What is Reiki Therapy?

Reiki therapy involves a lot of elements in just about every alternative healing practice. This is because it uses spiritual healing, meditation, aromatherapy, naturopathy and homeopathy among others to make the person or another feel better.

But what makes this Japanese healing art so unique and popular is that it involves the transfer of energy in order to restore balance in the force.

Reiki therapy has several basic effects. These include deep relaxation, detoxification of the system, the increases the vibration or frequency of the body, provide new vitality in the form of healing energy and removal of negative energy.

In Reiki therapy, the practitioner places his or her hands over the patient. The recipient should be lying down so he or she is completely at ease and ready to welcome the positive energy.

Reiki therapy begins from the head and then works all the way down to the feet.  Ideally, this should be placed 2 to 4 inches away from the body of the patient. The hands must be cupped with the fingers closely bonded together and the thumbs pulled upward against the hand so the positive energy that you possess is directed to the one who needs it.

For this to work, both the healer and the person being healed need to take an active part in the healing process. One sends forth the energy while the other should openly receive it.

The strength of Reiki therapy depends on the level of the healer. There are three types and this improves through attunements.

Reiki healers in the fist level are only taught the basic hand positions and the scared symbol so they can perform direct healing over others. In level two, they can now teach the symbols and hand position so they can practice distance healing. In level three, the person should be able to know everything and thus earn the title of master and can already teach this to others.

Are there risks in Reiki therapy? The answer is no. The only thing the patient can do is block the positive energy that is being given but this does not cause him or her harm in any way.

Another thing people should remember is that Reiki therapy works in conjunction with western medicine and other practices.  It is simply designed to help the person heal especially for those who need to undergo surgery.

Reiki therapy is not successful after only on session. This has to be done several times until the patient is completely healed and this can only happen the body becomes in tune with itself. A practitioner can even do this to him or herself to reduce the anxiety and stress that happens everyday as people live a happier life if there is both harmony and peace.

If you want to become a Reiki practitioner, you first have to sign up in a class that is conducted by a certified Reiki master. Level one students will have to undergo training for a couple of days and then a 21 day cleansing period before proceeding on to the next one so read the manual and keep an open mind.

There are also Reiki therapy classes offered through distance learning programs and online so its really up to you to embrace the power of this alternative form of healing or not.

CONTINUE READING - What is Reiki Therapy?

THE 12 HAND POSITIONS FOR REIKI

When you learn Reiki Level One the hand positions that are taught are for you to use on yourself first – so you can do a self treatment daily. But these same general hand positions can be used to structure a healing session on others too.

They are only guides, of course, but at basic level one Reiki, they help give your healing sessions structure and will give you confidence in treating others…

For once you know your 12 hand positions your healing session both for yourself and/or your client becomes more fluid and purposeful.

You can also time each hand position to give a rough estimate of when to change positions and how long an overall healing session will last.

Of course, the hand positions used today can vary from school to school of Reiki but the 12 hand positions shown here are the general ones and quite adequate for you to use.

You may sit or lie down to do these hand positions. I prefer, for ease, to sit on my meditation stool but the main thing is to remain relaxed and comfortable.

Reiki Hand Position 1 : The Eyes.
The first position is the hand that is placed on the face. To do this, you should put your palms either on your own face or on the person who is receiving Reiki. The palms should form a cup over the eyes while the fingers are on the forehead. There must be no pressure at all but only a gentle touch.

Reiki Hand Position 2 : The Temples.
The second position includes the hand on the crown and on the top of the head. Both hands must be on the sides of the head whereas the heels of the hands are located near the ears. The fingertips must be able to touch the crown.





Reiki Hand Position 3 : Occipital region, at the back of the head.
The third position is at the back of the head. Form a cross by using your arms. One of the hands must be on the head while the other one is above the neck's nape.



Reiki Hand Position 4 : The Throat.
The fourth position includes the touching of the heart and collarbone. Make a V-like shape with the thumb and fingers. You must be able to easily hold your neck via the V formation. Lower one of your hands and have it resting in between the collarbone and the heart.


Reiki Hand Position 5 : The Heart.
The fifth has something to do with touching the jaw line and the chin as well. Again, let your hands form a cup and let your chin rest in it. Let your hands wrap themselves on your jaw line. The sixth position includes your ribs. Put your hand on the upper portion of the rib cage and provide some support to the bended elbows. The other hand should be on the abdomen. Let your fingertips touch your tummy.

Reiki hand Position 6 : The Solar Plexus.
The pelvic area is included in the seventh position. Put your hands on your pelvic bone and allow your fingertips to touch your pelvic region.
Good for all the organs mentioned above – but more so the liver, spleen, gallbladder, and stomach.
Helps to ‘release and let go’ the emotional/physical contents of the large bowel and to keep things ‘on the move’ to prevent constipation.
It’s also your gathering centre, so if you have gathered something you don’t want like sad emotions, shocking news from the telly, someone elses anger, then focusing on this area will help you to release it.

Reiki Hand Position 7 : The abdomen, (Tan Tien).
In martial arts this is where you store up your energy – and when you give your ‘ki-ai’ shout and discharge it, this is where it comes from.
Focusing on this area and ‘belly breathing’ naturally deepens your breath and uses all your lungs.
It’s also good for relaxing the mesenteric and small bowel.
And, with the small bowel often being referred to as a reflection of your sub-conscious mind – this is a superb multi-purpose hand position.

Reiki Hand Position 8 : The pelvic/groin area.
Then the eight position concerns your shoulders. Bend your elbows and arms over the head and touch your shoulder blades with your hand. While your elbows are bent, put your hands onto the center part of your back.

Reiki Hand Position 9 : Top of the Shoulders.
The nine position includes the lower back and the sacrum. Let your hands rest on your lower back. Lower your arms and then place them on the sacral area and then proceed to relax.
Not the easiest of positions to hold on yourself but good for cascading the energy down into the whole torso.

Reiki Hand Position 10 : The Shoulder Blades.
(Beam the energy from the front – beaming is simply imagining the Reiki energy flowing out of your palm. See it as you would a beam of light coming from a torch)
I have found it is much simpler to just beam the energy from the front of your chest to the back of you -and as your shoulder blades are situated directly behind your lungs you’ll hit the appropriate areas quite easily.
This position is good again for lungs, pleura, lymphatics, bronchitis, asthma, colds etc.
It is also good if you have something you wish to…
‘Get off your chest’…

Reiki hand Position 11 : The Kidneys.
The kidneys work as your energy batteries.
Whenever we feel tired and lethargic, worn out and run down, or just simply pooped, then often times it is because we have a depleted energy store in our kidneys.
So allowing the Reiki energy to run through our kidneys can be very reviving and refreshing to our whole system.
The kidneys are also our ‘filters’.
Therefore taking time to nurture our kidneys is a good way of flushing out unwanted physical elements – literally – as well as unnecessary emotional debris too.
Kidneys also work as a team or a pair so they often reflect ‘partnerships’… joint ventures, business relationships, team sports, etc.
Also good for lower backache, sciatica and hip problems, feeling chilly and any physical problem the Chinese might call ‘damp’ Smiley

Reiki Hand Position 12 : The Base of the Spine or Tailbone area.
This position is great when you feel unsettled, or unseated Smiley It really helps to ground your energy.
Whether you have lost your job, all your money, facing a fearful experience (a nasty dog, or parachute jump!) then focusing on this position will help.
It even feels comforting and reassuring.
Again good for the hips, rectum (piles, prolapse, abscess), sciatica, low back pain.
And there we have it…

I have given very simple outlines for what each position can be used for, but truly there is such a huge amount of information that can be blended with these positions, that it would take a book just to scratch the surface Smiley
But the more you practice and use the Reiki energy the more you will get to ‘Know’ and ‘Trust’ where to position your hands.
These 12 positions are guides to start you off – so use them until you feel confident enough to not use them Smiley
Okay then I’ll finish with a couple of commone sense comments: For positions 5-6 gentlemen need to be aware of accidentally touching a womans breast’s, so it maybe more appropriate to just raise the hands above the area slightly and beam the energy down.
The same goes for position 8 too…
As I said, common sense really, but… In this day and age it is better to be safe than sued.
And to be sure… Horace Greeley probably said it best with – “Common sense is very uncommon”.
Now, as a wonderful thing you can do for yourself, try running the Reiki energy through all twelve of the hand positions we have covered for just one minute at each position.
Think of it as a twelve minute Reiki tune up that can quite easily be done both morning and evening.

CONTINUE READING - THE 12 HAND POSITIONS FOR REIKI

What is Reiki Energy?

Reiki is a healing practice that has been practiced for more than a hundred years. By definition, the Reiki energy that is often referred as an essence, symbolizes power, a transcendental spirit and universal. 

What makes this different from other forms of alternative healing is that those who possess this power use their hands in curing someone of an illness.

Even the masters themselves cannot explain fully how this works but can only describe it as linking with a cosmic radiant energy that is applied by the practitioner to themselves, to plants, animals and other human beings even over a great distance.

The Reiki energy is drawn through the channel and not sent. In fact, we all have this with us and all we have to do is undergo an attunement process in order for us to heal ourselves or others.

 
Once you have attained level one, you will be able to detect energy problems that can already tell you if there is an organic problem in your body or with someone else. As your level of experience goes up, your power becomes stronger and those who want to teach what they have learned to others will have to become masters.

One thing you have to remember about Reiki energy is that it cannot be controlled by the mind. If this were the case, it could only be done by those who practice it. But those who practice this believe that their power comes from the Ki. This is something that flows in each of us and by letting it touch the affected part of the body it will heal because it has been energized.

The strength of the Reiki energy is also dependent on one's thoughts. Negative thoughts will not do much to improve the situation so you must think positive in order for this to work.

Although medical science still wants to conduct more research to learn about the Reiki energy, there are those who are practicing it because studies have shown that this can calm the patient before the operation and make the heal faster afterwards.

How it works or even why some say is because of the power of the mind because how you think does have an affect on the physical well being of a person. 

The Reiki energy works from the outside in so that there is balance and order to the body. It should be confused with spiritual healing because it does not have anything to do with your faith that makes it effective.

This is why it is important to understand what this energy is because those who practice this believe that the aura is an extension of the mind that goes way beyond the body.

But those who practice Reiki should remember that Reiki energy that flows is not intended to replace medical treatment. It can only do so much to help a patient and if doctors feel that an operation is needed to permanently fix the problem, you should take their advice because the profession has been around much longer and the advances in science have improved the lives of thousands.

If you have a headache, fighting stress or an addiction, Reiki energy can help you deal with the problem. You just have to think positive and believe.

CONTINUE READING - What is Reiki Energy?

Opening The Chakras

If you don't want to go to a Reiki Master to get assistance with opening your chakras, there are some meditations (sometimes called Mudras) that you can try at home.  They have special hand positions, and the power to send more energy to the ailing chakra. 

The sounds are chanted three to four times as you do a meditation for eight to ten breaths.  To open the Root chakra, the tips of your thumb and index finger should touch on both hands.  Concentrate on the base of the spine.  Chant the LAM sound.  To open the Sacral chakra, place your hands in your lap on top of each other with the palms up.  The left hand should be under the right.  The tips of the thumbs should be touching.  Concentrating on the sacral bone in the back, chant the VAM sound. 

To open the Solar Plexus chakra, place your hands in front of your stomach, below the ribcage.  The fingers should join at the top, and point away from you.  Cross the thumbs and straighten the fingers.  Concentrate on the Solar Plexus chakra and chant the RAM sound.  To open the Heart chakra, you must sit cross legged.  The tips of your index finger and thumbs should be touching on both hands.  Place your left hand on your left knee and the right hand in front of the lowest part of the sternum. 

Concentrating on the heart chakra, chant the YAM sound.  To open the Throat chakra, cross your fingers inside your hands, no thumbs.  The thumbs should touch at the top slightly pulled up.  Concentrate on the Throat chakra and chant the HAM sound.  To open the Brow Chakra, place your hands on the lower part of the ribcage.  The middle fngers should be straight with the tops touching,The thumbs point towards you with the tops touching.  Concentrate on the Third Eye chakra and chant the OM sound. 

To open the Crown chakra, place your hands near your stomach.  The ring fingers should point upwards.  Cross fingers with left thumb under he right one.  Concentrate on the Crown chakra while chanting the NG sound.

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Rules for Reiki, Part Two

You must learn to trust yourself when you start your practice of Reiki. 

Use your intuition to help you know where to go on the body and what you need to do. Don't question what you are doing, know that you are being guided by what is best for the patient. It doesn't have to make sense, you just need to do what feels appropriate and comfortable to you. 

There are many books out there that cover hand positions and symbols and have many strict rules in them. Reiki doesn't have to be strict in its approach. It is the intent of the practitioner that controls the Reiki. 

Most practitioners only want to help the patient feel better. The different hand positions are useful but sometimes are not needed when we are in the moment and being guided by our own intuition. If something feels right, then it probably is. There is no wrong way to use Reiki. 

Commit yourself to your practice and keep up with your daily self healing sessions. As with most things, whatever you put into Reiki is what you will get out of it. So practice everyday to keep the energy flowing abundantly. After a couple of weeks, if you miss a treatment, you will find yourself missing the free flowing energy. 

Some practitioners take right off and seem to get everything and do everything right. Some have t try a little harder. Just don't try too hard. In many sessions, even when you are feeling like there is no Reiki and nothing is happening, the patient will speak up and tell you that they feel where you have been. 

Trust your abilites. If you start second guessing and worrying, the Reiki will get blocked. So do what comes natural, even if you don't feel anything and see how the patient perceives it instead.

CONTINUE READING - Rules for Reiki, Part Two

Rules For Reiki

Be mindful of everything going on in your life.  

Whether you are walking the dog or driving somewhere, become aware of everything that is going on around you.  

Live in this moment, the present one.  Don't worry about the next.  This way, we are following Mikao Usui's principles of life to not worry and not anger.    

To keep up your own practice for other people, you must do Reiki to yourself daily.  This keeps the energy flowing and helps keep you unblocked as a practitioner.  After all, if your chakras are blocked, there is no way you can help someone else open theirs.  You will become a better channel of the Universal Life Force and the Reiki energy.  When giving a treatment, don't worry about doing it just right.  Listen to your intuition and go where you feel you are shown.  If you spend a minute on the heart chakra and ten on the throat, that is fine.  Likewise, in another person, if you spent only three on the throat.  Different people will need different chakras open.  When you feel a cold or closed chakra, you know this is where you need to work.    

Make sure you have a specific routine for doing the treatment.  Follow it every time you give a Reiki treatment.  Start at the head and go down through all the chakras.  Do both elbow and knee chakra.  

There is a rule that what you do to one side must be done to the other as well.  So ensure you have given attention to left and right and back and front.  After you finish, anchor in their affirmation and help them up.  Don't ever work on someone when you are angry or upset.  The Reiki will not flow.  Reiki is a Universal Life Force that is only used with good intent.  

If you have bad feelings when you are trying to give a treatment, it will not work.  Always be in a good frame of mind when giving treatments, otherwise it would behoove you to cancel.

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Teaching Reiki in the New Millenium

Teaching Reiki is one of the greatest joys in my life. Through my Reiki classes I have met people who have inspired and challenged me, and people who have become my best friends. Together we have learned deeper meanings of trust, faith, serving the highest good, and of course unconditional love. 

Over the past eleven years I have seen many changes in the way Reiki is taught, and as we enter into the new millenium we will undoubtedly see many more. My personal vision for Reiki training in the years to come is that all teachers will work with integrity and maintain ethical standards in their teaching, so that students receive comprehensive training, and fully experience the loving essence of Reiki through the learning process. I would like to see the internet serve as a tool to network people together more effectively than it is today. Today the internet often serves as a wall or veil between the student and the full learning and healing experience that a classroom setting can offer. I envision the internet bringing students to dedicated teachers, and serving as an informational support tool in the new millenium. 

Dr. Usui worked diligently to teach Reiki to others by taking time and care to insure that students had sufficient information, and personal experience with the energy. In today's fast paced society, with the need for healing so great, the dissemination of Reiki information and energy is important to reach the masses. However, I feel it is imperative that quality in the teachings be maintained as well. 

The International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) is committed to establishing and maintaining standards for teaching Reiki. While we openly acknowledge the value provided by all Reiki practitioners and teachers regardless of their lineage or affiliation, we do feel it is beneficial for students to receive comprehensive training, rather than abbreviated classes, or attunements and information via the internet. 

We also feel this is imperative to preserve the integrity of Reiki's reputation in the eyes of the traditional medical community and the general public by providing the quality of training that is acknowledged by professional organizations such as the American Holistic Nursing Association, the NCBTMB (massage therapists), and NATABOAC (athletic trainers). 

The ICRT operates a licensing program for professional Reiki masters. This program is an advanced course of study designed to help Reiki masters grow independently under the gentle guidance of the Reiki energy, within a structured program. Because of the explosive growth in the number of people learning and teaching Reiki over the past couple of years, we placed our program on hold. We have not brought any new teachers through the program for over a year. We made this decision so that we could continue to work with the teachers who are in the program, and the student teachers who are in the process. We want each person to receive the support and mentoring they need to become confident, professional Reiki teachers. It is our goal to be able to reopen the program later in 2000, and begin working with people who have been on our waiting list. 

The office at Vision Publications, our sister organization, has gone through a rebirthing process over the past year, and at this writing they are implementing new computer systems, and new policies and procedures so that the office staff can better serve our teachers and students. 

A major goal we have is to continue to research information about Reiki and to develop new techniques to improve its use. We have developed a system called Karuna Reiki®, introduced courses in Japanese Reiki Techniques, and Reiki and Color Energy. We plan to continue to develop these and other programs as we move into the new millenium. 

William Rand and I made a trip to Japan to research the true history of Reiki in 1997, and at that time we met Arjava Petter who later graciously visited us in the U.S. to present the Japanese Reiki Techniques. Through our experiences in Japan we have become open to a flow of constant new information that is coming out of Japan. We plan to continue to be a source for the dissemination of historical facts about Reiki as they become available. All of this allows us to help our students and the Reiki community better understand the roots of this magnificent system for healing and spiritual growth. 

I envision more people, from all walks of life embracing Reiki not simply as a healing technique, but as a way to open more fully to their innate creative power, and a pathway to understanding and communicating with their personal Divinity. 

Reiki has transformed millions of lives in the 1900s; as we face the challenges and the wonder of a new millenium I look forward to continue assisting people on their healing path as we participate in the growth of humanity and awaken to the age of peace.

CONTINUE READING - Teaching Reiki in the New Millenium