Quite often people think that Reiki is a hands-on healing practice for others, but in truth, it is a practice to rediscover what we already are - spiritual energy. It’s a journey to find the True Self, or that inner light that innately shines within us. That light is often hidden and covered up by the hurt, pain and false beliefs we accumulate and carry with us. The beauty of the practice of Reiki is that during a Reiki class, the student will learn how to work on peeling away those layers by practicing the meditations and techniques learned within the system. It isn’t something magical – it does takes work. However, when you put forth the intention and effort, every aspect of your life has the potential to become easier and lighter. You will be able to shine your light and facilitate the healing of others, just by being you.
Reiki is based on Precepts which the student learns to use in their daily meditation practice. They begin with:
For Today Only, which refers to being in the present moment. So, if we are able to hold this space of the Precepts for even a short time, it will help us to begin to heal our minds.
Do not anger. This first Precept does not mean that you won’t ever be angry again. However, it does mean that we can explore where our anger is coming from. What are the triggers and how can we best work through them. What deep place does this feeling come from and how can we explore ways to release our hurt and disappointment? When we are quick to anger, we also cause our bodies to become incredibly stressed. Stress leads to a multitude of physical problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Do not worry. As you are reading this blog, think about the things that you have already worried about today. The world challenges us every day with this Precept. We are usually worried about things that haven’t happened yet and quite frequently, the things we worry about don’t come to fruition. Learning to let go of worry means working on staying in the present moment and releasing the fear of the future. The system of Reiki gives us the meditation tools to help with this.
Be humble. Reiki embraces the concept of oneness or non-duality. Recognizing that we are all in this together creates a feeling of “being right mind” and releasing the ego. When we release our own agenda, we can focus more on kindness and understanding. Being humble also keeps us in a mindset of gratitude.
Be honest in your work. This Precept can also be interpreted as being true to your way and your being. The way in which we do that is by being diligent with our Reiki self-practice routine and meditation practices.
Be compassionate to yourself and others. We can’t begin to show compassion to others unless we are compassionate to ourselves first. This means having a strong self-care routine and nurturing yourself. We can do that best when we are aware and mindful of everything around us. Take some time today to pause, be aware of your breath, let your shoulders relax and practice a few moments of gratitude.
The main focus of the system of Reiki is about embracing the Precepts in all we do. During a Reiki class we delve deeper into these concepts and much more. If we embrace this way of being we can help to heal our minds, which will help us become more grounded and focused practitioners. This, in turn, will help us to facilitate holding the space of healing for others.