The holidays are coming! Who wouldn’t love an opportunity to relax and restore well-being?  If so, Dragonfly Reiki has made it easy for you to give and get the gift of wellness just in time for the holiday season. 

• Buy one gift certificate for a 60 min. Reiki session for $50 and receive a coupon for $10 off a Reiki or life coaching session
• Buy two gift certificates for a 60 min. Reiki session for $100 and receive a coupon for $15 off a Reiki or life coaching session
• 3 session Reiki package: $150 ($30 off regular pricing; sessions must be completed within 60 days of purchase)
• 90 minute life coaching session: $65 ($10 off regular pricing)
• 3 session life coaching package: $175 ($25 off regular pricing; sessions must be completed within 90 days of purchase)

Gift certificates may be personalized with the recipient’s name and are elegantly packaged.  Please contact me via email or phone (678-640-6146) to place your order to schedule your Reiki or life coaching session.  Pricing for these specials is good through December 23, 2010.

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind.  – the founder, Usui Mikao

The Gokai (sometimes referred to as the Reiki Ideals or Reiki Principles) are one of the five pillars of Reiki practice.  At their heart, the Gokai are the foundation of the system of Reiki.  The Precepts are guidelines to aid students in creating a spiritually connected life.  Living in accordance with these ideals is more than just practicing Reiki; it is being Reiki.

The first two lines describe what Reiki is: the source for bringing happiness and harmony into our lives and curing what ails us.  The next five lines focus on specific imperatives or instructions we should focus on each day as practitioners and people concerned with spiritual development.  The last four lines describe how we should observe the ideals as part of our daily practice. The founder of the system of Reiki, Mikao Usui, recommended that we make time to meditate twice daily, chanting and reflecting on the meaning of the Precepts in order to connect with their deeper meaning in our lives.

A student of mine asked recently if I thought Usui Sensei ever got angry.  We have a tendency to think we have “failed” if we can’t always follow through on the Precepts – or any other spiritual practice – perfectly every day. The Precepts simply encourage us to cultivate awareness of our actions and learn how to live fully in the present moment.  By doing so, we will eventually manifest the Precepts’ positive benefits for ourselves and others.  Committing to any spiritual path is a lifelong journey of recognizing, embracing and living out our authentic self.  Expecting instant perfection sets us up for disillusionment and frustration.  Each time we return to our practice with intention and positive effort – letting go of blame, guilt or worry – the more surely we walk the path towards realization of wholeness. 

When Usui Sensei says, “Just for today” (sometimes translated as “For today only”) he was reminding us that we can only influence our lives as we are experiencing it from moment to moment. We can’t change the past and we can’t control or predict the future. However, we can be present now, and make mindful choices with regard to our responses and actions.  This is the intention behind the imperative “just for today.” We learn to trust the process; that it will provide us with the tools and support for walking the path with a sure footing and open heart.

Does that mean we will never experience negative emotions or self-limiting thoughts?  We’re human and these emotions naturally arise as a result of being in relationship to the world.  The Precepts remind us to return to the moment and observe what we’re thinking or feeling without blame or criticism.  Doing so gives us pause, providing us with the opportunity to ask, “What is really happening here?”  Often, we find that we’re subconsciously reacting due to emotional patterns imprinted on us from past experiences or we are unnecessarily taking on someone else’s emotional energy or issues. 

At that point, we have a choice as to how we will proceed.  For Reiki practitioners, this is the perfect moment to reflect on the Precepts and spend a few minutes giving a self-treatment to help with energetic balance and wholeness.  We may find ourselves surprised at how these feelings that felt so powerful and impenetrable suddenly begin shifting to something we can either release or transform into something more positive in nature.

The practice of Reiki is one of endless abundance, a way to give freely without fear of loss.  Reiki promotes compassion for oneself and others, leading to a more positive state of being and interconnectedness on a level deeper than what we can experience with the limited confines of the body.  As Usui Sensei himself said, “The mission of Usui Reiki Ryoho is to enhance mutual well-being for oneself and others, on one hand, by fulfilling a peaceful and joyful life mentally and physically and, on the other, healing the sick.” Living the Reiki Precepts allows us to invite happiness into our lives and as such, experience fully what Usui Sensei declared the “miraculous medicine of all diseases.”

Hear my teacher, Hyakuten Inamoto, reciting the Gokai in Japanese.

Reiki is increasingly being featured in the news, as more people become familiar with this gentle, therapeutic treatment and see the benefits for themselves and their loved ones.

In this article from Spain, Reiki helps people living with cancer restore their energy levels and sense of well-being after receiving conventional radiation or chemotherapy treatments. Reiki Master John Taylor says, “ “Cancer treatments can really take its toll on the body but many patients find Reiki helps them.  I also encourage them to do Reiki on themselves at home.  Anything to help them help themselves is a good thing.”  A number of hospitals and cancer treatment centers have been including Reiki as an adjunct wellness option for cancer patients and survivors, because they recognize its therapeutic and restorative benefits.  The Center for Reiki Research maintains an updated listing of 70 hospitals, medical clinic and hospice programs where Reiki is offered as a standard part of care.

The Chicago Tribune also featured an article on holistic treatment for animals. Dr. Shane Siwek, one of the veterinarians interviewed says, “I’m seeing an increase in Reiki treatments with animals. You can use Reiki for any physical problem. I have one client who brings a dog in once a month, and they notice he feels better.”  The article stresses that holistic treatments such as Reiki, massage or acupuncture for pets is not performed in place of Western medicine, but is a complement to traditional medical treatments.  Pets can benefit from many of the same holistic treatments that humans receive to alleviate stress or discomfort and improve well-being.  

(Photo credit: Reiki Halifax) 

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology entitled, Effects of Reiki on Autonomic Activity Early After Acute Coronary Syndrome, demonstrates that Reiki treatment can reduce the emotional stress associated with a heart attack, and reduce the risk of a second attack. 

 Additionally, the study showed that Reiki treatments improved heart rate variability (HRV), which measures whether or not a patient’s body is recovering from a response to stress:

Reiki treatment was associated with an increase from baseline in mean Likert scale score for all positive emotional states (happy, relaxed, calm) and reductions for all negative states (stressed, angry, sad, frustrated, worried, scared, anxious). Changes in emotional state trended from most positive emotional change with Reiki treatment to least positive emotional change with resting control, with music intermediate.

In addition to the findings, there are several reasons to be encouraged by this research.  First, it was conducted in collaboration with Pamela Miles, a Reiki Master who has tirelessly worked for acceptance and adoption of Reiki as an adjunct therapy by mainstream medicine.  Second, it demonstrated that Reiki was as effective as traditional treament (use of beta blockers) for improving heart rate variability – and without the side effects.  Third, Reiki was practiced in an acute-care setting successfully and without adverse effects.  The authors “suggest that Reiki can be incorporated into standard hospital care to provide therapeutic benefit without additional cost or disruption of the nurses’ workday.” 

The study does not suggest that Reiki is a “cure-all.” What it does conclude is that the emotional state of patients who experienced Acute Coronary Syndrome (heart attacks) was significantly improved, leading to a more positive state of well-being that can improve their overall recovery rate and reduce the risk of another ACS event.  Experiencing a heart attack is often a traumatic, life-changing event, and patients need support beyond what standard medical interventions can provide.  It is my hope that cardiologists take notice of this study and express interest in including Reiki as part of an overall treatment plan for patients as a safe, therapeutic option.