What Is Reiki
A Japanese word meaning Universal Life Force Energy. Reiki is an ancient Japanese hands-on healing modality based on the transference of vital energy. Applying Reiki is as simple as placing the hands on oneself or another, transferring "KI" to the recipient.
There are no pre-requisites. Anyone can learn this healing art and all that is needed is a desire to learn. The attunement or initiation process into Reiki is a necessary step and can only be transferred to the student by a Reiki Master Teacher during this sacred ritual. This allows the alignment with the Reiki frequency. With this alignment our energy merges with the Reiki energy and we become a conduit or channel. With this opening, the person has the energy available and it can then be applied for the healing effects to numerous situations.
Reiki is applied with the hands. The practitioner places their hands on the body, transferring healing to the recipient. The result is a deeply relaxing experience for both the healer and the recipient. No movement is required when giving a treatment, as it is a passive or "Yin" form of energy work. Reiki can be done fully clothed and it is not necessary to fix the mind in deep focus to achieve its healing effects.
Some of the immediate benefits from a session are reduced stress levels, inner peace and deep rest. Reiki is not only a technique for stress management but it is also a complementary treatment to Western medicine. The transference of this healing increases the body's natural ability to heal itself. Energy is the foundation of all life, so it makes sense that if we have more energy constantly available to us, we gradually enhance our health and wellbeing.
Reiki History and Tradition
Reiki is an ancient tradition. Its founder, Mikao Usui developed the System of Reiki at the end of the late 19th Century. This healing art became known as the Usui System of Natural Healing.
In his search to develop this healing art, he discovered in the Buddhist sutras the keys to unlocking this ancient wisdom. At the end of a 21-day meditation on Mt. Kurama (a holy mountain in Japan) the complete system was realized and became known as Reiki. Before his death in 1926, Usui passed his knowledge to his appointed successors. In the course of time Reiki spread all over the world when it was introduced to the West in the early 1970s. Today there are many unique approaches to this healing art. And it is passed from teacher to student through empowerment and oral teaching.
TopBenefits
Reiki develops healing on all levels.
On the physical level, Reiki is excellent for increasing the rate of healing and vitality. It has immediate benefits for headaches, tension, swelling, cramps and period pains. It is also used to aid digestion and as a complementary therapy to serious illness and recovery. It is also being used in hospice and hospital care and for pregnancy and birth.
On the mental level, Reiki promotes restful sleep, enhanced creativity and clarity of thought. Increased awareness and inner sensitivity arises as one integrates the practice.
Emotionally, Reiki assists in the calming of emotions, opens the heart of compassion and creates the feeling of peace and oneness with all life.
As one develops the practice of Reiki, a spirituality of wisdom and serenity is engendered. People often experience profound changes in themselves over the training sessions. Reiki is a self-help tool and promotes personal growth and self-empowerment.
Learning Reiki
Reiki is simple to learn. Unlike some traditions, Reiki does not require experience in meditation or disciplined focus. With Reiki there are no religious beliefs or dogmas to follow, Reiki is a path of compassion, humanity and healing. Trainees experience the sensation of healing energy almost immediately. One then has a direct ability to transfer this healing energy at the end of a two-day intensive training. The deepening of these experiences is enhanced through daily practice.
Because Reiki is based on the structural energetics of the body, it is enough to simply place the hands for the energy to flow, no mental focus, visualizations or mantras are necessary, just awareness of what is arising. Practitioners often give self-healing treatments before and during sleep, while watching TV or whenever there is a hand free. In this way Reiki can be used as a form of preventative medicine, by keeping the energy levels up and thus keeping the immune systems defences strong.
Institute of Holistic Therapies only trains and abides by the principles and practices of the Traditional Usui System of Reiki - hands-on, individual attunement by a Reiki Master Teacher, in the Usui Reiki tradition.
Over the years, there have been introductions of various styles of Reiki where Reiki practitioners have not been approved by professional associations for membership due to unacceptable lineages and certifications. We strongly recommend you enquire and verify the Reiki Master Teacher's lineage before embarking on your Reiki journey.
Corrine Brown is an AARP Referred Practitioner and Reiki Master Teacher.
Association of Australian Reiki Professionals
Corrine Brown is an ARC Referred Practitioner and Reiki Master Teacher.
Australian Reiki Connection