The Value of Rest

 One of the great benefits of Reiki is that it encourages us to rest.  Reiki treatment, whether self-treatment, hands on or distant, is not generally received while doing something else or rushing around.  We are encouraged to lie down or sit for thirty minutes to an hour to receive the treatment.  One of the people I regularly send distant Reiki to commented that if nothing else it means she lies down and rests for half an hour.

We need to rest because it is during the body’s resting state that we heal, both physically and mentally.  When we are in a stressful state most of our energy is diverted away from our immune system and other important bodily functions such as digestion, to make energy available for fighting for our lives or running away.  When your life is at stake you have no time to digest a steak!  At a time when we need our immune systems to be strong in the face of the novel coronavirus, it is therefore more important than ever that we remain as much as possible in the resting state.

Sleep is the obvious time we rest and quality of sleep also matters.  A stressful day can cause poor sleep, because there is an echo of any daytime rise in adrenaline (the stress hormone) during the night, which can cause us to wake up and possibly find it difficult to go back to sleep.  We need a certain amount of deep sleep during each night, which is

the time when repair of the body mostly occurs.  We also need to dream, which is healing for the mind.  To strengthen my immune system, I always prioritise getting the best sleep I can and I find having Reiki in my hands very helpful for this.  I know that many of my students practice their self-treatment at bed-time because it helps them to drift easily into sleep (they often report falling asleep before finishing the hand position sequence).  Those who wake in the night also find that it is beneficial to be able to give themselves Reiki which, if it doesn’t help them go back to sleep, is at least healing.

It is important to ensure rest for the mind too.  Modern life is full of distractions that keep our minds busy even when we think we are relaxing.  Many people find it difficult to stop checking emails or social media on their phones.  TV programmes that are violent or where the characters undergo emotional stress, especially if it resonates with our own experience, will get our stress hormones flowing, even though we are slouched on the sofa.  This is not real rest.

Some people turn to mindfulness practices or meditation to help to relax their mind.  Reiki is often described as bringing peace of mind, with many people finding it calms their thinking effortlessly.  I remember the first time I experienced this in the early days of grieving for my father, whose sudden and unexpected death certainly caused me a high level of stress.  The first full Reiki treatment I received helped me to relax and bring my mind out of the stressful state into the resting phase.  I could not recall ever feeling so calm and peaceful.  It was wonderful!

Lockdown has offered some people a chance to rest, but for some this situation is creating more stress.  I hope you are able to find some time to rest and perhaps Reiki can help.

Accessing the Unseen

Reiki practice offers me a way to connect with the unseen, including emotions, mind and the spiritual energy that I believe flows through and connects all things.  It is understandable that some people are sceptical about this, yet we all have some experience of things we can’t see, hear, touch, smell or taste.  We are all very accustomed now to the invisible waves that connect us via the internet and mobile phones.  Such invisible things also exist in Nature – Reiki is how the Japanese would describe the energy you feel in a beautiful forest.  The understanding that what is unseen can affect the physical world has long been understood by spiritual teachers.  Buddha, for example, said: “We are what we think.  All that we are arises from our thoughts”. 

In the current situation we are facing a virus invisible to the naked eye that has had the power to change all our lives.  Some are sceptical about it, because if you rely primarily on an understanding of the world that is based on your senses, this virus is beyond comprehension.  Similarly, it is understandable that some are sceptical about Reiki as an energy that can be transmitted between people at a distance.

Love is an invisible energy that the current situation is showing us that it can still be shared and felt even when we are not able to touch or even be physically in the same space.  We can still send our love out into the world, in the same way Reiki can also reach any part of the planet.  Perhaps it is when relatives are able to comfort a Covid-19 patient, so that they know they are loved, that gives them a better chance of survival.   It is the one factor doctors have no control over that may explain the differing survival rates of those who are most ill.

At present, unable to give Reiki in person,

I feel blessed to be able to continue to offer comfort and support through distant Reiki treatments.  It can take a leap of faith to accept that receiving Reiki from any distance is possible, yet experience over many years has shown me that, like love, it can be sent through space and time and is safe for all concerned, even with Covid-19. 

The Reiki Association Care Service is available for members to request distant Reiki treatments from a team of volunteers.  We have received many reports of positive outcomes, unexpected by doctors.  We frequently hear of the healing, comfort and peace of mind these treatments bring, including at the end of life.  I’ve received similar reports from the treatments that the Community Clinic volunteers have been doing.  These reports include better sleep and reduction in need for pain medication. 

I am always looking for ways to develop my Reiki practice so, following an inspiration during a self-treatment, I now offer distant Reiki treatments via a live Zoom link, which means that I can be present with the person I am sending to through their treatment via an internet connection and they can be aware of what I am doing.  I don’t even need a photograph to send Reiki but meeting via Zoom we are able to see each other and talk before and after the treatment (we can also talk on the phone).  Reiki offers many ways to explore the unseen and I am enjoying this time and the opportunity to expand my distant treatment practice.

Long Days

I hope you are enjoying the sunny weather as much as I am.  It reminds me of the summers of my childhood, when the days seemed long and contented.  In my adult life the days usually seem too short, with too much to get done and not enough time to do it all!  I know that this is one of the common challenges of being self-employed.

Thanks to my Reiki practice, however, I have found a way back to long days.  After my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes I learned of the role stress plays in tipping a body into insulin resistance and eventually diabetes if it’s ignored.  So I began to look at how to become less stressful in life.  One of the things I noticed was the importance of being able to relax – really relax, not just sit on the sofa watching TV. 

I learned that the mind needs to relax as well as the body.  Watching TV might be relaxing for my  body.  Reiki treatment, however, helps my mind to relax.  When I first received Reiki treatments it was the mental peace I experienced, at a time when my head was in overdrive, that most impressed me.   Somehow Reiki seemed capable of interrupting the stream of worried thoughts and allowing my mind to rest and my heart to be at peace.

body (although watching programmes that raised my anxiety levels would cause physical tension), but often was not relaxing for my mind.

Being self-employed, it’s easy to keep thinking all the time about what needs to be done and how to achieve the next step.  I’ve had to learn how to ‘switch off’ and it’s not easy.  I used to find this only happened when I went away on holiday – and it would usually take me about a week to stop thinking about work.  I was often ready to really relax just as the holiday ended!

To improve my relaxation, and help myself stop work mentally as well physically, I made more time for receiving Reiki – from my own hands or someone else’s.  I don’t always find stopping easy: because I am passionate about my work, when there is a long list of Things to Do it can take discipline to not do any of them.  

Then a very strange thing happened: as my mind became relaxed I found that days lasted longer!  I was amazed to look back on the day and have the feeling of disbelief that what happened in the morning was actually the same day.  It was just like those long, contented days as a child.  What I’ve discovered is that when I return to work the next day my mind is rested and I often have a clearer perspective about what really needs to be done.

What was even more surprising was that I found that if I allowed myself space during the working day to relax – with a little self-treatment for example – these days could also become longer and more efficient.  It reminds me of the Taoist saying “Do nothing and nothing is left undone”.

So with the weather so lovely (or too hot to do much) I hope you too can do nothing all day and see if you too can re-capture those long lazy summer days you remember from childhood.  Enjoy!

Have those New Year Good Intentions Started to Waver?

If you have learned Reiki, you are encouraged to treat yourself every day.  Some students are very good at this and soon see the benefits.  Some, like me, find it a struggle to make it as much of a daily habit as brushing my teeth.  Why is this?

One of my students said she thought it was when she was feeling less good that she didn’t practice her Reiki self-treatments.  However what she also noticed was that when she didn’t do her practice, she felt less good!

Last month I encouraged you to keep a daily gratitude journal.  Have you tried it?  Have you managed to keep going with it?  If you have, well done!  If not: don’t despair!  There may be other New Year Resolutions you are now struggling to keep going too.  Getting into a new habit can be challenging.  For some reason this seems to be especially true if it’s something good for us!
 
So why is it so hard to do something regularly, whether it is Reiki or some other healthy habit we wish to develop?  Why is it so hard to do something that actually makes us feel good and helps to make us happier and healthier?!

Perhaps the answer is that good habits often take us out of our comfort zone at the beginning.  Bad habits, which are usually about giving ourselves comfort in a less healthy way, are all too easy to develop.   To develop a healthy habit we may need to make some effort, face up to some fear or experience some actual discomfort.  We also have to remember to do it, which in a busy life is hard enough!

So what can we do to encourage ourselves to develop a new good habit?  Well, try keeping a record of when you do achieve your practice – maybe give yourself a gold star!  Be kind to yourself: don’t worry about the days you don’t manage to do it – the odd day you miss won’t make a huge difference.  If you can keep going daily for 36 days your subconscious will be convinced and you are laying the foundation for a good habit!  After that it will be easier and soon you will forget it was ever a struggle at all!

Good luck!

From an article originally shared in my February 2007 Newsletter

Thank You Letter

After Christmas, as a child, I was encouraged to write thank-you letters for the gifts I received.  At the time it seemed a chore, but I’m grateful to my parents for teaching me the importance of gratitude.  So as the New Year begins I am writing this letter of thanks for some of the Reiki gifts received in the past year.

Thank you to everyone who chose to come for Reiki treatments: for some it was a new experience, for others a continuation of the Reiki journey.  To those who decided to try Reiki for the first time I’m grateful you overcame any reservations you may have had and gave it a go!  Thank you to those who continued to receive healing for your faith in Reiki.

Thank you to all the new students who learned Reiki last year.  You have given yourselves a great gift, and it was also a joy and an honour for me to be able to teach you.  I’m also grateful to those students who decided to deepen their Reiki learning by doing Second Degree.  It’s always exciting for me to open up even more potential with Reiki, so thank you for your commitment and dedication to the practice that led you to move forwards.

Thank you to all my existing students who have supported the Reiki Shares and other classes over the past year.  Whether you came to several or just one, it’s always good to see you, hear the stories you have to share and how you are integrating Reiki in your life.  I always enjoy receiving Reiki from my students – I am often moved by the feeling of your Reiki hands, knowing that I helped you to have this healing gift.

Thank you to the Second Degree students who sent me Reiki recently when I hurt my back, rescuing a sheep.  I was touched to receive so many messages of support and it was wonderful feeling the waves of warmth soothing my back.  Asking for help isn’t easy, so this experience was a good learning experience too, showing me that help is forthcoming in abundance when needed if I just ask!

I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Phyllis Furumoto this year in various ways, helping to support her teaching in the UK and other countries.  I was honoured to be invited to be a ‘docent’ at the retreat in Spain, helping to facilitate the process of the group.  It was also wonderful to be asked to teach some songs to what I realised later was the biggest ‘choir’ I’d ever led!

I’m grateful to my friends and colleagues in The Reiki Association and Reiki Council.  I am constantly excited and surprised by where Reiki is taking us and delighted with the growing connections between Reiki people.

Thank you to Jenny Bracelin who has been my business coach over the past year.  I’m grateful for her help and encouragement through what has not been an easy year to be in a small business.  I know that many small businesses have not been able to survive, so I’m grateful that I have been financially supported so that I was able to continue to offer the gift of Reiki for my living over the past year.

I'm grateful to my Reiki master Martha Sylvester for teaching me Reiki and lastly (for now) I’m grateful to Reiki for the healing, growth and comfort I’ve received this year.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.