Gone are the days where I understood the vocabulary of the English language. Groovy and peace have left town and now there are words like Reiki, meditation, mindfulness, chakras and auras to name a few. When someone asks, “Did you go for a Reiki healing this week?” Do you say yes? Do you say no and then excuse yourself with some mumbled excuse like “Oh my goodness, I left a pot on the stove.” Do you go to your neighbor and ask them only to find out that they can’t believe you don’t know?
Working in corporate America as the VP of business development, the words I understood were merger, acquisition, profit and loss statements, budgets, etc. It was overwhelming and was becoming more and more of a seven day a week job. Frantic, I called a friend of mine and said to her, “Listen, I need a diversion, a pottery class, something to immerse myself into that will give my brain a rest.” She called me a few days later and said, “There is an energy healing class at Westchester Community College.” I was like, “A what class?” she repeated it again and my only response was, “Are you out of your mind?” Very calmly she told me that she had registered me for the class. And so, I went and learned about things that I never knew existed. Shortly after I read that there was a Reiki class being offered. This time I registered myself for the class. So, what is Reiki, anyway?
Reiki pronounced “ray key” is an ancient Japanese hands-on healing technique. It is a system of being able to tap into universal life force energy. This energy is often referred to as chi (chee) and is the energy that creates and sustains all life. Reiki has a precise method of connecting life force energy with the body’s innate ability to heal.
Let’s see if I can simplify this. First, Reiki is passed down from a Reiki master teacher to the student. This happens through an attunement process. This attunement process is a sacred ceremony that differentiates Reiki from other healing modalities. This is where the teacher can bring Reiki energy into the student’s energy field which then allows them to be able to perform Reiki on others. There are other things that a student learns during class like learning how to “feel” the energy, the formula to “dial up” the energy to bring it into the human energy field and the various hand positions used to perform a Reiki healing, to name a few. Once unheard of, Reiki is now being used as an adjunct to modern medicine. Reiki is noninvasive and used in many facilities with no side effects. It is safe to use in any situation. Reiki can be used on children, adults, and animals and is also a self-healing modality. Reiki restores balance to the body on a physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual level and can be done on a massage table or in a chair. The Reiki practitioner has no ego around a Reiki healing and works only as a conduit to bring this life force energy into the person’s energy field for the highest healing good whereby the energy goes to the person’s highest priority.
Let’s say you are going through a hard time. Work is kicking your butt and you don’t know if you are coming or going but feel totally disconnected. You go have a Reiki session and when it is over you float out the door. Now, that is what happiness is!
Shima Chayvet is the owner of Universal Healing Arts, a Reiki master teacher and healer, an ordained minister, certified in holistic health, and owner of infinite Possibilities. She practices in Cortlandt Manor at 4 Crestview Ave., and can be reached on 914-737-HEAL (4325). Her websites are universalhealingarts.com and iploseweight.com.
