Reiki

Reiki is the Japanese art of spiritual healing and is quite controversial in its benefits. Some practitioners call reiki “relaxation therapy” and some claim it is far from relaxing. Reiki, in its truest form, is a profound spiritual path, with Rei meaning spiritually guided and ki meaning life force (an equivalent to the Chinese qi or ‘chi’).

The physical part of reiki is quite simple, with the reiki master focusing on 20 different ‘holds’ in the human body. Spiritual symbols are said to be transmitted to the healer and the healing force is then free to flow through. Reiki masters insist it is not them who do the healing, nor is it the reiki, but rather it is the individual who decides how much of the healing energy to take and use.

What can Reiki assist with?

• Deep relaxation and stress relief
• Self development and spiritual questing
• Improved healing time from injuries
• Palliative care many hospices promote reiki to cancer patients and the elderly as a measure of acceptance and calm.
• Often used as a complimentary therapy with reflexology, aromatherapy, naturopathy etc

What can I expect from a reiki session?

You will be lying on a table or couch and it is up to you whether you speak to the practitioner or not. The practitioner begins by gently but firmly touching your forehead and, after several minutes in this position, the reiki master will lift one hand and touch another part of your head and the other hand will follow. This continues down your body.

Don’t be surprised if you fall asleep during reiki, the process is usually quite relaxing. You may see bright lights, brilliant colours or feel burning sensations under the practitioner’s hands. Afterwards, however, may be a different story, as reiki is known to bring out intense feelings.  Your reiki master will “bring you out” calmly and gently.

DIY Reiki

You can perform reiki on yourself, because the heart of reiki is spiritual, however you may not feel the full extent of its benefits with a DIY session. Follow this simple breathing and touching exercise to give yourself a taste of the reiki touch.

• Lie on your back in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and pay attention to the breathe flowing in and out of your body
• Put your hands on your body wherever you feel drawn to, or where you fee tension. Draw on your on intuition to locate the spot that needs relaxation the most.
• Direct your breath to this spot and visualise your breath as a life energy flowing through your body. Imagine it collecting and expanding underneath your hands.
• After 5 minutes, place your hands on another part of your body and repeat the breath visualisation. Charge this body area with the revitalizing energy of your breath and move onto another.
• Slowly open your eyes, stretch and return to normal consciousness.