Reiki: Healing hands

Just for today, I will not be angry;

Just for today, I will not worry;

Just for today, I will be grateful;

Just for today, I will work honestly;

Just for today, I will be compassionate to all

— The Usui Memorial Reiki principles

The practice of energy-healing has a history of over a thousand years but it has gained worldwide popularity relatively recently—in the form of Reiki. Founded by Dr Mikao Usui from Japan, Reiki is a combination of the words Rei which translates as ‘higher power’ and ki meaning ‘Life Force Energy’. Put together, Reiki can be interpreted as ‘spiritually-guided life-force energy’ and here the ‘universal life force’ is transferred through the hands.

Easy to master

The technique of transmitting this energy is brilliantly simple to learn and is taught to students during Reiki classes. This ability is passed on during an ‘attunement’ given by a Reiki master and it allows the student to dip into an infinite supply of life-force energy.

If one’s life-force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. Reiki treats the person as a whole including their body, emotions, mind and spirit—creating feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. I believe that every person is a well of wellness. This well can be accessed if we can let go of all feelings of being ‘less’.

Finding clarity

I recall one of my clients telling me, “Thanks for meeting me on my life path and helping me out during a tough phase, where I could not see any light. The healing sessions were of tremendous help and not only did they get me out of a dark space, they also helped me rediscover myself and the innate knowledge I was blessed with. I feel less anxious and more relieved. I found my God, myself and my life with your help and I shall always be grateful for that.” Yes, Reiki transports you to a place of gratitude and helps you clear the ‘nots’ and the ‘knots’.

As a Reiki practitioner, I consider myself a channel through which life force energy is transferred, peeling off layers of conditioning, suffocating beliefs and blocks. After a Reiki session, one gains a sense of stillness and calm. In a typical session, what one needs to do is ‘just be’. Everything is taken care of by the spiritually guided life-force energy. The entire session is conducted with the client lying down. The Reiki guide or ‘channel’ gently steers the person along. Most times the person goes off to sleep, which helps the mind access the subconscious, enabling the healing to take place on a deeper level with lesser resistance.

Shed the negativity

As Reiki flows through an unhealthy area, it breaks up the negative thoughts or feelings that are attached to it, resumes the healthy flow of Ki and balance is achieved. The significance of Reiki is that because it is guided by a Higher Intelligence, it knows exactly where to go and how to respond to restrictions in the flow of energy.

At its best, a Reiki session feels like an energy burst in your being. I can’t say it doesn’t help, as I believe it does help in whatever way the person needs it to, at that particular moment and place in their life.

When blockages are released, there can be a certain amount of discomfort in the form of a mild headache, irritating bowel movements or a mild cold. If the client experiences pain in any particular part of the body, it can either get heavier or lighter, again depending on the place the person is in. But whatever comes up is surely ready to go and is released with grace. One needs to have lots of liquids, preferably water, after the sessions to release toxins and help in the process of release.

Cooperative healing

Reiki is a non-invasive, gentle healing technique that has been effective in helping people deal with virtually every known illness. It works well with modern medicine or other forms of therapy to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

With the healing you get from Reiki, you can take the necessary steps on your road to changing your own story and to finally living a better life.

This was first published in the August 2013 issue of  Complete Wellbeing.