About | Life With Amanda J
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My Story

Activate Your Inner Peace

I discovered yoga and Reiki roughly at the same time about 16 years ago. I had suffered a bulging disc in my lumbar spine following the birth of my third child. I was surviving day to day on strong painkillers and my movements were stiff, uncomfortable, and I had a permanent headache. I was a regular visitor with the chiropractor which brought some short-term relief but nothing permanent. Then one spring morning, serendipity smiled upon me, the family piano needing tuning desperately as the constant pounding on its weary keys by three sets of overzealous chubby hands was doing nothing for my headaches. My usual tuner was unavailable but recommended a colleague and this small twist of fate changed my life's path and ultimately led me to where I am now. 


After introductions the tuner set to his work and I to mine, I was busy cutting out material to make curtains on the floor. The tuner, whose name I forget but whose role in my life was pinnacle, noticed I was struggling with my mobility and commented on it. I regaled him with the gory details of my daughter’s traumatic entrance to the world at which he simply stood up from the piano stool indicated for me to sit down on it and pronounced in a very calm manner

“I can help you.”

He performed Reiki on me without a word, I had never heard of it, I had no idea what the hell was going on...but, felt that my body was full of heat and strange sensations, so I realised something was happening. The experience was so bizarre that I was genuinely freaked out at that stage and slightly scared. Following the treatment, he explained in detail what Reiki was and how it works and this only made me more fearful as I have always been passionate about science and found this form of treatment fanciful at best. He noticed my reticence during his explanation and assured me that it wasn’t necessary for me to believe in Reiki, it would work anyway.  


Long story slightly shorter, within three days I was off the strong pain meds, within a week I could walk comfortably and get out of bed in one go without having to slowly mobilise my back in a painful exercise that I had grown accustomed to. Within two weeks I felt human again, I was riding my parent’s horses and looking for a way to exercise that would fit around my children. This leads to the second serendipitous event in my story; feeling reinvigorated I had foolishly agreed that my two elder children could learn to play the violin, and in my new improved mental state I foolishly believed their wittering that they would probably be the next Nigel Kennedy. So, I set off to buy the sheet music and stands, prepared for mellifluous excerpts to be filling the house (needless to say they mainly used the bows as lightsabers, played the violins like rock guitarists, and my son pretended he had a Tommy gun in his violin case). A new shop had opened up next to the music shop; being a proficient shopper it would have been rude to ignore it, and twenty minutes later I left with three Vinyasa DVDs, a block, and a yoga mat. 

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I have practiced yoga relatively consistently ever since but really focused more the last four years, learning about meditation, pranayama, and different styles of yoga including Kundalini. I have completed a 200 hr instructors vinyasa course to learn more about the roots of yoga and have been teaching privately 1:1 for almost two years. 

My Reiki journey took a little longer. I have consistently had treatments but only took the plunge this year to become a therapist myself and I can honestly say it is one of the greatest gifts the universe has bestowed upon me… even better than the violins.


The Wim Hof method came to my attention almost two years ago. I watched a documentary about him where he was pitched as the iceman and essentially a freak of nature. But I was intrigued and so I researched him, watched every YouTube video, read every article I could find, two books based on him, and the scientific research that he was taking part in. I started practicing the method daily as the science showed anyone could achieve what he has relatively easily and the effects are outstanding. For example, I was plagued every spring to summer with hay fever so severe I required daily eye drops, antihistamine, and asthma inhalers from April through to August. I started practicing on the 16th December 2018, daily cold showers and 3-4 rounds of breathing, and spring came and went and summer followed and I didn’t so much as sneeze. Not to mention that at this stage I had 6 children, all of whom had continual snotty noses and the inevitable bugs, and I didn't and still don’t catch them, or if I do it's never more than a runny nose whilst everyone else has days in bed. Wim, like myself, is a great advocate of yoga, so the method complements any yoga practice.

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