Alone but not Lonely

Recently I had to travel alone from my home in Shropshire to Essex to appear as a Reiki expert

Selfie taken just before leaving for court

witness.  It was a daunting journey, not only the physical travel, but also the challenge of appearing in crown court for the first time.  However it struck me that although the experience was challenging I didn't feel alone.

I remember how alone and disconnected I felt around the time I learned Reiki, in my early thirties.  Like many people I could feel lonely in a crowd and also felt unappreciated.  Learning Reiki changed that.

I found like minded people in the fellow students from my 1st degree Reiki class.  We met every weekend to share Reiki with each other.  We talked about our experiences and wonderings about this healing art we had just begun to explore.  From those early days there was a feeling of connection which I'd only experienced in other settings after spending time with people in a deep group process.  This feeling of being part of a spiritually-minded community continues to this day, especially at the Reiki Shares.

Soon after my 2nd degree Reiki class, I began offering Reiki treatments to people I didn't know.  I was surprised to find that I felt kindness towards people who, on initial meeting, I didn't like.  As I gave people a series of treatments this feeling deepened.  When I became a Reiki master a few years later I had a new way to connect through teaching Reiki.  I can see now that this feeling of connection was Reiki beginning to awaken my non-judgemental, compassionate self.

Then I became involved with The Reiki Association, which led to further exploration of being non-judgemental.  As in any organisation there can be struggles around hierarchy and the organisation's purpose.  My involvement helped me to grow personally, towards a more tolerant way of being.  "It takes a whole village to raise a child" - by joining community I received the education and support I needed to grow. 

I learned that the more compassionate I became, the more I received the acknowledgement I craved.  It was good experience of what Phyllis Furumoto said to me recently: "Honour others if you want to be honoured yourself". 

I now have the blessing of being in community with Reiki people all over the world: I feel part of a world-wide Reiki family that is always connected even if we rarely meet in person. 

So when I made my journey to court, I asked my Reiki community to support me by sending Reiki for the physical and emotional journey.  In the witness box I was questioned about distant Reiki: it gave me great pleasure to think "Yes I'm receiving Reiki right now, thanks to those who are sending to me".  I felt them all there supporting me.  I also received kind messages of acknowledgement and appreciation in response to my request.

When the world seems to be going through a time when division and separation are highlighted by violence, it comforts me to know that Reiki practice brings connection and compassion.  So what can I do to help the world in it's apparent state of confusion and disarray?  Share Reiki - with myself, with family, friends and other Reiki students, with a wider circle. 

Reiki for Midwives

On 1st July I had a wonderful opportunity to introduce Reiki to people at the Maternity, Midwifery and Baby Conference in Edgbaston, Birmingham.  Wendy Henry, one of my students, works for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust and when she heard about this event coming up, she asked about offering some Reiki tasters.  In response she was asked to submit a paper, which she did and was then asked to do the presentation at the conference! 

She asked me if we could do the presentation together, so we spent a day together planning and organising our talk and Powerpoint slides.  I had never done a Powerpoint presentation, so was glad to have Wendy's expertise in preparing this!  Neither of us had given a talk to such a big room of people either, so were very glad to have the support of some distant Reiki from some of my students. 

As well as the presentation we had a table for leaflets and space to give taster treatments.  I asked one of my Reiki master friends who is a retired midwife for a testimonial about how Reiki had helped her in her work (you can read it here).  we made it part of the presentation, illustrating how Reiki could be beneficial in the context of midwifery.

Due to the comforting and calming response most people have when receiving Reiki, it could help women in labour to be more relaxed, leading to easier births.  Indeed one of the midwives came and told me about how a first time mothers had given birth quickly and easily with the help of some Reiki.  We are also told that if women receive regular Reiki treatments in the last trimester it helps the birth to be easier for mother and baby.  I have heard it said that Reiki helps to encourage the baby to participate in the birthing process, like a chick pecking its way out of the egg.  Reiki babies have often been observed to be calm and alert immediately after birth and are often less distressed in the first days of life outside the womb.

We also wanted to get across to our audience was that Reiki could be helpful for the midwives themselves.  Working in the NHS can be stressful - Wendy would like to set up a clinic for staff to receive Reiki treatments.  It would be really beneficial for midwives and related healthcare staff to be able to treat themselves - any time day or night - to help cope with the stresses of their work.  Wendy had noted that many staff have been going off sick, creating heavier caseloads for other midwives.  If Reiki could help to reduce this sickness it would be beneficial for all.

We gave taster sessions all day, but were particularly busy after our talk.  A long queue of people waited patiently for their 'go' and we were the last stall to pack up because people were still wanting to talk to us and receive Reiki right up to the end of the day. 

Many knew little or nothing about Reiki and, to my delight, were really interested.  They were impressed with what they felt from the Reiki tasters: even the most sceptical was amazed by how calm they felt after just a few minutes of Reiki. 

I'm very grateful to Wendy for having the courage to ask for this opportunity, to Reiki students for supporting us, for a successful day and to everyone who came to hear our talk and receive Reiki tasters.

The mystery of Mystic Order: From Disconnection to Participation

Like  most humans I craved feeling part of a 'tribe', but in early life, at school and university, felt like an outsider.  As a result I would keep myself apart, either by not participating or by acting a role.  Subconsciously, this feeling of separateness made me unhappy.

Learning Reiki began a healing of this sad disconnection, bringing a deeper understanding of what being in community means and how it nourishes me.  I now value and benefit from participating in community in many forms: my students, the UK and international Reiki groups and other communities such as my choirs.  This understanding has come through the Aspect of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki known as Mystic Order.

In my early years in Reiki, participating in Reiki gatherings was uncomfortable and a struggle.  However in 1994 I attended a gathering with Phyllis Furumoto as special guest.  I was interested in the opportunity to learn more about Reiki from her, so overcame my resistance to be present.  She described the 9 Elements and 4 Aspects of Usui Shiki Ryoho. I recognised the way I had learned Reiki in the Elements and also understood 3 of the Aspects: Healing Practice, Personal Development and Spiritual Discipline.  The fourth Aspect was a mystery: Mystic Order.

Phyllis describes Mystic Order as: "A group of people who share a common practice that brings them in relation to reality beyond the realm of the five senses is considered a mystic order. Though the practice of Reiki employs the sense of touch, the quality of that touch can take us into the realm of union and communion with self, others, and the essence of life. Students experience directly through practice the interconnectedness of being and awaken to the experience of a much greater reality beyond what is known."

The 'reality beyond the 5 senses' is something familiar to me from life in Reiki. It led me to explore the 'greater reality beyond what is known', particularly through my involvement with The Reiki Association.  It was often difficult: like many aspects of Reiki it's the challenge that creates growth!  Feelings I had experienced in communities since childhood became more conscious: not feeling a part of the whole, not being acknowledged or valued and wanting to escape before I was pushed out.  This brought up some of my negative views about myself which was often painful, causing me to hide behind a 'role', such as being the Administrator.

However Reiki helped me to stay in connection, in spite of the difficulty, which brought me to experience and understand the benefits of being in community.  I learned that being part of a caring community is something I need; that to experience the connectedness with a greater whole that goes beyond the senses - even though challenging - nourishes something fundamental in me as a human being.

So, after years of practice, at the recent TRA 25th Birthday Gathering instead of hiding behind a role or feeling separate, I relished the interconnectedness of being in community!  I felt able to participate fully and joyful, receiving nourishment for my soul.  I felt welcomed, acknowledged and valued without the need to perform.  I now understand the value of Mystic Order: it satisfies my human need to be connected with the greater whole, bringing comfort, healing and happiness in return.

More pictures of the Reiki Association 25th Birthday here

Happy 25th Birthday Reiki Association

This month I will be going to a very special Reiki gathering: the 25th Birthday of The Reiki Association (TRA).  I attended inaugural meeting of TRA in August 1991 at Harborne Hall in Birmingham.  It was the first time 100 Reiki people from differing Reiki systems had come together in the UK.  Being a member ever since has meant a lot to me both personally and as a Reiki master and practitioner.

At the time Reiki masters and students coming together in community was unusual: there were Reiki organisations in other parts of the world, but they were for masters only or 1st and 2nd degree students.  So TRA started out on a path of inclusiveness by being an organisation for masters and students together.

The other inclusive aspect of TRA is that it is open to people of all Reiki systems/styles (although members must have received their initiation in person from a Reiki master).  It was not an easy decision to be open in this way because at the time many of the differing Reiki systems were evolving and there was some hostility and defensiveness between the different styles.  So the decision TRA made in those early years to be open to all Reiki systems was not an easy one and has been challenging over the years.

Reiki Gatherings have always been an important part of TRA's activities.  The picture here is of the first weekend gathering TRA organised in Sutton Coldfield in 1994, with Phyllis Furumoto as special guest.  Phyllis always encouraged TRA to remain open and inclusive and her attendance at several of the gatherings over the years has helped to foster this.

Gatherings are an opportunity for Reiki people to share Reiki treatments, experience being in community, connect and re-connect with friends, share stories and have fun - as well as the more formal aspects of annual meetings.  These  gatherings have offered the experience of being in community with people who have different ways of teaching and practicing Reiki and differing beliefs.  Like a microcosm of human conflicts through-out the world, gatherings are a place for differences to be acknowledged and accepted, our uniqueness and also connection through Reiki celebrated.  We have learned to move beyond the distrust and conflict to a place of resolution and peace.

I feel fortunate to have been involved in TRA since those early years (as TRA's administrator from 1992 to 2004 and on Council from 2009 to 2014) and it has certainly contributed to my development as a Reiki master.  Through this involvement I've made many good friends and learned to surrender to being in community!  I also met and became friends with Phyllis Furumoto, Paul Mitchell and Rick Bockner - all students of Hawayo Takata.  Wanja Twan - another of Takata's students and the woman who initiated my Reiki master - also attended a TRA gathering.  Being able to listen to the wisdom of these more experienced masters has been a great gift from TRA that I value highly.

Representing TRA in the development of the National Occupational Standards for Reiki and on the Reiki Regulatory Working Group (which became Reiki Council) were also opportunities to develop compassionate ways of working with people of differing views!  This work is the foundation for my practitioner training, through which I aim to offer Reiki students a deeper connection with their Reiki practice.

So I will certainly be dancing for joy at this year's TRA gathering, celebrating our years together as an inclusive community!

Self Care: Mindful Preparation

For many years taking care of myself was never high on my list of priorities, but learning Reiki brought me to the understanding that self care is worth spending time on.  At first I resisted this idea, being more interested in helping other people.  However Reiki would not let me persist in this! 

Eventually I surrendered to this simple practice of daily self care and it has had ripples that have affected the rest of my life.  Recently I saw that in fact the self care I had resisted is important for preparing myself to serve others.

Beginning most days with a self Reiki treatment I remain as present as possible as I hold my hands in each of the positions  – a mindfulness practice that helps me to begin the day centred and calm.  This has led me to be more aware of other aspects of self care as I go through life.

Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes made me look more carefully at my diet and I now know that eating regularly and with protein at every meal helps me balance my blood glucose.  To achieve this requires mindfulness, however as it’s easy to get distracted and forget to eat.  It also requires preparation and planning to ensure I have the right kind of food to hand at the time I need to eat.  I know this can seem fussy and cranky to some people, but I’ve found that through balancing my blood glucose I have more energy and vitality (not to mention loosing 2 stone!).  What this means is that I can do more to serve others and do it better (more efficiently, more joyfully). 

I was recently selected by the British Lung Foundation to run one of their singing for lung health groups, which involved training in London.  In my previous state of health I think I would have struggled to achieve this and would have worried about whether I had the stamina to run the group every week.  Now I feel positive and excited about the prospect!  So improving my health and well being was good preparation to take on this new project.

Another aspect of my self care has been to improve my sleep.  I have Reiki to help me drift off

once I am in bed, but you won’t find me answering emails late at night unless I’m breaking my self care rules!  When I was less good at self care I’ve experienced poor sleep with all the predicted outcomes: irritability, higher stress levels, lack of co-ordination, reduced immunity, increased frequency of making mistakes etc.  Now I take more care to do and not do the things that will encourage good sleep – such as being in bed by 11pm when possible, not eating or drinking anything after 9pm and limiting carbohydrates in the evening.  As a result I sleep well most nights and have more energy to give my attention to planning and balancing my life, rather than struggling through the day, just longing for my bed!

So Reiki has taught me that self care requires mindfulness and is not something that comes last on the list of priorities, but is good preparation for living my life to the full, able to answer whatever Reiki asks of me each day!

Reiki and Mindfulness

I met one of my students when she came into the clinic in a stressed state, asking for a mindfulness course: I suggested she learned Reiki!

I've noticed that mindfulness has become very fashionable recently.  For me Reiki is a mindfulness practice.  Mindfulness is defined as "the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis"

When I give Reiki, whether it is to myself or someone else, I automatically begin to pay more

What many Reiki practitioners have also noticed is that simply by doing a Reiki treatment we enter a state of mind that is like meditation.  It's one of the reasons so many people enjoy giving Reiki treatments I think - it's such an effortless way to reach a deliciously peaceful state of being. Worries and cares ebb away, it's a state of simply Be-ing in the Now.  The person receiving Reiki often experiences this letting go of past and future too, allowing relaxation of the mind and body.  Whether it's simply because we are being 'mindful' of our hands which brings us to this state, or whether something more is happening it's difficult to say, but the end result is clear.

A treatment can be given in a distracted and non-mindful state, but the best treatments are those when I, as practitioner, am fully present with the person I'm treating - mentally as well as physically.  This is also true of teaching and the opportunity to be present and aware as people learn Reiki for the first time is a real joy in my life!  It's so wonderful to see the changes that happen as people take this practice into their lives.

The Reiki principles also encourage mindfulness.  In order to not worry or be angry, as they suggest, I need to be aware if I am worried or angry - in other words: mindful of my emotional state.  In order to honour my parents I need to be aware of my thoughts and actions towards them.   To do my work honestly I feel that I need to be my authentic self, avoiding self deception and being conscious of how the ego may wish to trick me!

The last Reiki principle is "Show Gratitude to every living thing" - surely the clearest reminder to be consciously aware of all the beings who surround us, without judging them.  You can't judgmental about something and at the same time be grateful for it I find.

So whether it is through daily self treatment or receiving treatment from someone else, through treatment of other people or living with the Reiki Principles: Reiki practice brings your attention in a heightened and non-judgmental way to your body and mind.  This offer a way to have a heightened awareness and experience of life.  As many mindfulness practitioners of different paths have found, this way of being can increase happiness and physical well being.  And Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki does this with elegant simplicity!
attention to what my hands feel like - in other words I have a heightened awareness of my experience of touch and other physical sensations.  As the treatment continues there are often other sensations in my own body that call my attention.  As I spend several minutes in each position, I'm practicing giving non-judgmental attention to those sensations.

Reiki Energy, Reiki Way

The word 'Reiki' is often translated as 'universal life energy'.  However the word 'Reiki' has also come to refer not only to this energy, but also to the way or system of practicing. 

All Reiki ways of practice begin with the founder of this healing art: Mikao Usui.  He offered Reiki healing to beggars in Kyoto, but discovered that some of them became sick again.  This led to one of the first understandings about the Reiki way: that the healing of the mind, emotions and spirit are important for lasting healing.  So Usui developed the Reiki principles, to remind us to pay attention to our non-physical aspects.  These principles have also become part of the Reiki way. 

An essential part of the Reiki way Usui developed subsequently was the initiations (or attunements) by which the connection to the Reiki energy and way can be given by one person to another. 

The next person in my lineage (line of teachers) is Chujiro Hayashi who developed a sequence of hand positions that offer a comprehensive treatment.  His successor Hawayo Takata brought this teaching out of Japan, creating another aspect of the Reiki way: that it is available to anyone who wants to learn.  She gave us her interpretation (rather than translation) of Usui's meaning and intention behind the Reiki Principles.

After Takata's death, the Reiki way evolved further: some chose to maintain unaltered the system she had taught, others made changes such as re- translating the Reiki Principles.  One thing that remains common to most Reiki systems, however, is an understanding that Reiki practice is guided by spiritual principles.

In all Reiki ways people's hands are used to apply the energy of Reiki to the recipient (unless the practitioner has no hands in which case the feet can be used).  Frequently, including the Reiki system as Takata taught it, the healing is delivered through touch - although it can also be given with hands off the body for particular circumstances.   In other Reiki systems the treatment is given without touching the body.

There is no right or wrong Reiki system: each one has a particular quality.  It seems that Reiki wants to connect with as many of us as possible, so is available in a variety of flavours that can meet the wide range of people's attitudes and beliefs!  My personal taste is for simple Reiki practice, honouring tradition (like a Sunday Roast!).  Others may like their Reiki flavour to have added spice, such as the Indian chakra system, angels or crystals.  If it were not for the appeal of different Reiki systems, Reiki might be ignored by people who can benefit from it.

The Reiki way common to most (if not all) Reiki systems is the intention to live healthier lives through natural healing.  People who come together to share Reiki often notice a feeling of connection that goes beyond our differences.  Perhaps this is because we are caring people, wanting to live better lives, to help others and to see more healing in the world.

So the word Reiki refers not only to the energy but also the way that it's practiced.  When you are deciding who to receive a treatment from or learn Reiki with it's important to find the right flavour for you: a way you feel inspired by, so that Reiki (the energy) can support you in living a long happy and healthy life!