Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well-being.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an “attunement” given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy” to improve one’s health and enhance the quality of life.
Its use is not dependent on one’s intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.
While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.
During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Mikao Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five principles of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Mikao Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.
The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind
the founder, Usui Mikao, International Reiki Association
What Happens During a Reiki Session?
A session can take place in a very formal setting [a recipient resting fully clothed on a massage table] but when at home or in a hospital, the person can be sitting in a chair, resting in a recliner, or laying on a couch or bed. The recipient remains in complete control during the session and they are encouraged to inform the practitioner of any need they have during the treatment and can terminate the session at any time. Most often Reiki sessions are offered in silence with soft background music playing. The practitioner lightly places their hands on or above the person’s body, depending on the person’s comfort, and gently and quietly moves their hands to different positions during the session. The length of the treatment will vary according to the person’s need and comfort. During the session, the recipient may feel warmth, tingling or coolness. Each person has his or her own experience during and after the treatment. Some common experiences are a feeling of calm, relaxation and peacefulness, a decrease in physical pain or discomfort or an alleviation of unpleasant side effects from medications and procedures.
A) HEAD – Hands are place resting lightly above the eyes, palms facing down and also under the back of the head to treat both the third eye and the head chakra
B) UPPER SHOULDERS – hands are placed on top of shoulders under the neck. Relieves tension and neck and shoulder aches. Treats the fifth throat chakra.
C) SHOULDER BLADES – hands rest horizontally on shoulder blades. Treats the back, the heart fourth chakra and the lungs.
D) WAIST – hands are placed horizontally on waist area on the back. Treats the solar plexus third chakra as well as the kidneys and adrenal glands.
E) LOWER BACK – hands rest horizontally on the hollow of the lower back above the buttocks. Relieves tension in lower back and treats the sacral second chakra.
F) KNEES – a hand is placed on each knee, either in front or back. Or, cup one hand underneath with the other hand on top of each knee. Relieves pain in the knees.
G) ANKLES – can be done from the front or back. Hold both ankles. Or, cup one hand underneath with the other hand on top of each ankle. Helps balance energy in the legs and relieves pain in the ankles.
H) FEET – can be done from the front or back. Hold both feet. Or, cup one hand underneath with the other hand on top of each foot. Helps ground and balance energy in the body. Many people like to receive Reiki in their feet.
