Why I Love Reiki
I am an avid do-it-yourselfer with a curiosity that doesn't let up, and I love to stay active and be productive. At the same time, I've always been aware of a place of profound silence and stillness within, and I started practicing meditation and yoga as a kid (let's just say it has been more than a few decades). In 1986, while in the midst of early pregnancy blahs, a friend offered me a Reiki treatment. The immediate centering, relaxation, and flush of well-being was palpable. I couldn't wait to learn to practice myself--which I did the very next week. And I've been practicing and sharing Reiki ever since.
About My Reiki Blog
Hawayo Takata, the Reiki master who, with her Reiki master Chujiro Hayashi, brought Reiki practice from Japan to Hawaii, famously said, "I want Reiki to be as common as aspirin."
I feel the same way, and that has been behind the work I've been doing since 1986, including presenting Reiki in medical schools, organizing Reiki programs in hospitals, publishing peer-reviewed medical papers and popular articles, collaborating on research, and writing my book Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide. As well as my private practice based in New York City.
Reiki practice is harmless and can help people feel better, feel more whole--no matter how healthy or unhealthy they are, and even when death is approaching. The benefits of Reiki practice can be felt even when people are undergoing necessary, but invasive medical treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery.
Reiki is usually presented with New Age trappings that put many people off--people who would be very interested in Reiki if the practice were presented in neutral language. I don't do that.
I started Reiki Central as a resource for Reiki practitioners who value clarity, practice, and tradition, and to be available to mentor the next generation of Reiki professionals, those who will work with the mainstream public and in conventional health care settings.
After all, Reiki practice is easily learned and easy to practice, but not so easily understood, especially outside the Asian paradigm of health and non-dual spiritual perspective. My 25 years studying meditation and yoga before learning to practice Reiki gave me a background and context to understand the practice that most Americans just don't have.
Even the idea of practice is foreign to most Americans, unless they've taken a yoga class or sit regularly for meditation. Then they realize that it's not a matter of knowing how to practice, but actually practicing that makes the difference. Otherwise they think the only reason to practice something (like a sport or an instrument) is to get better at it. And from the outside, it's so apparently easy to practice Reiki that it doesn't take long for someone who's trying to do it right to get, well, bored. But that's often when the best part is just beginning to open up.
Lessons Learned
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Everything is easier when I feel better, and nothing helps me feel better faster than practicing Reiki self-treatment.
- Maintaining a peaceful, contented state is the foundation of good health.
- It makes more sense to protect the well-being I have than to expect I can take a pill to get it back once I've lost it.
- The care of the family and the patient begins with the care of the caregiver.
- It's our job to take care of ourselves and be happy so we can offer our gifts to those around us.
- I'm more creative, productive, and loving when I practice Reiki self-treatment every day.
Name of My Blog
URL of My Blog
http://reikiinmedicine.org/reiki-blog/
