Practice Makes Simple

One of the things I encourage my students to do is to treat themselves with Reiki every day.  I have noticed that some of them find it as difficult as I did to have a regular practice.

While I managed to practise tai chi most days for a few years, I struggled for a long time to maintain a daily practice of any kind.  Perhaps this came from my resistance to being told to practice my violin as a child, but more likely it came from a resistance to where the practice would take me.

I cam across a quote recently that resonated with me and may be relevant to this question: “The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the more resistance you will feel” (Steven Pressfield).  This illuminated my awareness of what I had resisted practising: tai chi, meditation, singing, violin and of course Reiki.  All of these have the potential to bring me into deeper connection with my whole self: body and soul.  I haven’t always liked my body, so had no particular desire to get to know it better!

However there came a day when I was tired of trying to practice and failing, and decided to

just practice!  Resistance to doing so came up in many forms, but I simply accepted they were there and just practiced.  After a while the resistance grew less and I settled into a daily routine of treating myself with Reiki, which I continue to this day.

What I discovered amongst other things was that the longer I maintained this practice the easier it became to continue doing so.  I also found that the self treatment practice helped my treatment of others; firstly because I was more calm and balanced myself and therefore a better person to receive treatment from, and secondly because the daily connection with Reiki enhanced my understanding of how it can work.

I am now been fortunate to have a growing practice treating others, which I have also found has made the work easier.  Having treated a couple of hundred people with many different problems I am now more confident and again know more what to expect from Reiki (which is sometimes the unexpected!).

It’s true of any Art that practice is needed to really begin to find a way to connect with and express your essential nature.  I remember seeing an exhibition of Picasso’s early drawings in France: he could draw naturalistically really well and had clearly practiced a lot!  I have a Reiki master friend who plays the shakuhachi (Japanese flute) which is very difficult to master.  He’s been playing it regularly for years and still considers himself a beginner.

I also remember learning to drive and how that took a lot of practice before I felt comfortable.  With many years of driving behind me now (I passed my test the same year I became a Reiki master!) driving is no longer the challenge it once was, thanks to all those miles.

So whether you are a beginner or an experienced practitioner, whether you have learned Reiki or your life art is something different I encourage you to just practice.  The more you do the easier it will become and the deeper your connection to your body and soul will be, bringing you joy and fulfilment.

www.katejones-reiki.co.uk