After break, Scholl back home again

ASHEBORO — Annie Scholl is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but her home is Asheboro.

“Sometimes you have to leave home to know where home is,” she said from the second floor of Brightside Gallery, where she has her Heart 2 Heart Reiki studio.

Reiki is something Scholl knew nothing about, even after spending an hour and a half interviewing a Reiki master. At the time, Scholl was a reporter for The Cedar Rapids Gazette. 

“Then I did a session with her and my knees didn’t hurt for three weeks,” Scholl said. “I went back and now I believe really strongly in Reiki.”

So what is Reiki?

According to Scholl’s Heart 2 Heart Reiki brochure, “Reiki is a Japanese technique for relaxation and stress relief that comes from the Japanese words ‘Rei’ (meaning ‘universal life’) and ‘Ki’ (meaning ‘energy’). This life-force energy flows through all living things. When your energy is strong and flowing freely, you likely feel wonderful. 

However, when your energy is low or blocked, you likely feel unwell. Reiki can help restore your physical and emotional well-being.”

The proof was in the pudding for Scholl. She said, “After that session in late 1997, I regularly received Reiki sessions. In 2009, nearly a decade after leaving daily newspaper reporting, I began taking classes to become a Reiki master.

“I still remember feeling someone else’s energy during my first Reiki class. It was an unbelievable experience,” she said.

“People come in at their wits end,” Scholl said. “They don’t know what to do. My goal is for them to feel better and to be the conduit for universal beautiful energy. I take dictation from their higher self, their team on the other side, and share that with them.

“We’re so much more than skin suits walking around,” she said. “Every session reinforces that. They’re tapping into their higher wisdom. It confirms what they already know. Call it universal wisdom, intuition or inner guidance.

“This ability is not unique to me,” Scholl said. “I have just embraced it.

“I love being in Asheboro, bringing Reiki. It’s not well-known here. I have nearly 100 clients and only about half a dozen knew about it. It’s like people are opening up and are more open-minded.

“Love is what’s important. Reiki is a form of love, helping people to feel better.”

Scholl’s other love is writing. While her father was an eye doctor and her mother was into crafts, she came from a family of business owners and writers. In fact, her uncle, John Scholl, wrote a book in 1963 titled “Changing of the Guard,” which was nominated for a Pulitzer.

“His columns sparked something in me to be a writer,” she said. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a journalism degree, she spent “a wonderful career” writing for periodicals. “That prepared me for everything,” Scholl said. “Most of my career was writing personality profiles for The Cedar Rapids Gazette.

“I was always curious about people, what made them tick, how they got through adversity.”

After 16 years, Scholl moved into the marketing field. Now she does marketing for colleges and universities, with Reiki on the sideline. Her goal, however, is to eventually retire and invest more time in Reiki.

Scholl is a certified Tibetan/Usui Reiki master teacher and a Usui/HolyFire® III Reiki master teacher. She moved to Randolph County in 2013 but didn’t begin offering Reiki sessions until 2019.

That’s when she discovered Brightside Gallery/Carriage House Tea, Asheboro businesses operated by Mary Murkin at the corner of Worth and Cox streets.

“The minute I walked in and met Mary, I knew I was to practice Reiki there,” Scholl said. “Fortunately, Mary agreed. She’s my biggest cheerleader, encourager and advocate. She literally tells everyone about me.”

Scholl moved to Ohio in October of 2023 but returned 10 months later, having realized where her home truly is.

“Mary literally texted on the same day I was thinking about my little room and wishing I could be back in it,” Scholl said. “I love that space — and Mary. We’re a great team.”

So how does Reiki work? Reiki (pronounced RAY-KEY) is based on the idea that an unseen life-force energy flows through all living things. During an in-person session, Scholl places her hands on or above the recipient to help guide the life-force energy to balance their energetic centers, known as chakras.

“Think about a garden hose,” Scholl said. “If the hose is kinked, water can’t flow freely. If our chakras are blocked, our energy can feel low and we may feel unwell. When our energy flows freely, we feel good. Reiki can help restore our physical and emotional well-being. My desire is to help people feel better.

“We all have access to our higher self, that part of us that inspires, guides and teaches us,” she said. “We often call it that ‘small voice.’ It’s that part of us that knows what is ours to do — or not do. But sometimes we ignore it. We don’t want to hear it — or we’re blocked and can’t hear it. I always say, ‘Take what resonates and let go of the rest.’ My hope is that the messages help guide their healing and that they feel better after their sessions.”

If Heart 2 Heart’s 5-star rating on Google is any indication, people are finding value in receiving Reiki from Scholl.

To learn more about Heart 2 Heart Reiki or to book a session, visit www.heart2heartreiki.com.