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WHAT IS REIKI? WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?
We all live in a very complicated world. We give and receive a lot of energy on a daily basis, some good, some bad. There are many energy fields present around us right at this very moment, we draw energy from them for our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
However, often within the realm of self-care, we tend to neglect our emotional and spiritual well-being, which today, is the major cause of stress, anxiety, fatigue, chronic illness, and more. This happens when the energy field, which draws energy from our surroundings, gets blocked.
There are many energy healing processes out there which focuses on unblocking such energy blockages (often caused by negative thoughts, untreated trauma, or stress overload) in your body, but there one particular energy healing therapy recognized for its healing approach for centuries – Reiki
Reiki is a form of Japanese healing technique. It is based on the idea that every cell in the body has its own energy or life force. According to the International Center for Reiki Training, the reiki practice is based on the idea that we all have an unseen “life force energy” flowing through our bodies.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – (Rei) which means “Universal Life” and (Ki) which means “Life-force Energy”. However, Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice. It is not massage nor is it based on belief or suggestion. It is a subtle and effective form of energy work using spiritually guided life force energy.
HISTORY OF REIKI
Reiki is also known as Usui Reiki Ryoho, was discovered by Mikao Usui in the early 20th Century. However, many consider that Mikao Usui or Usui Sensei, as we reverently refer to him, was the creator of Reiki and that the word Reiki applies only to the healing modality he discovered and developed. Yet, when researching the facts concerning the origin of Reiki as a healing modality, we find that prior to Usui Sensei developing his style of Reiki, there were at least four other styles of Reiki healing that were being practiced in Japan. This information comes from Hiroshi Doi Sensei and from Toshitaka Mochitzuki Sensei, two Japanese Reiki researchers.
In 1914, Matiji Kawakami, a Japanese therapist, created a healing style he called Reiki Ryoho and in 1919, he published a book titled Reiki Ryoho to Sono Koka, or Reiki Healing and Its Effects. It was during the time that these Reiki styles were already in use that in March 1922, Usui Sensei had his mystical experience on Kurama yama in which he was given the Reiki energy and from this developed his style of Reiki, which he called Usui Reiki Ryoho. It is interesting that Usui Sensei chose this name as it tends to indicate that he knew of the other styles of Reiki Ryoho in use and was indicating that this was his style of Reiki Ryoho. And because of circumstances that developed during World War II along with the work of Takata Sensei mentioned later in this section, the other forms of Reiki fell into disuse or remained relatively unknown while Usui Reiki continued to be practiced and grew in popularity
HOW DOES REIKI WORKS?
Reiki treatments mostly last about 50 minutes. During the treatment the patient lies on a massage table, fully clothed, the Reiki practitioner gently places her hands, palms down on or just above the patient’s body in specific energy locations, and uses a series of multiple hand positions. The period of time that the practitioner leaves her hands in each position is committed by the flow of energy through her hands at each location. There is no massage, pressure, or manipulation.
While it is performed it feels as a warm, glowing radiance is flowing through your body. It doesn’t focus on the symptoms of the illness but instead the entire body. A Reiki Healing session can leave you with a sense of serenity, and well-being.
To learn Reiki, one receives an attunement and learns specific hand positions through which to send Reiki. With their hands attuned, they can either rest them on a recipient’s body or—when becoming second-degree Reiki practitioners—they learn the art of drawing energy from the universe and connect with a person’s energetic essence. They’re then able to perform absent Reiki, sending universal life force energy across time and space.
HOW DOES ABSENT REIKI?
Let’s take an example of a mobile phone. You can make a phone call to anyone you want even from million miles away. This is possible due to the electromagnetic radio waves, which connect our phone calls across the globe and make it possible for us to have a conversation with our friends in another corner of the world, while being at the comfort of our own home.
Similarly, Reiki recipients do not need to be in physical proximity to Reiki practitioners to receive Reiki, neither do the practitioners need to be near recipients to send it. Reiki energy definitely can be sent to anyone, simply by directing thoughts and energy to that person.
Also Read: Can Reiki Be Done Remotely?
WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?
There are innumerable benefits to learning Reiki and although reiki helps to produce physical, mental, and emotional healing. Here are some of the benefits to help you understand it better:
- Reiki can help the patient achieve a state of peace which strengthens their spiritual well-being and helps the body to better use its own energy to naturally heal itself.
- It also improves mood and sleep and even Increases Self-Love & Confidence.
- Reiki treatments help in balancing the mind and emotions of the patient which allows them to face issues in their life with more clarity and focus.
- Reiki stimulates tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery.
- It also helps to relieve pain from many chronic conditions such as sciatica, migraines, and arthritis.
- Reiki helps the body to reach its natural balance and also helps to reduce the side effects from medical treatments or speed healing after surgery.
IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY
There has been a lot of scientific research and studies to understand the effectiveness of reiki. Although there is no scientific explanation over how reiki works, all the studies have evaluated the potential of Reiki to relieve physical, mental and spiritual balance; and even improved conditions such as pain, fatigue, chronic illness, and many more.