ALONE in the wilderness, some traveler might be suffering from severe pain in the leg or back. Medicines may not be at immediate reach. These are the times when healing hands can begin to work magic. The healing energy is called Reiki.
Reiki is the Japanese name for universal energy. It is called Chi in Chinese and Prana in India. Dr Vasantha Krishnaswamy, founder of the Integral Reiki Center recently conducted a basic level workshop on Reiki. Describing Reiki, she says it is an invisible but palpable life force energy, which infuses and permeates all living forms. This energy constantly bathes us and fills us with peace. Although we swim in it, ingesting it with every breath, we are often unaware of its existence.
The essential vehicle of Reiki is touch, applied wherever and whenever appropriate. There are no complicated techniques involved in Reiki. The student of Reiki gets initiated by a Reiki master and the channels of energy flow through the hand get activated. While there can be no scientific data available to prove the effectiveness of Reiki, during a reiki healing session, some people can feel a deep sense of peace and relaxation.
Through introducing a relaxation response, Reiki encourages enhanced integrated functioning of the body’s healing systems. Studies show that a deep state of relaxation acts through the autonomous nervous system to lower blood pressure and heart rate, to relieve tension and anxiety. This state of relaxation augments the abilities of the immune system to defend against bacteria and viruses, and it stimulates the brain’s production of endorphins, natural opiates that act to decrease the perception of pain and create a state of well being. The stimulation of this response through Reiki treatment, coupled with the increased and unimpeded flow of life force energy through the body, encourages healing at all levels.
The fundamental acknowledgement in Reiki healing is that the patient – the one receiving treatment holds the power to heal. By its very nature, Reiki gives the power and control for healing to the receiver. The inherent intelligence of the receiver’s body knows what is needed and directs the energy to the area of highest priority.
There are eight effects attributed to Reiki treatment – balancing of energy, increasing creativity, helps release emotions, releases stress, works on the root or the cause level of disease, amplifies energy, heals and increases awareness. Unlike other forms of energy healing techniques, Reiki does not involve diagnosing imbalance in the recipient’s energy field. In any session, the one who is getting healed is in charge as the individual naturally takes in as much energy as required to bring the mind and body to a state of balance.
The truth about health and wholeness is that the power to stay healthy lies with the individual. The Reiki healer puts in his or her commitment and intention to the process, acting as a conduit for the universal life force. The healing happens as a result of the relationship between the receiver’s energy field and the universal energy field, mediated through the cellular consciousness of the receiver.
Dr Vasantha says that Reiki is not constrained by lack of knowledge, imagination or understanding. It is offered unconditionally and is received regardless of circumstances. To be a Reiki healer, one needs to get attunement from a Reiki Master whose lineage begins from Dr. Mikao Usui of Japan in the mid-1800 during the Meiji era.
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