I recently completed my level 1 Reiki certification. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I walked into the training. I always thought you had to have some special gift to perform Reiki, and I wasn’t sure I had it. Turns out it’s a lot simpler than I thought…most of it was just opening myself up to the possibilities and allowing a Reiki Master to attune me to the energy that swirls around us all.

If you’re not familiar with Reiki, it’s a Japanese technique that uses energy for stress reduction, relaxation, and to promote healing. It centers on the idea that we all posses a life force, or energy, within us. Reiki literally means ‘universal’ (rei) ‘life force energy’ (ki). You might be more familiar with the term ‘Qi’ from Tai chi or Qigong. Same idea. Reiki helps release blockages of energy and restore balance to the flow of Ki within the body so that the body is better able to heal itself and remain balanced.

It’s important here to note that it’s not MY energy as a practitioner that is flowing into the recipient; rather it is universal energy that is flowing through me for the good of the recipient.

And the five Reiki principles, as explained to me, bring peace into the mind, healing into the body, joy into the spirit, abundance into the soul, and love into the will. They are:

Honestly, just repeating these statements makes me feel better.

While Reiki is certainly healing, it cannot cure ailments. Again, the idea is to get the energy within you moving more effectively so that your body can heal itself more efficiently. In my own, albeit short, experience I’ve noticed that more than anything Reiki is able to bring about intense feelings of calm and peace that can otherwise be difficult to achieve. At a time when stress-related ailments are at an all time high, I’d say that’s a pretty amazing benefit!

As I said, this is all new for me so I’ve been practicing regularly on my husband and myself. He generally tells me he feels great afterwards; relaxed, peaceful, happy…and he always remarks on the heat that he feels wherever my hands hover. Well, after a really crappy day that left him feeling down in the dumps I asked if he would let me practice Reiki on him. At first he said no because he didn’t want me to be stuck with his negative energy. I explained that Reiki can do no harm to either of us, and that only good can come from it. He grumbled a bit, but agreed.

That evening was when I became a true believer in its efficacy. The transformation in his attitude and outlook, not just immediately afterwards, but in the days that followed was astounding to me (and to him). I felt a lot of heat in his solar plexus chakra, so I stayed there a bit longer. While the energy will find its way to where it is needed, I figured it couldn’t hurt to give it some extra attention. I couldn’t remember what emotions were tied to this chakra, but when I looked it up later I sat there stunned. All the negative emotions he’d been feeling during the day mirrored the emotions that this chakra controls. Once all that stale, negative energy was cleared he was able to see things in a new light and move on. It just amazed me. It still does.

There are so many useful modalities out there for healing; finding the ones that speak to us is such a fabulous feeling! I am very much looking forward to exploring this new piece of the healing puzzle. I have a couple more levels of certification to go, so if you’re interested in being one of my guinea pigs, or have guidance to offer, let me know 🙂

May you have peace, health, joy, abundance, and love.