Reiki Healing Energy

Reiki  means “life force or spiritual energy”. It is a Japanese practice for relaxation and healing that was developed about a century ago, by Mikao Usui. The power of Reiki was bestowed upon him as a spiritual seeker and he created a practice of utilizing the energy for healing. Usui has offered the tools to access healing energy for the highest and greatest good of the recipients. It is a simple practice that requires the participant to be open to the experience and take in this “magic”. The Reiki practitioner, as a conduit of energy, uses gentle touch or no touch in varied positions on the body, to generate the energy and begin the process of relaxation and healing. Reiki can be directed but also has the ability to go to the area that requires the healing at that moment. Reiki energy is powerful but benign, gentle. It cannot harm. Reiki promotes the natural processes of life.

 Reiki can be administered in person or remotely. Both are effective. Reiki has many levels of training and is easy to learn. I have been trained as a Usui Master and a Rainbow Reiki practitioner. Rainbow Reiki was devised by Walter Lübeck, a German healer, who based his extensive system on the Usui method. Reiki sessions can be brief to gain an experience, or over an hour for more extensive healing. Rainbow Reiki is able to provide effective treatment in a shorter period, approximately 30 minutes. As Mr. Lübeck has, William Rand, and other Reiki Masters have expounded upon Usui’s work and added powerful additions to Usui Reiki practice.

Reiki continues to grow in popularity, and practitioners are everywhere! Since reiki is not religious, it can be a utilized by anyone regardless of spiritual belief or interest. You can accept Reiki lying down or seated in a chair. The recipient decides based on their level of comfort including accepting touch or no touch treatment - treating the aura is powerful as well! All the recipient has to do is relax and take in the wonder of the energy.

Mikao  Usui imparted 5 Reiki principles which I like to refer to as the Reiki Prayer. It begins with “Just for today” and can be seen as a roadmap for daily life, keeping the focus on maintaining simple strategies for a happy,  grounded existence.

The 5 Reiki Principles 

Just For Today....

 -I will not anger,

 I will not worry, 

I will be grateful, 

I will work with diligence, 

I will be kind to myself and all beings.

Here is why the Principles are vital each day from my perspective. Living in the moment is life in the mindful world. We are powerless over the past and cannot predict the future. This is surely a difficult pursuit but one so many of us seek to achieve. Just look at the explosion of the mindfulness movement, based on Buddhist teachings, which have existed for centuries. Find joy in the moment that exists and make it meaningful for ourselves and others. This may be all we have.

Eschewing anger and worry provides more energy for helpful pursuits, creating ways to be grounded and happy. The thoughts and the emotions we express are powerful. Just as positive affirmations set about to rewire our thinking toward health, focus on the negative such as worry and anger can also have a profound effect in the opposite direction. One that is detrimental  for body and mind. We cannot always avoid these feelings but we can challenge ourselves to move on and choose to dwell in more productive pursuits.

 Gratitude raises us out of self pity and reminds us of the larger world. It is often easy to settle into the downs of life, things that don’t go right, the wanting, comparing and wishing for what is beyond the moment. Gratefulness, for even the smallest things, keeps life in perspective. Everything we do effects what occurs in our lives. Karma is cause and effect. What we send out will create a response. Offer out compassion and it can be returned  and reverberate throughout your own sphere and the greater world beyond. Work purposefully, mindfully, give your attention and love to all you do. It keeps “work” and relationships rewarding. Why else are we here?

Working with diligence and focus seems born out of mindful existence, approaching all pursuits with pure intent and thoughtfulness.  Maintaining devotion to each endeavor keeps us grounded to the task, honest in our approach. For the Reiki practitioner, it offers safety to the receiver. They know their concerns are being addressed with integrity and focus. In life, our mind wanders, we procrastinate and become distracted. This is of course natural and common. Remaining focused on a task, a conversation, a relationship, takes energy! How often I get angry with myself for not completing something because I become distracted. Pushing through the clutter, back to the purpose and goal, is mindful work And the end result is much more fulfilling and less exhausting! Practicing diligence is a gift to ourselves first and gets passed into others.

 This leads directly to offering kindness to all beings. Walter Lubeck reinforces that this applies first to oneself! Practice love and kindness within ourselves and then it will emanate to others. Why are we so averse to taking care of ourselves? A friend once offered a realization about how we mismanage self-compassion. If a loved one made an error in life, we would often forgive them and move on. How easy is it to berate and abuse ourselves when we err? Look at life through a compassionate lens, approaching others and the self with understanding.

 This circles us right back to the first 2 principles of anger and worry. Focusing our energies on positive pursuits and living a centered balanced life. The 5 Principles suggest taking care of ourselves by caring for others. Simple yet potent.

 Reiki is a profound experience. Please consider exploring it as a means of generating relaxation, stress reduction, and healing for the mind and the body. You will be grateful!

 Here is a video overview of Reiki from the You Tube Channel “The Mindful Minute”