No. There is no intention or direction. The Reiki practitioner simply lets the Reiki flow and the persons receiving responds as their body’s need. When there is no need, there is no flow. Sometimes, whilst Reiki is not harmful, it may uncover pre-existing imbalances. For example, if the body is exhausted and needs to rest, the Reiki will enable the body to relax enough to sleep. The same if there are toxins that have accumulated in the body, the Reiki will help the body rid of them and so on. It simply brings balance back to your system.

Once you are connected to the Universal Life Force Energy, it will flow no matter what your health is like. There will be some type of stimulation of energy going to your needs first and/or also flowing onto another recipient. A light placement of hands on the body is all that is needed.

Initiation means new beginning. The attunements or empowerments, are simply to empower you to use Reiki. The initiations are an important part of reiki as they open the pathway for the energy to flow to the person. They are safe, but it is important that you have them with someone who is well trained and whose presence is one of respect and nourishment, who is there for your benefit and wellbeing.

Yes, anyone can learn reiki for themselves. Small children to Senior citizens are frequently taught. You must attend a class over a period of time, usually 3 days or 4 evenings. In the class, information is given, there are no examinations. Reiki is an experience and it is in the experience that we learn. It is very simple to apply Usui Shiki Ryoho, the form Hawayo Takata taught, it was and is today a hands on practice. Subtle touch which is very important in itself. Only when we have a sensitive area, such as a burn, that we hold our hands just above the body. Initiations are given by the Reiki Master, which reconnects you to the Reiki. As with Takata, 4 initiations are given in the 1st degree. Each of them necessary, with the 4th initiation sealing in the Reiki so you will have reiki for the rest of your life. It is important that you choose a Reiki Master that has many years of experience, using reiki themselves and that they can trace their lineage back to Dr Usui and Usui Shiki Ryoho. You must have contact with the Reiki Master when learning, it cannot be learnt through a book or over the Internet. It is best to become strong in your own practice and experience of Reiki, before reading lots of books about it, that way you can gauge what applies to you. It is best kept simple and uncomplicated.

It relaxes you easily.

No, there is no belief system involved. It is non dogmatic. You do not even have to believe it will work. This is very obvious when you reiki animals and see the results that occur. You just have to be open to try it. There are many people with different religions, and different belief systems who use reiki.

Reiki practice/treatments have no medical contraindications. It does not involve the use of any substances and the touch is non-manipulative. Reiki is always safe to use. People who are dependent on Pharmaceutical Drugs or procedures should always be monitored, as the need for intervention may lessen as time goes on. EG, People using Reiki may need less pain medication. It is important to know that reiki treats the person, not the condition or illness. It helps the body rebalance, so it has a chance for it to heal itself. Reiki appears to combine safely with any intervention and it can used in the case of anxiety, it improves recovery, reduces side effects of Pharmaceuticals, radiation and chemotherapy. It improves sleep, lessens pain and supports recovery from trauma. Benefits can be dramatic if a person is waiting for emergency medical treatment.

Reiki can be combined with any other complementary or alternate therapy such as acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and works beautifully with the correct nutrition among other things. Reiki is drawn in and operates on a more subtle level than other modalities. It will enhance their effectiveness without interference.

It does not matter. No focus or meditative mood has to occur for you to receive reiki. Reiki can help calm a person without even trying.

A Master is a teacher, with extensive knowledge, proficiency and skill in their field. In Reiki, becoming a Master requires years of experience using Reiki on yourself and then learning through an apprenticeship, working with another Master. The initiation is then done by a Master, with whom there is always a connection. For a Reiki Master, Reiki is a way of life. It is important to know where and what experience your Master has had to be able to trace the lineage back to Dr Usui, and be clear of what form you are practicing. Reiki never stops teaching you, you are always a student of the system.

Reiki translated into English means Universal Life Force Energy. The Energy that is all around us, all living things have this in common. It is holistic. It does not attack disease in any form, rather it encourages the individual towards balance on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Reiki is not directed by the practitioner, in this way it is different from many other modalities. The practitioner simply places their hands on the recipient for the first degree, or makes a connection with the second degree. The practitioner becomes a completely passive conduit for the energy and it is drawn by the person receiving the reiki. There is no diagnosis and no prognosis.

Reiki was rediscovered in the late 1800’s by Dr Mikao Usui. He searched and studied for many years to understand how some of the great masters of the past had healed. He was lead to study ancient Sanskrit and in the writings he found what he had been looking for. Dr Usui was Japanese, so that was where his practice began after the rediscovery of the ancient art. He then taught Dr Chujiro Hyashi who put it into a public clinic in Japan. Dr Hyashi passed his knowledge onto Japanese Hawaiian women, Hawayo Takata, who was responsible for bringing reiki to the West. Takata, after practicing for some years initiated 22 masters, one of which was her granddaughter, Phyllis Lei Furumoto. Phyllis is the lineage bearer of the Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki and oversees all of the worldwide reiki community. She carries on her Grandmother, Hawayo Takata’s work.