Reiki - a simple, natural and safe method of energy healing and self-improvement that everyone can use - is an Asian technique that facilitates the flow of energy, our universal life force, through the layer of our being. The technique was originally used for spiritual development and is applied today as a "hands-on" balancing or healing modality.  The Universal Life Force energy worked with in Reiki is called Chi, or Qi, by Chinese practitioners. People from India and Tibet call this life force energy 'Prana', whereas the Hawaiians call it 'Mana'. There are many names for this one universal life force energy that is found in all things, and it is the flow of that energy in clients that Reiki practitioners aim to enhance; with the intention of supporting greater health, relaxation and wellbeing on all levels.  

What does this mean for you? Let's look first at what the word Reiki means... Breaking down the Japanese word we get Rei = "spirit" and Ki = "energy”, so the translation for the word Reiki is "spiritual energy." That energy is the same for all of us - it is that which is all around us, and available for each of us to draw more of into our bodies, into the cells and the matrix of our whole being. The spirit of energy is the energy of life. It travels in with each breath, and informs our body at the cellular level, as well as our thoughts and our actions. As we learn to "see" energy in all things, we can see Reiki in all things too. 

For many, practicing yoga fosters an awareness of this energy flow, our life force. It is the essence of breathwork, or Pranayama. It is what we strive to cultivate through breath awareness in our practice. The idea is that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. The deeper we move, the deeper the energy can flow in our body. When ones "life force energy" is low, they are more likely to feel stress and can become more susceptible to sickness and dis-ease. Conversely, when ones activity level is harmonious and balanced one may cultivate and even maintain a higher level of energy. That contributes to the experience of being happy and healthier as well.

Some have found Reiki to be a wonderful technique for stress reduction and relaxation while also promoting healing. An attuned practitioner administers Reiki by "laying the hands” to direct this "spiritually guided life force energy" through the body. Those who have received treatments have shared that it feels like there is a wonderful glowing radiance flowing through them and around them during and after the practice. Reiki treats the whole person; helping to bring body, emotions, mind and spirit into balance. It creates many beneficial effects including relaxation and feelings of peace, security, and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results through continued application.

Not only does experiencing Reiki, this wonderful Asian technique of applying and balancing the energy or electrical patterns in the body, mind and spirit promote ones innate ability to maintain health and even begin healing from ailments, it also opens the mind to the necessity for finding balance in life and cultivating joyful activities that lead to a sense of wholeness and wellbeing. Certainly this is a benefit to the receiver of a Reiki treatment. Yet, not only does the practice influence the receiver; the practitioner benefits as well because energy flow is increased in and around both of them. Reiki is one of those practices that keeps on giving, to the receiver, the practitioner, and the whole world. As Einstein said "E=MC2" - there is no net loss of energy in the world. All we have to do is learn to become aware of it, tap into it and let it flow to optimize personal and planetary health. A Reiki treatment could be the first step for you in opening to more awareness of this healthy flow of life force energy.

Energy follows intention, and a transmission of energy flowing from the universe through the practitioner to the recipient can happen in person, or from a distance. The only prerequisite is that both parties are open to it. Thus, one can either schedule an appointment and show up for a Reiki session (try it on the BIO MAT, you'll love it!) or schedule a tune-up from a far. Both work well as long as there is an authentic intention to open to the flow of this universal life energy. You benefit, and so does the whole of humanity through intention, and the facilitation of vital and vibrant energy flow throughout the world. 

Ready to give it a try? Schedule a trial session today!

Om is a bija sound and a well-known symbol that represents many things. When chanted, a vibration is stimulated in the physical body that results in a sense of wellbeing and balance. That is because the sound positively influences and harmonizes actions in the pineal and pituitary gland, the area in the center of the brain behind the third eye. Psychically or metaphorically, OM represents the unfolding of the universe. 

In Samkhya Philosophy, one refers to this as Brahman or Atman, the source, dividing into two equal parts. Purusha – also referred to as the Self, is pure consciousness, unaffected by the changing whims of the external; and Prakriti – Nature, or that which creates, representing everything which is changing, our every experience coming in through the five senses, our unconscious self.

Known as the basis of all uttered sound, OM is referenced early on in the ancient Vedic texts from India. It is considered an all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads.  In the Hindu tradition, OM represents the divine - unbounded consciousness taking form and becoming the first and original vibration manifesting as sound from the void, Shunyakasha. Before then everything existed in a latent state of potentiality, resting in the nothingness of the void. 

“The mantra “OM” is considered to be the sonic body of God, a form of the ultimate reality, the vibration of the Supreme.  When taken letter by letter, A-U-M represents the divine Shakti energy united in its three elementary aspects: Brahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti (preservation) and Shiva Shakti (liberation, dissolution, and/or destruction).” (1)

Referenced in all Upanishads, OM is most detailed in the Mandukya and also discussed in the Taittiriya and Chandogya Upanishads.  The whole word as well as the three parts A-U-M have profound religious significance and are revered objects of meditation.

The Sonics of OM:

We know OM to consist of three phonemes: A (Vaishvanara) U (Hiranyagarbha or the vital self), and M (Ishvara or the thinking self) which symbolize the beginning, duration, and dissolution of the universe.In Hindu tradition, these correspond with the associated gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva or Mahadev. Each of the three parts is a distinct sound, as well as a distinct letter in the Sanskrit alphabet. When chanted, they each vibrate/awaken a specific part of the body. The sound A begins in the belly.  U moves up into the heart and the area of the torso while M moves vibration into the throat, head and lips.  This movement of vibration through the body serves to wake up latent energy and ultimately balance all systems, such that one has the potential of experiencing peacefulness and harmony throughout the body following the sounding.

More about each of the three parts of OM:

 A – Represents form or shape, like earth, trees or other objects. The Mandukya Upanishad (MU) states that the letter A represents creation, from which all existence issued forth. This guttural sound, vibrating between the navel and the throat, is the first of the Sanskrit vowels. In Hebrew it represents God breathing life into Abraham, initiating creation. We are waking things up when we chant this part.

U – Represents the formless or shapeless, like water, air or fire.  The MU states that this represents Vishnu, the God of the middle who preserves this world by balancing Brahma on a lotus above himself. A palatal vowel, the sound resonates through the whole of the mouth, sustaining sound. We experience this as a state of preservation, also represented by the dream state where we are aware of something more, yet that is often veiled from the everyday world of the senses. This also represents the subconscious, or sleep state.

M – Represents a condition that neither has shape nor is shapeless (but still existing) like energy. This symbolizes the final part of the cycle of existence, when Brahma falls asleep and Shiva breathes in, allowing all existing things to disintegrate, being reduced into their essence in him. M represents the state of full consciousness, where when we close the lips and sound turns inward again, there’s the potential of becoming aware of an internal, continuous sound that can lead us to awareness of a conscious non-duality.

For me, it is in the silence that follows the chanting of OM it really “comes to life.”  It is in that pause where the potential to become aware of “something greater or more eternal” than the everyday exists.This is when we transcend, if only for a moment, the earthly realm. Like the silence, words are not adequate to describe this experience. One must play with it – practice chanting OM, and resting in the silence that follows the sound, and observe your own experience.

Maybe, like Gandhi and George Harrison, when you come to the end of your life, you too will be chanting OM with the intention of being carried up – back to source – on the waves of this eternal and primordial vibration. 

Sources:

1) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om

2) Hinduism.about.com

3) Signet Classics, The Upanishads, Breath of the Eternal, Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester, 1948.