Reiki & Mindfulness

I took a Reiki 1 course two weeks ago and I’ve been practicing it every day on myself since then.  It is clear to me that a synergy exists between Reiki and mindfulness.  Reiki has deepened my mindfulness practice since apparently one needs to be fully present to experience the universe’s energy.  I’m finding that I am fully present as I explore looking deeply within myself to detect any physical sensations or emotional changes during or after a Reiki session, much like I would do during a mindful meditation.

Reiki is a form of alternative therapy commonly referred to as energy healing. It emerged in Japan in the late 1800’s and is said to involve the transfer of universal energy from the practitioner’s palms to their patient.  Reiki practitioners focus on the 7 chakras located at certain points on the body.  Reiki training is administered in 3 distinct sessions, culminating in the Reiki Master designation.  However, after the Reiki 1 training, one can use Reiki on oneself and others.

My brief Reiki journey has been enjoyable and fascinating.  I like to think of learning something new as a journey because each day offers another perspective.  I’m also a creature of habit so I completely embraced the process when my instructor suggested we practice Reiki on ourselves or others for the first 21 days after our class.

One of the most amazing experiences that happened in my Reiki training was when we learned how to detect the colorful auras that surround each of us, and then my classmates and I we were actually able to view them around each other during class!  Another unique experience is the pulsing, tingling feeling I have been getting in my hands as I practice self-healing with Reiki on myself or others.

As part of my daily Reiki practice, I have established a place in my house to practice Reiki and mindfulness.  Each day for the last 2 weeks, I sit at the same spot at my kitchen table and practice Reiki on myself, meditate for a bit, reflect in my journal and peruse one of the several Reiki books I have borrowed from my local library.  Above is a photo of my spot.  Notice the sun rays emerging from the top right.   I was delighted to discover this after I took the photo because I hadn’t noticed the sun rays before hand, an example of how changing one’s perspective can offer a different view of the same.

The image above contains a small quilt of a Tibetan Stupa that I pulled from my closet when I started practicing Reiki.  A stupa is mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics used by Buddhists as a place of meditation.  This quilt was made by my sister Bobbie Sue, a serious artist and award-winning professional quilter.  Bobbie enjoys making small quilts from photographs taken on her various journeys and has thoughtfully made several quilts for me from pics taken on my journeys.

Above left is her quilt (click to see it full size) and above right is the photograph I took on a visit to Nepal last year.  Notice how Bobbie emphasized the eyes, infusing them with a sense of urgency.   It is said that the eyes of the Buddha are all-seeing wisdom eyes.  It is also said that a wise person can see beyond material things, therefore what remains to be seen, is the truth.

This is the Boudhanath Stupa and is located in Little Tibet, within the city of Kathmandu, Nepal.  This stupa is on the ancient trade route and has become the focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal.  What I loved about Nepal is learning that Buddhists and Hindus co-exist perfectly and worship together at each other’s temples and stupas.  My guide told me there is a constant stream of visitors walking clockwise around this temple 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  We joined in and walked the perimeter on our visit.  You can see walkers on the wide terrace as well as the shadowed street below.

I love how Reiki has reconnected me to my sister’s art as well as to this gorgeous, sacred stupa.   Here is a link to a story about some of Bobbie’s other quilting work Patriot Leger Article