Understanding Reiki I

PARTICIPANT’S HANDBOOK UNDERSTANDING REIKI I

Alternative Views on Health

Patricia Guerard, Reiki Master

Patguerard@gmail.com

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How to Practice Meditative Breathing

1. Sit in a comfortable position. Holding hands loosely in your lap. Feet flat on the floor or folded in your lap.

2. Close your eyes, keep your spine straight, and let your shoulders drop a bit. (Later you can meditate with your eyes open).

3. Bring your attention to your belly, noticing it rise gently with each in-breath, and fall softly with each out-breath. The rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe will be the focus of this meditation.

4. Keep your focus on your breathing - the rise and fall of the belly - “being with” each in-breath for its full duration and “being with” each out-breath for its full duration, as if riding the waves of your own breathing.

5. Every time you notice your attention is wandering, notice where your

attention has gone, then gently bring it back to the rise and fall of your tummy as you breathe.

6. If your mind wanders a hundred times, then your “job” is simply to bring it back, non-judgmentally, a hundred times. By non-judgmentally I mean you do not judge the fact that your mind has wandered - because that's what minds do! You simply bring your attention back to the rise and fall of your belly without judgment.

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CAM Therapies Acupuncture*

Ayurveda*

Biofeedback*

Chelation therapy*

Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation*

Deep breathing exercises

Diet-based therapies

o Atkins diet

o Macrobiotic diet

o Ornish diet

o Pritikin diet

o South Beach diet

o Vegetarian diet

o Zone diet

Energy healing therapy/Reiki*

Guided imagery

Homeopathic treatment

Hypnosis*

Massage*

Meditation

Movement therapies

o Alexander technique

o Feldenkreis

o Pilates

o Trager psychophysical integration

Natural products (nonvitamin and nonmineral, such as herbs and other products from plants, enzymes, etc.)

Naturopathy*

Progressive relaxation

Qi gong

Tai chi

Traditional healers*

o Botanica

o Curandero

o Espiritista

o Hierbero or Yerbera

o Native American healer/Medicine man

o Shaman

Yoga

An asterisk (*) indicates a practitioner-based therapy.

https://nccih.nih.gov/

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Clearing a Sacred Space “A Sacred Space can be as small as the breath taken in during prayer, as large as a cathedral or as expansive as an ocean view”. By Phylameana lila Desy

1. Sacred Space: This is a space that is set aside intentionally for your personal connection with the sacred. Pick an area or room and make it your own. Remember the five senses – smell, touch, sight, hearing and taste. Use colors that are calming, play music that is soothing, scents that inspire and tastes that inspirer focus. Only put things in this space that remind you of your connection with the divine and the sacred. 2. Space clearing: is making a space clean (energy-wise) for meditation or just living. You can clean a space with intent, sound, scent, sun or salt.

Ring a bell to begin. Light a candle to bring light into your space. Burn or spray incense to clear the air. Think thoughts of clearing the energy away and visualize it disappear. Next, place positive energy in the space by meditation or prayer. You

can charge a statue or crystal. You can paint the area a soothing color or put up a poster. In your mind, dedicate this space to your practice of spirituality.

Put out your candle and incense, and ring a bell to signal the space is cleared and you have finished.

Unless you already have a special peaceful place set up in your home I suggest you challenge yourself to create a "sacred space" somewhere within your living area. Perhaps you are fortunate enough to have an extra room you can use to retreat to when you need some time to yourself. Consider setting up a simple altar in an empty a closet and toss a couple of pillows on the floor for use for quiet prayer or meditation. In other cultures, even the smallest homes have altars and sacred areas; it is only in America that we seem to have lost this custom.

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Origins of Reiki

Reiki means:

Rei – Sacred Chi – Life Force or flow

Chi can be translated as “sacred breath” or “spirit”

(Latin: spiritus or “breathing”) also called Prana, Qi, or Ki

What is Reiki Therapy?

Reiki Therapy promotes healing by using light touch and guided energy as

tools for pain management, stress/anxiety reduction, spiritual support and more. It creates a quiet, peaceful space for healing during an otherwise

stressful, frightening time of illness.

The practice of Reiki is based on the concept that everything in the universe

is made of energy flowing around us and through us nourishing our cells, organs and glands. This energy can be low, imbalanced, or restricted during

times of stress, injury, or illness, making us more susceptible to agitation, discomfort, further illness, and disease.

To restore and balance our energy levels, Reiki Practitioners have learned

how to feel and use the energy around us, enabling the practitioners to guide these resources into the recipient’s subtle energy system and awaken

the body’s own innate healing abilities.

Reiki is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, who used a technique called palm healing as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Through the use of this technique, sometimes referred to as "tenohira" (meaning "the palm" in Japanese) practitioners work with the chi energy in the bodies of their clients.

There are two main branches of Reiki, known as: Traditional

Reiki and Western Reiki. Within both forms, there are three degrees - First, Second, and Master/Teacher degree.

According to Reiki tradition, a First Degree Reiki practitioner is able to balance themselves and others, a Second Degree is able to work with specialized symbols and balance others at a distance (commonly called distant healing), and a Master/Teacher level is able to teach and attune others to Reiki.

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Basic Spiritual Precepts of Reiki:

o All healing begins on the spiritual level.

o There needs to be an equal exchange of energy.

Five Principles of Reiki

I. Just for today, I will not anger

II. Just for today, I will not worry

III. Just for today, I will be grateful

IV. Just for today, I will do my work honestly

V. Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing

“Every morning and every evening,

Join your hands in meditation and say this with your heart: Invite your mind and chant with your mouth,

For the improvement of mind and body”. Mikao Usui

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What are the benefits of Reiki?

o Restores the natural balance of chi energy in the body

o Promotes relaxation

o Alleviates pain

o Assists in creating a healthy mind/body environment

o Makes stress manageable

o Promotes a healing and restful sleep

Reiki goes to the deeper levels of the person’s being, where many diseases have their origin. Reiki addresses causes, not just the results (symptoms). This makes Reiki a method of healing with unpredictable effects. You don’t always consciously know which part of your life needs healing most, but the Reiki energy will go to this area first. Usui describes Reiki as “intuitive” because it goes where it is useful, it works wherever it is most needed within the body, mind or spirit, releasing blocked energies, cleansing the body of toxins and working to create a state of balance. Reiki reinforces the ability to take responsibility of one’s life and helps you make the necessary changes in attitude and lifestyle to promote a happier and healthier life. Channeling Reiki does not deplete the practitioner’s energy. It energizes and revitalizes. Anyone can channel Reiki, even children. The beauty of Reiki is its simplicity. You do not learn Reiki, you accept Reiki. It enhances and increases your natural ability to heal. Working with Reiki increases your self-awareness and accelerates your spiritual growth.

The Reiki practitioner activates the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

This energy comes from the Universe not the practitioner.

Practitioners can direct this energy anywhere.

This energy can only be used for positive purposes; it is spiritual, vibrational, all encompassing and loving. It cannot be used for harm.

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Origins of Reiki

Dr. Mikao Usui

Dr. Mikao Usui (1865-1926), Or” Usui Sensei” as he is called by his students in Japan, is the founder of

the Usui System of Reiki.

He was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Yago, in the Gifu Prefecture, Japan, where his ancestors had lived

for eleven generations. His family belonged to the Tendai sect of

Buddhism and so at age four, he was sent to a Tendai Monastery to receive

his primary education.

He received a doctorate in literature. He spoke numerous languages and

became well versed in medicine, theology and philosophy.

Dr. Usui rediscovered that “chi” energy is in all of us and if used properly can affect those around us. In order to give another person positive energy all we need to do is to tap into our most positive spiritual energy and see it as light flowing into the other person.

The Practice of Reiki is focused on the flow of this energy, not the energy itself.

You can understand this energy in your own body by using Qi Gong. This energy will go where it is needed; in others, we cannot direct it.

This energy will bring healing only if the recipient wants to heal.

This energy if life affirming and energizes the practitioner as well as

the patient.

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Chujiro Hayashi,

A naval officer, studied with Usui from 1922. He received his attunement in 1925. Hayashi was one of the first of

Usui’s non-Buddhist students.

Hayashi was a Methodist Christian, with very strong beliefs, and was not open to the esoteric nature of what

Usui was teaching. Usui eventually sent Hayashi on his way. Hayashi used the knowledge learned from Usui to

open a clinic in Tokyo.

He replaced some of the format of Usui’s teachings and created a system of degrees. He also developed a

more complex set of hand positions suitable for clinic use.

Hawayo Takata

Hayashi subsequently passed his knowledge to Mrs. Hawayo Takata (1900- 1980) who features

prominently in Reiki history as the master who brought Reiki to the Western world.

She lived in Hawaii and before her death in the 1970's, and taught 22 Reiki masters. Most of the Reiki that we know in the western world comes

through the Takata lineage. This is the lineage that we learning here.

Born December 24, 1900 in Hawaii, she visited Japan to find healing and discovered the Reiki clinic of Dr. Hayashi. With his support, she started a clinic and school of her own in Hawaii. She was given the

master attunement in 1938.

She was known to charge $10,000 for Master Reiki training as a means to create respect for the value of the Reiki system.

For more information:

The Spirit of Reiki - Lubeck, Petter and Rand http://www.practicalreiki.com/modernhistory.htm

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Chakra System and Self Care

Seeing red, feeling blue, being green with envy are just some of the cultural expressions that show colors have a significant influence on us, not to mention music, scents or textures. Note the relationship between the rainbow, the notes of the scale and the days of the week with the chakras.

Simple Chakra Exercises

1. Crown Chakra Exercise: Activate this center through prayer, meditation or spiritual contemplation. 2. Brow Chakra Exercise: Activate this center with visualization, creative imagination and lucid dreaming.

3. Throat Chakra Exercise: Activate this center, gargling with saltwater, singing, or chanting. 4. Heart Chakra Exercise: Activate this center by expressing love, appreciation, compassion or swimming (breast stroke), and hugging. 5. Solar Plexus Chakra Exercise: Activate this center by dancing, belly dancing especially and becoming aware of your intuitions. (Gut feelings) 6. Sacral Chakra Exercise: Activate this center with pelvic thrusts and circular pelvis movements. Sexual energy needs little activation explanation. 7. Root Chakra Exercise: Activate this center by stomping your feet upon the ground, sitting on the earth, going barefoot, feeling rooted to the earth.

Aura Cleansing Activities

Showering: consciously let the soap wash all you worries and woes away, down the drain, and let the water - like light – energize and fill your aura with clean energy for a new day. Soak an Epsom salt bath, (! Part Epsom salt, ½ sea salt, ¼ baking soda and add your favorite essential oils. Be aware that anything you put in the tub is absorbed into your body. Only use food grade products.

Smudge yourself with a sage wand(Native American) , or sandalwood.

Take deep cleansing breaths when at work, wash your hands.

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Classic Chakras:

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7th: Sahasarara – top of the head –

Intelligence, God consciousness, spirituality Transparent, white – Pituitary, hypothalamus Clear quartz, diamond, Herkimer, zircon Peppermint, lotus, lavender, myrrh

6th: Ajna - third eye- middle of forehead

Mind focus, wisdom, inner vision, intuition Violet, indigo or deep blue. – pineal gland Amethyst, tourmaline, iolite, labradorite, aquamarine, Star anise, sandalwood, Pine, clove, rosemary

5th: Vishuddhi - throat –

Communication, expression, higher will, creative intelligence Light blue, turquoise -- Thyroid Lapis Lazuli, kyanite, blue topaz, selenite sapphire, turquoise, azurite Frankincense, thyme, parsley, salt, lemon

4th: Anahata – heart –

Love, surrender, balance, acceptance, devotion Green or pink -- Thymus, red blood cells

Rose quartz, rhodochrosite, lepidolite, kunzite,

or/Emerald aventurine serpentine, (turquoise for USA) Rose, jasmine, basil, thyme

3rd Manipura – Solar Plexus -

Gut feelings, personal power, fear, simple or base emotions Yellow – Pancreas, adrenal glands Citrine, peridot, topaz, tiger eye, calcite Lemon, ginger, saffron, celery, caraway, carnation, sesame, basil

2nd Swadhistana - Sacral/Genital -

Devotion, physical vitality, sexual desire, earthly attachments Orange Amber -- ovaries, testes Carnelian, fire opal, Chocolate, dates cinnamon, mustard, apple, coriander, fern, poppy, vanilla, gardenia, musk

1st: Muladhara (root chakra) – base of spine – perineum

Physical body, survival instinct, past impressions, fight or flight response Red – base of the spine Ruby, garnet, hematite, smoky quartz, jet, obsidian, agate Barley, red cedar, curry, garlic, olive, sage, raspberry, angelica, bay

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Basic Self-Healing Hand Positions

Reiki Anywhere Reiki Any time

Animals love Reiki too!

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“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; but spiritual beings having a human experience”.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Reiki Attunement Information

To be able to channel Reiki you need to be attuned to the 1st Degree. You will receive four attunements which clear the healing channels and enable the Reiki energy to flow easily through you. The empowerment is there for life. You will also practice giving yourself and others healing treatments under the supervision of the Reiki Master. Deep spiritual, emotional and physical adjustments are set in motion by the attunements to Reiki. Practicing Reiki every day and honoring the principles as taught by Dr. Usui will bring you peace and fill your heart with the light and love for all. When you have enjoyed working with Reiki in your life for some time you may wish to extend your healing capacity by requesting a 2nd Degree. Third degree is master level when you are ready. Attunements are the very core of the Usui method. They make this system unique. Attunements will affect each person very differently depending on your vibratory rhythm at the time you receive the attunement.

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The energy moves into the body in a clockwise spiraling movement and begins to move us into the next level of vibration. There is no limit to the attunements you can receive. Even though you need only one attunement to have Reiki for the rest of your life, extra attunements will further refine and strengthen your Reiki. During the attunement process you will be seated with your hands in the prayer position in front of your heart. The Reiki Master will touch your head or neck, stand behind you and guide you to raise and lower your hands. The Reiki Master is attuning your chakras to accept the new Reiki energies.

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Twenty-one day cleansing period after attunement

With each level in Reiki there is a higher rate of vibration which allows for a wider channel of Chi (Universal Energy) to pass through the crown chakra. A clearing of old patterns and thoughts must occur in order to assimilate this new energy. This clearing takes place along the system of the seven chakra centers. Beginning with the root chakra on day one and day by day moving up through each chakra and ending at the crown. This repeats for weeks two and three. During this time you may experience a range of effects. Keep a journal of your experiences and as a practitioner you should keep a record of your Reiki sessions. This will become a valuable tool for learning and setting your goals for the future.

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Easing the Cleansing Process:

Physical Purification

Flu-like symptoms may be experienced with minor discomforts.

To lessen the effects: Take long walks, exercise the entire body mildly or do yoga. Breathe clean fresh air and drink lots of fresh water. Eat light nourishing meals, which include fresh fruit, vegetables and juices. Try to stay away from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine.

Emotional Purification

Deeply held emotions may surface for no apparent reason. Some people cry for no reason.

To lessen the effects: Meditate, breathing in and out gently. Just experience these feelings as they surface and let them go. Take a long hot bath in Epsom salts and sea salt. Soak about 1/2 hr. This will relax you.

Mental Purification

Old thought forms, behavior patterns and habits may come to the surface. Addictive desires for food, beverage, nicotine, caffeine, alcohol etc. may increase or resurface.

To lessen the effects: Change your thoughts willfully to those of a more positive nature. Be creative. Be kind to yourself, repeat positive affirmations, mantras, and listening to your favorite music.

Spiritual Purification

Your beliefs may be shaken and challenged, beliefs in how the world operates, how

relationships should be, religion, what is important in your life. As this occurs, insights, revelations and new understanding will become clear.

To lessen the effects: Talk to people you trust about your experiences, explore other spiritual knowledge, read sacred books, think quietly on your own core beliefs and treat yourself with love and kindness. You are gaining new levels of understanding. Know that this process is perfectly normal. Be at peace. Let go and let the Reiki energy move through you.

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How to Apply Reiki in Your Work?

Code of Ethics for Reiki Practitioners

This Reiki ethical code lays out the relationship between the practitioner and the client. It is a code of conduct that the practitioner should follow with his client at all times.

1. Practice must be conducted with confidentiality and great discretion. Practitioner-client confidentiality must be maintained at all costs. Anything that is discussed between the two should not be disclosed. Personal details of the client should not be revealed, unless the client himself has given you permission to do so. The Reiki practitioner should not disclose or confirm the fact that a particular person is a client, unless he/she has prior permission and the consent of the client to do so.

2. Client sessions should be held in a secure and comfortable place. The place where the sessions are held should have an environment that is safe, supportive and empowering.

3. At all times treat the client with great respect and honor.

4. Before the healer begins a Reiki session, he/she should give the client an oral or written description of what he will experience during the session.

5. Each reiki practitioner must respect the opinion, views and methods followed by other Reiki practitioners. It is entirely up to the practitioner to decide whether he/she wants to learn from other healers or wants to follow their methods.

6. The practitioner should teach the clients the value of Reiki and explain to them how to take care of themselves.

7. The practitioner should inform the client that Reiki is not replacement for medical care. He/she should explain that it is important for the overall well-being of the person.

8. The practitioner should find out whether the client is undergoing any medical treatment. If the practitioner thinks that a client requires professional medical attention then he should suggest to the client that he get it. Reiki is a supplement to medical treatment and therefore the practitioner should be aware of any medical history of the client.

9. The practitioner should never prescribe treatment to the client or interfere with ongoing medical treatment.

10. The practitioner should not tell the client to disrobe unless he is also a legally licensed massage therapist in the country in which he practices. He should never touch the genital area or breasts. To treat these areas he should only practice hands-off techniques.

11. The practitioner should work on his own healing so as to embody and express the essence of Reiki in everything they do.

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Reiki Treatments

1. Stand quietly and connect with the Reiki energy The first action you take is to put your hands together as in your attunement and connect with the Reiki energy.

2. Apply your hands to the crown chakra Initially it is best to start with the crown chakra, you can feel the energy of the person here and decide if it is best to touch or not to.

3. Combing the aura

This is an easy technique used for a quick grounding and balancing. It relaxes and centers the client.

4. Chair technique This is the way to work if you are without a table. Begin at the head and focus on the flow of energy throughout the body, from the head to the feet. Stop at any points you feel need attention. In a wooden chair you can work both front and back at the same time.

5. Chakra Tuning Chakras generally spin in a clockwise motion on the back of the client. Focus on each chakra, balance it and spin it in the correct direction.

6. Full body scan When working on a table, start at the head of the client and pass your palms lightly over the central column of their body, sensing if there are any places they may need special attention.

7. Individual area treatment After a scan, if a particular area seems to need attention, place your palms on or above the area and send Reiki energy here until you sense it is enoug 8. Closing the chakras

After each treatment remember to Mentally thank the Reiki energy for working with you Close the chakras and aura of your client Clean your hands of the energy of the session

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What is a Reiki Share?

A Reiki Share is a gathering of Reiki practitioners. The primary purpose of having a "share" is for practitioners to work together to learn new techniques and talk about current information. Participating in a Reiki share is also a beneficial way of honoring one another as healers. This type of Reiki treatment is a wonderful and often profound experience! Rather than have a single person treating a single person it is possible to have many people treating a single person. Depending on how many people are present, the amount of time for a treatment can be reduced. Many practitioners can treat a client in about 10-15 minutes. Although most reiki people will do self-treatments at home, it is always nice to be treated by others. Treat yourself. We also spend a little time sending some reiki energy out to individuals of our choosing and to the world as a whole. There is often a meditation to start. The other advantage of working in a group is that we learn about other reiki centers, spas, therapies, courses, etc. A share can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours or be an all day event. It depends on who is hosting and how many people are attending.

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Resources

Books Hands of Light Barbara Ann Brennan Beyond the Usui System Karyn Mitchell PhD.Reiki The Spirit of Reiki Lubeck, Petter, Rand (Lotus Press) Reiki (Vol I and II) William Lee Rand Love is In the Earth Melody

Reiki A Torch in Daylight Karyn Mitchell PhD.Reiki, The Chakras C.W. Leadbeater Wheels of Light Rosalyn L. Bruyere Healer’s Handbook Patricia Telesco Essential Reiki Diane Stein

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Links US government complimentary therapies http://nccam.nih.gov American Reiki Organization http://www.reiki.org/ Good reiki site http://www.threshold.ca/reiki/Usui-Gainen.html For more links: http://www.reiki.org/FAQ/NetResourceLinks.html Bridging the science and energy medicine http://www.issseem.org