuable input. Some find that orthotics in the shoes help tremendously. Just another way to look at it! Hope you don't mind!
Love,
Feather

Hello Everyone,

Thank you very much for replying to my post. Thank you for all your suggestions and inputs. Im trying a lot of different ways to get to the root of the problem. I did talk to a chiropractor and he suggested to try a different pair of shoes that gives more support to my over pronating feet. With the new shoes they seem to help a little bit.

The other input that I got is from the healer who works with atheletes and she said that the problem is not with the right knee but in the right hip joint. She asked me to focus on my running and to run from the hara.

Im a little worried about it right now. I have a hilly 18 mile run this weekend. This is my first marathon and Im doing this to raise money for Leukemia research. Let me know if anyone is interested to contribute :-)

Laloba: Hope you received my email. My email address is changed. I updated my profile now.Can you please resend?

Vinny: Where do I find info about tanden chiryo ho?

Everyone else, Thank you very very much. Your input is much appriciated.

Regards,
--Anil

Hello Anil,

I've completed 10 marathons (including Boston) and ran the last 2 since developing chrondomalacia patella (sp?) in my right knee. I'm not currently "in-training" but I do still run 10-20 miles per week.

The top of my patella bone occasionally scrapes against the inside of the kneecap and inflames the cartilage there. The more inflamed it is the more it scrapes. It feels like a dull ache under my kneecap that turns into a throbbing pain as it increases in intensity. The pain is usually mild while running, but typically flares up the worst the next day.

If this sounds like it may be the source of your knee pain, you can probably continue to train and run your first marathon with it. But I suggest avoiding hard surfaces (concrete sidewalks), lots of turns, steep hills (especially downhills), and even cutting back slightly on your long distance runs to save yourself for race day.

Anything you can do to strengthen the leg muscles around your knees- calves and quadriceps - by weight exercises without the weight of running - will help reduce the wear and tear on the knee when you do run.

Also, lots of rest and sleep between runs, a fresh pair of running shoes every 400 miles logged for maximum cushioning, and the right pair of running shoes for your biomechanics will go a long way in healing and preventing new or recurring injuries. Also, Cho-Pat is one of a host of sports medicine companies that sells flexible knee braces that allow you to run without re-aggrevating existing injuries.

Finally, plenty of hot reiki energy before and after running directly on the knee has helped me run with and through my chronic knee pain.

Or course, if your knee pain is severe while you run, I suggest you cease your training and refrain from running until you're healed and pain free. No sense aggrevating the injury by running on it. I've had to cancel marathons due to other injuries. It only made finishing the next marathon healthy, even sweeter.

Hope this helps. You also may wish to meditate and ask your spirit guides for personal advice.

Good luck and godspeed ...... ***greenlight***

Greenlight,

/*\ Namaste :-}}

Welcome to The Cafe. :-}}

I am glad for your voice and light.

Reiki all around,

all blessings,

Firekeeper