ENERGY HEALING

WHAT IS REIKI?

The word “Reiki” is composed of two Japanese kanji:

  • Rei (meaning spiritual, sacred)
    and
  • Ki (meaning energy, life force)

Together these kanjis mean “spiritual energy.”

The Reiki system was designed to connect consciously with this spiritual energy. It is nonreligious and promotes balance, healing and well-being. It’s a nurturing, relaxing practice that, over time, helps you let go of anger and worry and makes you feel interconnected, joyful and grounded in your everyday life.

There are now over 30 different kinds of Reiki with many sub groups and branches and more are being channeled all the time. And Usui is by far the most popular form.

Usui is the method practiced and taught in Japan as early as the 1900s by Mikao Usui, who is credited as the founder of modern reiki.

HISTORY OF REIKI

The Reiki system of healing was founded by Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920s. Usui was born to a wealthy Buddhist family on August 15, 1865, and it is believed that he started training at monasteries and martial arts dojos in his youth. As an adult, Usui was able to travel to Europe, America, and China as a result of the Meiji Restoration, which opened Japan’s borders to other nations for the first time in 200 years. He is also said to have achieved the title of a lay monk in Tendai Buddhism (a type of Buddhism that includes esoteric practices) and learned elements from Shinto and Shugendō (Japanese religions with shamanic elements).

In April 1922, after years of training in meditation and esoteric practices, Usui went to the sacred Mount Kurama in Japan to sit in a 21-day meditation without food or water. It is assumed that he reached Anshin Ritsumei (enlightenment) during this meditation and that the capacity for healing came as a consequence.Once he discovered his newfound ability, Usui set out to create a system that would allow every human being to heal themselves and advance toward enlightenment. In addition to his own techniques, he took many elements that were part of traditional Japanese spiritual practices for centuries and simplified them to make them more approachable. This system would become the base for every Reiki lineage currently in practice around the world.

BENEFITS OF REIKI

Embodying your true essence may take a long time, but many benefits of practicing Reiki can be felt within a short time. Reiki—

• Relaxes and helps shift your nervous system from sympathetic mode (fight or flight) to parasympathetic mode (rest and digest).
• Accelerates the healing process and boosts the immune system.
• Improves wellness (e.g., better sleep, improved digestion, less pain).
• Supports your system during chronic conditions, medical treatments.
• Makes you feel more balanced, grounded and centered.
• Reduces anxiety, anger and drama.
• Gives you more clarity, joy and confidence.
• Encourages a heightened feeling of connection, and a more meaningful life.

DISTANCE REIKI HEALING

Distance Reiki is a technique within the system of Reiki that enables you to give a Reiki session beyond the limitations of time and space. It expands the practitioner’s ability to transmit spiritual energy beyond physical touch.

In other words, it’s a way to offer Reiki without the recipient being in the same room with you.

Reiki energy connects on our spiritual and energetic levels. Distant Reiki sessions work because energy is not limited by distance. Distance is only a physical limitation, so sessions can be done without clients being physically present. We are all connected, as we are all energy matter and part of a larger whole.

A Distance Reiki Healing session is usually 30-45 minutes long, but can continue longer if you like.

The practitioner schedules a time and date with the recipient (or client) for the Absentee Reiki session. By setting up a specific time the recipient can be in a receptive state (such as lying down or meditating during the treatment).

In advance of the session, the recipient will also email a photo of themselves to the practitioner, along with their name, age, location and any intention they have of what they want the session to support (e.g. a physical or health issue, goal, or challenge).

Having these details will help the practitioner connect to the client or recipient if they haven’t met before.

BEFORE YOUR REIKI SESSION

Relax and reflect

Take some time to breathe, sit and reflect.

Try to do this at least 30 minutes before your session, in order to recognise how your body is feeling and acknowledge your emotions, thoughts or physical reactions.

Eat and hydrate

Making sure you have eaten and are keeping hydrated prior to your session is important for your comfort and focus levels. If you are hungry or thirsty, you will be uncomfortable and unable to focus on the healing.

However, try to avoid eating a heavy meal. Otherwise, your body will be using its energy to digest, rather than directing it at your treatment.

Be comfortable

It is recommended you wear comfortable clothes to your session. You may be lying down or sitting in a chair for the session, so comfort is important. 

Learn about how to prepare for your distance Reiki healing session

DURING YOUR REIKI SESSION

Everyone’s Reiki experience is different so there’s no way to determine what sensations you will feel.  You might even experience completely different sensations during each session but here are some of the most popular sensations people report:

  • Changes in body temperature
  • Deep relaxation
  • Overwhelming emotions
  • “Phantom hands” (the feeling of hands that are not the practitioner’s on or near the body)
  • Temporary paralysis-like heaviness in limbs
  • Tingling

Most people report sensations in their hands and the crown of their head.  Remember that many people do not experience any sensations at all.  This does not mean your session did not work.  Sensations are not required for Reiki to be helpful.  Some sensations may feel good however some may also feel uncomfortable. 

Read more about what happens during a Reiki healing session

AFTER YOUR REIKI SESSION

Integrate

Many people find the treatment’s benefits occur as soon as the session is over, therefore, it is important to find somewhere quiet. Reiki professionals recommend taking at least 20 minutes after the session to meditate or take some quiet time for yourself.

Hydrate

After any energy work, it is important to stay hydrated. Be sure to drink one to two glasses of water once the session is over.

Eat

It’s common to find yourself feeling hungry once the session is completed. Eating can help to keep the body grounded and you may find that a bite or two of dark chocolate can be quite restorative.

Reflect

It’s helpful to reflect on the session while your emotions and feelings are heightened. Carry a journal or diary in your bag to capture any thoughts occurring immediately after the session.

And I said to my body, softly, "I want to be your friend".
It took a long breath and replied, "I've been waiting my whole life for this."
- Nayyirah Waheed -

REIKI F.A.Qs

Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the Qi and charging them with positive energy. It raises the the energy field in and around the physical body where the Qi disruption. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the Qi pathways, thus allowing Qi to flow in a healthy and natural way.

Although Reiki energy is spiritual in nature, Reiki is not a religion. Practitioners are not asked to change any religious or spiritual beliefs they may have. They are free to continue believing anything they choose and are encouraged to make their own decisions concerning the nature of their religious practices.

Most of the time a person will feel relaxed and uplifted by a Reiki treatment. However, sometimes a person will have what is called a healing crisis. As a person’s vibration goes up, toxins that have been stored in the body will be released into the blood stream to be filtered by the liver and kidneys and removed from the system. When this happens, sometimes a person can get a headache or stomach ache or feel weak. If this happens, it is a good idea to drink more water, eat lighter meals and get more rest. The body is cleansing as part of the healing process so this is a good sign.

Since Reiki is guided by the Higher Power, the Reiki energy will know the condition of the client or student and adjust appropriately. Reiki can only do good. Many pregnant women have received treatments with great benefit to them and their unborn child. It has also been used during child birth. Pregnant women have also taken the Reiki training and received the Reiki attunement with beneficial results.

Animals love Reiki too. They seem to have a natural understanding of what Reiki is and its benefits. Once a pet has received a Reiki treatment, they will often let you know that they want more. Plants also respond well to Reiki.

A single session can already bring noticeable improvement!
Reiki is cumulative so it can be beneficial to receive a series of sessions to help get more lasting results. Typically clients come weekly for one month and then begin to space out sessions to bi-weekly and then monthly.

We will discuss with your to personalise a treatment plan after your first session.

A Reiki session is a unique experience for everyone, but you may feel certain sensations when receiving Reiki. Common sensations are heat, tingling, pulsing and cold, just to name a few. Some people feel no sensation of any kind at all. Sensations, or the absence of it, simply relate to the person’s sensitivity to energy. Reiki flows regardless of whether you feel it or not.

First of all, a distinction must be made made between healing and curing. Healing is when you go to the root of the problem and restore the body’s balance. Curing is what is normally considered done when you actually remove the problem (but maybe not the cause).

No promises can be made about the outcome of the use of Reiki (or any other healing system including conventional medicine). It all depends on you, your intent, your background and the nature of your problem. Healing is a different experience and has different effects on every individual.