By Kristina Morgan and Tere Ruiz

It is believed that almost every disease starts in our mental/emotional body. Even the best eating habits will not fully benefit you if your mind and emotions are disturbed. Becoming fully aware of your mental attitude, which affects your emotions and spirit, is the first step toward complete health and healing. 

Although healing touch has been used for thousands of years, what is today considered reiki originated in the 1880s when a Buddhist monk named Mikao Usui went on a quest to rediscover the divine healing methods used by Buddha and Jesus Christ. Usui claims he received the ability to heal without energy depletion after he spent three weeks fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama. Usui worked in a leprosy home in Kyoto and healed a large number of patients through his new-found method.

A simple yet powerful technique, Reiki healers use a technique similar to the laying on of hands, which they believe channels healing energy. Reiki healers state that energy flows through their palms to bring about healing and that this method can be used for self-treatment as well as treatment of others. Reiki helps the body restore its natural balance and ability to heal itself.

People who have received Reiki say a treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, harmony, balance security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy." So Reiki is means "spiritually guided life force energy." It is pronounced as RAY-Key.

Our own Tere Ruiz, of Focus on Mexico, is a trained Reiki healer. Tere says, “Reiki is my passion, but you know with these kinds of things, it is difficult to make people understand that Reiki or any other healing technique is not an aspirin. Whenever people are confronted with themselves, they don't want to accept they have a problem or have been wrong in some things. Some people would rather continue having problems than forgive, love their neighbors and themselves, or spend their money or time trying to have better health or a better life. It hurts when you see people keep going with their lives and don't want to do anything about it, but expect some magical thing and keep blaming others. Reiki is getting responsible for your own life; being modest and accepting that you need to change your point of view.”

Reiki is a Holistic approach and as such the spirit is treated first and then physical healing follows naturally. It is believed that physical disorders have their origin in spiritual and emotional imbalances. Reiki promotes the belief that health is the individual’s responsibility which begins in the spirit or emotions. That is, in order for the reiki healing energies to have lasting results, you must accept responsibility for your healing and take an active part in it. It is felt that Reiki works to the degree that an individual is willing and able to use the energy. It’s good for all of us to remember that we have the biggest responsibility with our health.

Reiki healers believe that when the flow of Ki, or life energy, is disrupted it causes diminished functioning within one or more of the organs and tissues in the physical body. Unless the blockage is released, a person could eventually become ill. When a person receives a Reiki treatment, the Rei part of the energy assesses where the person has blocks and then directs the healing energy to the block. Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways thus allowing healthy Ki to flow.

Reiki has been used to treat multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, chronic pain, migraines and insomnia. Historically, Reiki has aided in healing virtually any illness or injury, including emotional pain.

An amazingly gentle and simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.

Mikao Usui the founder of the Reiki system says that Reiki works best if simple ethical standards are adhered to in order to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures:

The Five Precepts of Reiki 

1. Just for today, I will let go of anger

Anger is directly connected to weak points in our ego and is triggered when our ego is hurt. We also tend to become angry when people or situations fall short of our expectations. Our anger hurts us much more than the person with whom we are angry. Anger releases toxins in our system. It destroys our inner harmony thereby blocking us from loving unconditionally and in turn separating us from the universal consciousness.

2. Just for today, I will let go of worry 

The second doorway opens up by relinquishing worry and anxiety. Worrying separates us from universal wholeness. Worrying has never helped in solving problems. It also produces a rush of harmful toxins in our system, and blocks our emotions.

3. Just for today I will live an attitude of gratitude

The third principle of living with gratitude opens the third doorway. It implies that we count not only our present blessings but also what we trust will be provided. Such an attitude keeps all the material, emotional and spiritual doors open to us.

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

The fourth principle implores us to live honestly. When we are honest with ourselves it creates harmony in our lives and aligns us to our higher self. Honest living leads to the practice of truthfulness, which empowers our words to such an extent that they can become capable of fruition at will.

5. Just for today, I will love and be kind to all living beings

The word 'today' in each precept points to the importance of the present moment, which is the key to all spiritual awakening and enlightenment. Our journey using the five intertwined spiritual doorways connects us to the Supreme Healer and is the source of complete harmony. This results in spiritual healing and release from karmic bondage of illness and sufferings. Irrespective of whether you are a Reiki channel or not, pursuing them is bound to fill your life with joy and blessings

Reiki works in harmony with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery. You can continue to receive regular medical or psychological treatment while receiving Reiki. In fact, Reiki improves the results of any medical treatment reducing negative side effects such as those from chemotherapy, surgery, and invasive procedures. It shortens healing time, reduces or eliminates pain and reduces stress promoting your own body’s natural healing ability. It has been regularly noted that patients receiving Reiki leave the hospital earlier than those who don’t.

Anyone can benefit from Reiki healing therapy. Simply say “yes” to the following question: Do you want to be healed? 

What should you expect? 

Healing doesn’t always mean an absence of physical symptoms or illnesses.  Healing takes place at all levels, beginning with the spirit and emotions and then accelerating the healing of the body. Reiki can help you to have general balance.

What Reiki isn’t: 

Reiki isn’t a replacement for traditional medical treatments
Reiki is not a religion.

PROCEDURE 

In a conventional Reiki session you will be invited by your Reiki Healer to lie down comfortably.  Then your healer will promote a state of relaxation through short meditation, asking you to think of a nice, quiet, peaceful, place.  After that, with your authorization your Reiki Healer will start transferring to you the Universal Healing Energy.  Some people may fall asleep; others may actually feel the energy flowing through their bodies.  At the end, you will feel nurtured and relaxed.

If you have questions, contact Tere Ruiz at 762-1282 or email her at tere@focusonmexico.com.

The information in this article was created in order to share the information about the health benefits of the Reiki Healing Energy. It is therefore for educational purposes.. Information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should consult with the appropriate health practitioner in case of any medical condition.  It is not ethical for a Reiki Practitioner to diagnose medical conditions or to provide counseling to a client unless they are licensed to do so in their state of residence.

 Kristina Morgan: Director of Public Relations for FocusOnMexico.

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