Reiki
What is Reiki?
Reiki is an energy healing treatment that works holistically; on the whole body, mind and spirit. Not a system of religious beliefs, Reiki is simply a relaxing treatment whereas natural healing vibrations are transmitted through the hands of a Reiki practitioner (acting as a conduit) to the body of the recipient. The purpose of a Reiki treatment is to relieve stress and pain, induce relaxation, release emotional blockages, accelerate natural healing, balance subtle bodies energies and support other medical modalities including traditional therapies.
Developed by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, Reiki is an alternative medicine that helps individuals with their bodies, minds, and spirits. It has been proven that Reiki can assist people who are suffering from various major and minor ailments. Moreover, it is often used as a complementary therapy to conventional medicine in some hospitals. This method complements and improves the care that patients receive in hospitals. Reiki also treats minor psychological problems. One of the best features of Reiki is that it is for everyone—it may help to treat adults, babies, toddlers, children, the elderly, and pets.
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New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Campus conducted one of the first studies ever performed to determine the effectiveness of Reiki treatments on the autonomic nervous system. This “blind, random study” included a Reiki treatment group, a “sham” treatment group and a “control” group. The testing began with all participants at “baseline” autonomic nervous systems levels. The results within the Reiki treatment group showed a lowering of these levels including heart rate, respiration and blood pressure. These positive results led the team to recommend further, larger studies to look at the biological effects of Reiki treatment. It’s interesting to note that Columbia/Presbyterian was one of the first hospitals to offer Reiki as part of their Integrative Medicine Program (CIMP). The now famous cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz brought tremendous attention to Reiki when he invited Reiki practitioners to treat patients during open heart surgeries and heart transplant operations. Dr. Oz is often quoted as saying, "Reiki has become a sought-after healing art among patients and mainstream medical professionals."
Benefits of Reiki
1. Promotes Harmony & Balance
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Reiki helps to promote harmony and balance. It is an effective, non invasive energy healing modality that enhances the body’s natural healing ability whilst energising and promoting overall wellness. Reiki works directly on restoring balance on all levels and works directly on the problem and condition instead of just masking or relieving symptoms.
When we chat about balance, we mean mental and emotional balance, left and right brain, masculine and feminine, labelling things as good or bad, positive or negative etc.
2. Creates deep relaxation and helps the body release stress and tension
What many people enjoy about a reiki treatment is it allows them time to themselves where they aren’t ‘doing’ but just ‘being’. Clients have reported feeling more clear, peaceful, relaxed and lighter in themselves.
Reiki provides a space where you can be more aware of what is going on inside your body and mind. To learn to listen to your own body and make wise decisions regarding your well being from this place. Being more present means you are in your body, which helps you to access even more that inner knowing and wisdom that we all have!
3. Dissolves energy blocks and promotes natural balance between mind, body and spirit
Regular Reiki treatments can bring about a calmer and more peaceful state of being, in which a person is better able to cope with everyday stress. This mental balance also enhances learning, memory and mental clarity.
Reiki can heal mental/emotional wounds and can help alleviate mood swings, fear, frustration and even anger. Reiki can also strengthen and heal personal relationships.
Because Reiki enhances your capability to love, it can open you up to the people around you and help your relationships grow.
4. Assists the body in cleansing itself from toxins and supports the immune system
We spend so much time in stress-reactive fight/flight phase that it becomes our ‘norm’ and our bodies literally forget how to return to balance.
Reiki reminds our bodies how to shift into parasympathetic nervous system (rest / digest) self-healing mode.
Rest/digest doesn’t mean you have to stop being active and productive or ‘do nothing’. It allows you to sleep better and digest better which is important to maintaining health and vitality. The more you are in this space, the more you can be active and productive without being stressed, exhausted or burntout.
5. Clears the mind and improves focus as you feel grounded & centred
Reiki can support you in staying centered in the present moment rather than getting caught up in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future. It can strengthen your ability to accept and work with the way events are unfolding even when they don’t follow your desires or timetable. You begin to react to situations, people and yourself in a supportive way rather than acting our of habit.
6. Aids better sleep
The number one outcome of receiving a Reiki session is relaxation. When we’re relaxed, we sleep better, our bodies heal better, we think more clearly, and we relate to each other more genuinely. Often clients will experience deep relaxation during their Reiki session and sometimes a deep sleep during the session as well.
7. Accelerates the body’s self-healing ability as you start to return to your natural state
Reiki healing quickly returns you to your natural state, or at least gets your body moving in the right direction.
That means your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure improve. Breathing deeper and easier is one of the first things to happen during a self-practice or treatment received from someone else. When we breath better, our minds naturally settle. Science supports that.
As your respiration deepers your body moves into parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) dominance i.e. the rest/digest phase. Your body was made to function primarily in the rest/digest phase rather than the more commonly experienced fight/flight phase.
8. Helps relieve pain and supports the physical body healing
On the outside looking in, a Reiki treatment might appear to be merely a sequence of hand placements, it works to restore balance on the deepest possible level. It encourages your system to improve your body’s vital functions (breathing, digesting and sleeping) so your physical systems function optimally.
On the physical level, Reiki helps to relieve pain from migraine, arthritis, sciatica ~ just to name a few. It also helps with symptoms of asthma, chronic fatigue, menopausal symptoms, and insomnia.
9. Helps spiritual growth and emotional cleansing
You do not need to be into spirituality to enjoy the benefits of reiki. Yet, for many they receive reiki treatments to support themselves through their self healing journey i.e. spiritual growth / personal development.
Reiki addresses the whole person, rather than targeting individual symptoms. It can create profound, often subtle shifts from deep within your own being. What does that look like? Guidance about what to do around difficult situations can come more easily. Or it may inspire a change in attitude or belief about your situation. Suddenly, you see your condition from a fresh perspective and are able to deal with it in a more positive way. Or it might direct you to the right kind of action needed which is guided from within.
10. Compliments medical treatment & other therapies
Reiki is a wonderful compliment to conventional medicine and helps relax patients on the levels of the mind and physical body. When a patient is relaxed the healing process is accelerated. People sleep much better and are calmer following Reiki treatments.
The beauty of Reiki is that it is non invasive and is administered in a very gentle manner. The Reiki practitioner can give Reiki without touching the body in cases where patients have burns or major injuries.
Reiki is safe to use if you have medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or heart conditions. You may receive Reiki treatments if you are undergoing chemotherapy. Pregnant woman can have Reiki treatments to support them through all stages of the pregnancy. Reiki is for everyone!
11. You can learn Reiki yourself
Many clients will learn reiki for themselves by attending my Reiki Level 1 course so they can boost their own energy levels on a daily basis. Some are drawn to reiki to support their physical healing, some want to delve deeper into their personal development and most have experienced the benefits of reiki and wish to be able to support themselves that way regularly.
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Turn to Mystic Bayou Holistic and Alternative Health to enhance your life. By using Reiki techniques, you'll be able to grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Let us assist you with balancing your body and mind with the help of this versatile system.