soothe
relax
balance
restore
gentle guidance
comforting care
The Attunement Process
Trasmission of energy, or 'Initiations' are a common concept in Buddhic practices and other oriental systems. Similarly, it is through transmission of energy, affecting all of the major chakras, that the process of Reiki is started. This process is called an Attunement, and is a ritual or ceremony involving breath and the use of symbols and which has the effect of opening up the student's energy level. The Reiki energy is passed down through the crown, or top of the head, through all of the chakras down to the base or root chakra. The minor chakras in the hands are also activated so that Reiki can flow and be transmitted through the hands.
Many healing/spiritual/religious rites in many cultures have basis in symbolic acts to create change (either internal or external), and in this Reiki is the same. However, the way in which an Attunement is passed can vary greatly from teacher to teacher, and yet they all work. Perhaps the greatest aspect of the attunement is the intention of the teacher to pass on Reiki, as well as the students' intention to receive, and from there something happens on levels that we are not aware of that can affect a person spiritually and subconsciously, raising the vibratory level of their energy centers.
The most important aspect of a Reiki attunement is that once activated, Reiki is always there. It never runs out, never becomes obsolete, never is 'lost' due to lack of practice. The ability to transmit Reiki will be there for the rest of your life.
The Issue of Touch
Reiki can be administered in other ways
than through touch - through expression
of voice or movement for example, or from
a distance, or with the hands just above
the body when required due to sensitivity
or pain. However, most of us experience
Reiki primarily through touch, and there is
great significance in that. Please read
more about the importance of "touch" in
and of itself...
This article by Dr Seymour Levine entitled Experience of Touch states that we are biologically wired to require touch to feel safe: "touch" is our most mature sensory system for the first several months of life, and he concludes that: "Physical contact with the mother appears essential to reducing the release of hormones by an infant when subjected to stress."
In this article regarding Touch Research in Primates, researchers have declared
the "therapeutic power" of touch. Studies have demonstrated a link between early touch deprivation and behavioural and physiological problems (both short and long-term.) However, it appears that tactile stimulation that carresses the skin can reverse these effects.
In a study of Heart Rate Response to Touch, detailed here, results suggest that decreases in Heart Rate are contingent upon the touch of another person. Neither the proximity of that person, nor self-touch, had significant effects on heart rate.
Reiki
A Reiki Session
During a session the client remains fully clothed. Reiki can be applied through clothing, casts, belts, buckles, bandages, wheel chairs, etc. Generally, the client lays comfortably on a treatment table, while the practitioner gently lays her hands in different positions around the head and down the body.
Hand positions may vary from practitioner to pracitioner, or from session to session, but generally coincide with the locations of major glands and organs within the body (or chakras, if you will.) With Reiki, there is no manipulation of bodily tissues.
"A laying on of hands." Mecell Pilon
"A natural creative art harmonizing body, mind and spirit"
Donna Padlesky
"Reiki is a way of loving and being loved." Mari Hall
What is Reiki?
"...Healers merely act as channels for a higher power. They do not have the gift of healing, but the gift of being able to tap into universal healing energy. " Jack Angelo
"Her father asked me if Reiki would help, and I told him I felt sure that she would feel more able to cope with the situation, even if the condition itself didn't change." Karen Stratton
"Anything like emotions, stress or tension that move into the body can quite quickly also leave it. After all, everything is just energy."
Kajsa Borang
"The experience of being touched, new research shows, has direct and crucial effects on the growth of the body as well as the mind" Daniel Goleman
"A simple yet profound system of natural healing for body and mind" David F. Vennells
1 hour of Reiki provides the same physiological benefits as
3 - 4 hours
of sleep
"When you place your hands on someone, they know that you care about them and that you are there for them in that present moment. I believe that we do not touch each other enough."
Mari Hall
Reiki feels like a gift - giving you a sense of having received something warm and loving and completely unconditional. Reiki can enhance our feelings of self-acceptance and compassion for others.
"Maybe the lesson here, when we talk
of Reiki and what it can do,
is to expect the unexpected,
or probably much more appropriately,
have no expectation, and let the
healing power of Reiki work in its own mysterious and wonderful way."
Karen Stratton
"Reiki does only good and it never causes harm." Diane Stein
"Reiki works on all levels, but first on a mental and emotional one. Don't be surprised if a physical condition does not disappear overnight...."
"Reiki works to achieve long-standing improvements..." David F. Vennells
"All healing is pure Grace and just happens when the time is right."
Paula Horan
"How do you know this is the experience you need? Because
this is the experience you are having at this moment." Eckhart Tolle
A Principle of Manifestation - Detach from the outcome: "I trust in the universal intelligence that created me to bring my desires to me in just the right way at the perfect time." Wayne Dyer
"Healing is a wondrous process. All of us have our own rhythm and time for things. No two people are alike and because of that uniqueness, the healing experience is different almost every time." Mari Hall
"Healing is not magic. It is a real shift in a person’s actual energy system, resulting in bodily changes occurring in real time."
Adam Dreamhealer
"Takata always stressed the importance of starting the healing process with yourself and working organically outwards to your family and friends."
Kajsa Borang
"The pressure of the hands causes the springs of life to flow."
Tokujiro Namikoshi
"We live in a world where everyone is in great distress and where the planet is in desperate need of healing. This is not the time for healers to argue among themselves or refuse to recognize and validate each other." Diane Stein
"What is important to note here is that despite the great differences among the cultures and teaching methods, the energy is the same. ... No matter where it came from or where it is now, the healing still works. The attunements still work. ... Reiki has survived against all odds and it continues to grow."
Diane Stein
"The origin of Reiki can be found in ancient Tibet. The knowledge of how to activate a high order of Universal Life Energy, written in the ancient Sanskrit texts, can be traced from Tibet through India. From India this knowledge spread into Egypt, Ephesus, Greece and Rome, China and eventually into Japan. The techniques for activating and appllying Universal Energy were rediscvered by Dr. Mikao Usui in the mid-1800's Japan." Diane Stein
Part of the experience of a Reiki session normally includes a comfortable, relaxing environment - a peaceful sanctuary enhanced by warm blankets, soft music, and candles. However, having said that, Reiki can be applied anywhere at any time: an inconspicuous touch during a conversation with a friend, rubbing a banged-up knee in a crowded playground, a comforting pat on the shoulder of a dissappointed teammate, holding hands while walking down the street with a loved one...
Clients may or may not notice sensations of heat, coolness, or tingling associated with the practitioner’s hands. Any of a wide range of sensations may be experienced as stresses, tensions, and emotions are released:
- feelings of relaxation, calmness, tranquility
- tears, laughter, twitching, involuntary muscular movement
- changes in breathing patterns
- memories or emotions, ranging from sadness to elation
- a meditative/dreamlike experience or state
- feelings of heaviness or lightness throughout the body
- gurgles in the abdomen as the body relaxes
- drifting in and out of sleep
"It is not hard to learn – in fact, Reiki is the simplest therapeutic method I know. No special medical knowledge is necessary – all you need is your hands." Mari Hall
"The path of Reiki, like all paths of personal and spiritual growth, is a lifelong practice."
David F. Vennells
"Another of the miracles of Reiki is the attunement that makes the healer. No one can explain why or precisely how the atunements work, or what it is that they do. We only know that a specific series of symbol-drawing hand motions and breath control change an ordinary person into a healer and change that new healer’s life in many ways."
Diane Stein
"The attunement process lets us "tune in" to the frequency of the Reiki energy whenever it is needed. Each attunement raises the antennae higher, clears the static, allowing the signal to come in stronger. Even with only one attunement, the more you use reiki, the more clearly you tune in and raise your antenna." Christopher Penczak
The symbols of Reiki can affect every aspect of our selves and others and are not limited by our understanding.
"There is a strong connection between the heart and the hands. as the heart opens up through Reiki, the hands know what to do, and there is no need for interference from the mind." Kajsa Borang
"We all carry within us the ability to heal ourselves and others."
David F. Vennells
"It is the passing of at least one Reiki attunement that turns a Reiki III into a Reiki Master or teacher. I tell my students that I can make them Reiki III’s but only they can make themselves into Reiki Masters. A Master is simply a teacher, it means nothing more, and no ego is involved or allowed." Diane Stein
"I always remember that as I teach I am also being taught, for all of us are teachers to each other." Mari Hall
"We don't have to be perfect, just prepared to learn more about ourselves." David F. Vennells
What is a Reiki Master?
Having the designation "Master" does not in any way reflect the quality or quantity of Reiki energy, but simply means that the practitioner has been trained to pass on attunements and some knowledge of Reiki to others. A Reiki Master is separated from other Reiki practitioners solely by their ability to teach others:
"Reiki is yours to use and will become unique to you as the instrument, as it is combined with whatever other techniques you use, enhancing your work and yourself."
Mari Hall
"The world is defined by our perceptions of it, and five has always seemed an inadequately small number of senses with which to understand such an infinite environment. It almost seems like a rational approach to acknowledge that there must be things beyond our ken, imperceptible or merely intangible… "
Jack and Jan Angelo
Learn More About Reiki:
My Reiki Experience
I was first introduced to Reiki through a friend. She had taken a level one workshop and was about to take another, urging me to come along. My first response was: "I can't do Reiki, I can't feel energy! It's not for me." I fervently declined. But of course, her words and the Reiki energy that she "showed" to me by touching my hands, had some small effect. Several months later, I was looking for relaxation music and found myself purchasing a Reiki CD. The very first time I listened to it, I found myself dropping my head into my hands, and tears were flowing and flowing. I had no idea what I was crying about, but I did have the very clear thought: "I am Reiki." It was a very profound experience, and I quickly found the nearest teacher and signed myself up for her next Level I class. Reiki has been a large part of my life ever since.
The training I currently have is as follows:
- Usui Reiki Level 1 Oct 2006- Usui Reiki Level 2 May 2007 and again July 2007 - Usui Advanced and Master/Teacher Dec 2007- Lightarian Reiki (6 levels) Jan through May 2008- Taught my first Usui Reiki 1 class Feb 2009Because Reiki is not the only modality I have training in, I tend to not concentrate on it: meaning that I very rarely give a Reiki treatment without incorporating other techniques, however I know that Reiki influences every other method I use, and I can feel the energy flowing whenever I place hands-on.
I do not schedule regular classes, but the benefits for both myself and the students is so great that I welcome any inquiries you may have about learning Reiki.
Other Ways to use Reiki
- add Reiki energy to your prayers or affirmations- Reiki flows through any type of expression: music/speech/artwork/gardening- Reiki your food (akin to doing a blessing/gratitude) before eating- use Reiki before and after surgery, to speed recovery time. - Reiki medication/supplements to diminish any negative side effects- Reiki the water you drink- Reiki your bath water- Reiki your bed/pillow before sleeping- Reiki your house before leaving on vacation- Reiki your car before driving- Reiki your pets and plants- use Reiki with meditation, conscious breathing, tai chi, yoga, other practices- Reiki can be used to enhance any other form of healingThe Degrees of Reiki
Most Reiki modalities consist of several levels, or degrees, and are generally passed on one level at a time. Note that some feel that the concept of "levels" is manmade, and not inherently part of the Reiki energy. At the same time, the learning and healing process is made gentler on a person's system when the Reiki energy can be processed in degrees.
Usui reiki is passed in three (or four) stages or levels:
First Degree Reiki, or Reiki I - the student learns healing for herself
and hands on for others, both a full body treatment and what is
known as a short treatment. This class also includes information
about the history of Reiki and the Reiki principles.
Second Degree Reiki, or Reiki II - the student is presented with
three of the Reiki symbols and learns how to do healing for
someone who is not physically present. This is known as 'distance'
Reiki and can include healing for something that happened to you
in the past as well as sending Reiki to future events, ie. an upcoming
job interview.
Third Degree Reiki, or Reiki Master - the student is taught the
remaining Reiki symbols, as well as how to teach Reiki to others
and how to pass on attunements. Some teachers divide this level
into two separate classes, as not all students wish to teach. Hence,
you will sometimes hear people say they have Advanced Reiki
training but do not call themselves a Reiki Master (they are not able
to do attunements.)
Learning Reiki
There are several slightly varied versions of how Dr. Mikao Usui came to discover Reiki, and fairly recent research that can either confirm or deny certain details. I encourage you to do your own research to learn about the life and journey of Dr. Usui and his life's work, as well as that of the Reiki Masters who followed him.
I know that I will be forever greatful for the gift of Reiki, for all of the men and women who accepted this energy into their lives before me, and for all of those who continue to work to pass it on to others.
The History of Usui Reiki
The Teachings of Reiki
The primary basic teachings of Reiki:
- Reiki energy allows the body (whole being) to heal itself naturally
- The ability to provide Reiki is passed through an attunement
- Healing comes through the energy itself, not the person acting as a channel
Different Reiki Modalities
There are so many different kinds, schools, and variations of Reiki out there today, but the basis of all of them is the same (to my knowledge.) The essence is the energy itself, a tangible "feeling" that can be sensed through the hands, and which comes from a greater source. This energy, through wisdom of its own, flows to balance and harmonize our personal energies on all levels, which brings physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing. Finally, the ability to channel this energy is passed from teacher to student through some form of "initiation" or "attunement" process.
Some examples of Reiki modalities are: Usui and Lightarian (which I have been attuned to), Karuna, Shamballa, Kundalini, Tibetan, Celtic, Violet Flame, Angel Reiki, Kava, Imara, and Sekhem-Seichim-Reiki, just to name a few.
Even within the Usui system of Reiki, you will find numerous schools of thought, sometimes categorized into Traditional versus Non-Traditional. (ie, regarding lineages, whether or not symbols can be viewed or hidden, the number of "proper" attunements required at each level, apprenticeship requirements before being able to teach, etc.) The fact is that every teacher teaches in his/her own way, such that even if the information and methods presented are exactly the same the experience of learning from them will be vastly different. These variations of the practice and teaching of Reiki can be viewed as one of the many gifts of Reiki, for the fact that each individual will most readily accept and understand this kind of healing in a way that is right for them, and it is possible for every person to find the right teacher.
When searching for a Reiki practitioner, or teacher, pay attention to that person's message, and the rapport that is established between the two of you. Reiki energy is Reiki energy, and when you set the intent to try Reiki (or in many cases, Reiki will "find" you) you will be drawn to the practitioner(s) through which you (and they) will receive the greatest benefit. It is an interesting relationship between the recipient, the channel, and the Reiki energy itself (the Universe), the full extent of which we really are only just slightly aware. Trust the energy, and go with who seems to resonate most strongly with you.
The Greatest Benefit: Self-Treatment
Perhaps the greatest benefit of Reiki is the fact that you can use it to treat yourself. Reiki is taught over a workshop of several hours (ie, a weekend) and following the first attunement you will have access to Reiki at any time. This means that for the cost of a few sessions you will be able to treat yourself on a daily basis.
What Results Can Be Expected?
As alluded to previously, Reiki works on all levels, and sometimes very subtly. The changes that are happening are often not readily apparent. Reiki flows where it will serve the highest good, which is not always what we consciously think or expect would be good for us! In this way, Reiki is a very individual experience.
Results may differ greatly from person to person, or even session to session. If you have questions following your Reiki session, or attunement, please contact your practitioner. Whatever happens, be sure that it is exactly what is needed for you right now, and part of a very positive journey!
Please read the following comments about healing, and though some of them are not about Reiki specifically, they certainly apply:
The Benefits of Reiki
Reiki treatments can provide any or all of the following:
- release of restrictions on both energetic and physical levels
- support, promote and accelerate the body’s natural healing processes
- balance the body's subtle energy fields (aura, chakras, meridians)
- balance the body's organs, glands, and systems (affecting all body functions)
- balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses
- relieve pain, stiffness and discomfort
- help the body to release and cleanse itself of toxins
- strengthen the immune system
- promote a sense of well-being and centeredness, inner peace and calm
- promote a sense of increased vitality
- induce a state of total relaxation
- help provide relief from stresses of all kinds
- enhance personal awareness and intuition, and even increase creativity
The Experience of Reiki
The one aspect, or affect, that is most notable after being attuned
to Reiki is in the hands. When the Reiki is "on" your hands simply
radiate energy.
When I place my hands on clients who have not experienced Reiki
before, I'm often asked: "Are your hands always this warm?" The
answer is No! - that's the Reiki energy. Sometimes rather than a
feeling of heat or warmth I will get more of a tingling or pulsing
sensation. Others describe energy flow as prickling or tickling
in their hands.
Something else that people seem to notice as part of their Reiki
experiences (probably more through Reiki attunements than through
sessions) is a sense of opening up to opportunities and subtle
guidance in life... some might think of this as being or feeling more
spiritually connected, some recognize it as increased or developing
intuition.
Regardless of what you may consciously or physically "notice" with your Reiki experiences, it is true that Reiki affects us on levels we are not aware of. I liken it to the story from The Secret about the seed that is planted below the ground. If we only watch the surface of the soil, day by day, we will be easily convinced that there is nothing growing, but the truth is that wondrous things are happening just beyond our view... In the same way, Reiki energy works to soothe and balance our mental, emotional, and spiritual states, despite what may or may not result on a physical level:
'Universal life giving' – like the rays of the Sun, gives life to all things.
Mari Hall
Reiki is a complete healing system of Japanese origin, consisting of relaxed and gentle touch. Reiki energy balances and harmonizes on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, and in this way it addresses both the cause and the symptoms of imbalance and illness.
The Definition of Reiki
The word Reiki is a Japanese word consisting of two components:
Rei means "universal," "life," or "life-giving"
Ki means "energy," the Japanese equivalent
of the words and concepts of "chi," "prana,"
"mana," "light," etc, this energy or "life force"
that flows through all things that are living
Therefore Reiki means "universal life-giving
energy" and has also been defined as
"universal life force energy" as well as
"spiritually guided life force energy."
Universal?
The term "universal" means that Reiki energy
is in all things, and also that we draw upon a
universal, limitless and ever-abundant source.
It also means that Reiki is universal to all of
human-kind. There are no religions, belief
systems or dogma attached to Reiki and it is
taught and practiced in almost every country
of the world.
Intelligence of Reiki
The nature of Reiki is that it does not come from, but through the practitioner.
As opposed to some other energy healing methods where the practitioner focuses or directs the energy flow, in the case of Reiki it is in fact the recipient (the recipients' inner wisdom if you will) who draws the energy.
Some think of it as Reiki being regulated by Divine, universal intelligence. Others think of it as their innate wisdom knowing what is needed, on what level, to restore balance, and that this directs where the Reiki will flow.
Because of this, Reiki often works in ways that are outside of our expectation.
The "life" aspect of Reiki - Reiki works on all living matter, including animals and plants.
"Sometimes your hands 'turn on' for no apparent reason, and the person who needs you is right there." Diane Stein
"I've heard people say to me that they've taken the first level of Reiki, but that it was years ago, or they just never used it... the interesting thing about Reiki is that once you have been attuned to it, it stays with you always, and whether you are aware of it or not, you are always open to the Reiki energy and it is likely working with you, in the background, flowing through the experiences and interactions that you have in life, perhaps finding a conduit through your voice, your words, your movements or expressions, and not necessarily through only your hands..."
"Treating yourself everyday will bring growth, change and spiritual blessings into your life." Mary
Many people take Reiki workshops solely for the purpose of self-treatment. Over time, your experience with Reiki may draw you to become a practitioner or Reiki Master, but that is certainly not required or expected. Often the experience of taking a workshop, and the attunements themselves, can be so profound and healing that you may want to consider repeating a class. Most teachers offer reduced rates for repeating students.
Please, use self-treatment as sacred time for yourself. Make a point of ensuring that you will not be interrupted. Allow your attention to be on yourself, as you place your hands over your own face, head and body, and feel the Reiki energy flow. This quiet attention to yourself is in itself an act of healing, multiplied and heightened by the presence and flow of the Reiki energy.
Reiki in Experiments
In certain studies and tests, Reiki has been proven to:
- reduce blood pressure,
- reduce heart rate,
- reduce anxiety levels (as measured by a psychological test),
- increase white blood cell count (ie, enhance immune system function), and
- increase hemoglobin values (which carries oxygen in the blood).
Please read more: Reiki Research as presented by William Lee Rand
Copyright © 2009 Cora Rennie, Cold Lake, AB
DISCLAIMER: Information on this site is not intended to and does not constitute medical advice, recommendation or counselling under any circumstance.
