Reiki Healing Hands

Well, not really my first Reiki treatment but the first time that it really set me thinking about how Reiki benefits.

Many of us, and I think that would include many Reiki practitioners, sometimes do wonder how this universal energy helps in healing bodies. That treatment got me thinking about how Reiki energy works. We were taught to give Reiki to others (some teachers make it mandatory to give Reiki to oneself and to clock in hours in giving to others as well) but it is in receiving Reiki that one gets a good insight into the energy of Reiki.

This ‘first’ happened during a Reiki course. It was a pretty hectic course, helping here, giving a hand there, making sure everyone is comfortable that I was quite tired from all the running about. During one of the intervals, I lied down for a quick rest on one of the tables that was free. My fellow masters (I think they liked me) gathered round and laid hands on me. With the tenderness of six pairs of hands on me, I slipped gently off to dreamland.

Sort of snoozed off but I could feel the charge of their hands on me all the while. That was what I thought. In reality, they had long wandered off leaving me for dead (they didn’t like me that much after all!). But to me, their hands were there all the time.

I woke refreshed, very much so. And the wonderful thing is that during the rest of the day, I felt fully charged and the Reiki energy did not diminish.

A traditional Reiki treatment calls for the laying on of hands and most traditions teach twelve hand positions on the front and back of the body from head to toe. It is an effective way to focus on the whole body allowing Reiki energy to work as it deems fit.

As it deems fit. That sums it up. In my case, the energy refreshed me. With my body fully charged, it was functioning at its peak. I believe that sums up how Reiki energy works. Our body is a complex organism. If each part is well-oiled and is working in tip top condition, all maladies can be overcome. Reiki energy charges the body giving it the resilience and power to heal itself. There is no need for diagnosis, no necessity of the practitioner trying to be knowledgeable or smart.

Try a Reiki treatment. Given with love and sincerity, it is one of the most wonderful and natural gift.

Reiki Healing Hands

The river of life flows almost always in strange ways. Things that we used to do before suddenly become relevant again. Sometimes they take on new meanings. What do they call it? Oldies remake? Retro?

Recently, Reiki nudged me again.  Its coming back brought back stories of great Tibetan Buddhist masters who say that it is the power of compassion that facilitates curing of the sick who came to them for healing. There is also the story of The Buddha who was ill and got relief when he asked one disciple to chant a paritta for him. Recently, I heard a Tibetan teacher whom I greatly respect speaks favorably of Reiki. It seemed that he has received and benefited from Reiki.

Healing was and still is a catch word for the ills that confronts us daily. Some credit this to the new media and info overload that make it seems that some catastrophe or other is happening every moment. I would disagree. Back in the old days, we had newspapers too but natural disasters do not occur as frequently as they do now. Our Mother Earth seems to be sneezing. Is she ill? Goodness – what if she starts coughing? Heaven forbids!

I like it when I meet people who are genuinely involved in energy work. They energize me. They are often weird people and they have beliefs which appear very arcane to the point of seeming insane. For example, there was this wonderful lady whom I interviewed. Petite she was but in that small body was loaded mega kilo tons of dynamite enthusiasm. Talk to her about lightworks and world healing, her minute arms will flail and if you are not careful, hit and imprint you with bolts of memory so strong it will stay forever in your memory cells.

Reiki. I had never heard of it when I was first introduced to it. Little did I know then that it eventually led me to learn and teach it. Call it one of those twists in an otherwise colorless life, it happened at the right time. Reiki appeared at the same time as an old interest in the mysterious and the unknown flickered.

This Reiki is a Japanese healing art. It calls for nothing more than the laying on of hands. Simply idiot-proof. It calls for no diagnosis, no herbs, no frowning focus of directing “energy”, no visualization. Completely idiot-proof. But if you google it, I promise you will be amazed at the number of pages that shows up ( at the last search, there were about 9,810,000 results). Impossible to read them all.

Sorry but Reiki is, to my mind, the utmost simplest healing art. Very contrary to what you will read from those pages or some books. Some practitioners have combined new age arts, healing arts as well as non-healing arts and ideas alike into Reiki. So do not be too surprised that Reiki has evolved with many new ‘masters” who carry “true’ lineages. There will also be many who are carrying “new transmissions from other dimensions”, there will be those who have channeled from avatars, angels, higher beings, spirits etc, there will be…these go on, limited only by the capacity of the mind.

Somehow, I like to believe that Reiki is for everyone. By that I mean that everyone can do Reiki, that is, everyone can heal. It is a simple art requiring no more than a simple initiation and much from-the-heart good intention. The stories just told are proof of this. Jesus was recorded as administering to the sick by touching them. That to me, is proof enough that miracles can happen through our hands and our hearts.

Reiki Healing Hands

For those encouraged to learn Reiki, I say, practice ignorance – ignore all that is said, claimed, publicized, hyped and what-not by Reiki people you may have heard or read about. Motives vary from individual to individual. Reiki cuts across all barriers. It represents one of the basic essences of human life. That is the cry for help, for healing, for soothing of the trouble soul and mind, of the abundance of compassion and love in each of us, our capacity to manifest and increase love and kindness and live fruitfully this human life.

Oh, I forgot. Reiki was (they say) re-discovered by a Japanese man called Usui (click to know something about him). With respect, to Him, I pay homage and respect.

The Hippocratic Oath

Today I heard two stories. Both concern the same person. One story is heartwarming and the other I leave open.

First story

This woman has terminal cancer but not to her knowledge. Insisting that she consults another doctor, her family obliged. But they were out of funds and to avoid high bills, they secretly talked to the new doctor her condition and requested that no tests be administered. This the doctor agreed.

It happened as planned. They were charged consultation fees plus a (considered high) amount for some pills.

Second Story

The story is about the same woman. One of her regular weekend visitor is a young lady who is in her final year of medical school. L is her name.

L visits on her own initiative. She is not doing this because of some outreach program or some spiritual organization. She does it because she felt it as part of being a doctor, a future one at least. To finance her studies she holds a partial scholarship.

During her visits, she checks on her condition and offers counseling.

The second story is heartwarming. It brings back some hope. More often than not, we hear of young boys and girls who aspire to the profession for the sake of the glamour and money making possibilities. The Hippocratic Oath has been largely forgotten.

I have a few encounters with doctors which have left bad tastes in the mouth. One of them is a surgeon who believes that his time is too precious to offer explanation to the patient’s next of kin. He also feels that they are lesser mortals who are too ignorant to understand any form of medical information. His job is to cut and get paid. Wonder whether he carries that grumpiness when he drives off on his big car. I have had two encounters with him. May he see his ways. Or re-read

The other encounter is with a bone specialist. He is famous for his high charges but since my mother thinks she has a fractured backbone, I reasoned that for his high charges he must be good. Even though I strongly believed it was no more than a pulled muscle.

This doctor charged for first time registration, registration, consultation and a whole battery of tests. No fractured bone was found. I could understand the X-rays but all the other tests which names I cannot remember? The bill broke my bank.

My mother did not improve. Eventually, a visit to her regular physician and a muscle relaxant jab did the job.

Bring back the Hippocratic Oath may not be the answer because the oath is not explicit in this matter of forsaking the nobility of the profession for pure commercial reasons.

Is there hope for the Hippocratic Oath?

Extract of the Oath from Wikipedia

Original, translated into English:^[4]

Talking about altitude sickness. It usually starts with a slight throbbing of the head and if not taken care of, burst into a full blown migraine. It can start at any time and you should stop and rest. Further physical exertion will only make it worse. Some get hit so bad they throw out every three steps. This is no joke.

The herbal preparation Hong Jing Tian which you can get at the Tibetan drug shop seems to help but they advise that you should take it a week or two before your departure. It costs me about 40 yuan for a one week pack. It is a general tonic and apparently is ok for daily consumption but check your blood pressure for any misfires.

The scientific name of the main herb is Rhodiola Rosea. It is said to increase mental and physical stamina so maybe that is the reason why it helps with altitude sickness. I read somewhere that it is also used to promote hormonal balance which could also mean that your libido may get a boost  .. nice..

I had a glance at the Chinese herbs on my packet and noticed that it also contains a variety of ginseng as well. That would account for some people saying that they get ‘hot’ after taking the drug. A nun who was travelling with us had this complaint but I think it was because she was not taking in sufficient water. She was, you see, trying to avoid too many pee stops along the long journey.

This next one is very important. Try to avoid baths and getting yourself exposed when in areas of high altitude. Washing your hair is a definite no. The air is very thin and dry so it is very easy to catch a cold. This cold is not like the common cold but is more like a reaction to the different climate. Tibetan medicine would call it an imbalance of the body energies. This is a malady which is better to avoid than to try to cure.

Have a safe trip!

Bus Ride in India..Hanging On

This morning I discovered a great way to keep fit and those muscles warmed up.

It is not yoga. Actually it is the ride on an Indian bus.

All India buses are by and large fully packed as they chug along stopping at each stop picking up and dropping off passengers as they go. I discovered that hanging on to the rails as the bus swings and jerks stops and starts is a great way to stretch and bring blood to the muscles.

By hanging on and adjusting to each and every swerve, many muscles are given a workout. Each movement calls many muscles into action, stretching and contracting in turns.

I noticed that these were isometric exercises as the muscles were held for several seconds just like what happens in yoga. It was good too as there was very little strain and I hopped off the bus rather fresh from my “standing room” only ride.

So, next time you are in India, take the bus. It is a great workout and beats the toot toot as it is safer. And cheaper too.

Everyone wants to be happy. That much is certain and this I noticed is what the Dalai Lama always seems to be saying. I confess I do read some of his books and say what you will, a little gentle reminding helps.

A little stress is actually good as it helps to keep functioning at our best. Without that stress, you will agree that the hours at work pass that much slower. When you have a schedule to meet, time flies. There is never enough time.

However, too much stress is going to take its toll physically and bodily. Stress has to be managed if not we would all be walking around as depressed wrecks!

Here are some tips you could try.

Paper and Pen Schedule it out

Problems always seem unmanageable when they come together all at once, don’t they?

The trick to manage what we have got to get done is to schedule them. That means writing them down and giving them specific schedules and allocating time for them to be done.

When they are completed, believe me, crossing them out is an instant stress reliever. It is rewarding and actually helps me relax and ready to tackle other tasks.

One thing at a time

As part of that writing down trick earlier, the other tip is to focus on only one task at a time. That way there is only one thing to do and you do not have to feel panicky over other things thus avoiding unnecessary stress.

It is only the present that matters.

Be laid back…relax

This actually is a trick of placing priorities. Once you allow yourself enough time to get a task done, there will be time enough. Adpot a laid back frame of mind. This way, at least, unnecessary energy will not be spent on things which are not important at that point in time.

I remember many a time getting so stressed that there never was enough time for anything but from the point I took a step back and tackle one file at a time, things started getting done.

Delegate, delegate, delegate.

No one is indispensable. It is only those who believe that they are who will be the ones with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. All from stress and lack of sleep.

Never hold on to the belief that no one else can do the thing better than you. Let others chip in, be it mowing the lawn or hanging out the laundry or attending an important meeting.

Besides there is more satisfaction checking on how things are going than being overwhelmed by having too much on your shoulder. The added bonus is that you will not be pressed to finish something on time. Someone else is carrying that responsibility. Sounds selfish but the anxiety is not on you. Somehow the air will feel fresher.

Give yourself a break

Reward yourself. Many of us are always so generous to others but seldom to ourself. It is ok to take a break, spend some time alone on a nice walk doing absolutely nothing. A nice sit at the café window watching the world go by does wonders for the soul. Be cool! This is fantastic meditation and it is free…except for the price of the coffee or tea.