Reiki Healing- Introduction to Reiki And What To Expect

By Philameana Lila Desy


Reiki (pronounced Ray Key) is a combination of two Japanese words rei and ki meaning universal life energy. Reiki is an ancient laying-on of hands healing technique that uses the life force energy to heal, balancing the subtle energies within our bodies. Reiki addresses physical, emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances. This healing art is an effective delivery system. The Reiki practitioner serves as a vessel that supplies healing energies where they are most needed. Reiki's ki-energies flow out of the practitioner's body through the palms of the hands while they are touching the recipient's body.

What to Expect During a Reiki Healing Session
You will be asked to lay down on a massage table, couch, or bed. You will be fully clothed except for your shoes. You may also be asked to remove or loosen your belt so that your breathing is not restricted in any way. It is best to choose loose-fitting garments to wear on the day of your appointment. Wearing natural fabrics is best (cotton, wool, or linen). You may also be asked to remove any jewellery (rings, bracelets, pendants, etc.) prior to the session, so consider leaving these items at home.


Relaxing Atmosphere
Reiki practitioners will often create a relaxing atmosphere for their Reiki sessions, setting the mood with the use of dimmed lights, meditative music, or bubbling water fountains. Some practitioners prefer to be in a place that is completely silent, without distraction of music of any kind, to conduct their Reiki sessions in.

Healing Touch
During the Reiki healing session the practitioner will place his hands lightly on different parts of your body. Some Reiki practitioners will follow a predetermined sequence of hand placements, allowing their hands to rest on each body placement for 2 to 5 minutes before moving on to the next. Empathic practitioners will freely move their hands in no particular order to the areas where they "feel" Reiki is most needed. Some Reiki practitioners do not actually touch their clients. Instead, they will hover their lifted palms a few inches above the reclined body. Either way, Reiki energies flow where they are suppose to. Reiki is a smart energy that automatically flows where the imbalances are in your body regardless of where the practitioner's hands are placed.


Phantom Hands
Because Reiki energies flow to where they are most needed there is a Reiki phenomenon called "phantom hands" that you may or may not experience. Phantom hands feel as if the Reiki practitioner's hands are touching one part of your body when they are actually elsewhere. For example, you may be able to see that the healer's hands are actually placed on your stomach, but you could swear that hands are touching your legs. Or, you may feel as if several pairs of hands are on your body at the same time as if several people are in the room with you.

Booking a Reiki Healing Session
You may have turned to the yellow pages of your telephone directory in search of a Reiki practitioner in your area. However, very few practitioners advertise their services using this media. Reiki practitioners work out of clinics, hospitals, spas, and home businesses. Some practitioners provide house-calls, traveling to your location to give treatments. Check out bulletin board postings in natural food markets, metaphysical stores, yoga classes, community colleges, etc. Reiki practitioners often rely on word of mouth from their regular clients in attracting new ones.

There are many different types of Reiki systems, so be sure to ask any questions you may have about a practitioner’s services before you book a session. Reiki shares are sometimes used as a promotional tool to introduce Reiki in their areas. Shares are usually offered peridodically on weekends for free or at a minimal price.


Becoming a Reiki Practitioner
Reiki is traditionally taught in three levels. Levels I and II are typically taught in one day class (8 hours) or over a weekend period (16 hours). Level III is generally a more intensive course of study and will take a longer commitment. Class time involves an initiation ritual called an attunement and learning the hand placements for self treatments as well as treating others.


Reiki Controversies and Myths
The healing community has come a long way in demystifying the cloak of secrecy that once surrounded the teaching of Reiki in the western hemisphere. As a result, inaccuracies that were born out of the teaching being hidden away have been chipped away layer by layer. However, some of these Reiki Myths continue to grow organically.

Reiki was first introduced to Canada and the United States in the 1970s. Hawayo Takata, a Hawaii native of Japanese descent, brought her knowledge of Reiki to the mainland through oral teachings. Reiki teachings and stories were passed down from teacher to student by word of mouth for several years. No wonder the stories got jumbled up!

There is a continuing argument about publicizing the symbols used in Reiki. They have been talked about as being sacred and powerful and should not be shared outside of the Reiki community. Yet, the symbols are printed in several publications and widely distributed across the Internet. What may have been kept for secret for awhile is no longer. I personally do not believe the symbols have power in of themselves, but that the power they represent is actually the intention or focus held by the Reiki practitioner when they are being used.


Article source: www.about.com

How Reiki Differs From Massage

By Laura Bruno

In states in the USA that do not explicitly exempt Reiki from jurisdiction by the Massage Board, Reiki sometimes raises the ire of people who would prefer to have it regulated. Reasons can range from conservative religious groups looking for ways to minimize the proliferation of alternative spirituality, to massage therapists wanting to eliminate competition from those with less formal training, to a misunderstanding of what Reiki actually is. I offer this article as a starting point for people trying to understand the differences between Reiki and Massage.

This list also serves as a starting point for anyone creating a petition targeted to a particular state's definition of massage. (Be sure to check your state's actual definition when writing such a petition.) In a world of increased regulation, it's important to practice Reiki both responsibly and freely.

The "Rei" in Reiki stands for "universal" or" spiritual," and the "ki" corresponds to the "life force energy" known as "Chi" or "prana" in other Eastern systems of healing and energy work such as feng shui, Tai Chi, Qigong, or yoga. Thus, Reiki refers to "universal life force energy," "divinely directed healing energy," or "life energy of a spiritual nature," with an emphasis on subtle energy fields rather than the physical body. For the following reasons, we do not believe Reiki fits the legal definition of massage:

1) Massage is primarily physical, but Reiki works with subtle energy fields surrounding the body. Although some massage therapists may draw upon Reiki energy while giving massages, a traditional Reiki treatment involves 11 to 14 stationary, non-pressured hand positions held for 3 to 5 minutes each. Whereas massage involves the manipulation of tissue, Reiki requires only a light, non-invasive touch or no touch at all. Reiki Level 2 students learn how to perform Reiki treatments at a distance without requiring someone's physical proximity, but it would be impossible to give a massage without a body in the same room. Reiki is akin to "the spiritual laying on of hands" or "healing prayer," rather than a massage modality or technique.

2) In order to provide effective massage, massage therapists need knowledge of anatomy and physiology, along with various massage strokes like "Effleurage," "Petrissage," "Tapotement," etc. By contrast, Reiki students learn that universal life force energy has innate intelligence and knows where it needs to go. Reiki practitioners do not manipulate the body or forcefully direct energy during a Reiki treatment. In order to practice Reiki, the practitioners must receive an attunement or initiation from a Certified Reiki Master Teacher. The attunement opens the students' own natural energy channels, allowing Reiki energy to flow through their hands. The traditional Reiki hand positions and any other Reiki process do not require massage education in order to be effective.

3) In addition to the aforementioned differences, preparations for receiving Reiki or massage are different. Before receiving a massage, most patients disrobe and then have lotions rubbed into their nude or semi-nude body, draped under a sheet. By contrast, recipients of Reiki always remain clothed, and Reiki treatments do not involve the use of lotions or crèmes.

4) The American Cancer Association makes a distinction between massage and Reiki when recommending complementary therapies. According to the ACA, "Manipulation of a bone in an area of cancer metastasis could result in a bone fracture. Also, people who have had radiation may find even light touch on the treatment area to be uncomfortable. ... People receiving radiation treatment should not have lotion or oil used on the areas on which radiation was used. Even without radiation treatment, a few people have allergic reactions to oils used during massage. ... Another concern for people with cancer is that tissue manipulation in the area of a tumor might increase the risk that cancer cells might travel to other parts of the body. It may be prudent for cancer patients to avoid massage near tumors and lumps that may be cancerous until this question is clearly answered." By contrast, the ACA considers Reiki a "safe" treatment for cancer patients, noting that "Reiki involves very light touch or no touch."

5) The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health lists Reiki under "Energy Therapies", which are "intended to affect the energy fields that surround and penetrate the human body." As defined by the NCCAM, "Reiki is based on the belief that by channeling spiritual energy through the practitioner, the spirit is healed, and it in turn heals the physical body." Massage is listed under a distinctly separate category, namely, the "Manipulative and Body-Based Methods", which NCCAM defines as "methods that are based on manipulation and/or movement of the body", wherein "massage therapists manipulate the soft tissues of the body to normalize those tissues."

6) At least twenty U.S. states explicitly exempt Reiki from massage regulation.



Laura Bruno is a Life Coach, Medical Intuitive and Reiki Master Teacher from Sonoma County, USA.



Article Source: www.ezinearticles.com