Practice Makes Presence

Whether your “practice” is Reiki, yoga, meditation or some other wonderful technique, each of these brings the practitioner into the present. Just as we begin our meditation or yoga by altering and tuning into our breath, so too, do we find that when we start a Reiki session our breathing automatically becomes more focused. It is as if we are creating a wave at the center of our being that we will ride throughout our practice.
Simply allowing oneself to “do” the subtle hand positions, without expectation or judgments is a lot like stretching more deeply into a yoga asana. One can feel the energy moving and shifting. In yoga, it is a shifting of the muscles, ligaments and tendons, while in Reiki; it is a breaking down of collected toxins that then move into various places to be released from the body.
Just as there are many forms of yoga and meditation, there are also various ways to work with Reiki energy. Many Western Reiki Practitioners speak of balancing the chakras, while Japanese students and Masters speak in terms of releasing toxic energies from the organs, glands and nervous system. Wonderfully, we have found that a committed practitioner, trained in any technique can affect a change in the overall well being of themselves and others. The key is allowing oneself the time to practice.
The sense of presence and peace that Reiki brings us seems to expand exponentially. Just as meditation becomes second nature and time you begin to crave once you have found a technique you like, Reiki too, becomes a passion that quickly transforms you.
Reiki practitioners are called to practice daily on themselves.Many see it as a way of keeping themselves “clear,” meaning that whatever healing or balancing they themselves are in need of will be taken care of so that once a client arrives to receive a Reiki session, the Universal Life Force flowing through them to the client is unimpeded by any personal need. Others find that a daily self-practice is their special time to tune into themselves, tune out the world and see what comes up. Either way, we are more present for others and ourselves when we are feeling our best in body, mind and soul.