An autoimmune disease occurs when an immune response mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body. There are somewhere between 80-100 known autoimmune diseases, and the NIH estimates that over 23 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease, most of them women. Autoimmune diseases are chronic and can affect the overall quality of life.

Treatment for autoimmune diseases is not always clear-cut. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc.:

The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood; but bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune process in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder. It is theorized that the inflammation initiated by these agents, toxic or infectious, somehow provokes in the body a “sensitization” (autoimmune reaction) in the involved tissues.

I will discuss what Reiki treatment is, and how it can benefit people living with autoimmune disease by helping them manage symptoms and improve overall well-being.

Please join us at the Little Five Points Community Center in Atlanta on May 31 at 6:30 pm. The cost is free.

Dragonfly Reiki is offering a  free Reiki healing clinic at Candler Park Chiropractic in Atlanta on Sunday, May 20 from 11am – 3 pm. Participants will receive a mini Reiki treatment in a soothing setting from experienced Reiki practitioners.

Although this is a free service, small donations are always appreciated. This month, Dragonfly Reiki will contribute donations received from the clinic to Veterans’ Heart Georgia in honor of Memorial Day. Veteran’s Heart Georgia fosters the healing of veterans of all wars by attending to the spiritual and emotional needs of veterans, their families and our communities.

We welcome veterans and their families to the clinic – all are welcome! Thank you for your service to our country.

Are you new to Reiki? Learn more about its benefits for mind, body and spirit wellness.

We recommend that you sign up for a time slot to minimize wait time, but walk-ins are welcome. Please contact Dana L. Young via email to reserve your space.

Candler Park Chiropractic is located in the Candler Park Connection complex adjacent to the Edgewood-Candler Park MARTA station. The office is located behind Radial Cafe:

1530 Dekalb Avenue, Ste C
Atlanta, GA 30307

The gentle balancing effects of Reiki treatment are especially beneficial for expectant and new mothers because it helps support women during the physical, emotional and spiritual changes experienced during pregnancy, labor and post-partum.

Did you know that the early Reiki seminars in Japan in the 1930s were attended by many midwives and mothers, who used Reiki with young children?* I gave myself Reiki treatment regularly during my pregnancy, and still use it often to comfort and connect with my daughter. However, it never occurred to me to make sure someone was there with me to provide Reiki treatment during my labor and initial postpartum recovery! I designed this special training to augment Komyo Reiki training with additional guidance and support on how childbirth professionals can make use of this gentle spiritually-based healing art. I know from personal experience how beneficial this practice can be for mothers and their families.

During this comprehensive training in Komyo Reiki Level I (Shoden), the traditional approach to Reiki as it is practiced in Japan, and its use today as a therapeutic modality are explained. Emphasis will be placed on Reiki treatment to help alleviate symptoms typically experienced during pregnancy and labor, as well as to promote physical and emotional balance and healing through postpartum.

Students will receive a manual, detailed instruction, and in-class practice for self-treatment and treatment of others. The use of Reiki treatment in multiple labor, birth and postpartum settings (at home, in the hospital or birthing center) as well as stress relief and comfort for birth partners and newborns will also be covered.

• Dates: Sat June 30 (12 pm – 5 pm) AND Sun July 1 (12 pm – 5 pm)
• Location: Candler Park Chiropractic, Atlanta GA
• Fee: $125 (special group rate)

*source, Tadao Yamaguchi and Gisela Stewart

(Photo credit: o5com)

Deepen Your Reiki Practice

The workshops are applicable to practitioners of Japanese and Western-style Reiki lineages, and covers foundational and intermediate information in detail, ranging from Reiki history and spiritual concepts/practices to healing techniques. The emphasis will be on traditional practice.

Workshop participants have the opportunity to apply their learning through group meditations, discussions and hands-on practice. Participants will also receive class materials for reference.

Class size is limited to 10 people.

TOPICS

• Japanese Healing Techniques – Sun July 15 (12 pm – 5 pm)
• Today Only – Living the Reiki Principles/Precepts – Sat Aug 12 (12 pm – 5 pm)
• Got Ki? Reiki Meditations and the Japanese Energetic System – Sept 29 (12 pm – 5 pm)

Fee: $50 per workshop (cash or check)

Location: Candler Park Chiropractic

For more information and to register, please contact Dana Lisa Young via email or phone (678) 696-0469.

(Image credit: Jaye Seiho Morris – digitalzendo.com)

“Reiki will guide you. Let the Reiki hands find it. They will know what to do.” – Hawayo Takata (source, Helen Haberly, Reiki: Hawayo Takata’s Story)

“Put your hands, surrender and smile.” – Hyakuten Inamoto

The biggest gift we can give ourselves as a Reiki practitioner is commitment to daily self-treatment.

Sometimes we misunderstand Reiki Ryoho to be something we primarily utilize as an intervention – when we don’t feel well, or to be of service to others when they are in need of healing. In other words, Reiki practice is thought of as something we “do.”

True practice of any form takes us from the position of “doing” something (limited in its function) to manifesting something (unlimited in its possibilities.) That is true for spiritual practices, as well as any other practice – sports, art creation or cooking – in which we fully engage.

The biggest benefit we can receive as a Reiki practitioner is to place our hands on ourselves – in the morning, in the evening, without fail, but with purpose – and allow inner transformation to unfold, day by day, treatment by treatment.

Newer students often express doubt when the initial intensity of their self-treatments levels off. They worry that it is not working, or that their “connection to Reiki” isn’t strong enough. I remind myself and my students to resist the temptation of attachment to physical sensation, because it is conditional and temporal. Reiki is not some force or power outside of us that we access; it is our true, Divine nature within that unfurls and flourishes through consistent practice.

I’m going to share a secret. I often do not experience many sensations during Reiki self-treatment, although it can be relaxing. When I was new to Reiki practice, I was not naturally sensitive to many of the blissful, heady sensations reported by other practitioners. Yet, I had evidence time and time again that Reiki treatment was having an effect on me, physically, emotionally and spiritually. And that effect is cumulative – over a period of days, weeks, months, and now, years. That is why we practice – to build upon our innate potential and live with intention and purpose.

As Reiki practitioners, we are given the “secret method to invite happiness.” Regardless of what style or lineage of Reiki practice we are initiated into, the key to unlocking the secret is the same. We are instructed to place our Reiki hands and surrender with trust and wonderment.

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Thank you to Reiki Master Pamela Miles for inspiring this post.

(Photo credit: visagency)

Komyo Reiki Kai presents Reiki as it was understood and commonly practiced in the 1930’s in Japan. It is a “keep-it-simple” Reiki system and practice.

Komyo Reiki follows the teachings of Mikao Usui and focuses on healing not only the body, but most importantly, the soul or spirit.

Usui Sensei believed that with spiritual improvement, the body would naturally be better capable of healing itself.

• Komyo Reiki Level I (Shoden): Fri, April 20, 2012 (6:30 PM – 9 PM) and Sat, April 21, 2012 (10 AM – 6 PM)
• Komyo Reiki Level III (Okuden): Sat, May 12, 2012 (10 AM – 6 PM)
• Komyo Reiki Level II (Chuden): Sunday, June 3, 2012 (10 AM – 6 PM)
• Reiki Refresher Workshop: Sat, June 9, 2012 (12 PM – 4 PM)
• Komyo Reiki Level I (Shoden): Fri June 15 (6 PM – 9 PM) AND Sat June 16 (10 AM – 6 PM)

Students receive the original Komyo Reiki Kai manual, as well as other handouts and materials to further their learning of historical, practical and beneficial aspects of Reiki Ryoho. An ongoing student-teacher relationship is encouraged to support commitment to practice.

All classes will be held at Candler Park Chiropractic in Atlanta, unless otherwise noted. For more information on the class offerings and to register, see the Classes page.

(Photo credit: 3scape photos)

On Friday, March 16, Inamoto is giving a public talk on Reiki open to both Reiki practitioners and non-practitioners. He will talk about the history of Reiki, present a slideshow of sites in Japan associated with its development, and answer questions.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Reiki is welcome to attend! This is a unique opportunity to hear someone talk about Reiki from the perspective of a person of Japanese descent.

Inamoto is the founder of Komyo Reiki Kai, which presents Reiki as it was understood and commonly practiced in the 1930’s in Japan. This system places emphasis on spiritual unfoldment through the practice of Reiki Ryoho, aiming for “satori” or enlightenment.

• Time: 6:30 – 9:30 PM
• Location: Self Discovery Center (1315 S Ponce De Leon Ave. Atlanta, GA 30306)
• Early registration fee: $20.00 (contact me via email for payment options)
• Fee on day of event: $25.00 – CASH only

We hope to see you there!

(Photo credit: Elyssa Matthews)

The real secret to both caring and taking responsibility for yourself is developing the ability to express gratitude in all aspects of your life – even the unwanted, stressful and painful ones. This practice can help keep you grounded and positive even in the face of challenges. Expressing gratitude mitigates the twin poison arrows of anger and worry by shifting your mind towards abundance, rather than lack.

The wonderful thing about being filled with gratitude and expressing it regularly is that this positive energy tends to attract more abundance into your life. Sometimes the good things that happen may be small, almost so small that if you weren’t being mindful you might let them slip by. And sometimes amazingly good things happen and you think it was a coincidence or you got lucky. In those moments, the universe is aligning with your Highest Good, which is manifesting through the expression of gratitude.

Counting your blessings has another benefit too – it’s good for your health! According to an article published in the Wall Street Journal:

A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being.

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.

Being filled with gratitude is central to what Mikao Usui described in the Precepts as the “miraculous medicine for all diseases.”

A natural outgrowth of your own Reiki practice can include expressing gratitude on a daily basis. It could be gratitude for something small someone did for you right after it happens. Or it could be a quiet moment in the morning or before bed where you give prayerful gratitude for all of the things you may have – your life, your health, people who love you, a job, a roof over your head, and even the challenges you face from time to time that allow you to grow emotionally and spiritually.

It may be helpful to keep a gratitude journal, or write a list that you can post where you can see it expressing the things you’re grateful for in your life. You will start to see a pattern emerge of goodness that surrounds you. A gratitude practice will help reorient your thinking patterns and give you something tangible to sustain you during difficult times. The German Christian mystic Meister Eckhart so wisely said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

(Photo credit: image taken from the stunning “30 Days of Gratitude” photo set by aussiegal)

However, Reiki treatment can also assist in healing emotional issues through the use of a specific technique called Seiheki Chiryo Ho (“Habit Treatment”) to help transform unwanted mental or emotional patterns in the subconscious mind, or to focus one’s energies towards accomplishing a specific objective.

Some issues or patterns that may be helped via Seiheki Treatment include:

• anger or emotional pain
• anxiety
• trauma
• fear
• grief
• low self-esteem/negative thinking

Seiheki Treatment can also be utilized to redirect the mind to support healthier habits (smoking cessation, weight loss, etc.) It may be used alone or in conjunction with life coaching to achieve personal goals.

The effects are cumulative, and an initial series of 3-4 treatments in a close time frame is recommended for better results.  Additional treatments may be needed, depending on the client’s rate of resolution.

Individual results may vary. Some people experience improvement in overall well-being, while others may have a profound shift that supports other therapeutic work they may be receiving. Patterns or issues can be multi-layered, but the goal is to gently assist the body’s process of restoring emotional balance. It is not unusual for people to experience improvement in physical symptoms of acute or chronic conditions after participating in Seiheki Treatment.

Note: Seiheki Treatment is a complementary therapy and is not a substitute for qualified mental health care or medication when needed. Although issues to be addressed are briefly discussed in order to provide context for the treatment, Seiheki Treatment is not “talk therapy” and I do not provide psychological counseling. However, I can direct you to helpful resources if more comprehensive assistance is needed.

Please contact me to learn more about how Seiheki Treatment can help you.

(photo credit: seanmcgrath on Flickr)

In Eastern cultures, energetic or spiritual phenomena are part of large and often complex systems of practice. There are both gross and subtle forms of phenomena and a contextual framework for understanding their place in mind, body and spirit functions. These phenomena can be both external and intrinsic – often simultaneously. The language of these cultures reflects this innate understanding and utilization in both daily life and spiritual matters.

In Reiki practice, we run into this issue almost immediately. First, how do we define Reiki – as phenomena, and second, how it plays out in the hands-on and spiritual aspects of the practice? Much of the verbiage I’ve read describes Reiki as a kind of “spiritual energy” that we “channel” for self-healing and healing others. Some practitioners describe themselves as a “vessel” that the “energy flows through” for healing purposes. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say they are clearing blockages and opening up energy fields too.

There are energetically-based healing practices for which these statements ring largely true. Practitioners draw in (“channel”) energy or phenomena by specific means and then they transfer it back out. In some practices, “dirty” or negative energy is removed and replaced with “clean” or good energy. This was initially my understanding of Reiki when I first learned of it, but the more I practiced, the more I realized that these statements did not, at least for me, ring true. Nor did it seem consistent with my understanding of Japanese culture and spiritual practices. However, we in the West lack an adequately precise vocabulary for describing the actions of the ineffable.

It’s taken the average public in the West about 50 years to get the basic concepts of Zen Buddhism, arguably the most popular spiritual practice transplanted from Japan. We’ve been fortunate to have had some very astute Zen Masters and scholars who were able to elucidate what “no-self”, “non-action” or “emptiness” meant in a way that became culturally relevant for us. (Although I still might argue that the popular concept of the “Zen moment” is not really the same as it’s meant in practice. Try sitting on a zafu facing the wall for what seems like an eternity and you’ll realize that it’s still a “Zen moment” – but not the one accompanied by bamboo flute music and an austere rock garden you see in spa commercials.)

In any case, I was able to grasp the basic concepts of Reiki in an instinctive way, because I’d had some training in Zen practice. But I did not begin the process of grasping the fundamental nature of Reiki until I’d been practicing for several years. And I’m still learning and deepening that understanding. Over time, there are more and more subtle aspects that continue to unfold. As more things are revealed, more things get stripped away.

At some point, it occurred to me that I didn’t feel like I was channeling Reiki. Instead, I experienced engagement with Reiki as a phenomena that was being activated simply by being present with it. I didn’t actually have to “do” anything and the less I did, the more “there” it was. As I have heard some others also say, we are not “doing” Reiki; we are “being” Reiki. In essence, Reiki is for me a very passive practice, but it creates very active results.

In Zen practice, when we place our hands in gassho and bow, we are acknowledging the innate Buddha-nature present in ourselves and others. In Reiki practice, when we place our hands in gassho and bow, we are acknowledging the Great Bright Light in ourselves and others. It is somewhat different phrasing, but essentially the same concepts. After all, Mikao Usui was a Buddhist, and this was his primary frame of reference.

During a Reiki treatment, my understanding is that I am there to help facilitate and witness this ever-present potential, this Great Bright Light, begin to spark and actualize within myself and others. I am present with and acknowledge the process, but beyond that, there is little I need to do. I don’t need to bring anything else in, nor do I need to take anything away. It is always already there. Yes, there are tools and techniques that are part of the practice, but they are there to specifically support certain processes.

In my view, there is not something “energetic” outside of us that we are bringing in during Reiki practice or treatment. We are making manifest an ever-present potential within each of us. And while we might perceive that with our ordinary minds to be “energy”, it is vastly and indefinably so much more than that.

(Photo credit: istolethetv on Flickr)