Gina Cook knew next to nothing about reiki when her yoga-teacher sister suggested she give the alternative healing technique a try.
It was about two years ago and Cook, a North Vancouver resident, says she was going through a time of change and confusion. The mother of three young daughters also suffered from migraines. So, with an open mind, she booked an appointment with a reiki practitioner on the North Shore.
"I went and my first session was just was so beautiful, I was just moved by it," Cook recalls. "It just cleared my mind and I left kind of floating."
Reiki is a Japanese relaxation technique that promotes healing based on the principle that the practitioner can channel energy into the client through touch. During a typical session, the client lies down on a massage table fully clothed while the practitioner places their hands on or over different areas of the client's body. Cook enjoyed her first reiki session so much she returned for more. Her practitioner recognized her fascination with the treatment and suggested she learn the technique herself.
"I just jumped into it and I just kind of found my own niche, my own calling," says Cook, who is now a registered reiki practitioner with the Canadian Reiki Association. "This journey in the last two years has been amazing for me."
Wanting to share the benefits of reiki with others, Cook launched Reiki Wakie, a non-profit project dedicated to increasing awareness about the technique by offering complimentary reiki sessions to community service providers on the North Shore. The events feature vendors, raffles and silent auctions and all profits are donated to charity.
To support Reiki Wakie's fundraising mandate, Cook, who has a background in fashion design, developed a line of colourful scarves to sell at the events.
"They sold like little hot cakes and we ended up raising a lot of money," she says.
Just last week, she launched a website for her holistic health company Look Inside (lovelookinside.com) where people can learn more about her reiki practice and wellness events and also purchase her Chakraf scarves. The light-weight bamboo-cotton neck accessories are made in a small factory in East Vancouver and come in seven different solid colours, each one representative of one of the seven main chakras. According to Cook's website, "chakras are energy centres flowing in and out of our aura" and each chakra plays a role in our physical, emotional and mental interactions.
For example, the colour blue represents the throat chakra, which influences self-expression; green represents the heart chakra, which influences the expression of love; and orange represents the sacral chakra, which is involved in developing individuality through creativity and relationships.
Chakraf scarves also come in red (root chakra), violet (crown chakra), indigo (third-eye chakra), and yellow (solar plexus chakra). As an added touch, a positive message, such as "You matter" or "Love yourself," is sewn into each scarf.
Cook says people buy the scarves three ways. For some, it comes down to colour and they will simply choose their favourite hue. Others, particularly those who are buying a Chakraf as a gift for someone who is going through a difficult time, will make their selection based on the message. And others let their knowledge of the chakras guide them.
"They'll buy based on what chakra they feel they need to work on."
For Cook, the Chakraf scarf line allows her to blend her passion for reiki with her skills in fashion design, something she's been wanting to do for a long time. "It's all about wearable wellness," she says. "It's holistic health, it's wellness and fashion all together."
Chakrafs retail online at lovelookinside.com for $35 each. They are also available in kids' sizes for $30 each.
