Reiki, meditation and precepts

Reiki is meditation and meditation is Reiki when we meditate we go deep inside ourselves, to the essence of who we truly are. It's very easy to say 'oh I meditate on a daily basis', really?

Having a special room for meditation is completely unnecessary, having a room means we are planning to meditate at a certain time, rather than being spontaneous and in the moment. This is where mindfulness comes in, watching a bee on a flower is mindful, watching a bird feed its young is mindful, being in the moment and thinking of nothing else but that moment is mindful and of course, this is meditation!

Meditation is very misunderstood, most people say their minds are too busy to meditate, the old way of thinking is that you spend an hour or so in meditation, which is very difficult. But being mindful of little moments throughout the day and night is very strengthening, and rewarding.

Reiki, whether Reiki courses or Reiki treatments brings all the above into the present, which is the only moment. When we have a Reiki treatment, very often we go into a different dimension, one of deep peace and tranquillity. Sometimes these sessions can be painful as we all hold on to issues deep within, and being in a peaceful state can bring these issues up, which is necessary to let them go eventually. Being in a calm and peaceful place is of course mindfulness and meditation!

To reach this space breathing properly is essential, very often we take short breaths from our chest area, which causes problems. Our bodies need the deep breathing of Joshin Koku Ho, taking the breath into our nose when we inhale, all the way down to our Hara (just below the navel), sinking into the breath with no expectations other than to relax. Exhaling back through the body and into our surroundings is so easy. Breathing like this a few times is meditation! Paying attention to our breath, we are learning how to return to, and remain in the present moment, to anchor ourselves in the here and now without judgement, and discovering freedom.

There is no giver and no receiver in Reiki, as there is no 'I' and no 'you', we share the experience, the direct experience, letting go of anger and worry and being true to who we are. This experience is the most natural part of Reiki, no ego and no power is involved, the Reiki energy is reciprocal, we each experience this profound and ancient system.

In my opinion, we don't own our students when we teach Reiki, no control, no ego, as teachers we open them up to grow in confidence the natural way. The only rules are to be true to your own nature, and honest to yourself and others, this, in turn, brings compassion to yourself and others.

Meditating on the Reiki precepts is essential for your Reiki practice, the precepts instruct us to act in an honest way. They provide the answers to all questions if they are really understood, each one has a much deeper meaning, which is why we must meditate on each one to fully understand. This will lead us to our core and our essence. 

Chanting them in Japanese is wonderful!

Kyo dake wa - for this moment only.

Icaru na - do not anger, for anger is an illusion.

Shinpai suna - do not worry, fear is a distraction.

Kansha shite (pronounced sheeta!) - be true to your way and being.

Gyo hage me - be grateful.

Hito ni shinsetsu ni  - show compassion to yourself and others.

So to sum all this up, Reiki is a way of life which has been on earth since time began. To join a Reiki course, the commitment to change our way of life must be already there. The rest of the course will then make sense, the tools are there, the student takes them and on their own journey. The support from the teacher is always there.