I found Reiki when I was looking for an alternative to getting on anti-depressants in 2016 at the start of my healing journey. I didn’t realize it at the time of discovery but Reiki had so much more to offer to me than a substitute for traditional medicine. It didn’t play in my life as a sub-out but as a strong add-on in balancing out the stresses in my life. I have so much gratitude when it comes to the practice of Reiki.
Here are the points we’ll walk through about practicing Reiki:
1. What is Reiki and how does it work?
3. How to get started with Reiki
4. My personal story with Reiki’s healing power
1. What is Reiki and how does it work?
Reiki is a form of energy healing that has been around for centuries. It is said to help clear blockages in the body’s energy pathways, which can lead to better health and well-being. Reiki is made up of two Japanese words; rei and ki. Rei means ‘divine spirit’ or ‘universal mind’. Ki refers to the body’s subtle life force energy, which reiki supposedly helps re-balance. During a session, practitioners channel their own rei through their hands into a patient, clearing blockages in his or her ki.
Some experts believe rei and ki can be traced to an even higher source as it encompasses universal life force energy. Reiki is meant to be a type of holistic medicine and healers believe there is no separation between body, mind, and spirit because this life force energy flows through all three.
2. The benefits of Reiki
There are many benefits to practicing Reiki. Some of the most common benefits include:
1. A sense of relaxation and calmness
2. Relief from pain and stress
3. Improvement in sleep quality
4. Boosted immune system
5. Greater clarity and focus
6. More energy and vitality
7. Better mental clarity and focus
8. Reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms
9. Faster healing time for physical injuries
10. Greater spiritual awareness and understanding
While reiki is often promoted as an alternative to medical care, practitioners stress reiki should not be used instead of traditional medicine, but rather in conjunction with it. It is based on Eastern philosophy and can help improve people’s mental, spiritual and emotional health. Reiki energy flows through a person’s aura or chakra system. These chakras are a spiritual map of a person that tells the story of what is going on within. The Reiki practitioner is the reader of this story.
3. How to get started with Reiki
As a form of energy healing that can be used for both self-care and for others, anyone can learn how to practice reiki. Getting familiar with the energy body through the Emotional Freedom Technique is a great start to understanding your body’s energy, the chakras, and meridian points.
Here are some tips to utilize on your Reiki journey:
1. Find a Reiki master. The best way to learn reiki is to have a teacher who can guide you and answer your questions. There are many Reiki practitioners out there, so it’s important to ask around and get recommendations from those you trust in order to find one that suits your needs.
2. Practice regularly and on yourself. It involves concentrating on certain energy points on the body and allowing them to heal you from within, so practicing reiki on yourself consistently can be very helpful. It is a practice similar to meditation where consistency is key if you want to see results.
3. See Reiki as a journey. Reiki is not about having some magical fix for your ills. Instead, Reiki is about beginning a journey of self-discovery and growth through reiki’s method of subtle energy manipulation.
4. Be aware that Reiki is non-judgmental. Reiki doesn’t work like Western medicine, looking for an actual physical cause of the pain or illness. Instead, Reiki takes into account your entire being, including your lifestyle and mental/emotional state. This is why Reiki can be helpful with both physical issues (like backaches) and emotional/mental ones (like stress).
5. Reiki doesn’t require you to change your lifestyle. Reiki simply involves holding certain energy points on the body while relaxing and trying to clear any mental/emotional baggage you’re carrying around.
7. Be open to what reiki has to offer. Reiki is not about reaping immediate rewards; reiki is more like a long-term investment in your health and well-being. You may not feel reiki working after each session, but reiki can still be helpful over the course of several sessions (especially if you practice Reiki on yourself regularly).
4. My personal story with Reiki’s healing power
When I was first introduced to Reiki, I was going through a really tough time. I had unresolved trauma, no boundaries, living for a corporate job I was horrible at, and trying to manage high functioning AUD (alcohol use disorder), severe anxiety, and debilitating depression. I was in a lot of pain and didn’t even really know it, I was just trying to keep going.
I was feeling really lost and scared. I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore and my friend at work could tell. She recommended giving Reiki a try and explained she had a wildly profound experience with it and it really helped her align with her purpose. *Side note: serious gratitude to that friend for the life-changing advice.
I decided to try it as I desperately needed some answers, a quantum shift, SOMETHING. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was willing to try anything. The very first time I tried it, I could feel the energy flowing through me. It was soothing and calming, allowing stress to leave me. The session left me feeling on an emotional high, more connected to my body, and oddly motivated about my life.
Since then, Reiki has become a part of my self-care routine. It helps to keep me grounded and connected to my spirituality. It helps me align with divine guidance and hear those messages more clearly. It has helped me to cope with my belief system around being an “alcoholic”.
Helping others
Aside from helping myself, I decided to get certified as a Usui Reiki Master in order to help others and help spread the word on this beautiful healing technique. The process of learning reiki and becoming certified was worth it alone! I was with an intimate group of women (all on their own healing missions) on a rural Midwest farmland during springtime for a weekend of magical learning. It is something I will never forget and plan to do again soon.
Reiki continues to help me on a daily basis along with meditation and other healthy coping skills. If this has piqued your interest in learning reiki, have any questions, or want guidance on getting started – Join us on our FREE membership platform! We’d love to help guide you in the right direction with the healing power of Reiki.
Sources:
Ellen Zambo Anderson, Cindy Wolk-Weiss, in Complementary Therapies for Physical Therapy, 2008
Reiki: What is it, and are there benefits?. Medicalnewstoday.com. (2022). Retrieved 25 January 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308772.
Rolando T. Lazaro PT, PhD, DPT, in Umphred’s Neurological Rehabilitation, 2020
What is Reiki?. Reiki. (2022). Retrieved 25 January 2022, from https://www.reiki.org/faqs/what-reiki.