Stress Relief for Teachers a Matter of Survival
By Jim Vail
Second City Teachers spoke with Aga Furtak, a beautiful photographer who has many teacher friends. When I explained to her how stressful teaching in the city Chicago is, she told me her second line of work is helping people to relieve that stress and learn to live each day the way we should.
 |
| Aga Furtak, energy therapist and photographer |
Second City Teacher: Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? How long have you lived in Chicago?
Aga Furtak: Hello Everyone, my name is Aga Furtak. I was born and raised in Poland, however since the late 2000 I have been residing in Chicago, Illinois.
Currently I work as an energy therapist at a Universal Health Institute, a holistic clinic where the approach to healing doesn't just have to do with the mechanics of repairing one problem. It has to do with transforming a human life from one stage to another.
Second City Teacher: What is your philosophy about life? How should American people approach living every day?
Aga Furtak: I follow the Path of Least Resistance. The path of least resistance does not suggest that you take NO action, but that you take PERFECT action. For example, the biggest thing we can observe applying the path of least resistance is nature. Everything in nature has a sole purpose, and 100% of the time, without fail, each thing in nature sticks to their purpose and therefore takes perfect action.
A tree grows towards the sun, takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen… always. A bee pollinates flowers, or makes honey…. always. You wouldn’t see a tree struggling to swim like a fish or a bear struggling to be like a cloud. Each thing knows its purpose and place in the grand scheme of things, so no effort is put forth into being something that doesn’t come naturally.
Second City Teacher: What are the biggest problems people face? Is it too stressful living here?
Aga Furtak: People all over the world, not just in the United States create problems for themselves when they sit in resistance of a situation, they believe in their heads that things should go a certain way and when they don’t go that way they are frustrated. Or when a situation has repeatedly shown them that things are not working out, they may continually try to force what they believe to be the way things should go on people, places or things only to be disappointed over and over. The greatest thing about the flow of our lives is that it is always trying to push us forward. We create dams and blockages for ourselves by our limited belief systems.
Second City Teacher: Can you explain what an energy therapist is?
Aga Furtak: Energy therapy is all about working with an electro-magnetic field around the body. This field stores our emotional & mental information. It affects the the mind and body by creating blockages, filters. In my work as an energy therapist I use a synthesis of Eastern healing traditions and modalities. I utilize Energy Healing techniques which are based on the principle that the body's innate ability to heal itself is accelerated by increasing Prana (also referred to as Chi, vital energy or life-force) to the affected part of the body. It is a light hands touch, no-drug therapy.
The name Prajnic Healing originates from the word Prajña (Sanskrit) or pañña (Pali). Prajña has been translated as "Wisdom", "Understanding", "Discernment", "Cognitive Acuity", or "Know-How". In Buddhism, it especially refers to the wisdom that is based on the direct realization of the Four Noble Truths: impermanence, interdependent origination, non-self, emptiness. Prajña is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions and bring about Enlightenment.
 |
| Crack artwork photography by Aga Furtak |
Second City Teacher: How could you help teachers in the city? We live very stressful lives with crazy evaluations, political pressures to close schools and positions, teacher bashing in mainstream media. What do we need to do?
Aga Furtak: There are always going to be things in life we cannot change. We can’t change who is in our family, the political situation, we can’t change the past, we can’t change the way another person behaves (our employers, etc.). When we learn to see the difference between which things in our life we can change vs. which things in our life are unchangeable, we learn the power of acceptance. Also, we empower ourselves to change things in our life that make us unhappy, and accept the situations that we can do nothing about. When we accept things we cannot change, we allow ourselves inner peace because we are not living in the how we think things “should be”, and instead are living in the how things are.
Second City Teacher: So can you explain how your healing powers work? How do you approach the body and mind to help people?
Aga Furtak: More than just balancing the physical body, Prajnic Healing is a holistic modality that addresses the root causes of physical and emotional suffering. In my practice I facilitate a deep understanding of the mind - body connection, empowering one to affect profound change for overall wellness and balance. Disempowering thought patterns emerge. Self-awareness expands with new possibilities as one gains a revitalized sense of strength and potential. My practice is about realizing one's true nature and transcending self-created identities and limiting beliefs. One uncovers a peace and insight that are always accessible.
Second City Teacher: What are the root causes of physical and emotional suffering?
Aga Furtak: Matter and mind are impersonal, unsatisfactory and impermanent. With dedicated effort, anyone can purify their mind and eliminate all types of attachment. By reducing attachment a person is able to dilute delusion and desire. Buddha said that ignorance and desire are the root causes of suffering.
Second City Teacher: How can a teacher or anyone get in touch with you? How do your sessions work?
Aga Furtak: I can be reached thru my Yelp account, where patients/clients post heir reviews: http://www.yelp.com/
or at 773-817-2132 to schedule an energy therapy session. The treatment lasts about an hour and 15 minutes and a suggested donation is $80.
Second City Teacher: Is there anything we didn't cover and you would like to tell our readers?
Aga Furtak: Every lesson in life is about Self -Love. It is critical to give oneself unconditional Love.
Namaste.
Aga
No comments:
Post a Comment