The Body Sacred

Reiki Sessions
                  
             
What is Reiki ?   
Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a natural healing method which balances the vital life energy present in all living things. It is part of a spectrum of healing disciplines that fall into the category of ‘energy work.’ Energy work therapies help to clear, balance, and strengthen the energy anatomy; the pathways through which energy travels, within and around the human body, including meridians, chakras and the energy field, or aura. Movement of energy through these pathways maintains the health of the surrounding physical body. In other words, when energy moves freely, the cells, muscles, and organs benefit. Reiki can only be used for good.

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History

Reiki is a form of energy work which originated in Japan in the late 1800s. The word Reiki is a combination of two Japanese words: Rei, which can be loosely translated as ‘universal life force ,’ and ki which means ‘life energy.’  Combined, these two words form a working definition of Reiki as ‘Universal Life Energy.’ 

Mikao Usui is widely known as the founder of Reiki. He lived and studied in Japan, exploring medicine, psychology, religion, and philosophy. In his quest to understand the purpose of life, he also trained in Zen meditation. 

After devoting many years to this contemplative practice, Usui had a transformational experience which lead to his discovery and development of the Reiki healing method. He called his approach ‘Usui Reiki Ryoho’ which means Usui Reiki Healing System. 

Usui began using his healing technique with family and friends, eventually developing a Reiki clinic where he offered classes and treatment. From these ancient roots, the discipline of Reiki has become widely taught and practiced in western cultures around the world.

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Training

Traditionally, there are three levels of Reiki training. Each level includes an ‘attunement’ which increases the practitioner’s ability to be a channel through which Reiki energy flows. In addition, Level One training includes the history of Reiki and the hand placements used within a treatment for both self and others. In Level Two, Reiki symbols are introduced, as well as methods of using the symbols to enhance healing effects. Level Three, or Reiki Master training, includes the introduction of more Reiki symbols and instruction in how to teach Reiki to others.

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Treatment

Reiki can be administered seated or with the recipient lying comfortably on a massage table. Within the session, the practitioner places hands lightly over specific areas of the body. It can also be administered remotely, but only with permission  of the intended recipient. The resulting benefits are multi-faceted, including relief of pain, fatigue, and anxiety, as well as an increased sense of relaxation and well-being.

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Benefits - Patient Care and Self Care

This excellent first aid tool hastens the healing process in emergency situations and any circumstance in which the body has undergone an invasion. For those coping with pain, trauma, injury or energy depletion, Reiki offers a way to relieve discomfort and recuperate. Within patient care, these benefits are of obvious significance and have multiple applications.  

Also of particular relevance for medical professionals are the many ways in which Reiki can benefit as a simple, portable method of self care. During periods of stress, when many demands compete for available time, Reiki restores energy, mental and emotional clarity, fostering optimism and creativity. Within short or long term patient care settings, these benefits can make the difference between thriving and merely surviving.

Overall, Reiki acts synergistically with all other types of healing. It does not conflict or interfere with other methods, but acts as a support, enhancing results and facilitating benefits. It assists the body in its own highest level of wellness; speeding the healing process, and providing a source of restorative energy. Whether used as a method of self or patient care, Reiki is a powerful and natural system which unlocks the inner flow of vital energy within the sender and the receiver. It is a tool for use at any time, anywhere, for on-the-spot energy as well as stress and pain relief.

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Research

These well known benefits of Reiki have captured the attention of the medical community and prompted research into the physiological changes in response to energy work. In his book, Energy Medicine; The Scientific Basis, James Oschman cites a study on page 86 in which the frequency emitted from the hands of an energy work practitioner was measured. The energy was found to spontaneously fluctuate through low frequency ranges (0.3 to 30 Hz) associated with nerve regeneration, bone growth, ligament healing and capillary formation.

As research confirms the benefits of energy work, hospitals are including Reiki as part of integrative medical care. Dr. Mehmet Oz, a noted surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, introduced Reiki into his operating room. In Connecticut, both Hartford Hospital and Yale New Haven Medical Center offer Reiki volunteer programs providing this gentle, hands-on healing to patients.

If you are interested in evidence based research on the effects of Reiki, The Center for Reiki Research is a dynamic on-line source that provides a current list and summaries of evidence-based Reiki research published in peer reviewed journals. CRR also includes a list of hospitals, medical clinics, and hospice programs where Reiki is offered.

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Conclusion

From ancient civilizations to modern medical practice, Reiki is emerging as a time-honored method of preventative health care. Both straightforward and profoundly effective, it offers a natural way to complement traditional approaches to health and wellness.

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Reiki at The Body Sacred

I received all of my Reiki training and attunements up to the Master Teacher Level from Hallie Sawyers and Sondra Hartman. When I first felt called to Reiki, I had another lovely lady in mind who I really wanted to receive my training from. She gently guided me to these two ladies and I am so grateful she did. I am formally trained in Usui Shiko Ryoho Reiki and that is my lineage. My journey began years before my training which was a process that lasted over a year. The learning continues with each day and each Reiki healing session I do. Reiki is a very personal connection with each individual practitioner’s Divine Source. My personal belief is that there is One Source called by many names and that from this Source, the purest love flows. As time has progressed, the Divine Source has encouraged, challenged, and enlightened me with “gems of perception” as Caroline Myss would say. I’m frequently reminded that I, personally, am not doing ANY of the healing that happens. I am merely walking a daily path of self-reflection that involves letting go of the need to control the process of the unfolding of my life’s journey. Throughout the time of my training, I began to discover that I cannot hold onto the negative human feelings of hatred, anger, fear (and much more) for very long because I become physically ill. I feel this is directly related to being a Reiki practitioner.

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Shamanic Reiki

In addition to the traditional Reiki, I offer an expanded form called Shamanic Reiki. Shamanism, to me, is just an acceptance that the Divine is in everything including Mother Earth and all life forms. Because of this, everything has a spirit which, when treated with love and respect, can aid us in our daily lives. Shamanism also includes the concept of being able to travel outside our physical bodies and outside the limits of space and time, in order to find healing and other benefits. Shamanic Reiki is very empowering to the person receiving the session because I invite them to rise above their own physical bodies and view what they see while the Reiki is flowing and to remove any blockages or unhealthy attachments in their spiritual anatomy.  
   
    

Energy Exchange Session

What is it and Who might benefit from one?

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Many of us live our lives based on traditional Western Science. If I can’t see it, touch it, and measure it, it simply doesn’t exist. Albert Einstein (and his colleagues) introduced us to Quantum Physics. Why does this matter? Because Quantum Physics proves many of the concepts practiced by indigenous cultures all over the world. The most basic of these concepts is that EVERYTHING IS ENERGY. Thoughts, emotions, our physical bodies, animals, plants, rocks….well, you get the idea. Going through life without being conscious of this can feel like we are helpless to whatever “happens” to us. Many clients come to me feeling depressed, full of anxiety, or stuck in a life or situation that is completely out of their control to change.

Energy Exchange sessions are largely an introduction into the awareness of being made of energy. For many people, that changes everything. Some of the topics I cover are:

Get to know your personal vibration

Learn that your thoughts are energy and information which directly affect your life and health

Learn about the Law of Attraction and why it’s fundamentally important in living the life you want

Learn how to increase your personal vibration, set energetic boundaries, release old energy and cut energetic cords that no longer serve you for you highest joy, abundance, and peace.

 

Why do I think it’s important to share this knowledge? To borrow from an old adage:

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You can give a client a healing energy session and they feel better until the next stressful event comes along. But if you teach a client about energy, they have the tools and concepts that can change their lives in the present and for a lifetime.  

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