For me, a Reiki share offers a supportive environment to practice, discuss and share Reiki. It can also be a wonderful place to feel the healing benefits of Reiki and maybe try Reiki for the first time. I expect that most Reiki teachers have a student group, a safe space for their students to practice with confidence, and this is the perfect support in my eyes. The only problem being, that this is to the exclusion of non students.
When an outsider tries to join an existing group of any sort, we are often greeted with curiosity, especially if we practice differently. Some groups are explicitly for a particular ‘form’ of Reiki, and I understand the reasons for this also. But have been on the receiving end of exclusion, I now appreciate the need to join forms and welcome in people who simple want to #sharesomereiki.
The Reiki Connectory provides info on groups where all forms are welcomed. The Reiki Connectory lists active Reiki share groups and discussion groups, both online and in person across the World! This is an excellent resource for anyone who is:
seeking a Reiki community in a new location
looking for a Reiki fix whilst working away or
misses the relaxation of group Reiki when on vacation
Reiki students, practitioners and masters are likely to enjoy a network of friends and acquaintances who come together at organised or informal events just to share some Reiki. But even the internet seems to omit a go-to place for active share groups. Please seek out a group near you by visiting the Reiki Connectory, or join the list and welcome newcomers to your Reiki group, let’s share some Reiki.
We have touched briefly on Animal Reiki inWhat is Reiki?, and in many ways, Reiki works in the same way. It is the animal’s interpretation or experience of receiving the energy that sets Animal Reiki apart from People Reiki. And by this, I mean the body-mind-spirit’s autonomic interpretation of the energy being received. Most animals, most of the time, will operate in the present moment. We commonly see the domestic animal out of alignment with the present moment when mirroring their owner’s emotional/energetic state; ever noticed the anxious dog is often led by an anxious owner and how that nervous horse is often mounted by a nervous rider? Except we are better at hiding our emotions than our animal counterparts.
When we offer Reiki to these animals, with the intention of reducing these particular anxieties, we will begin to dissolve the energetic imprint left on the nervous system that seems to reinforce the undesirable behaviour. And even better, when the owner is offering Reiki energy, they too are receiving the energy and dissolving the energetic imprints on their nervous system, including the trauma that may have triggered the anxiety in the first place. I guess this explains how Reiki can work with animals, but it still doesn’t explain what it is…….. The profound and complex healing process that can be triggered by such a simple energy healing therapy obligates an element of mystery that requires a small amount of trust and acceptance, which can then be strengthened with sentience. The same way we accept Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, because we see and experience it working. Everything we are, see, touch and think is made up of energy. This is a given. Even the keyboard I type with needed human brain energy to invent, physical energy to draw and record calculations, electrical energy to manufacture, Bluetooth energy to connect it. Reiki is a way of harnessing the pure, compassionate healing energy of the universe and redirecting it to remind the body how to process naturally, holistically and spiritually. When we are consciously aware of our routine synthetic applications, such as vaccines, wormers, flea treatments, pain relief, anti-inflammatories, supplements and, most alarmingly, food; it is understandable how the body can become slow to respond, especially later in life or when experiencing trauma.
We can view the application of Reiki as a natural support system that compliments and assists the lifesaving medicines of today’s world. It is often in the last stages of life that we experience the spiritual connection we have with our animals, when offering Reiki in this time, we as guardians, become confident in our decisions for their life because we are feeling the connectedness and mutual understanding of the time being ‘right’, it takes away the what if’s and the maybe’s and, sometimes for the first time, we understand how the energetic connection flows deeper and further than skin and bone and this connection will remain once they have left their body. This in itself can be the difference between a good death (yes they exist) and a traumatic experience. As depressing as that may seem, it is in these moments that we can truely appreciate the practice of energy work and realise the gift of healing that can enhance not only the lives of our animals, but also the lives we choose to live.
Enjoy your animals even more by creating space to heal!
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.
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.
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.
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.
For such a simple practice, it is surprisingly difficult to explain. My husband’s explanation is one by far one of my favourites. When asked “What is Reiki?” his answer is simply “hot hands”. His experience of feeling heat emanating from the palms of the practitioner is one of the most common experiences when receiving Reiki, what he is feeling is the energy entering his body. It may sound weird and hippy but it is really very natural. We are all born with this self healing ability, and in the Western World, our focus is quickly directed towards physical cues and inanimate assistance such as infant mobiles, toys, pencils and paper. All of which are essential in our development, but we are unlearning the ability to see and feel energy in the mean time. Therefore we forget, and at some point in our lives, often by accident or significant event, we become aware of something we are missing. This something reconnects us to our inner self, it helps us to maintain sanity in stressful jobs, decorum in busy family lives, general well being and in something bigger, deeper or more than our physical selves.
When this something is Reiki and you choose to learn how to treat yourself and others, you receive a series of initiations that are performed by a Reiki Teacher or Master. Each initiation reconnects and reminds you of the connection you have with the universe and the abundant energy that flows. The word Reiki has been used in Japan for many hundreds of years, the art of healing through touch is taught in many different forms. When the Japanese kanji is translated into english, it means Universal Life Force, which is the same as Qi, Chi, Ki, Prana or Bio/Energy Field, depending on your preferred practice. The Japanese forms of this practice were very secretive and certainly never taught outside of Japan. When Mikao Usui (the guy in the infamous photo attached to this post) experienced his enlightenment on Mt Kurama in 1922, he didn’t discover Reiki, he received insight of how to use Reiki, heal people and more importantly, how to share this knowledge with the world. It is a fascinating story and one for another day, but the way in which Reiki has developed was necessary for it’s survival, and very different to the original teachings and practices.
Once you have received the initiations, you have absolute access to Universal Life Force and as with all practices, in order to experience more deeply, regular practice is necessary. The more you practice, the more sensitive you become to the energy and more benefits you may experience. One of the beauties of this practice, is the ease in which you can practice. Many Reiki practitioners do this in bed as they fall asleep and when they wake up in the morning, there is no doctrine attached to it and can therefore be practiced as part of your belief system or as a practice in it’s own right. It is commonly used to compliment massage, reflexology and other hands on treatments, and as complimentary health care by hospitals and shelters across Australia (and I expect other countries too).
When we include our animals in this practice, we see results far quicker than when practicing with humans. Watch an animal receive Reiki and the effects are obvious, you will see licking and chewing, yawning and stretching within minutes, these are all signs of release. Other signs are rumbling tummies, rising belches and salivating, all excellent displays of things moving. Animals live mainly in the present moment with no judgement, showing us how this is most effective way to work. This is also an easier state to achieve when working with animals, they are excellent teachers, and they make it clear to us where they need energy and when they’ve had enough. Dogs and cats will often gatecrash a human treatment by joining them on the table or lying underneath it, and even on my feet.
By reconnecting with Reiki energy and practicing daily, we are cultivating a healing way of life that will directly benefit us as well as those around us.
