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How Cats Can Heal and Meditate

by Lorraine Murray

The wisdom of pets

When I read Vicky Halls book 'Cat Detective', I really understood my pussycats much more and, using the tips in the book, managed to stop a month old 'peeing in a pot plant' issue. However the book also taught me that cats are very sensitive to their environment. As I am a teacher of meditation and Reiki healing, I started to notice how cats respond to, what I call,'energy'.

If you are familiar with meditation or healing, you will already know what I mean when I talk about energy. But if you are not sure, let me explain very simply what energy is.

What is Energy?

Energy is sometimes referred to as 'chi or 'prana'. These terms are used in martial arts/acupuncture and yoga. It refers to the invisible energy that flows through your body in a very similar way to how your blood flows. When your energy flows and is in balance, then you are in optimum health. Just like your blood, the energy in your body must flow and if it is sluggish you can experience problems with your health. Meditation and healing both help the energy to flow.

Energy also surrounds you and connects you to others and your environment. Just like the air you breathe, you share energy. Every moment, you exchange air with other people (unless you have an oxygen tank on your back!) and you exchange energy with the trees and nature in your environment. It is as if you are in a 'sea' of energy and your energy interacts with others and your environment through this connection. Even colour is a form of energy as you are drawn to wear or use colours in your home or work that balance your energy.

On an energetic level you are really connected to your environment but you may be unaware of this as many of us do not tune into energy unless we experience meditation or learn a form of therapy such as Reiki healing. These methods can help you to 'tune in' to energy and to develop your energetic senses so that you can sense energy as heat, coolness, colours and so on.

Cats and Energy

Cats are excellent at perceiving energy and they are good, natural healers. This explanation helps if I use my own pussycats as an example. You see Sam (our 9-year- old grey pussycat) is a relatively quiet, docile pussycat who, like most pussycats, sleeps a lot. Sam does not like to receive healing energy from me, unless he is ill. If I decide to do some healing with him, as soon as I start he moves away.

It is only on 3 occasions he has come to me for healing. I know this because I get a strong heat in my hands (we have energy centres known as 'chakras' in the palms of our hands that activate when we do healing). On these 3 occasions, he allowed me to do healing with him. Afterwards, *I took him to the vet to check him over. The vet confirmed that there was something wrong (that wasn't obvious to me). So when Sam comes to me for healing he sits and lets me do it for a long period of time and this tells me it is time to take him to the vet.

On the other hand, Siouxsie is our 5-year-old black pussycat and she LOVES healing. She is a hyper pussycat (you know the type who as soon as she hears a noise or a bit of paper crackling, she's ready to chase it). She's really playful but can be a bit of a minx too.

I first discovered how much she loved healing when I did some self healing (this is where you sit and just put your hands on yourself to heal your own energy). Although she is not really a lap cat, as soon as I started my self healing, she was on my lap purring away. The same happened when I was meditating. She would come into my room and try to lie on my lap, purring. It is as if the energy helps her to calm down. The other interesting point I noticed with Siouxsie when I do healing, is that she starts to clean herself (which I always think of as cats 'self healing').

Cats and Energy Hot Spots

My experience has taught me that cats are energetically very sensitive to their environment. We already know that their physical senses like their senses of sound and touch are highly tuned for hunting, however they can also sense energy and what I call 'negative' and 'positive' energy spots in a place. You may notice that your cat likes to sleep in the same spot again and again for days or weeks then all of a sudden they find a different spot in the house. Cats absorb negative energy. Do not think of negative energy as 'bad' energy. It is just a type of energy like the Yin and Yang. Yin is the receptive, feminine, cooler, negative energy and Yang is the positive, hot, projective energy. So when a cat chooses a regular spot to sleep in the home, they are absorbing the negative energy in that place.

Cats as Healers

Cat are effective healers too. There are lots of theories about why cats purr although some say that it releases endorphins or the vibration of the purr is a healing vibration that helps support the cat's health. I think that cats can also use their purring vibration to heal us.

When a cat sits on us and starts to purr, the vibration of energy does not just affect them, it affects us. Our bodies pick up on this vibration and energy and it helps us to heal that part of our body (the bones, organs or perhaps the emotional stress we carry in this part of us). If you find that your cat does like to sit on you, then notice where your cat sits when they start to purr. I notice it most when I'm in bed. Siouxsie always lies on my right side (which is the side I get most tension in) and when I have my period, she sits on my pelvis, purring. It is as if she has picked up an imbalance in me and is trying to help me heal.

Cats Meditating

I sometimes refer to Reiki as 'meditation for the lazy' as Reiki helps us reach that calm, quiet place that the experience of meditation offers us. Cats also meditate. Have you ever noticed how cats just sit, eyes half closed - not asleep yet not awake. This is meditation and meditation brings many of the calming, healing benefits that Reiki brings. So again the cats are self healing through meditation by bringing themselves back into balance.

Cat owners do not always realise how much their energy affects their cat's energy. If you are a highly strung or stressed person, your cat picks up on this. If you are laid back and easy going, again your cat senses this. Your cat can act like a little mirror, reflecting back at you what is going on with your energy. Usually your cat will sense your energy (and depending on how energetically balanced they are) will try to help your energy back into balance. They may sit on or near you and as you pet them, they may start to purr.

However you can help create a more harmonious environment for you and your cat whilst you also enjoy the healing benefits of meditation. My suggestion to you, to enhance, this experience, is to meditate as you stroke your pussycat. Meditation is how to be 'in the moment' and not live in your head filled with thoughts and worries. Cats teach us how to live 'in the moment'. The next time when you are sitting petting your cat follow these simple instructions:

• Focus on your breath and each time you breathe out, let your body relax.
• Breathe out towards your cat (down your arm) and pay attention to how their fur feels on your finger tips - the softness of their fur (do this for a few breaths)
• Then as you breathe out as you pet them, notice the shape and curve of their bodies (do this for a few breaths).
• Then as you breathe out as you pet them, feel the vibration of their purr moving into your hands and your body.

Even if you do this for a few moments a day, you and your cats will have a very enjoyable experience that is calming, healing and de-stressing - and you will be meditating with your cat!

*It is a legal requirement in the UK to ensure that your pet is taken to a vet if it is ill. We can do healing on our cats but it does not replace the a check up by the vet - healing can only complement this specialist advice. Please note that you are not legally permitted to do healing with another animal (other than your own) without permission from a qualified Vet - even if the pet owner says it is okay - legally it is not!)

Lorraine Murray has been practising meditation for the past 24 years and teaching Meditation and Reiki for the past 7. She runs a teaching practice in Edinburgh, Scotland and offers meditation CDs for all levels. You can find her details and more about these services/products on this website

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