4 alternative therapies you should try

From Watsu to Star Magic—read first-hand experiences of unconventional therapies that help heal you inside and out

Most popular alternative therapies—be it yoga, Reiki, meditation or healing with herbs—originated in India, some dating back almost 100 years. But along the way, especially in the metros, we had drifted away from our roots, relying heavily instead on conventional medicare. The last decade, however, has seen a boom in alternative therapies. Following the Covid-19 pandemic that hit in 2020, more and more people have begun to integrate medicine with healing practices for both their minds and bodies.

According to a report released by Grand View Research, the global market size for complementary and alternative medicine was pegged at $69.2 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.9 per cent over the forecast period of 2020-2027. We've picked six therapies and got you first-hand accounts to give you a better picture.

Reiki

I had heard about Reiki several years ago from a distant relative who had tried it, and it kept coming up in conversations over the years. I decided to try it only in 2017 after finishing a meditation course with my teacher, Mumbai-based Monica Dalal, a Reiki healer. She explained what Reiki is all about and what stuck with me is the fact that it is a natural healer that draws energy from the universe and is one of the most positive ones for you.

When I started my sessions with Monica, I was not convinced meditation could transform my life. But, through the various meditations, I started becoming calmer and more open to alternative therapies and practices.

Monica and I both follow the Mikao Usui style of Reiki. After she opened my channels for Reiki, I would practice it regularly, morning and night. I even visited Tiger's Nest in Bhutan—it was the most peaceful feeling. The principles of Reiki are simple: I will not be angry. I will not worry. I will be grateful for all my blessings. I will work with honesty and integrity. I will be kind to all living beings.

Anyone (except a blood relative) who wants a Reiki session has to ask for it and compensate the healer with a token amount—this exchange of energies is essential. The session begins with the person lying down still on a bed—no body part should be crossed. The practitioner says a little Reiki prayer, hovering their hands over different body parts, sending positive energy, especially to those areas that need healing. You feel like an electric current is passing through you. When I do this healing for someone, I feel this heat in my palms, especially when my hands are over that particular body part that needs healing. If a chakra is blocked, the practitioner usually makes a symbol in the air to unblock it and keep healing it.

Many of those I've done Reiki for have dozed off during the session. Post the session, they feel very calm and rested. As per the practice, the more energy you give, the more positive your life becomes.

—Shruti Thacker, Co-founder & Editorial Director, The Established

Shamanic Breathwork

My first experience of this kind of breathwork was at the Shamanic Darkness Retreat at Zorba The Buddha, a centre for spiritual programmes in Delhi, conducted by Shamanic teacher Luca de Santis. There was an hour-long (or maybe more), extremely intense, active meditation breathwork technique called Holotropic Breathing. You start slow, and as the accompanying music or drumming picks up pace, your own rhythm matches it to breathe faster and faster. You cannot pause between breaths; it has to be one continuous inhale-exhale activity. The body keeps releasing stored emotions, memories of traumas, anxieties, and fears with the breath. The individual slowly enters realms of their being that cannot be reached with the logical mind.

I don't quite remember when my mind stopped taking cognisance of what I was doing. Initially, there was resistance. The body is not used to breathing in this hyperventilating state. However, when I got into that state, the mind stopped, and I experienced various sensations in the body, like floating, swirling, flying and my limbs feeling like they'd expanded. I vaguely remember the heightened crescendo of breathing of the participants and, ultimately, the slowing down of the music and a beautiful silent calm. Stillness, and a strangely exhausted yet happy, released state of mind and body, no thoughts and no emotions, followed. I felt cleared and cleansed. The train of chattering thoughts took a while to return. The mind felt free.

While shamanic breathwork is an incredible experience, it is essential to note that first, it should only be practised under the supervision of an experienced practitioner. Second, a certain amount of readiness is ideally required, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually, to experience it. Third, it may not be everybody's cup of tea. It is intense and physically challenging, especially when you are in a "frenzied" state that may not be easy for all. Not everyone is ready to let go of their thinking minds. Therefore, they will likely come away disappointed or frustrated, saying they didn't experience anything.

—Shalina Ahva Gupta, fitness expert

Watsu

I'd learnt about Wastu when I'd gone to Auroville and decided to try it out at the Quiet Healing Retreat. I didn't go to resolve any issues; I went with an open mind to try something new as I believe that there are many paths to healing, which opens me up to different healing modalities.

Watsu is water + shiatsu. It's bodywork done in water, fabulous for letting go of heavy emotions. Before you start the session, the practitioner asks how you are feeling, any aches and pain, your energy levels, how comfortable you are with being underwater and so on. I have a fear of drowning and don't enjoy being underwater, so my practitioner Ursula explained the entire process to me patiently—it's meditative, your eyes are shut and any communication would be via touch.

The session then began. Both of us got into a pool with warm water. There was beautiful music playing in the background. Ursula put floaters on my feet, and I had to just surrender. She told me to let go of any control and to trust her and the process, which was a little difficult for me to do initially.

In the first half of the session, you have water covering your ears, but your face is above water, and the practitioner makes you move your body in a rhythmic flow, pressing various points on your spine and back. Then the underwater part begins, and you have to follow the sign of touch. Your eyes need to stay shut throughout, and you have breath from your mouth as a clip is put on your nose. The duration underwater increases as you get comfortable.

While I was above water, it was more of physical bodywork. Underwater, I felt free—It wasn't traumatic or claustrophobic. I felt a sense of adventure and excitement, followed by unconditional love. After the session, I felt like I was born again—everything from the outside sounds to the lights took a while to get re-adjusted to. Then I felt deep relaxation and, interestingly, tired simultaneously that I had to take a nap after.

Watsu eventually helped me resolve my issues with my mother—our relationship was strained, and post the experience, I felt so much love for her. I'd recommend this to everyone to try at least once.

—Sejal Kuvavala, founder, Heal With Sage

Star Magic

My journey into the beyond started with a car ride back home from a workshop, and my companions were discussing Star Magic. I had never heard of it before. My teacher seemed fascinated as one friend spoke about his experience where the magic started flowing as soon as he thought of it. When I realised that it was a five-day course abroad and was way beyond my budget, I sighed wistfully, little knowing that the magic had actually begun.

The pandemic happened, and the same friend mentioned that Star Magic had gone online. That too, from 8.30 pm to 6 am; perfect for me as I have always been a night bird, and this would not interfere with my homely duties. With great trepidation, I signed up for the ride of my life. It was pure magic as I played with unicorns and dragons and even crocodiles if you please! We learnt how to bring up holographic blueprints, heal parallel realities, and activate the pineal gland and our own Merkaba field. All leading to purely magical shifts and transformations.

Jerry Sargeant, the founder and only facilitator of this modality, discovered the ability to heal after a severe road accident led him on a spiritual journey where he rediscovered the power of this soul technology. Star Magic aligns you with high vibrational consciousness codes from the ancient Egyptian era. At the training, he keeps you on your toes as he takes you on a wild rollercoaster ride through an intergalactic journey right into the depths of your soul. That, too, in a compassionate and kind manner, making you feel completely safe and secure, loved and supported. Here, we learnt how to harness light frequencies and expand our consciousness by exploring our full potential in the quantum field.

In a typical session, you'd be guided by Jerry in a meditation that could last from 45 minutes to two hours. He takes you into the deep recesses of your soul, where you may get a peek into the past or even parallel realities for complete healing. In between, he shares techniques known to cause spontaneous healing. Post the session, most feel rejuvenated, and hydration is a must as detoxification happens on multiple levels.

Having learnt over 15 modalities over the years as I have been suffering from NMO and asthma, I found that my trips to the hospital have reduced by 75 per cent since I learnt Star Magic. This meditation is fantastic, especially for inner child healing, past life healing, and many physical ailments as well.

—Vannee Jaising, numerologist

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