reiki energy healing
My Reiki Journey
I trained or was attuned to Reki level one in 1992. I wanted to train in shiatsu massage but in the pre internet times everywhere I searched led me to reiki. So I gave in and on the first day of reiki training, another student gave me the number for a shiatsu school! ...not all paths are direct!! Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive form of energy healing which on a basic level promotes relaxation, stress reduction, and overall well-being. On a deeper level I have had clients who have lucid dreams during a treatment, have felt the energy healing broken bones and others have had out of body experiences.
Recently more and more clients are asking for Reiki, even though its scientific basis is debated. When apps like Headspace and Calm are on most people’s phones and meditation and retreats are in our everyday parlance, maybe the once esoteric is the new normal.
So what is it?
Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in 1922. Usui practised and taught Reiki to many students, who then helped spread it globally. The word "Reiki" comes from two Japanese words: "Rei," meaning universal, and "Ki," meaning life energy. Together, they signify "universal life energy."
Reiki is based on the belief that life force energy flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. Just like prana in yoga and chi in chinese medicine. If one's life force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress. If it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. The practice aims to balance the energy within the body to promote healing and wellbeing. This is usually done by balancing the chakras - the wheels of energy situated from the base of the sit bones to the crown of the head.
Clients generally feel heat, sometimes see colours behind their closed eyes and often feel surges of energy flowing from my hands to various parts of their body.
Reiki training typically involves various levels. Level one focuses on self-healing, basic techniques and healing friends and family. The second level introduces symbols and distance healing. The third, or Master level, includes advanced techniques and the ability to teach and attune others.
In a nutshell - Reiki level one is for physical healing, level 2 is for mental or spiritual healing.
Attunement is a crucial part of Reiki training, where the teacher transfers energy to the student, opening their energy channels and enabling them to perform Reiki. I practised for 30 years before training to be a Master and then a teacher. In some schools it can all be done over 3 days - novice to master in 3 days!
What do I think?
Even though reiki, as it is now known, only “originated” in Japan in the early 20th Century. This type of healing has been around since humans needed to be healed. Just as I teach manifesting through visualisation and people feel better when they are listened to and held and hugged I believe that reiki healing energy in the hands of the pure intentioned, the positive and the compassionate is a force of great power.
Even if all it does is promote a sense of peace and wellbeing, this in itself is an elusive and much sought after state of mind in these hectic times.