Reiki: Feel The Flow

Hey there,  I got a story to share…

I’m now a Reiki practitioner!

But wait, what is this Reiki thing anyway?

Well I’m glad you asked.

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It’s administered by laying on hands and can be easily learned by anyone.

The word Reiki is actually a combination of two Japanese words. Rei, which means “spiritual consciousness” or “universal life force”. And Ki, which means “life force energy”. So Reiki essentially means “spiritually guided life force energy”.

“For those of you who are not familiar with Reiki, it is a natural method of healing that brings alignment, balance, health and well-being to the recipient’s body. Due to the supportive nature of Reiki, it is a wonderful complement to anything you are already choosing as part of your self-care or medical care. Reiki practice releases energetic blockages, tension, and toxins from the body and is deeply restorative.” –Erin McCollough

“Reiki treatment is balancing at every level, it can help anyone who is interested enough to experience a treatment. If you are tired, you’ll feel refreshed. If you are anxious, you’ll feel serene. If you are distressed, you’ll feel comforted. Where you feel overwhelmed, you’ll find a renewed sense of yourself. And these subjective changes will be accompanied by physical changes indicative of deep relaxation, such as a slower heart rate and easier breathing.” –Pamela Miles

Energy is the fundamental form of our universe, and we’re intrinsically beings of energy. Reiki is a transfer of universal life force energy (usually through the hands, or palm chakras*) from one being to another.

*If you’re unfamiliar with chakras, this video is a great place to start.

“Matter is simply energy slowed down enough to be visible to our perceptions.” -Albert Einstein

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” -Nikola Tesla

As stated above, the “ki” in Reiki is life force energy; circulating energy within every living thing. The Chinese call this energy “qi” (or “chi”). And the Sanskrit word for it is “prana”. Even modern science has a name for it… “bioelectricity”.

This is the same energy utilized in practices such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, acupuncture, and other energy modalities.

If you want to feel this energy for yourself, simply relax and be still. Focus on a specific body part, and you will inevitably feel a flow of energy, heating/cooling sensation, tingling, or pulsation. That’s that ki!

Everything starts at the energetic level, and Reiki is a means of energetic optimization.

” From a scientific point of view, Reiki produces results on an electromagnetic level. From recent research, it appears Reiki acts to electromagnetically ‘jump-start’ the body’s own healing process by producing changes in vibrational frequency that, in turn, stimulate physical changes in the body.” –Erin McCollough

Reiki is also inherently part of our healing nature. Think about it…

• When you hurt yourself, you naturally put your hands on where it hurts.
• If you have a headache, you cradle your head. If you have a stomach ache, you place your hands on your stomach.
• When children get hurt, the first thing parents naturally do is put their hands on the place of pain.

Energetic healing through the hands is an innate, instinctual ability in all of us.

The hands (and palm chakras) are also prominent in our daily interactions…

• Waving hello or goodbye
• Holding hands
• Handshakes
• Patting people on the back
• Placing your hand on someone’s shoulder to comfort them

All of these things exemplify how the power of touch creates deep interpersonal connections, cultivating peace and love.

And Reiki isn’t a magic pill. Don’t expect it to energy-blast tumors Dragon Ball Z style (although we have seen cases of energy healing doing this, so ya never know.). It’s typically much more subtle. Reiki balances everything on an energetic level, which supports our natural ability to harmonize and heal (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually).

How I got into Reiki:

A few months ago, I started seeing the word “Reiki” everywhere…

I came across it while reading articles, while listening to music…etc. It just kept popping up! A lot of signs and synchronicity.

That’s when I got really curious and did some research on it. I became fascinated by Reiki, and decided that I had to try it. Experience trumps theory, right? So I searched Google for Reiki practitioners in NYC, and came across Beth White (check out her website here). She had great reviews and was only a 15 minute walk from me, so I scheduled a session.

What my Reiki session was like:

When I got there, Beth gave me a quick overview of what Reiki is and what the session would consist of. We also got into some good conversation too.

Here’s what I wrote down about it…

I laid down on my back (fully-clothed I might add) on a massage table (actually a Reiki table, but close enough).

The session started when she hovered her hand over my entire body to assess my energy field (aura scanning). She stopped at my lower abdomen (sacral chakra) and said I had a lot of creative energy. I told her I was pursuing a lot of creative things (this blog, writing in general…etc).

And the main part of the session was a bunch of hand placements. She placed her hands on my head, forehead, jaw, neck, back of my neck, traps, shoulders, upper chest, abdomen, hips, and my feet.

I had my eyes closed the whole time. The predominate color that I visualized was purple. Then blue and orange. I also had visuals like Christopher Robin (the kid from Winnie the Pooh), a baby, sunflowers, a lighthouse, and a purple vortex. Yup… random. It was like the visuals you see in your mind’s eye when you’re really relaxed right before falling asleep.

I felt like her hands were everywhere (especially on my head) when they weren’t. I had an interesting feeling on my face the whole time. Almost like a really wide headband stretched over my face. And I felt it both on the inside and outside.

The most profound part of the session was when she gently massaged my right shoulder and energy surged through my right arm. My right palm burst with energy that was like a blue lightning. Very intense and it felt awesome. Then she did the same thing on my left shoulder. I got the same feeling but with an orange lightning energy. That was some crazy stuff.

At one point she put her hands on my abdomen. And I felt a lot of healing energy moving around in my abdomen during this. A lot of positive activity.

At the end she put one hand on my abdomen and one on my forehead. And it felt like a rainbow of energy passing from one to the other.

All in all, it was so soothing. I felt so relaxed during the session. And afterwards I felt so peaceful and deeply rejuvenated. Spirit Science describes Reiki as “the equivalent of spiritual surgery” and I couldn’t agree more.

This is what I wrote 2 days after my Reiki session (the aftermath)…

I’ve noticed an increase in overall well-being over the last 2 days. It’s funny because I thought I was feeling awesome before. I guess there’s no limits to how good you can feel! Ha.
Here’s what I noticed:

• Increased balance. Noticed this while doing the bioenergizer warm-up this morning.
• Increased coordination.
• No discomfort in my abdomen. (It was slightly uncomfortable on Friday.)
• An unwavering feeling of bliss. Like nothing can kill my vibe.
• Irresistible urge to give and spread love. (I gave a guy on the street $5 on Saturday and shook his hand. He said “God bless you” and was really grateful. I Facebook messaged a bunch of people just to genuinely compliment them. I’ve also been transmitting Love to people on the street and constantly smiling.)
• Increased flow of energy through my body.
• Ability to calm my mind much more easily.
• I also feel like my eyes have more depth and deeper color to them. More radiance.

Sounds awesome, right? That’s because it is.

So at the end of my session, I asked Beth to let me know when she was doing Reiki training. It was something I felt, deep down, that I needed to do.

My training took place at the end of January. It was basically an energetic clearing, exercises/methods to open the palm chakras, learning how to use Reiki, and then practicing it. Now I’m a level 1 Reiki practitioner!

What I’ve experienced since being attuned to Reiki:

Note: It’s referred to as an “attunement” because you essentially open up your chakras, most importantly the palm chakras, to attune to the flow of Reiki energy.

I immediately noticed a significant increase in the flow of energy out of my hands. It’s not made up or metaphorical. I FEEL it, and others feel it from me as well. I’ve practiced on family and friends, who have experienced this energetic exchange first-“hand”. (<–see what I did there?)

The interesting thing is that it feels different for everyone, both for the practitioner and the recipient of Reiki. For example, my mom mostly felt pulsations of energy when I gave her Reiki. My dad felt a soothing, relaxing sensation. While my brother experienced rushes of energy, heat, and tingling. We’re all different, with different needs, and different imbalances to correct. Different strokes (of energy) for different folks.

And something else I’ve noticed is that I affect electronics and lights more these days. It’s actually kinda cool. Here’s one example: I got to work one morning last week, turned on my computer and wiggled the mouse (it’s a USB wired one). The cursor on the screen moved for a couple seconds, and then stopped. I was all like “Why did it stop working?” until I realized that it wasn’t plugged in haha. Crazy stuff.

How I use Reiki in daily life:

I practice Reiki on myself every day. I do it every night before I go to sleep to promote relaxation. In doing this, I’ve noticed that I have no trouble falling asleep (usually it would take me a while to fall asleep). I also started giving myself a little Reiki every morning with the intent of energizing myself.

I give myself Reiki to recover from workouts or when I feel a weakness. My right elbow begins to act up when I do too many pushing exercises. Performing Reiki on my elbow for a couple minutes relieves this.

Whenever I’m sitting somewhere in public with nothing better to do, I’ll nonchalantly place my hands on my thighs and let the energy flow through my body. It keeps me occupied and relaxed.

I use Reiki any time I need stress relief as well. Even the mere act of feeling the flow of energy is deeply relaxing and meditative. Stress isn’t even in my vocabulary now 😉

I give Reiki to food before eating it (well, when I remember to). Word on the street is that it makes the food energetically healthier. I’m not going to act like I’ve noticed any big changes, but it does make me more relaxed and conscious while eating. Plus it’s just badass to beam energy at your food.

Random Reiki tidbits:

–Christina Aguilera says Reiki helped her lose weight.

-Athletes can greatly benefit from Reiki. (This is a great article – Reiki in the NFL)

–Reiki garners some praise on Bodybuilding.com

-Even though the modern (Japanese) form called “Reiki” is relatively new, it apparently it existed in advanced ancient cultures as well. Ancient Tibet being one of them.

“Nothing ever becomes real ’til it is experienced.” -John Keats

Feel the flow. Optimize your being.

And if you really like it, pursue becoming a Reiki practitioner. It’s really fun working with energy, plus being able to help people makes it a true win-win situation.

With Love,
~ Stephen Parato

PS – I’m sending Reiki and positivity your way 🙂

Resources:
Collection of Reiki healing stories
Peer reviewed articles on Reiki
Gnostic Palms and the Eye of the Handshake