For Master Oh, happiness is a light within us all.
The London-based energy healer and spiritual teacher was plagued by a childhood illness that he assumed would last forever. When he finally began to heal, he found himself drawn to learning more about energy healing and the power of Qi.
Ultimately, he made helping others his life’s work, opening first his Sydney, then his London Qi Centres. Now, 25 years later, he has dedicated countless hours to healing people physically, emotionally and spiritually by dispelling negative energy from their bodies and even spaces. He has traveled around the world, tending to the forgotten and sick.
Here, Master Oh explains why a healthy mind is so deeply connected to a healthy body:
Live The Process: What did your childhood experiences teach you about illness?
Master Oh: When I was young, I was very weak and ill. That state of being made me think two things: The first was that I should accept that illness was part of my life because I wasn’t given any other option. In a way, I thought it was normal. The other thing I experienced was a deep feeling of insecurity about my future because I used to collapse almost every single day at school. When I got better, I understood the importance of health, but, at the time, I didn’t know any different. I just thought about how to survive.
As you got older, did you become interested in healing?
MO: I really wanted to understand the purpose and meaning of life: who I am, what I am. I knew that if I worked that out, it would allow me to change and heal my life. I found out about Qi when I was 22 years old. Nobody talked about this method, but, one day, when I was walking down a street in Pusan (South Korea), I saw a poster advertising a talk about energy. I was too busy to go myself, so I asked my friend to attend the lecture for me. It sounded really interesting. They described the connection between our health and energy, as well as the influence of family patterns on our energy system. I wanted to learn more, so I went to the Qi Centre and felt the energy there was so clear. I felt real peace and, at the same time, warmth, which helped me to decide on doing my practice.
How does energy healing work? What is Qi?
MO: As human beings, we exist as light, love and energy. When our light is coming out, we feel bright and our heart is open. When our heart and our energy system are open, we have the ability and wisdom to take care of our minds, thoughts and emotions. Our energy can circulate throughout the whole network of energy channels, which support our physical bodies. This energy system is very much connected to our mind.
Energy healing works by opening up the energy channels, which helps us to be free from pain and suffering. It also improves the circulation of blood around the body, which, in turn, supports all the bodily functions.
You could say that energy healing works by giving us the light, love and energy that we need for our health and happiness.
Qi is the universal energy which supports and creates life. It has a very beautiful vibration. You can call it vital energy or life-force energy.
What are some surprising places in the body where negative energy might linger?
MO: When we don’t know how to support our energy circulation, we create energy blockages. Energy blockages hold the memory from our negative experiences as well as toxins we aren’t able to eliminate. Energy blockages can form anywhere in the body, especially in the areas where our system is weak. They disrupt the healthy flow of Qi and are responsible for pain and other physical, mental and emotional symptoms.
What do you do at your London clinic and in your work abroad?
MO: I opened the London Qi Centre in 2001, where we offer Qi Treatments, consultations, classes (similar to Qi Gong), as well as a unique method to heal the energy patterns passed down from previous generations. I’ve visited South Africa and India many times to treat people with HIV or cancer, boys in detention centers, elderly people with severe conditions, The Indian Association for the Blind, as well as a home for street children. I went to the detention center in South Africa more than five times and, each time, treated more than 300 people.
One time, the manager came to pick me up from the airport with all the boys. This is usually not allowed, but the children wanted to come to the airport to say “hello” because they felt real benefits from the treatments. It helped them feel lighter and happier and be free from the accumulation of tension and pain, which had made them feel closed and disconnected. After the treatments, the boys all looked so different: They were able to smile and communicate with each other and the staff better. My vision is to create local centers to help these people on a more permanent basis, but I still have a long way to go before I can make this happen.
Do you have any advice for people in search of good energy healers or energetic self-care rituals?
MO: It is natural to receive energy. When we have energy, we can do more; we can feel more peaceful. So, if you have the opportunity, just try. The level of a healer depends on their cultivation, their mindset and intention. You have to use your sense. What we want to receive is the purest energy from the Universe. How this energy is transmitted depends on how the person uses his or her mind. The mind decides the character.
On a physical level, we should eat good food, sleep well and do reasonable exercise. On an emotional level, practice understanding, consideration and care for people. If you manage that, you are happy. Spiritually, find moments of stillness; try to stay with the clear, bright, beautiful light inside. This is our original vibration. As long as we do that, anything else we want to do, doesn’t matter. We are happy.
What does happiness look like to you?
MO: Happiness is having the mind and ability to contain and embrace pain, suffering, sadness, anything that we find unpleasant, so that it doesn’t affect us and make ourselves closed. True happiness is appreciating being alive. We don’t feel that way because we think we need things outside of ourselves to be happy. We think about what we need and want and what we don’t have, but happiness already exists inside us. We have a sacred right to be happy and healthy because we are alive.
What does it mean to you “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?
MO: Whatever process is happening inside, we have to listen. If anything is uncomfortable, it means we have to do something extra for ourselves. When we feel comfortable and things are going well, then we have to share.
When you live in the present moment, you are living with your existence. You can only connect to your essence in the present moment, not in the past or the future. If you are staying with your essence, with your true self, you have the ability to contain and digest the past and from there you can make a bright plan for your future.