Reiki Friend

Reiki is a Japanese system of hands on healing which was discovered in Japan by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. Just like Yoga, the many styles of martial arts and Chinese Medicine, Reiki has the theory of Ki, Chi or Prana as the central principle.

Translated Reiki means soul energy or energy coming from the highest possible source. A practitioner of Reiki is merely a conduit or channel for this energy and during a treatment a practitioner gives none of their own personal energy to the client whatsoever. In fact giving a Reiki treatment is highly energizing not only for the client but also for the practitioner.

Reiki works on the theory that if one is to be in a state of optimum health, a persons Ki or energy must be balanced and free flowing. When this flow of energy is blocked or disrupted that is when health issues occur.

It is considered that these blockages to a persons Ki are toxins which we accumulate through everyday living, diet, and our physical, emotional and mental habits. Through receiving Reiki treatments a person is relaxed, energized and starts to lose these toxins and in time ideally returns to a state of health.

Reiki is non invasive, completely safe and can be used to compliment all therapies. The Gokai or five principles are the Reiki practitioner’s philosophy on life. They were also given by Usui Sensei to people who returned to him repeatedly with different health issues as he realized that a person’s mental health had a direct impact on their physical health. The Gokai reads:

Different Styles

There are a variety of styles of Reiki in the world today operating under certain names however all these styles can be typically narrowed down to two forms, Western Style Reiki and Japanese Style Reiki.

After WW2, Reiki was banned in Japan along with Acupuncture and Martial Arts and subsequently went underground. As luck would have it a Japanese lady by the name of Hawayo Takata was attuned by a man named Dr Chujiro Hayashi (one of Mikao Usui’s main students) and after the war resided in Hawaii. From there she began to attune others and in time Reiki spread around the world and back to Japan.

Upon the return of Reiki to Japan a number of traditional teachers and practitioners began to emerge. It is through such people today that we have a deeper understanding of Reiki, the original techniques and how it originally was in the early years of Mikao Usui and Chujiro Hayashi.

Mrs Hawayo Takata for whatever reasons presented Reiki to the Western World in a way that was different to how it was originally in Japan. The main difference being that she taught Reiki treatments as a series of set hand movements going first from the head, down the body and then the back. This approach is what is commonly known as Western Style.

Although there are manuals available today of Usui’s and Hayashi’s treatment methods for various conditions, the Japanese Style by contrast to Western Style typically treats the head and then the problem area. A practitioner of Japanese Reiki also uses their hands to scan areas of the body for what is termed Byosen translated as toxins or more exactly toxic lump. A Japanese Reiki practitioner uses the sensitivity in their hands to sense where the toxins and blockages are in the client and then treats these areas accordingly. Japanese Reiki also typically includes a brief massage at the end of each treatment called Kekko.

It is worth bearing in mind that Western Style or Japanese Style, Reiki energy is Reiki energy and has an intelligence all of its own. If a hand is placed on one area of the body and the problem is elsewhere the Reiki energy will go where it is needed most.

Reiki is a highly positive path to take for both practitioners and clients alike. Although no guarantees can ever be given in life, many many people find Reiki treatment to be an extremely positive experience and the life of a person who lives with Reiki is forever a positively expanding one. Reiki is currently the fastest growing complimentary therapy in the world.

Reiki Treatments

Reiki has a multitude of applications from helping others on many levels to helping oneself after one has been attuned. It is not to be thought that Reiki only takes place on a massage table.

That being said however if you are interested in receiving a treatment it is sensible to expect your treatment on a massage table or sometimes you may get treated sitting upright on a chair especially if it is a psychological/emotional treatment.

A treatment by a practitioner of Western Style Reiki will normally last one hour, a treatment from a practitioner of Japanese Reiki could last a little longer perhaps up to one and a half hours in total as such practitioners do not work on a set number of hand positions instead they work with the clients levels of byosen.

A blanket can be placed over a client to help keep them warm. With the sensible exception of shoes and coat, you should never ever be asked to remove any items of clothing whatsoever. It is unnecessary and if you are ever asked such a thing then you are most definitely in the wrong place.

It is impossible to say exactly what one will experience during and after a treatment, other than that one should find it to be very relaxing. People may find that their symptoms have eased somewhat straight away, others may notice a gradual improvement over the coming days. It is also worth pointing out that sometimes people can feel a little worse for treatment. This is due to the fact that Reiki detoxifies the body, if this does occur at the start of treatments then it should be viewed positively as it shows that the Reiki is working.

With Regards to costs, prices vary, as a rule a Reiki session should be roughly the same going rate as a massage session in your area. It would be difficult for anyone to say exactly how many treatments are needed however some practitioners may be prepared to negotiate a price that you are both comfortable with if it looks like a number of sessions will be required.

Some people do indeed offer treatments free of charge or for donations which is fine if people wish to do so. Also some people do not like to pay for an energy which in a sense is free. In such cases it is worth bearing in mind that time is indeed money and also the majority of Reiki practitioners have invested hundreds of pounds, perhaps more in their attunements and training and could also have traveled long distances for this. To balance things out there really should be some kind of exchange for a treatment. It is also worth noting that unless someone pays for something they rarely value it.

Reiki can also be used to treat people at a distance. It can be a difficult concept for people new to Reiki to be able to grasp however like all things Reiki, feeling is usually believing. The ability to send Reiki at distance is received at Level 2 or Okuden. Many practitioners offer distant Reiki treatments sometimes for free and when there is a charge involved it is usually less than an in person treatment. If you are interested in receiving distant Reiki it is a good idea to set the time for distant treatment with the practitioner ,this enables you to be able to take time out and relax at said time.

Learning Reiki

The ability to give Reiki to oneself or to others is acquired through an attunement process which one receives from a Reiki teacher. Once people are attuned to Reiki energy they radiate Reiki from their hands, feet, eyes and mouth. As soon as the first attunement has been received one can start to give treatments.

One need not be a spiritual adept to learn Reiki and at the same time Reiki is open to people of all religions. Many Reiki people say that Reiki is universal energy, many say it is love energy, and many say that it is God energy. Whatever the description one wants to give this higher energy, without any doubt receiving a Reiki attunement will have a highly positive affect on ones life.

With regards to the different stages of Reiki training and the time it takes to attain them, there are in the world today a number of opinions. Traditionally in the Japanese system there are four levels Shoden, Okuden, Shihan-Kaku and Shihan. These could be compared to the Western Style Reiki Level 1, Level 2(practitioner) and level three (master/teacher). Some may find seminars which teach Shoden and Okuden over three days, other teachers may advise a number of months between Level 1 and Level 2 and then perhaps a year until Level 3.

Like all things in life go with what feels right for you. Something to take into account however is that sometimes less is more. It is better to be Reiki Level 1 or Shoden and live your life by it than be a Reiki Master and never use it at all.

Traditionally attunements are given in person however today it is easy to find a multitude of attunements offered on the web at distance or even by DVD. If you are interested in becoming attuned to Reiki, reikifriend.com highly recommends that you invest wisely and receive an attunement in person from a reputable Reiki teacher. Indeed, in person attunements are a major stipulation for all those who wish to sign up as members of reikifriend.com and then advertise as a practitioner or teacher.

Reiki must never be considered a guaranteed magic cure for anything and everything. It should also be taken into account that in no way does Reiki offer a substitute for conventional medicine and diagnosis.