What Reiki has become best known for and most spoken about is its ability to provide deep relaxation naturally and without any side effects, impairments or contraindications. While most know Reiki does this, few understand how Reiki achieves it, and fewer still have language to explain it. This is because today Reiki is most commonly spoken about within the scope and context of spirituality and/or meditation. The problem with this, however, is that when you speak or teach Reiki within the context of spirituality or meditation, the practice of Reiki becomes a mystery. When we accept and promote that, we continue to keep what was once known and understood about Reiki lost. The way to regain the lost knowledge of Reiki so that it can be used to better the lives of humans everywhere is to speak about and teach Reiki for what it is—a form of Energy Medicine.
Everything starts and ends as energy. As such, the human form is made up of more than the physical body—it also has a corresponding energy system. The most commonly known of the human energy systems is the aura, or what is referred to by science as the bio-field. As people interact with the world around them, they cannot help but be influenced by the many energies they encounter daily. As a result of our daily interactions, each of us will accumulate a sort of energy debris within our energy system. This debris, which often becomes stuck in our own energy field, creates imbalance. Simple imbalances within the energy field create the experience we commonly call tension. Our minds, which have no choice but to respond to this tension, will create explanations for why we feel tense or out of balance. Reiki helps by naturally restoring balance where imbalance has occurred. In doing this, Reiki in a sense resets our energy system. Relaxation then comes as a result of this rebalancing, and this rebalancing occurs both within the aura and in physical body.
When our bodies are in a state of relative balance, we can relax naturally and on demand. When our bodies are in a state of imbalance, we require outside influences to help us relax. This form of artificial relaxation comes in many forms including food, drink, recreational and prescription drugs, sex, excessive exercise, and many other known forms. These may simulate a sense of relaxation but come at a price to the individual as they only compound the state of imbalance by introducing more imbalance that the individual has to find ways to compensate for.
For this reason, natural relaxation will always be preferable to the human form than artificial relaxation because one is working within the natural ebb and flow of our biology and energy while the other is working against it. One of the easiest and most effective ways to relax naturally, and with little effort or time, is through a self-care regime that includes giving yourself Reiki, even if it is for only 10-15 minutes each day. Additionally, the benefits of using Reiki are cumulative meaning the more you use it, the more responsive your energy system has to it. A greater ease is found and the toll daily tension takes on you in your life becomes naturally less and easier to manage.
If you are attuned to Reiki, you can start right now by placing a cupped Reiki hand anywhere on your body. I suggest starting where your hand naturally wants to be placed. If you are not attuned to channel Reiki energy yourself, you have options. You can become attuned by receiving a Reiki attunement from a Reiki Master Teacher, or you can receive regular Reiki treatments from a local Reiki professional in your area.
You can read more on understanding Reiki as a form of Energy Medicine in Understanding Reiki: From Self-Care to Energy Medicine by Chyna Honey.
- Chyna Honey
Author of Understanding Reiki: From Self-Care to Energy Medicine