learn reiki – Share Reiki

23/10/2019

Finding The Right Teacher

More often than not, word of mouth or a friend of a friend introduces us to our Reiki Master. Reiki appears in our lives at the perfect time for the perfect reasons but what if we are looking to deepen our practice or further our practitioner status? This may move us beyond our original teacher or perhaps they are out of reach. If so, how do we find the right teacher?

A great place to start is within our local Reiki Community, it may sound obvious but these groups can be difficult to find. There are many Reiki teacher and practitioner directories on the internet but very few guide us to a Reiki share group. Any good Reiki group will welcome us in to explore our curiosity, try The Reiki Connectory to find a share group near you.

Once we haves names and contact details, it’s a good idea to call them and have a conversation, or ask to meet with them in person. By doing this, we can experience a number of essential connections:

Rapport – this is the natural ease in which the conversation flows, the pleasure we receive in their presence and the freedom we feel in expressing our thoughts and beliefs.
Dedication – how dedicated are they to their practice? Ask of the form they practice and what their daily routine looks like. How do they deepen their own practice? Are you excited and intrigued by what you hear?
Communication – discuss their preferred method of communication for teachings, assignments and practice. Find out how often they intend to meet, and if in person, on the phone and electronically. What will occur during these times? It is important to discover if we can approach them with questions or to discuss experiences.
Commitment – We expect our future teacher to be committed to their practice, we also want to feel a commitment to their students. Listen for hints of their commitment, are they committed for the duration of the agreed apprenticeship or lessons, or does their commitment go beyond? We are looking for lifelong commitment to the student, regardless what ‘level’ the student is working towards.

Listing our questions and ticking off as we go will ensure our confidence in our final decision, if we are talking to our perfect teacher, they will understand and encourage this. Asking any additional questions we have before committing to a class will instill certainty and enthusiasm for the new chapter of our journey.

Reiki is a spiritual practice, we are likely to have new experiences and our practice will deepen by discussing these with a Reiki Master. The suggestions above will help in finding that trusted Reiki Master, coupled with intentional Reiki assisting the search, we are guaranteed to find the perfect Reiki teacher 🙂

23/10/201923/10/2019

Returning To Reiki

In my quest to unite Reiki practitioners, I am finding people who have learnt Reiki but allowed it to slip quietly from their lives. Anywhere from a few years to over a decade. The distance in the memory of Reiki is enough to create uncertainty in joining a Reiki group and therefore creates a reason to ignore the calling. And understandably so. It is social human nature to do nothing in the face of uncertainty. Understanding this gives me the confidence and optimism to continue shouting from the rooftops to anyone who will listen.
So…… how do you overcome this doubt and uncertainty, I see three options:

Read this post, it may be all you need 🙂
You can book in for a refresher class of Reiki, this will refresh your knowledge and your confidence. I offer resits for past students but happy to extend this offer if you can provide a Reiki 1 certificate and assurance that you were taught in person by a certified Reiki Teacher.
You can bite the bullet and turn up to a Reiki share. Well, you can always call me first and talk through your concerns, I have no doubt they would soon be quashed.

I teach that we are all born with energy healing abilities and it is our conditioning that helps us forget, when initiated into Reiki, you are reconnected to universal energy and then use practice and intention to increase your sensitivity. When time passes with-out practicing, we desensitise once again, which is why any one of the above options will help you to remember your intention, increase sensitivity and urge you to create the habit once more.
For some, failing to start a habit of daily Reiki has been the reason, if this is you, I dare say your Reiki Teacher failed to inspire you. This also can be rectified by any of the three options above.

If you have a desire to re-introduce Reiki into your life but not quite ready to join others in group Reiki, I encourage you to start a new habit, right now! Try any or all of the exercises below:

Lay your hands on your chest, belly, heart or legs, wherever is comfortable, and activate Reiki in the way you were taught. Do it now……… Well done, you’ve just re-started your practice 🙂
Set an alarm for an appropriate time each day to do the exercise above.
Put a note next to your bed to practice Reiki before you fall asleep (one of my favourites)
Use the same note to practice Reiki as soon as you wake up (making full use of the snooze button!)
Include Reiki in any hands on activity you do daily, for example; many massage therapists, nurses and reflexologists have learned Reiki to compliment their work.
You may spend time everyday stroking your dog or cat, when you start petting them, activate Reiki. When you hold your baby, activate Reiki. When you hold your partner’s hand, activate Reiki. These have the added bonus of offer Reiki too.
Use your commute on public transport or car share or your wait time for an appointment to discretely practice Reiki. The time often passes quickly too.

Forget setting a time for your practice, the habit needs to be formed first. Then the length of time will naturally increase. The more you do it, the more you will want to. Once you experience the benefits and see changes, you will get the calling to practice for longer.
It is also helpful to remember that the past is gone and done, we can’t change it but we can use the memory of it to do things differently. Feeling bad or regret for giving up a habit such as Reiki is unhelpful. Instead we can remember the reasons for learning in the first place and use them to propel our motivation into creating one of the best habits I have ever included in my life, if I did it, you can do.

23/10/2019

Reiki & Wellness

Reiki will work to balance our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Therefore, no matter how bad or afraid we may feel during illness, Reiki will help.

Why?

When we engage in or receive Reiki, we are letting go of our thoughts in relation to the dis-harmony we are experiencing, and allowing the flow of loving, healing energy to flood our being.

In other words, we are letting go of our ego and when distracted from the discomfort or specifics of our condition, we are open to healing. When we do this, the energy can flow more easily and heal from the root cause.

What Is The Root Cause?

The root cause is where Reiki can become complicated; this is where our traumas, experiences, conditioning and thought patterns impact our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The root cause of our current health could pre-date our birth or past generations, or manifest from a series of inherited beliefs. It doesn’t really matter where Reiki needs to work, all it needs is an intention and a desire to heal, and both are activated when we engage in Reiki.

How Does it Work?

As we know, a daily practice will encourage wellness, but Reiki doesn’t do it alone. Our daily practice offers insight on how best to live. The insight may show itself in a number of ways:

• A thought that we’re compelled to take action on

• Newfound motivation

• Inspiration to form a new habit

• Recognising opportunities

• Better sleep hence increased energy

• Strength to make good food choices

• Clear thoughts assisting decision-making

Insights received are likely to be subtle at first, but when we begin to notice them, they become more apparent. This will add to the good feelings experienced and create more of the same. The difference between insights and our thoughts are that our thoughts have become the unhelpful self-talk creating self-doubt and non-congruency, that is our thoughts and actions are misaligned. When we begin to take note of these insights, they become our thoughts and we are inspired to take action, this leads to better life decisions and a state of wellbeing.

What If There Is Pain?

In general, pain helps to increase the separation between body and mind, which in turn slows the flow of energy and the healing process. Reiki will bridge the divide, offering healing energy to the point of pain, and then beyond, in order to heal where it needs to. Knowing this gives us permission to take our focus off the area of pain and even distract ourselves to think of something else, even for a short time, this can be invaluable.

When we experience chronic or ongoing discomfort from medication or therapy, Reiki can help to reduce the symptomatic side effects in much the same way. Doctors and scientists disallow absolute results from medical intervention; there will always be some element of doubt, or what if. This feeling is diminished in Reiki. There is no doubt what-so-ever that healing is taking pace. We may feel movement in our cells, warmth across our body or a simple knowing that the energy is working to heal us in places no drug can reach.

How Do We Encourage Greater Healing?

By harnessing all of the information above and trusting that Reiki is healing in such a way that the process of creating long term wellness is well underway. Immediate results may create short-term relief, which is often how we experience modern medicine. Patience and perseverance, along with a little faith in our innate healing abilities will create the free path for Reiki to flow and remove our resistance to heal. This may be why modern medicine and Reiki work so well together.

Engage in Reiki, trust your being and be well!

23/10/2019

What Can I Expect In My Reiki Treatment

My human Reiki treatments are rather systematic, this was born from the human need to experience the expected in order for us to relax enough to succumb to our innate healing instinct. Especially when many clients were unfamiliar with Reiki and relaxation is imperative for equilibrium of our mind and body, as if they are two separate entities.
So with this in mind, I start by clarifying any previous experience with Reiki and then explain what I expect of you and what you can expect from me. It usually goes like this:

You will lay face up on the massage table and stay here for the duration of the treatment, unless you have specific reasons why this is not comfortable, in which case you may lay face down or sit in a chair. Comfort and relaxation is my initial intention.
I will then engage in Reiki and a short guided relaxation, helping you disconnect from the day.
The hand positions I move into begin at your head and follow the teachings of Usui Shiki Ryoho, covering the head, chest, abdomen and limbs. There are so many variations of hand positions, none of which should feel imposing in any way, remember, relaxation and comfort are key.
The time I spend in each position is guided mostly by my intuition, my intuition may tell me that one area needs more time than another, or that you would benefit mentally from the same amount of time in each hand position. This, I leave to the moment.
If you have come with a specific issue or illness, there may be specify hand positions that will help. For example, if you are stressed with worry, I will treat your head, but will spend as much time on your stomach because this is where worry manifests physically. If you are wrought with grief, I will spend more time in the heart space and hara. And if you have arthritic knees, I would spend more time here.
During the treatment I will play relaxing music and diffuse essential oils, both can be changed to your preference. We habitually create triggers in our life and these are notably unhelpful and stress inducing, when we actively create helpful triggers, such as sounds and smells, during a Reiki treatment for example, you can play the music or use the fragrance to invoke the blissful trigger. It’s a simple and easily applied anchor.
The end of the treatment is signalled by three full strokes down the sides of your body, this is gentle way to wake you if you have dropped off or to rouse you from your meditative state. I will ask you to take your time and allow any yawing and stretching to feel complete before sitting up and drinking some water.

Every Reiki treatment is likely to be different, your experiences can range from a warm tingling feeling, to seeing visions and colours. Some people experience nothing except a serene space in which to completely relax, there is no definitive list.
It may also take a few sessions to relax into the treatment, often thanks to busy schedules and incessant self talk but rest assured, this does become quiet with a little persistence. Helping us create the space to heal.

23/10/2019

How Do I Learn Reiki?

Reiki is a practice. Not the most inviting start to a conversation I know, (your yawn is infectious) but it is the truth. To reap the benefits of anything we ‘do’, we generally need to do it often. My point is that once we have received the initiations, or attunements as they are also known, we must engage in self practice to create the space our body and mind needs to heal past traumas and habits.

The initiations are short rituals carried out by the Reiki Master and consist of a series of symbols and movements. These are kept secret out of respect for the practice and intended to re-open you to the energy of the universe.

In Usui Shiki Ryoho there are four initiations performed over two days in Reiki I and one initiation in Reiki II, these details differ between forms of Reiki but you will always be initiated or attuned in some way.

I like the initiations and I enjoy giving them, with each new student I feel a deeper connection to the practice of Reiki and a connection is formed with the student. This connection adds joy and sincerity to the commitment I make as their Reiki Teacher, which is to support them for life in their Reiki journey, no matter how involved or distant that may be.

The capacity for learning in a group class is magnified and the intellectual and experiential contributions invaluable. My recent experience of single student classes have proved to offer a more personal teaching approach, which becomes tailored, to their current needs and situation. Whichever style a Reiki Teacher offers, I would advise careful consideration, this person will be available for support and guidance in Reiki for life. Make sure you like the sound of them first

During the teaching time, we also learn the history and application of Reiki. The knowledge of where it comes from and how it reached the Western World offers understanding and compassion for the practice, as well as many options for further learning if we desire. And of course, when taught a systematic method of treatment, for self and for others, we are armed with the confidence to develop our own practice that will ensure an effortless transition into a daily routine.

It is in this daily routine that we really begin to learn from Reiki, and although epiphanies do and will happen, most reports of transformation are gradual. It begins with the realisation the we can arrange our routine to include space for healing, we may notice the thoughts that have been causing our headaches no longer linger, or that we no longer notice that the person on the train who plays music too loud through their head phones, even though they still do. We find that our general stress levels have reduced giving us the energy to utilise that gym membership or take that yoga class. And when we start creating these little pockets of space for healing, bigger pockets magically appear, starting each day from a calmer, more organised and grounded place, leaving plenty of room for the day’s challenges. In essence we learn to listen to ourselves, our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves and respond in ways that build resilience and emotional flexibility while encouraging our actions to align with our thoughts.

The simplicity of Reiki as a practice helps create space to heal the complexities of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.