Reiki FAQ
Below are some of the most common questions about Reiki that I have received. I’ve answered them to the best of my abilities based on my experience as a Reiki Master Teacher & Practitioner.
How does Reiki work?
Reiki is administered by a practitioner, who acts as a conduit through whom the ki can be transmitted to the recipient. The Reiki energy flows through the practitioner’s palm chakras as they gently rest on or a few inches away from the recipient. It has been called an intelligent energy, as it flows to where it is needed without requiring manipulation by the practitioner. It provides the energy the physical body needs to heal itself and works on the mental and emotional bodies as well.
What are the Benefits of Reiki
Relaxation
In today’s world of increasing speed of communication, we spend much of our time racing to keep up. True relaxation is a lost art, and the stress we live with as a result takes a toll on our health. The deep relaxation response experienced during a Reiki session strengthens the immune system and promotes healing in our physical bodies.
Releases Stress
Reiki relieves physical and emotional stress, allowing the release of unneccessary worries and doubts. Problems are just blocked energies, and during a Reiki session those blockages are removed allowing a sense of peace and well-being to occur. Proper energy flow is restored allowing emotional balance to return.
Rejuvinate the Physical Body
Reiki works with your body’s own Aura Blueprint of perfect health, helping your own energy align itself to heal and strengthen your body. During the session, energy is absorbed by the body where it needs it. Many people report that they feel refreshed and renewed following their Reiki session, as if they had 3-4 hours of sleep.
How do you use Reiki?
As a Reiki Practitioner, I work with Ki every day, giving myself self-treatments and enhancing my well being with meditation techniques. This enables me to become a clear chanel for Reiki when I give treatments to others. Traditional Japanese exercises help me balance the three key energy centers known as the Hara in order to attain health and happiness. This spiritual energy offers a non-religious practice that furthers my spiritual path.
The other thing that I practice is incorporating the Five Spiritual Precepts into my life, and I meditate upon these daily as well.
What does Reiki feel like?
The physical sensations that accompany Reiki vary from person to person. Some of the most common descriptions of what people feel include a feeling of heat or warmth from the practitioner’s hands. Other descriptions include a vibration, tingling, or pins & needles like when your leg is falling asleep. You do not need to feel Reiki to know it’s working, and the most common experience of Reiki is that of deep relaxation.
Experienced Reiki practitioners often develop sensitivity which aids them in their use of Reiki. It’s different for everyone, and any physical sensations are just a by-product of the energy, not the energy itself.
Where did Reiki come from?
A form of holistic healing which originated in Japan, founder Mikao Usui described Reiki as “the Secret Art of Inviting Happiness, the miraculous medicine of all diseases.” Here’s a little more background on Usui from The Reiki Digest:
“Mikao Usui himself was born into a Samurai family in 1865, and was already studying ki ko — the Japanese version of qigong — by 1871, when the 267-year Shogun era ended and the emperor ordered the samurai to cut off their topknots and put away their swords. That dramatic change was depicted in the film “The Last Samurai,” which so far hasn’t turned up on the “Asian action” channel. Who knows what kind of a life Usui would have had if he could have grown up to be a samurai like his ancestors.”
As it is, I think it’s very fortunate for all of us that Usui chose a path of peace and healing. One of thebeliefs about the origin of Reiki is that it is based on Tibetan sutras (texts of Buddhism) written by monks. But most sources agree that in the mid-19th century, Mikao Usui, a Japanese buddhist monk, developed this healing approach and spiritual path, named it Reiki, trained others in it, and developed an organization.
One of Usui’s students, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi who was a trained physician, further developed these teachings and opened his own clinic in Tokyo. In 1936, an American born woman of Japanese heritage named Hawayo Takata went for treatment. Later, she trained in Reiki Under Hayashi and became a Master, and is credited with introducing Reiki to the West in the late 1930s.
What does a Reiki session consist of?
A Reiki treatment session lasts for about one-hour and is useful for specific healing or general relaxation. The client remains fully clothed at all times as the practitioner gently lays her hands on the head, torso, legs, and feet of the client, allowing Reiki energy to flow through her palms. Reiki always works toward your highest good.
Is Reiki safe?
The energy that flows from the Reiki practitioner’s hands always works toward the highest good of both the practitioner and the recipient, and is therefore completely safe. There are no medical contraindications to Reiki, and it can be used to enhance any other medical or alternative therapy.
Reiki does not replace the care provided by health care professionals. You are strongly encouraged to continue seeing your health care providers and following their recommendations in conjunction with Reiki treatments.
What is a Reiki attunement?
A Reiki attunement is a blessing ritual performed by a Reiki Master to prepare a student to become a practitioner. It activates the student’s energy channels and palm chakras to allow the Reiki energy to flow through. This is the way that Reiki is taught, with hands-on blessing allowing the new practitioner to feel the joy of Reiki in a profound and personal way. After receiving this blessing, the student now has the ability to be a conduit for Reiki for the rest of her life.