What is Reiki?

Reiki is a gentle yet powerful hands-on healing technique that uses the universal life force energy around us to heal.  It is a great technique for stress reduction and relaxation, chronic pain, depression and anxiety.
It is very gentle and also very powerful. Reiki works on three levels of healing, the body, the mind/emotions and the spirit. It allows everyone to tap into an unlimited "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life.

Reiki comes from Japan and has been around for a long time. 
It is gaining more and more mainstream acceptance. It is very popular in hospitals and many nurses and doctors learn Reiki. Many hospitals have Reiki teams working just to provide Reiki to the patients and there have been clinical studies proving that Reiki is an effective pain management tool and is great in improving healing pre and post surgery.

Reiki can be done either on or off the body.  That means that your Reiki Practitioner can do an entire session without actually touching you, by working exclusively in your energy field.  This is great for people who have too much pain for massage or where massage is contraindicated, like with cancer patients
Reiki feels great and most people who try it come back for more!  It’s very relaxing and many people get sleepy when receiving a Reiki treatment.

Some people feel heat or tingling when receiving Reiki. Some people don’t feel anything in particular. This depends on your ability to feel energy, (some people can and some people can’t!)   Reiki is working even if you can’t feel anything.

Reiki is generally done on a massage table or sitting on a chair. It is done fully clothed, so you don’t have to get undressed.
 

One way that Reiki works is by invoking the body’s own healing capabilities by bringing about a state of deep relaxation.  It’s quite simple. When we relax, our body starts to heal quite of it’s own accord.  Reiki also brings, “ki” or life force energy to places where there is a block or a restriction. (Like an injury or a place where someone is holding a repressed emotion.) Increased life force energy also means increased blood flow (which increases oxygenation, brings nutrients to the cells and takes away waste products…). 

 Because Reiki also works on emotional levels, many people will have an “emotional release” in a Reiki session. This means crying, laughing or feeling angry. Expressing our feelings is healthy!  And not something we always allow ourselves to do.

 

 

Reiki is not a religion and requires no spiritual beliefs.  Reiki is a kind of healing, like massage or acupuncture and so fits in with any religious beliefs or faith traditions that you already have. 

 

What does Reiki mean?

"Rei" is Japanese for spirit. "Ki" means life force energy. Reiki is generally interpreted to mean universal life force energy.  

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through you and surrounds you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit and creates many beneficial effects including relaxation and feelings of peace, security, and well-being. Many have reported miraculous results. Reiki is a simple, natural, and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use.

Sometimes people become very relaxed, other times there can be an emotional or physical release. Most sessions last about an hour.

What can Reiki do?

Reiki can heal on many levels.  It works on the physical, mental/emotional and spiritual levels.

REIKI IS GOOD FOR:

·         Stress Relief

·         Pain Relief

·         Relaxation

·         Pre and Post Surgery

·         Depression and Anxiety

 

Who can learn Reiki?

The best thing about Reiki is that anyone can learn it in a few hours. You need no prior experience nor do you have to have any special talents as a healer. The ability to use Reiki is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master through an empowerment within an attunement process or ceremony. It is like a re-awakening of a talent that is lying dormant within you. The attunement process opens the heart, crown and palm chakras and creates a special link between the student and the universal Reiki source. The Reiki Master then explains and demonstrates its use.

After that, the student simply places his or her hands on someone with the intention of healing and the Reiki energies will automatically flow through the student into the recipient. The Reiki attunement is actually a powerful healing experience in itself.

Where did Reiki come from?

A Japanese monk, Mikao Usui, rediscovered Reiki around 1922. Some say what motivated his search was a desire to learn how famous healers like Buddha and Jesus healed the sick without depleting their own inner energy. Others believe that he had a spiritual experience or vision in which the meaning of life was revealed to him. He then spent the rest of his life studying throughout the world to perfect his understanding of these ancient healing principles.

During his life he studied old religions and many ancient teachings, including those related to healing, like Ki-Kou, the Japanese version of Qigong (Chi Kung). Finally, in desperation, he experienced Reiki while fasting on the Holy Mountain of Kurama, just outside of Kyoto, Japan. According to Reiki history, he was actually hit by some form of energy, had a vision and awoke feeling wonderful, with the bonus of an amazing healing ability and the knowledge of Reiki in his mind and heart.

Dr. Usui tested this newfound energy on his family and friends and realized how powerful it was. He then brought Reiki out to the Japanese public, traveling to Tokyo and healing and teaching others there. He also found he could easily transfer the ability to access and use this energy to anyone.

Some people say that Dr. Usui rediscovered an ancient art of healing, the same method that Jesus and the Buddha used to heal. That could well be so, since that is what he set out to do! I believe that Reiki healing is the birthright of all humans. That it is a potential everyone has in them, only waiting to be awakened and activated by the Reiki attunement.

What are the three levels of Reiki?

Level I is an introduction to the practice of Reiki and teaches you the basics of what Reiki is and how you can use it on yourself, your friends, family and even pets. The focus of level I is healing the physical body. Once you are attuned to level I, you have Reiki in your hands all the time, so everything you touch gets Reiki without your even thinking about it. When you focus on giving Reiki, however, it becomes more powerful.

Level II focuses on emotional and mental healing. With level II you learn some of the Reiki symbols and how to do long distance healing. After level II you are welcome to practice Reiki on your own clients and charge for your services.

Level III is sometimes called “Mastership.” This level works the karmic and spiritual bodies. You will learn the master symbols, receive the master level attunement and learn how to teach Reiki and pass attunements to others.

What is an attunement?

The attunement is the process by which the teacher “passes” the ability to do Reiki to the student.  It is very simple and is done through the breath and by implanting the Reiki Symbols into the student’s energy field.  It takes about two minutes and feels good and is a very healing experience in itself.  You can only receive an attunement from someone who is a Reiki master.

Can I be doing Reiki even though I have never been attuned?

Although some people spontaneously learn to use healing energy, it isn’t Reiki unless you get an attunement. You want to be careful about healings where you pass your own energy to someone else. This can drain the healer and may not be the best thing for the person receiving the energy. There is usually a “backwash” effect and the healer can pick up the recipient’s energy too.

 

Reiki insulates you from this since it is not your own energy you are transferring. Reiki practitioners “step back” their personal energy from the healing and let the Reiki energy flow through them. Since Reiki energy is inexhaustible, the healer doesn't feel drained at the end of the session. To the contrary, the healer is also getting Reiki while doing a healing. Therefore, the Reiki healer will usually feel more energized, relaxed and full of well-being after doing a session.

 

Is Reiki a religion?

No. Reiki is compatible with whatever religious or spiritual beliefs you already have. Reiki is a healing technique, not a religion any more than massage or acupuncture are.

The Ethical Principles of Reiki - Dr. Mikao Usui

Just for today do not worry.
Just for today do not anger.
Honor your parents, teachers and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to everything.

What to expect when you come to get Reiki healing?

Loose comfortable clothing is recommended, but not necessary. The treatment is done on a massage table or chair.

This hour is dedicated to you. That means you are in a safe place and if you get emotional you can show it.  You may talk about things that bother you or remain silent and turn within. You can expect deep relaxation during the session and may feel sleepy. It is OK to take a little nap, Reiki will work either way. You should feel very relaxed after the treatment. Reiki will continue to work for some time after the session.  It is recommended to drink a lot of water during the day in order to eliminate toxins released during the healing.