Introduction
I am based in Scunthorpe and can offer reiki treatments across North Lincolnshire; in Brigg, Barton upon Humber, Kirton- in Lindsey, Epworth and the Isle of Axholme, for examples. You are very welcome to receive treatment at my home, or I can travel to you as I do when I offer massage.

Not many people have heard of reiki . When you first see the word there is great confusion in how to pronounce it! (ray-key). Once you can pronounce it not many people will know what reiki is and how it can help us feel well. I was in the same boat until one of my yoga students asked if she could treat me with reiki. She did and everything developed from there. I have now taken three stages of attunement to be able to channel reiki energy, reiki 1,2 and master/teacher level. The latter meaning I can offer attunements to people as well as treating them.

In these pages I hope to explain the way I see reiki, the approach I take to treating clients and illustrate my knowledge by describing techniques that are learned when training to give reiki treatments. As I do so I hope you will be able to recognise my skills, ethos and feel confident to commit to enjoying reiki with me.

What is Reiki?
In the early 1900's, a devout Buddhist called Mikau Usui found that through developing practices and training with the skills of his faith, he could offer healing to people. In modern times it is this aspect, healing, that has become a complimentary therapy. Usui's original ideas were incorporated into his daily life. His was a spiritual practice based on five elements:

GOKAI (daily precepts)
KOKYU (breathing techniques)
TENOHIRA (palm healing)
SHIRUSHI and JUMON (symbols and mantras)
REIJU (blessing from a master - which became the western attunements)

His early aim was for reiki to be a self practice developing self responsibility and personal development. He came to devote himself to the well being of others initially offering healing for free. Sadly, a mystique surrounds the early evolution of reiki. It is hard to tell in 2009 if this was a deliberate choice of Usui or was simply the culture and way of things in the Japan of those days. If we consider how faith and discipline is or was viewed in Japan it could just be normal and natural that early reiki knowledge was a closed shop known only to a privileged few. Usui did take students, but only a handful persisted in their training and development to take the third stage of the training system he offered. Huge sums of money were paid to take training with the disciples of Usui. Only slowly did this begin to change as reiki moved to the West, via Hawaii and the USA.

It was partly as a result of the shrouding of the original methods to a select few that the western reiki method has become much more diverse and freed from the link with Japanese Buddhist practices. Chakras, Indian in origin, gained prominence in the method as reiki metamorphosed into a complimentary therapy treatment akin to an energy massage. A variety of different training schools were set up as individuals started to come up with their own interpretations of how reiki could be used and how it could be given in instruction.

What has become popular and is the method I follow, is the concept that reiki can heal and is particularly useful in the treatment of stress and pain.

A Reiki Treatment
Life Force
The reiki practitioner has trained to channel energy. In Japan this energy is called Ki. It is the same energy that in Indian yoga is called prana. It is our life force. Tibet, India, China and Japan have all shared and exchanged a belief system based upon the origin of life being based in Ki. There is said to be a network of energy channels that flow through the human body that carry this energy. The energy is not made by the body, nor does it come from anything that we eat or drink. It is the energy of the universe, of the cosmos. Science cannot find anything solid it can extract from the body that it can call ki, yet its power should not be doubted.
Treatment
In a reiki treatment the practitioner acts as a channel to convey reiki into the body, head and limbs of the client. This is done usually by a laying on of hands, or a hovering of hands over specific points. These correspond to the sites of energy centres called chakra. A chakra is a vortex of energy, a warehouse or terminus of life force energy, if you will, from where the energy channels distribute the Ki throughout the body. There are seven major chakra and thousands of minor ones. The seven begin at the base of the pelvis and are placed along the spine at intervals ending at the crown of the head. Each chakra influences organs and systems and emotions and states of mind.

Sometimes our life force energies in this system get out of balance. In reiki where an imbalance develops, ill health in some form and at some level may arise. Some times it may not be noticeable, sometimes it could be something major.
What does the reiki do?
Think of your central heating piping and imagine that the water was not able to flow through the system as it should. In some places there might be lots of hot water and the radiators heat well, in other places there could be blockages and only a little water may get through giving a little or no heat. The reiki will work in that example by clearing away all blockages and making all the radiators hot. There is a whole belief system behind life force energy. It affects our whole existence; how well our physique functions AND how balanced or otherwise we are mentally. The energy interconnects everything and empowers everything. As humans we do not possess the qualities to understand the working of the life force. So, although we may have cause to seek a reiki treatment the reiki in fact will go where it decides it needs to go and will repair what it thinks is of most importance to be repaired. The two things may coincide or they may not.

How will I Feel?
When you are receiving reiki you will normally have your eyes closed and be laying down or sitting in a relaxed position. You may feel heat emanate from the centre of the palms of the hands of the practitioner as he hovers or lays his hands over sites on head, body or limbs. Sometimes you may see colours in your minds eye or fleeting images. These are sometimes vivid, sometimes indistinct. You may not see anything at all. These things are quite natural and are just the reiki working. What is very likely is that throughout the treatment you will feel progressively more and more relaxed. This is a wonderful feeling. It should be remembered that the work of the reiki may not be instant. It can take a few days to notice changes. It might be that the reiki allows you to find a resolution for a problem you have been trying to solve or that if you have been unwell in some way you can start to pick up. Reiki energy is always positive so something good will happen.

After your treatment
You will always be offered a glass of water to drink and will have the opportunity to talk about anything that may have arisen for you in your treatment. This can be very helpful because together we can interpret perhaps what you have seen and what this might mean or you may find you have been able to resolve in your mind something that may have been troubling you.

The Five Reiki Principles- Traditional Western Version

Just for today, do not worry.

Just for today, do not anger.

Honor your parents, teachers and elders.

Earn your living honestly, (and put effort into spiritual practice)

Show gratitude to every living being.

For more information and photos read page two!