Reiki Healing Energy

September 13, 2013

Using Absent Reiki for Healing from a Distance

One of the things that Reiki 2 Classes are known for is teaching students how to send Reiki healing energy from a distance. What this means that is that you learn a series of Reiki symbols that allow you to send Reiki to those you cannot touch. This may be people who are at a physical distance from you or those physically near you who you cannot touch or they are unwilling to be touched.

For instance, I often send Reiki to my family members who live throughout the United States. (When I’m in their physical presence I’m often able to offer hands-on Reiki.) After the symbols are created and the intent is set to send Reiki, I visualize them in a state of wellness — their illness resolved or a barrier to their self-realization lifted. The visualization might be of everyday activities being done with ease for someone suffering from mobility issues. For example, seeing in my mind’s eye the ease with which my father gets out of the car, makes dinner and moves about his house with ease, comfort and confidence — grounded through his feet. Sometimes the visualization is as simple as seeing a smile on someone’s face.

When students learn Absent Reiki, they often relate it to their experience with prayer. Indeed, it is like a prayer in that we are setting out a positive intention for a particular outcome. With Absent Reiki, we are calling on universal life force energy to help realize that outcome. As we visualize this positive state for the recipient, it is not necessary for the Reiki practitioner to know all the details of how the healing will occur. Just visualizing the recipient in a state of wellness and contentedness is enough. Reiki, and the person’s innate healing abilities, will take care of the details of healing. Sometimes after we send Absent Reiki we find out that the recipient sought out a medical treatment that had long been delayed. Reiki opened the pathway for healing to occur.

As with all Reiki the recipient is always in charge. The Absent Reiki cannot harm or overwhelm, as it is not the sender who controls it, but the recipient takes in the Reiki as needed for his/her highest healing good.

Sometimes in an office setting, I will do Absent Reiki prior to a meeting to set a positive intention for the gathering. I might visualize the participants collaborating and talking freely and leaving the meeting with a sense of accomplishment. I might visualize smiles on people’s faces and a sense of teamwork in the room. By setting this positive intention with the sending of Reiki, I set the tone for the meeting and allow each individual’s life force energy to unite in that moment for the highest healing good.

As with all Reiki, Absent Reiki benefits the sender as well. The Reiki practitioner receives Reiki as she offers it to the recipient. It is not her personal energy that she sends to another, but universal life force energy. The energy of the universe is infinite.

If you have completed Reiki 1, I hope you’ll join one of my Reiki 2 classes to learn this powerful way of offering healing energy. If you are practicing Absent Reiki, I’d love to hear your healing stories! Please share them in the comments.

Wishing you love and light!

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September 6, 2013

Excuse me: I lost my seriousness

Usually, I’m asking forgiveness for having lost my sense of humor, but today I’m asking for pardon in losing my seriousness. I am one of the most serious people I know, but I love to laugh. I never noticed this as clearly as the day after my C-section. Wow, I couldn’t laugh and I missed it terribly.

Seriousness and a sense of humor are at the heart of a discussion about a new movie called, “Touchy Feely.” It is making the rounds in the Reiki Twittersphere because one of the main characters is a Reiki Master. There is even a scene of a Reiki session. (Full disclosure: I have not seen this movie yet. I have only read the reviews, watched the trailer and the “Anatomy of Scene” narrated by the film’s director, Lynn Shelton. For an actual review of the movie, please go to NPR’s site and read Ella Taylor’s article.)

According to the comments in the “Anatomy of a Scene” post, the movie, and its depiction of Reiki, is highly offensive. Pamela Miles, a highly respected Reiki Master, finds Lynn Shelton making fun of Reiki. I have a lot of respect for Pamela and the work of the other Reiki Masters who commented and shared how they help to reduce the pain and suffering of others. That is our work and it is incredibly honorable. It is indeed serious work to help others. Is there any work that is more serious?

So after I read their comments, I went searching to find the source of the offense. Honestly, I could not. As far as I can tell, “Touchy Feely” is a film about relationships and about the personal struggles that we all have. What I heard in Lynn Shelton’s comments in the “Anatomy of a Scene” was a respect for and understanding of Reiki.

Hey, sometimes Reiki is funny. If you say, “spiritual healing practice” or “universal life force energy” a 100 times a day can there be a point when it all seems a little difficult to believe, maybe even a little odd? Can something so simple actually work? Sometimes the simplicity of Reiki is mindboggling and maybe a little humorous. However, I do believe. I practice Reiki on myself and others everyday. I am honored and humbled by the practice and its results. Belief in Reiki comes through experiencing it.

Honestly, I’m thrilled and honored that the word “Reiki” is being used in a film. Can you imagine it becoming a word that people use in their everyday discourse about self-care in the same way that they use, “yoga,” “meditation” or “massage”?

So, please forgive me for having lost my seriousness. Now, say it with me, “Reiki, Reiki, Reiki.” If you’ve experienced it, then you will smile, and, yes, it’s okay to laugh.

Wishing you abundant love, light and laughs!

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September 4, 2013

Time

It has been awhile . . . How can it be that every nook and cranny of time gets filled up? Every ounce of energy gets sapped?

I worry about time a lot. Do you? I worry that I’ll be late for the train, a meeting, an appointment, church, or picking up my daughter. You name it I’ve probably been late for it at least once. For some things I am so rarely on time that I’m sure people are shocked when I arrive at the allotted time.

I worry that I hurt some people by my lateness. Am I late all the time because I don’t respect them or their time? I don’t think so. I’m just trying to do so much. And guess what? That is not working.

A recent Kripalu blog entry http://kripalu.org/blog/thrive/2013/08/22/seven-back-to-school-strategies-to-help-you-stress-less-and-simplify-your-life/ reminded us to keep weekend time for relaxing and rejuvenating. Really? How does that work? If you work during the week, the weekends are for all the fun and all the housework that doesn’t get done during the week. If you leave the house at 7 a.m., arrive home at 7 p.m. and the evening is for dinner, dishes and family time (and hopefully at least 7 hours of sleep) how is there any time to participate in activities for fun, to do laundry or clean or run errands?

I’m sure I’m not alone in this and I know other people are busier than me, but how do we stop being so busy and still meet our responsibilities? In the same way that everyone hates their corporate job but so few find a way to leave it; so many of us are overly busy and can’t find a way to stop.

I found this article by Toni Bernhard : http://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-reduce-stress-by-doing-less-and-doing-it-slowly/ to be very helpful. I notice that I often employ the “double the time” trick in some settings, especially those where I recognize the task is complicated, new, or vaguely defined. However, if it is a task I’ve done often or I consider simply, I usually grossly underestimate the time it will take to accomplish it.

Is it possible for me to double the time allotted to get to the train in the morning? Or is it possible for me to do less? How do I do less so I can be on time more? How do I do less so I can do more of what I like and love to do? There must be a way. Right now, I’m asking my wise self for direction and I welcome your thoughts in the comments section.

Wishing you love and light and moments of stillness!

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April 2, 2013

Phyllis Lei Furumato discusses Reiki Research

I didn’t expect this, but so far this year I have been really deeply immersing myself in my Reiki practice. My devotion and practice have always been there but something is happening this year which is more deep and profound than what I have experienced before — outside of my initial attunement experiences.

I’ve noticed that I’m bridging on obsession with Reiki. I think about it almost constantly and I’m asking more of it . . . and it is providing for my needs in very powerful ways. Part of this Reiki immersion is additional research, reading and talking about Reiki. The doing of Reiki has always been primary for me, but now I feel as if I want to connect my intellect more closely with my intuition and experience.

As I journey in this way, I have found some amazing resources, including Phyllis Lei Furumato’s Reiki Talk Show. (Phyllis is Hawayo Takata’s granddaughter.) This is an amazing collection of interviews with Reiki Masters from around the world who recount their Reiki stories and then dive into their area of specialization. Recently, there has been a series of interviews with Masters who are involved in Reiki Research.

Phyllis has described an evolution of Reiki Research in two stages. The first stage has focused on proving that Reiki exists. While the second stage of research has focused on the effect of Reiki on the physical, emotional and spiritual realms.

I highly recommend listening to the interview with Martin Ouwerkerk. Martin is a chemist and Reiki Master, who has used a bio-photon measuring device to detect the Reiki energy from his hands. As he describes in the interview, when he added the Reiki symbols to his offering, the machine detected a change in the photons being emitted. He uses the word “perfection” to describe this, but we might also call it “harmony” because the lack of the flow of photons is an experience of oneness: “you’re everything”. There is no barrier between your physical/material existence and the universe. You are connected with everything through Reiki.

There is also a lively discussion about the sensations in our hands that Reiki practitioners experience or don’t. Martin describes is as a method of tuning between the practitioner and the recipient. We are always taught to accept the sensations as they are and not to draw a conclusion. However, we are each unique and so is our experience as Reiki practitioners.

Phyllis concludes the interview by talking about miracles and what might qualify as a Reiki miracle. She encourages us to have a childlike attitude about miracles and see them in our everyday experiences. I completely agree with Phyllis’ conclusion that scientific research creates a pathway to see miracles in everyday life. Science is one of the universe’s gifts and not an enemy of Reiki.

I hope you’ll find the time to listen to Phyllis and Martin. Please share your thoughts about the interview and how the journey of life is showing up for you in unexpected ways.

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March 20, 2013

Is Self-Care Selfish?

As a Reiki Master, I have a confession to make: Sometimes I am hesitant to engage in self-care. My concern for the care of others often overrides making self-care a priority in my day-to-day activities. As a healer, is my care of others more important than the care of myself? Do others need me more than I need me? Is self-care selfish?

I’m certain that many of you are confident that the answer to these questions is, “no”. I appreciate your certainty but I believe this deserves some exploration. My first step was with a definition of the word, “selfish”:

“1. concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others

“2. arising from concern with one’s own welfare or advantage in disregard of others <a selfish act>”

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfish

The words that stand out for me here are: “excessively” or “exclusively” and the concept of putting oneself ahead of others. So self-care that is balanced with the concern for others and that is not done to indulge oneself is not selfish. My second step was to explore the balance between care of self and care of others. How does one know when the balance is struck?

For instance, with a Reiki treatment, the practitioner receives the benefit of the Reiki at the same time as she/he is offering it to another. However, her/his concern is for the highest healing good of the other person. The Reiki that is received by the practitioner is a benefit but not the intent of the session.

In this month’s issue of Psychology Today, the cover article addresses the power of touch.

“Every evening at bedtime, DePauw’s Hertenstein gives his young son a back rub. ‘It’s a bonding opportunity for the two of us. Oxytocin levels go up, heart rates go down, all these wonderful things that you can’t see.’ Moments like these also reveal the reciprocal nature of touch, he says: ‘You can’t touch without being touched. A lot of those same beneficial physiological consequences happen to me, the person doing the touching.’ In fact, when we’re the ones initiating contact, we may reap all the same benefits as those we’re touching. For example, Field’s research has revealed that a person giving a massage experiences as great a reduction in stress hormones as the person on the receiving end.” http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201302/the-power-touch

As Reiki practitioners, in our giving we receive. The need for self-Reiki still exists, however. We still need a mature evaluation of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs as a whole person. Are we balancing the care of others with the care of the self? Have we filled our emotional bucket through the connection with friends and family? Have we supported our physical health with nutritious food, exercise, fresh air, and plentiful water and sleep? Have we connected with our spiritual selves through self-Reiki, meditation, time in nature, and quiet reflection?

There is a specific Reiki self-care habit that I am developing. I am doing an absent Reiki session for myself in addition to the times I’m sending it to others. I find this to be very supportive and uplifting and often filled with deep insights. It is one of the ways I find the balance between care of others and care of myself. I give and I receive. It is balanced, and, certainly, not selfish.

How do you practice self-care? How do you balance your needs with the needs of others? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share them in the comments.

Wishing you abundant love and light!

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February 27, 2013

Pamela Miles Mainstreams Reiki

Last week, Jonathan Fields posted a video interview with Pamela Miles as another inspirational installment in his Good Life Project.
Watch the Video Here

Pamela is a dedicated and gifted Reiki Master who believes in the importance of teaching Reiki not just offering Reiki sessions. She carefully describes Reiki as a spiritual healing practice and compares it to meditation. I often describe the body as a healing machine. Pamela says, “Our bodies are remarkable self-cleaning ovens.” So true!

As a Reiki Master of Masters, I was really impressed by her use of mainstream terminology to describe the practice. As you watch the video notice how she never uses the term “attunement” or the term “universal life force energy” and she never describes herself as a “channel”. Also, she positions Reiki as primarily as self-care practice.

I really enjoyed this interview and learned so much that I will integrate into my future class proposals. What stands out for you in this interview? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Wishing you light and peace!

February 13, 2013

My Lenten Intention: Health, Love, Peace

I have an intention for Lent. For the next 40 days, I will practice self-love and peacefulness. I anticipate that this will be very difficult. A couple of years ago I gave up self-criticism for Lent and failed miserably which only brought on more self-criticism. As Christine Reed notes, it’s easier to give up chocolate.

With previous experience as my guide I’m trying to set myself up for success. Here are some of the components of my practice as I envision it on Day 1. I will:

Comfort myself with the equivalent of a back rub or holding hands (signs of love)

Smile

Laugh. I LOVE to laugh!

Support my dreams and aspirations

Listen to myself

Affirm myself

Make choices that are loving to me

Forgive . . . And forget

Accept myself as I am

Surround myself with supporters

Love others

Some of the concrete things I will do include

Practice longer self-Reiki sessions, including absent Reiki for myself

Breathe deeply for calmness

Meditate for peacefulness

Practice yoga

Spend time with family, friends and in nature to cultivate positive vibes

Wish me luck! I’ll report back here on my practice.

What are your intentions for the next 40 days? Will you use Reiki to support your goals?

Wishing you abundant love!

January 31, 2013

What is Reiki?

When I’m working with a client who is new to Reiki I’m often asked, “What is Reiki?” My answer starts with, “Reiki is universal life-force energy. It is the energy that is in us and all around us.” Sometimes that is all the explanation needed other than a procedural review of hand placements and other logistics. However, some people are clearly puzzled.

Having practiced Reiki for almost 12 years, this energy seems so obvious to me. I notice it frequently in a person’s posture, in a hand shake, in a facial expression, in spoken words, in music, art and food. But the person new to Reiki may not have noticed it or at least not in the same way.

Reiki is the energy of our soul, it is our essence. We find it in our everyday lives in the food we eat as we convert it to energy for our physical selves. We find it in the hug from a friend; in the loving touch of parent; in the kind act from a stranger.

If one is not attuned as a Reiki practitioner, she or he will infrequently notice this energy. However, a Reiki attunement allows one to consistently tap into this energy. Also, during a Reiki session, the recipient often notices the Reiki energy as warmth or increased sensation as the Reiki is received.

(I highly recommend attunement as it allows one to offer Reiki to oneself and others. It is a practice that is easy to integrate into one’s life. Please see the Class Descriptions)

How do you define Reiki? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Wishing you peace and light. You are Reiki.

Janice Lodato, Reiki Master of Masters

January 18, 2013

Practicing Patience

“Patience is not passive; on the contrary it is active; it is concentrated strength.” ~ Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to practice patience quite frequently. Maybe this is always the case but I feel it quite strongly now. In our daily lives there are many opportunities to practice patience: the traffic light, the slow computer (or Internet connection), the water that doesn’t seem to boil, the sleep that seems elusive, the job offer that is just outside of reach, the child who takes “forever” to go to sleep, the Springtime that seems so far away. For me, these are opportunities to practice patience and to breathe.

I notice that I often find it hard to make time for a daily meditation practice. However, there are countless times during the day when my patience starts to fade. That’s when I take the time to notice my breath. Sometimes it’s just a single breath, sometimes a few, but regardless, the situation is not changed — I have changed.

With the breath, with my patience, I have fostered calm and gathered strength to go on.

How do you practice patience in your daily life?

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January 4, 2013

Reiki Clients Report Decreased Stress, Pain, Anxiety; Elevated Mood and More Relaxed

Yes! Reiki works!

The Wellness House in Hinsdale Illinois has been surveying program participants about how they feel before and after healing sessions. (Healing sessions include Reiki, Massage, Healing Touch and CranioSacral therapy.) The overall demographic of the participants was: 85%+ Female and 91%+ Cancer Patients in active treatment. The participants reported the following results after their healing session:

Stress: decreased by 60%
Pain: decreased by 55%
Anxiety: decreased by 72%
Mood: improved by 45%
Relaxation: increased by 60%

For 40% of the participants this was their first healing session at the Wellness House.

What is your experience after a Reiki session? Is your mood elevated? Are you more relaxed and less anxious? If you’re a Reiki practitioner is the experience different for you after self-Reiki than when Reiki is offered to you by others? Please share your Reiki experiences in the comments!

Wishing you abundant love and light!

Janice Lodato, MA, RMT

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