Reiki is a Japanese word. The word Reiki means universal life energy. It is that power which acts and lives in all created matter. The word has two arts -Rei describes the universal, boundless aspect of this energy and ki is the vital life force energy which flows through all living beings. We in India know it as Prana and in China it is called Chi. In Islamic countries it is known as Barraka. Russian researchers called it Bioplasmic energy.
This knowledge was there in India and also in Japan and China. We are all familiar with healings done by Gautama Bhuddha and Jesus Christ and many other spiritual masters who healed others by their touch. All of us may have experienced this energy in some ways. Every time we got hurt and automatically kept our hand on that part of the body, and felt some relief; or when our mother kept her hand on our forehead when we were ill and we felt better because of her soothing touch.
De. Mikao Usui, a Japanese missionary, rediscovered this knowledge. He is the one responsible for making it available to all of us again. This universal energy is all around us and it affects our body, mind and our emotions. This energy lives in all things, and this Universal energy flows through our hands when we treat someone with Reiki. Researchers in the U.S.A. using various methods including Kirlian photography found that Reiki energy enters the healer through the top of the head (crown chakra) and goes out from the hands.
When the hands are placed on the part requiring healing, the energy is drawn to that part and this augments the body's self healing mechanism. This energy increases when treatment is being given. The Usui system of Reiki is a simple and natural healing method and it is also the most effective way of transferring this universal life energy for healing. Once a person's energy channels are opened up and cleared of obstructions during the Reiki attunement he or she becomes a channel for Reiki, life energy will flow though his/her hands of its own accord and he/she will have this ability for life.
Reiki attunement connects the channel to this limitless source of energy. Thus the healer not only receives and increases this energy for his own healing but is ill but is able to canalize this to others by his/her touch and heal them. The healer is only a channel for this energy, it is not his own. This energy passes through him strengthened and harmonized afterwards. Reiki also makes its way to the area of the body which requires treatment.
Reiki knows where and how and how much a patient needs it without our being able to add to or subtract from the effect it produces. When Reiki energy is channeled, it harmonizes the energy body, and when the cause of the problem is removed, this creates a situation where the body's own capacity to heal itself is regenerated and then the body heals itself.
So clearly, the healer is only a channel and the recipient heals himself with the aid of the Reiki energy that he draws through the healer. Reiki is helpful in healing in almost all conditions. For a person who has no physical or emotional problems, it prevents stress and disease. For those who tire easily as used to happen with my wife. Reiki gives them a capacity to work more without getting tired. Some aches and pains are relieved immediately and chronic problems has subsided. Sad people become cheerful and in cases of shock and trauma due to grief, we find that people come out of it much faster.
Energy Imbalance - Root Cause of All Problems Disease of any kind whether physical, mental or psychosomatic, indicates some imbalance inside us. This imbalance is nothing but imbalance in the energy body. It is interesting to note that this life energy or prana is linked both to body and mind. It is an intermediary or bridge between the two and this only explains how physical body affects the no physical mind and how non physical mind affects the body.
Physical Factors Causing Imbalance There are many factors by which we disturb the natural and healthy functioning of energy body. Some of these are listed below. Irregular life-style (e.g. sleeping, walking, eating at irregular and odd timings)
- Overeating, oversleeping.
- Use of alcohol, smoking (tobacco), tea, coffee, narcotic drugs.
- Faulty diet (Rajasik and Tamsik foods)
- Overexertion
- Overindulgence in sensual pleasures.
- Excessive talking/ gossiping/ roaming unnecessarily here and there.
- Faulty postures, faulty breathing.
- Living in polluted, noisy environment. Living in extremely hot/cold/humid environment.
- Excessive company and mingling with people.
- Drugs and medication.
- In short, Rajasik or Tamisik activity disturbs the energy flow of the body and it generates negative attitude obstructing the balanced and fee flow of prana and positive energy.
Whatever organs or systems get damaged due to the negative physical factors mentioned above, pranic flow in the corresponding nadis and chakras get disturbed.