How Reiki saved me (part 2)

(continuing the story from part 1 … )

Within many mediation communities, there is a saying that we all have Buddha nature. The belief states, Buddha reached enlightenment through meditation under the bodhi tree. Here he came to understand his own suffering and the suffering of others and reached a state beyond this one, one of inner and outer bliss, nirvana. My understanding of this saying “We all possess Buddha nature” is that we all possess the universal truth and possibility of enlightenment within us. We all hold the clarity and wisdom to find peace within ourselves.  All beings are already enlightened, it is only a matter of awakening from the inside to break out of our cycles of suffering.

While I believe I am far from my own awakening, catching glimpses here and there within my own meditation practice lets me know that enlightenment exists, even if only for the blink of an eye, it is experienced. 

Similar to Buddha nature, I believe that we all hold Reiki nature. Reiki is not just something that is “given” to a mere few that attend a Level 1 weekend course. The course is important, yes, no doubt. It teaches you how to work with this universal life energy efficiently and effectively. It teaches you good spiritual hygiene habits so that you do not pick up any gunk that does not belong to you, a potential side effect of energy work. But the essence of Reiki, what it is and how it shows up for those who seek it, is universal and available to all. (For a quick 101, follow this link https://threedeertarot.com/Reiki )

If we didn’t all possess Reiki nature, then I would not have been able to provide energetic healing to my partner that Saturday afternoon, before my own attunement on Sunday. He reported a sense of deep relaxation as well as warmth throughout his body, which I can confirm typically runs cold 🙂 

I knew what I felt was real and tangible. 

While moving along his body as we were taught by Anna, my hands were warm and tingly. I felt an energetic chord run from the top of my head and down to my core. This felt like a buzzing at the crown of my head radiating throughout my body with my crown as the “portal” for this beautiful energy.

It was not until I entered my Reiki Level 2 training in 2019 that I was given symbols to work with. Level 2 is known as the Okuden, which is believed to open up the heart chakra, the crossroads of the spiritual and physical space we inhabit in our life. In Level 2, one learns how to provide Reiki healing to others, over distance.  As my first attunement taught me, that all things are connected. I will be honest, before receiving Level 1 attunement, I was incredibly doubtful about the validity of distance Reiki. It was only through my experience during Level 1 that I knew it to be possible,  as I experienced then that energy is boundless. 

And while we have reached the portion of this writing where I impart what I have learned and come to understand as Reiki, and how you may apply it to your own life, I felt it would have been incomplete and opaque without an understanding of how I got here.

I share my story and experience to highlight that while Reiki is touted as alleviating physical pain and I have witnessed this to be true, it also works with your body on an emotional and spiritual level. It is here to begin the process of clearing out old debris that has gotten stuck in the pipes.

I imagine healthy energy to look like a river flowing, unobstructed by anything in its path. 

As we all walk though life and have experiences, some tend to be collected and held, rather than faced and worked through by no fault of our own. Some experiences are so painful, traumatic or harmful that we shut the door on them as the work involved can be too much for us to handle. We might not even be aware that we are doing this, thinking that the experience is over and so, I too will move on…linerly. But what we have experienced remains. And our body remembers.

These collected experiences that weigh on us become like refuse in the stream. While the water can move around it, it does not flow to its full potential and ultimately, those intruder particles make the water sick. So we walk around functioning. But we don’t do so with the bright energetic flow that we might possess if we were to remove that waste and clear the space for the river to flow freely again, and the water run clear and clean. Think of Reiki as the energy that comes along to help you unclog your river, to clear the channel and to offer its warmth and healing potential to areas of your river that have been eroded, polluted or otherwise mistreated. It is here to help bring balance back to the river. You my dear are a beautiful flowing river that wants to move unobstructed. All living beings are and have the right to. Reiki will support you if you wish to re-empower yourself to heal from conscious or subconscious pain. Reiki is here for you. (For a fun and beloved animation that shows this river analogy well, see a clip from Avatar: The Last AirBender)

Healing Exercise

Knowing that we could all benefit from caring for our own energy on a daily basis, I’ve included a short energetic supportive and healing exercise.

My favorite time for this is right before bed as I am already laying down and I find the process to be incredibly relaxing. You may lay down or find a comfortable seated position with your back straight. Rub your palms together to create some heat between them (approximately 10 seconds) Place your hands at the top of your head on your skull. Leave them there for about 1-2 minutes. Then move down and place your hands over your eyes and stay there for 1-2 minutes. Continue to move down your body stopping at your throat, your heart, your solar plexus, at your belly button and below your belly button. Allow for 1-2 minutes at each spot. 

Grounding tip

While you are moving your hands down along the front of your body, you will better be able to maintain your center if you are able to focus in on your breath. Simply noticing the air coming in your nose and out of your nose is enough. I know this can be challenging, even though it sounds so simplistic! I can recommend adding a word or two to go along with your breathing to get you started, such as “One, two.” One for the breath going in, and two for the breath going out or “In, Out'' 

A preferred way to quiet my mind is by playing a track from Insight Timer , while focusing on the temperature variation of my inhale versus my exhale.

Once you have completed the cycle, allow your body to integrate the energy that you have given to yourself by lying still for another minute. 

I’ve experienced this simple practice can bring about a sense of peace and calm, as well as the foundation for a good night's sleep. 

While this exercise or anything written here is never intended to be a substitute for medications or professional help, I do recommend giving this short energetic alignment practice a try. And if you are curious to go further, here are some insightful books to bring you there The Japanese Art  and  Reiki For Beginners   

And ofcourse, if you find yourself with the Reiki itch,  I highly encourage you to seek out a Reiki Master in your area who is providing courses (hopefully this will be me soon enough :). You can try a local google search or good ol’ fashioned word of mouth. Also feel free to send me a message and I will help to answer your questions however I can!

So I’ll leave you with the 5 Reiki principles as written by Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki: 

"The secret method of inviting good fortune. The marvelous medicine for all sickness

Just for today:

Do not be angry

Do not be worried

Be grateful

Work hard (on improving yourself)

Be kind to others.

Every morning and every night, sit in the Gassho position [hands held palm-to-palm] and speak these words out loud in your heart.

For the evolution of body and soul, Usui Reiki Ryoho"

- Mikao Usui, the founder