PART 5:
Is Reiki a Safe Practice?
Reiki is a receiver-driven practice. This means that the response to Reiki is determined by the person receiving and not the person giving. The practitioner simply establishes a connection to Reiki and the receiver’s bio-energetic system responds naturally. Usually in the first 10 minutes, the heart rate slows, breathing eases and the relaxation effect kicks in. The body switches to parasympathetic nervous system functioning and healing begins. Every person responds uniquely according to what their system needs at the time.
A fear that many have about Reiki is that the practitioner might transfer their "negative" energy or channel something that is not pure. Practitioners often have a similar fear, that whilst giving Reiki, they absorb the illness of the receiver or invite something non-beneficial when trying to connect with Reiki.
Well-respected Japanese Reiki master Hiroshi Doi assures us that once attuned to Reiki, whenever we practice, we come into resonance with Reiki, which he refers to as the universal vibration of love or oneness. No protection is needed.
Also, as a receiver-driven practice, it means the practitioner does not send any personal energy or intentions in order for Reiki to work. Reiki is a practice of surrender to Reiki, which can never be harmful due its nature. This is the most important thing to learn and practice.
So yes, Reiki is a completely safe practice. In fact, it is always helpful, no matter what you’re going through. Balance is always a good thing and balance is primarily what Reiki does.
CONSECRATION
The foundation of any practice which involves healing and spiritual development should be consecration. This is a highly important practice often lacking in Reiki practice and teaching. Consecration is the ultimate protection as it involves getting the ego out of the way and not taking credit for any healing that occurs. This happens through aligning with Reiki and honouring Reiki as the source of healing. All Reiki Alchemy courses are grounded in consecration.
PROTECTION TECHNIQUES
There are some incredibly effective protection techniques in the traditional system of Yoga. I include these in my courses for those who feel more comfortable having them. I don’t believe they are necessary for Reiki practice, but they are useful in everyday life at times when you feel you’re losing energy for no reason or you sense a heavy presence near you. These techniques are helpful for sensitive and very receptive students who are not always able to remain centered and stable, although in my experience, daily Reiki self-practice is incredibly centering and the need for additional protection becomes unnecessary.
PART 6:
Distant Reiki
Offering Reiki across a distance is a simple technique taught in Reiki Level II, but the idea can be quite a stretch for the mind. How can I give you a Reiki treatment if we're not even in the same room?
First, let's look at distance. Have you ever thought of a person and suddenly that person calls or messages you? It happens to most of us often yet we still believe that distance implies separation.
Modern science has been able to demonstrate that everything is connected by virtue of being made up of the same energy at the most basic level. Separation between things is an illusion. It's a very useful illusion for navigating the physical world, but forgetting that it is an illusion creates limitations on what we believe is possible.
Distant Reiki works because there is no true separation between me and you or us and the universe. All that is required for a distant Reiki treatment is a connection to Reiki. The person responds naturally once this connection is established, just as in an in-person session. In Reiki Level II, a technique is learnt for establishing this connection across a distance.
Distant Reiki is a blessing when a person is too ill to be mobile, when there isn't a Reiki practitioner around or when you feel a strong resonance with a particular practitioner who lives elsewhere. Often people use distant Reiki when they cannot afford in-person treatment but still wish to benefit from receiving Reiki.
If a person wishes to learn Reiki for the purpose of helping others, distant Reiki becomes a valuable tool for expanding one's reach and this is one of the main reasons to take
Reiki Level II training.