What is Reiki?
The word Reiki (pronounced ‘ray-key’) consists of two Japanese Kanji: Rei and Ki. Rei (pronounced ‘ray’) is the Kanji for Universal, but it has also the meaning of spiritual wisdom or consciousness. Ki (pronounced ‘key’) is the Kanji for Life Energy, also called life force or vital energy. Reiki is Japanese for “Universal Life Energy”, or more poetically, “The Light”.
The general meaning of Reiki is the life force inherent in all beings, sentient and insentient. This vital energy permeates everyone and everything.
Reiki is power, light, and love. Reiki transcends the man-made divisions of religion, race, gender, economics, or location.
Reiki is also an Ancient Healing Art rediscovered in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Reiki is a gentle, but extremely powerful hands-on method of stress reduction and relaxation, which heals on all levels (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).
Who can benefit from Reiki?
Anyone and everyone can benefit from Reiki healing sessions. Reiki was originally intended for self-treatment and spiritual development. As not everyone is able to use it this way, healing others using Reiki energy becomes important.
The best way to fight illness is prevention and Reiki can assist everyone who wants to stay healthy and well-balanced. Reiki can also help anyone to heal, alone or in conjunction with any other treatment.
What will happen during a session?
A typical Reiki session takes 30-60 minutes. The client, fully clothed, lies on the treatment table in a low-lighted room while relaxing music plays in the background. Our hands remain in a stationary position, gently on or slightly above the body through a sequence of positions from head to toe, lasting 2-5 minutes each. Sometimes we use the standard hand positions prescribed by Western schools, other times we prefer to use a more intuitive approach specific to the Japanese schools. The private areas are worked on a few inches above the body or the hands are placed on the knees and feet as the legs are extensions of the Root Chakra. Unlike massage, there is no manipulation of the skin or tissue.
A distant session usually lasts only 10-30 minutes. The client has only to accept the treatment and to be in a relaxed state, or asleep.
Many individuals report feeling cold, hot or tingly during a session. Most people enter a calm, relaxed state, some may fall asleep. In some cases of acute conditions, pain can diminish or completely vanish. It is different for each person. The Reiki energy works even if nothing special is noticed.
What are the benefits of Reiki?
Reiki enhances your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. The list of its benefits has been comprised through anecdotal research.
At a physical level Reiki can reduce or eliminate pain, relax the body and increase its mobility, eliminate migraines and headaches, accelerate healing time, accelerate recovery after surgery and strengthen the immune system. It can also cleanse the body of toxins (including alcohol), increase energy and vitality, help coping with terminal illness, and increase the effect of any other treatment.
At an emotional level Reiki can calm and reduce or eliminate stress, reduce emotional instability, combat anxiety, balance negative moods and emotions, diminish or eliminate insomnia, and can help coping with shock after a life change or loss.
At a mental level Reiki can increase creativity and learning ability, diminish or remove self-abusive or self-destructive habits, correct unwanted patterns and blocks (low self-esteem, procrastination, etc), help focus on goal realization and can improve and enhance relationships.
Reiki is also a wonderful method to assist people on their spiritual path.