What is Reiki?
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It helps restore balance and harmony to the mind and body. Reiki is a gentle but powerful hands on healing art. Used throughout the world by people of all creeds and belief systems, Reiki is something that can benefit everyone.
The energy involved in Reiki healing is the universal energy that surrounds all life. The Reiki energy flows freely through us when we are open to receive it.
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. 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.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “ the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.
It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.
Benefits of Reiki
Reiki has proved to be of great benefit for a broad range of conditions. It is used as a compliment to conventional therapies in hospitals world-wide. People who suffer with migraine, asthma, skin conditions, ulcers, orthopedic injuries and arthritis to name but a few have noted dramatic improvements in their health. The gentle Reiki energy is also effective in calming the mind and has helped many with anxiety and depression. The emotional storms that often accompany the ups and downs of life can be eased when this energy is applied. People with low self-esteem and poor self-confidence levels have also noted remarkable differences following treatments. Reiki is something that pregnant woman can use. Some maternity hospitals now offer Reiki as a complementary form of therapy.
Reiki can also be used in the following situations:
While on medication
If you have cancer and are having chemotherapy
Have a Plaster of Paris
Are in hospital and your physician agrees to Reiki treatments
In conjunction with other forms of complementary healing
What happens during a Reiki treatment?
A full Reiki session can last 30–90 minutes, but most run about an hour. Practitioners may suggest you remove your shoes, belt, and jewellery.
Next, you’ll either lie flat on your back on a massage table or sit in a relaxed position in a chair. Some practitioners may say a prayer or take a moment to meditate before beginning. They see this as a way to open up to healing energy.
The Treatment
The Reiki treatment is then performed one of two ways: hands-on or hands-off. The practitioner might place his hands lightly on different parts of your body or hold his hands in the air, slightly above you. If you prefer not to be touched at all, indicate this to the practitioner before beginning the session.
The practitioner will move through standard hand positions starting at your head or feet. The positions are intended to promote healing in different parts of the body. Most positions affect at least one of the chakras, but not all positions are tied to a specific chakra.
How Does a Reiki Session Feel?