The Wonder of Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese word for describing Universal life force energy. Reiki is also known as Chi and Prana. This is the same energy which makes the plants grow, the tides flow, and the wind blow. In fact it is everywhere and in everything in the Universe.
Many stories abound about its re-discovery have been handed down orally through the ages, and as with any good story various changes creep in depending on the ear that hears it! The common accepted facts are that it was rediscovered by Dr Mikao Usui towards the end of the 19th century, during a deep state of meditation. During this meditation he was able to see various symbols and instinctively understood ways to harness this universal energy to heal ones own body. After his life-transforming experience and discovery of universal healing energy he put his new found skills to good use during the violent earthquake in Japan (1923) and reportedly helped many people back to health.
Initially Dr Usui simply healed people in individual sessions through the amazing power of reiki but eventually it was taught to students. This has resulted in Reiki being widely available in every part of the world today. However, it is imperative that you pick a qualified and adept teacher if you wish to learn or receive Reiki.
Reiki works on 4 levels to support holistic healing in the individual:
Physical – It alleviates pain, detoxifies the body, improves symptoms and accelerates the body’s natural healing power. After learning Reiki many students start to move into a more harmonious and balanced lifestyle. The body’s natural communication mechanism starts to work again and one is more able to simply “know” what is good and what to avoid. On a personal note I stopped drinking coffee immediately after learning Reiki and have not drunk coffee since.
Mental – Reiki affects our deepest thoughts and conditioned ways of thinking, and leads to an open mind. Negative traits and patterns are reduced and a feeling of inner calm results.
Emotional – Reiki flows deep into the subconscious mind and allows one to see the thought patterns that hold us back. Jealousy, anger, fear and other negative emotions start to be replaced by an unconditional love and understanding of life and its differences.
Spiritual – After Reiki many students become much more loving, compassionate, non judgmental and begin to understand that they are not separate in this universe, but part of a larger whole.
When we are in harmony with our thoughts and emotions, the body is also in harmony and we are at ease. All Dis-Ease is simply a moving away from this state of ease.
When this lack-of-ease happens the life force energy is disrupted and does not flow smoothly, thus leading to physical symptoms in the body.
How to learn Reiki – Reiki is easy to use and you do not need any special equipment, just a pair of hands on your body! You can do it for yourself or others and it allows you to re-balance yourself on all 4 levels and to come back into a state of harmony.
Reiki is given by gently laying your hands on the clothed body of a person. Within seconds, the energy can be felt. The effects vary depending on the individual but may include a feeling of intense heat, tingling, swirling, coldness and even emotional outbursts.
Certain hand positions are taught corresponding to the physical organs and emotional states. For example the liver area associates with anger (its interesting that we use the word livid to describe anger), the lungs with sadness, and the kidneys with fear or prejudice.
The chakras (energy centers of the body) are also balanced, as is the front and back torso, arms, legs and the head area.
When you are giving or receiving Reiki, the brain moves into alpha state, a state of deep relaxation. Both the giver and receiver connect with the energy and both benefit from the session. Reiki shows you the messages from your body and you start to see a new framework for language and ingrained behavior patterns.
Reiki truly is an amazing healing therapy and you sense the healing touch as soon as the Reiki hands are placed on the body.
Many believe that Reiki has its own intelligence and actually goes to the site of the problem in the body, regardless of where the hands are placed. I have seen numerous examples of this, one such example was when my hands were placed on the stomach area, and one of the legs of the client, where the problem exists, started to twitch.
Dr Usui realized through his experience that receiving the healing energy alone is not enough to make a person whole and complete. The physical symptom is merely the fruit of the tree and so to bring about lasting change one needs to look at the roots of the problem. These are usually deep conditioned, subconscious, emotional issues.
He adopted the Meiji Emperor’s principles for living life and incorporated them into Reiki therapy. There are 5 principles in total and all start with the words – ‘Just for Today’.
This was done because Dr Usui realized if you can do something for just one day and then repeat it each day, you are more likely to succeed than if he said you had to change at once for your whole life.
Reiki in effect has 2 legs – the physical side of Reiki, with the laying on of hands, and the 5 principles which are about how you live life.
The next article will go into detail about the principles of living life, and offer hints and tips on how you can incorporate this wisdom into daily living.
SoulCentre is dedicated to transforming the lives of children, individuals and corporations worldwide, using the depth of Reiki, Meditation, Feng Shui and BaZi teaching.
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