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Showing posts with the label Practices

Reiki Circle

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  Mrs Takata encouraged her students to practice  "Reiki for the self first! "  before treating others.   When we're new students, we are excited and inspired to practice self Reiki daily, but as time passes, we may fall away.  Attending a Reiki circle is a lovely way to connect with the energy and other practioners.  Green Dragon On Tuesday, we hosted a Reiki circle in the lovely office where I've begun teaching, and were delighted to be joined by 4 'Reiki Peeps.' After brief introductions and settling in, we Circled up, and led several practices.  Gasshô - place two palms together, which brings balance to mind and body Recite the Precepts (English or Japanese) For today only: Do not anger  Do not worry  Be humble / grateful Be honest in your work  Be compassionate to yourself and others Kenyoko Hô - dry bathing / brushing  (Purify Body, heart and mind - often used before and after practice)  This practice includes...

Reiki Intention Box

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  There are may ways to 'send' Reiki over distance of space and time. For several years , one I've used is writing prayers,  charging the with Reiki (sometimes drawing the symbols), and placing them in my Reiki box. I also invite friends and clients to write the prayers themselves.  Reiki Box The box can be folded from a card (here, I've the box for a chocolate bar) , and decorated as you wish. For this one, I've used acrylics and mod podge on brown packing paper.  Box and collage papers To  activate sending Reiki,  use the techniques you've learned. 'Turn Reiki on, ' draw the symbols, then focus energy on the Reiki Box. If you haven't taken Second degree, simple hold you box, and use your intention to Empower the healing.  Follow your instinct for how long and often to 'send' Reiki.'  You could keep your Reiki Precept cards in this box as well.  Blue crystal heart I placed this blue crystal heart in my Reiki box, and will tuck the pray...

Challenge recap

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 I am so grateful I gave myself this opportunity to deepen with my own Reiki Practice over the last 3 weeks. I committed to just 14 days, then extended to the full 21 days integration period suggested to our students! And am inspired to consciously continue practicing Reiki daily!  During the past three weeks, I did self Reiki and one or more chi practice daily, wrote about Reiki, joined the Reiki Summit (what great timing!) , and met with a sister master about offering Reiki circles.  Here's a recap of the topics - I've grouped them into 'families' and added a few older posts you may find helpful.  Reiki 1 - Reiki and Massage   Reiki for self - recharge - holding space Challenge - renewal - gaining experience Preparing for sessions - home care Reiki + EFT - Trauma - grounding Practices : Gasshô - morning prayer   Moving chi  - Practical Reiki Reiki 2  - journal Symbols : Mental emotional Distant Reiki  - power May these practices ...

Mental Emotional

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  We  learn the Mental Emotional symbol (SHK) and its uses in the second degree classes - but may not be sure how to include it in treatments. I was taught to draw the symbol once (yantra), and chant its name 3 times (mantra) - and not to share these with folks not initiated to their use.  First - draw each symbol the way you remember it! (They are aids - and the guides know wheat you intend!) My Master Analyse told us she was happy to help someone refresh with a symbol - and always invites them to draw   it 'their way'  for her first.  Then she helps them fine tune. A couple of my favorite ways to practice the symbols are painting them on rice paper, or drawing them with a stick in the sand, and wipe them away. I love using sumi (ink, inkstone and bush), as Dr Maeda used when he wrote to Hayashi for Mrs Takata - you'll see why, as you grind the ink! Then I tear the paper, and use it in collage, with just a bit peeking through.  The mental emotional...

Grounding

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  Before taking Lightwork with Amorah Quan Yin in the mid 90s, she asked that we prepare by working on grounding and setting our Aura 'Bubble' for a couple of months before coming to the retreat.  Shining star - 2017 She commented that asked noticed massage therapists and other healers often forget/ don't know how to consistently ground, and it was important for us to learn! This also is a good practice to deepen with prior to Reiki training.  Well! I could certainly relate to not always feeling grounded, even with my massage, Qigong and Reiki practices!  Learning to ground ourselves is an important facet of self care, and for working with others.  Amorah suggested women imagine our grounding cord the size of a tennis ball at first, and later, a softball or larger.  Invite the cord to drop from the belly/tan tien to the core of the earth. For men, begin with the smaller cord, sinking directly from the root chakra. Allow some time to experiment with differe...

Gaining experience

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 At the end of our recent Reiki 1 class, our hostess offered the treatment room as a place to practice with other students, and offered to exchange sessions.  We practiced the positions for head, then chest front and back, in the seperate sessions, and I encouraged them to do self Reiki, and practice on family and pets.  Sometimes, students don't have much practice time in class, which may cause them to feel they aren't fully prepared! On a couple of our calls in 2017, Phyllis Furumoto commented we each choose our path, and we each take on what we need in the moment.  NW Reiki gathering at Menucha   This summer I attended the 40th NW Reiki gathering at Menucha center on the Columbia river, and time was offered daily for Reiki exchanges, with 3-5 people at each treatment table. There were brand new Reiki 1 practioners, and Masters who've practiced for decades - all were glad to give and receive! Anneli Twan - a Master for 40 years We heard stories, enjoyed the ab...

Clearing Trauma

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  In a recent post in our virtual Reiki Community group, a practioner asked for tips on releasing trauma after giving a session, which triggered an old personal trauma.  I seconded the suggestion of using EFT as a tool to clear their own trauma, and receiving Reiki and Acupuncture from those who feel safe and resonant. All my teachers have recommended receiving treatment from others when ill or under stress! Borage - comfort and courage I shared a practice learned in Lightwork: Before the session - envision a ' matching picture rose' between you and your client, assign it the task of absorbing and transmuting any of the same issues that might come up. See it's stem being well grounded (and ground yourself before the session *) ... After the session, seperate your energy from your client, and observe 3 things in the room, then DISSOLVE the Rose! See it evaporate, taking all which it's  cleared with it. If you have a saltlamp in your space, be sure to turn it on be...

Reiki journal

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  Following my initiation as a Reiki Master in 1991, I began keeping a Reiki journal in a simple blank book. I wrote about my Reiki experiences, thoughts on integrating the principles, and ideas about teaching classes.  In 2015, I enrolled in a 9 month program for teaching process and intention focused creativity, and created Juju Journals, using composition books as the base, early on. Like my Reiki Journal, we could write in these, or glue a couple of pages together and use paint (inexpensive acrylic is fine) or collage for process pages.  During the course, we were invited to explore how the creative processes might support our own Soulwork, and l thought of my Reiki students! Reiki Students Creating Journal covers When I took Second Degree Reiki in 1990, we first learned the three symbols, and then (gulp!) burned the papers!! Scary, but also empowering ! Our workshop was at the coast, & that night I danced the symbols under the stars - WOW! With Intentional Creati...

Morning Prayer

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  One of my favorite resources is * The Reiki Sourcebook ,  published in 2003 by Bronwen and Frans Siene.  A practice I include most days is the Morning Prayer ( Sourcebook, p 239) . Included among the 'Western techniques,' this practice comes from a Japanese teacher, Shingo Sakuma. Offering the prayer, I like to go outside, stand on my front walk and face the East and rising sun.  Clouds at sunrise Hands in Gasshô , bow three times Clap your hands 2 times - purifying the space around you Repeat in Japanese or English three times:  HARAE - TAMAE  (cleanse all) KIYOME -  TAMAE  (purify all) MAMORI -  TAMAE (protect all) SAKIHAE -  TAMAE (may all beings be happy) The Sun's mantra (3x) A-ME-TE-RA-SU OO MI-KAMI Make a personal wish/ names of those you're praying for (3x) KAMNAGARA - TAMACHI - HAEMASE (as the God wishes) Gasshô - bow one time and give thanks.  When i began this prayer practice, I wrote the Japanese words on a card, an...

Practices: Gasshô

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  There are many beautiful Reiki practices which can help us feel the energy -  gasshô   (Two hands together) is one of the simplest! You can do a longer meditation using the gasshô - this is one of the key daily practices of Japanese Reiki. Light hands Seishin toitsu - (unified mind) Bring the hands up to Gassho (prayer) position Focus on dan tien (hara) Inhale and bring energy into your hands. Exhale, and feel the energy move between your palms, along the arms and back to the dan tien. (5-30 minutes)   Move your hands ~ 4" apart and sense the energy for a few breaths, then slowly being them together again In Japan, they often recite (mentally) Waka - simple nature based poetry 'The moon - how beautiful it rises - flooding the fields with light' If you have taken Reiki and know the 5 principles, recite them now ( this video is helpful if you want to practice them in Japanese Bring your hands to rest then on your heart or belly and absorb the energy. Whilst doing...

Fourteen Day Challenge

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 Following our weekend Reiki 1 class, I've decided to do a personal 14 day Reiki challenge .  As I revisited my Reiki journals, I was reminded of previous challenges I've done, and they are  a lovely way to refresh and recharge our energy.  It's 35 years since I took first Degree Reiki, and  that first day, our teacher Analyse invited us to go to sleep with one hand on our heart, and one on our belly. This is one of the simplest self-Reiki forms.  Reiki journal I began a page in my Reiki Journal, to track my Reiki sessions and practices.  I plan to choose a session and one or two practices daily. I do a morning blessing most days (Cherokee and a Reiki morning meditation/ blessing.  Self Reiki options: B : Basic self Reiki (~ 45 minutes  C : Chakra treatment (~ 30 minutes G : Gasshô practice (12- 15 minutes H : Hatsurei-Ho   (meditation - 12 minutes Practices and self care There are many practices that we can use to support our Reiki jo...

Reiki Precepts

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 When I took my first Reiki class in the fall of 1989, my teacher Annalise taught us the 5 Reiki Principles or precepts, and invited us to work with them as we 'cleared the pipes' for Reiki to flow, and practices being more present. Neurographic doodle on 'Presence' As I began teaching several years later, I was surprised when students from other Masters told me they hadn't realized the Principles were 'really' part of Reiki! (Just something their teacher added) a precept is, 'a general rule which helps you decide how to behave in particular circumstances' - offering a moral compass.  Reiki Principles - my Reiki journal More of Reiki's origins became known in the West after the discovery of founder Usui's memorial stone in 1994. Translated, part of the inscription reads, 'Thus, before the teachings, the 'Ikun' (admonition) of the Meiji Emperor should reverently be told and the Five Precepts (gokai) be chanted and kept in mind morn...

Cutting Cords

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 An inquiry arose in a online Reiki community recently on fielding communication from a former client, several years after their therapeutic relationship ended, which no longer felt beneficial or appropriate. Suggestions from the community included both setting / reinforcing boundaries, and perhaps a need for cutting cords.  Some of my teachers and fellow healers have offered techniques which can be used when it feels that cutting cords is in order. This practice includes teachings from several of them, and can be adapted as you feel the need. Middle Mea Meadow Pool - Breitenbush If you've taken Second Degree, you can include Mental-Emotional and distant Reiki.  Sit in a quiet, safe space, ground yourself, and see your aura bubble shining bright around you, bring your hands to Gassho (prayer position.) Invite your Reiki guides to support and guide you in this process. Ask that any clearing be for your and the other's highest good, and that it be a gracious, gentle process...

Everyday Reiki

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The Reiki precepts begin kyo dake wa , just for today ... When we have Reiki, we can invite the energy to flow into our activities and interactions throughout the day.  While Takata awaited surgery in Dr Maeda's hospital in Tokyo, each of the meals prepared by the doctor's sister the dietician was blessed with Reiki : green tea, Rice, beans, steamed vegetables (especially carrots & beets), seaweed. As she learned Reiki herself, Mrs Takata blessed her own food and drink, and later recommended her students do the same. Teachers in many traditions suggest blessing what we ingest, it's something we do daily, and soon becomes second nature. We can also use Reiki around the home: set up an altar hold seeds or herbs a minute before we plant them bless a craft project we're working on sweep the floor play a musical instrument atune to objects as we decide whether to keep them, or pass them on In addition to doing sessions on ourselves, our pets and each other, we can use Re...

Qigong, Tai Chi and Reiki

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  My massage mentor had polio in the 40s, and recommended we take Tai Chi in '83 to support the bodywork! My own mum had polio in 1921, and needed to use crutches for balance - she encouraged me to be a active as possible.  I studied Yang long form Tai Chi with Maria Wen Yen Liu in Salem, who began each class with a series of Qigong warm up exercises. Maria learned from her father in China, beginning at 3 years old!  I had begun taking Russian ballet 5 years before, with Lynn Marchant , a world class teacher from the Bay area, who had also studied Tai Chi. I continuedwith both ballet and Tai Chi, till I moved to Breitenbush Hot Springs in '91.  At Breitenbush, I began teaching a drop in Qi class for staff and guests 2x a week, as part of our Daily Well Being offerings, and took workshops as I could. One on 1994, with a Qigong teacher that Heiner F. brought from China, included eating stars (!) and a Tiger form, plus exchanging Qi with trees ...  I took Reiki ...

Reiki Renewal

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During our Reiki journies, we experience ebb and flow, when we feel less or more connection to the energy. I remember my surprise when I asked a couple who had taken separate classes how they used Reiki together, and they said, "oh, we don't really use it any more!"  ... and my thought:  "but Reiki flows every time you touch each other!"   Now, that's my belief - that Reiki flows as it's needed, and is amplified in the presence of other practitioners ... And ... adding the element of intention helps focus the flow!  Interested in healing from an early age, and in sharing what I learn with others, I was drawn to teaching Reiki from my first initiation, and to teaching Intentional Creativity® when that came my way. It seemed natural to explore the connection between the two, to follow the Red Thread  to weave them together. In 1991 as I began teaching Reiki, I thought about Dr Maeda bringing out traditional writing implements to craft the letter t...