Practical Reiki ... Rooted in the Earth
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Learning Reiki

I've been teaching Reiki informally now since 2002, with most of my students being from martial arts circles. People have come from all walks of life, and every age, male and female. Currently I'm teaching out of a dojo location, as well at remote locations depending on the student.

I prefer teaching a very grounded, dynamic and active type of Reiki, where as soon as possible the practice is taken from 'Meditation 101' position (either seated or lying down) to walking, moving and playing. As practitioners we do have to move, so it's important to me that students learn that skill early on.

Also fundamental in my Reiki classes is work I've drawn from my martial arts study. Stancework and developing your awareness of how you hold and move your body is fundamental to taijutsu, basic body movement. Reiki practice means having your energy channels unblocked, and having proper posture and stance does half to three quarters of that foundational work for you simply by putting your body into the proper position.

Helena's Classes

My classes are structured so that the group or individuals meets for one or two initial classes, and then they support each other with ongoing meetings after that. I am available to come to gatherings as well.

The teaching tradition I come from encourages students to learn through their own experience. The role of the teacher is to create an environment where the student can learn for themselves with the guidance of someone who further along the path than they. Be it through gentle encouragement or screaming frustration (it might not sound fun, but I know that everyone reading this has been there at least once in their life) people learn best when they discover for themselves. My classes are designed to allow that type of discovery for each individual.

Teaching Reiki

My opinion is that Reiki is best taught in a 'dirt time' situation, where the teacher and student work together over time to develop each other's experience. Usui-Sensei had the time and space to teach in that manner, which to the best of my understanding is the original intent of how Reiki was meant to be passed on.

I don't think it's practical to believe you can become a certified anything in a weekend. Integrating the essence and energy of an art, (be it Reiki, Martial Arts, Nursing, Carpentry...) and building an understanding of how you relate to that art and the rest of the universe is essential to understanding how your practice needs to grow. This takes time an guidance.

Since Reiki is an energy exchange, it seems appropriate that there actualy BE and exchange between client and practitioner, or the teacher and student, whether in fair trade for goods or money. What it is depends on the people involved, right? Although I feel Reiki needs to be accessible to everyone, web sites that advertising free initiation on the web I don't I agree with, mostly because I believe it takes time and guidance to integrate anything, and how can an ephemeral web host support that kind of learning? Historically, this and all earth-based healing methods were passed on through oral tradition, in one-on-one situations. Not to say that having things written is bad. I simply believe Reiki needs to be learned in person.


Tradition

Traditions (whether it's called that, or ceremony, or form...)are there to help pass down information purely. Blending them with other sources of information and eventually the line to the source is lost in the mist. Core information can be lost through other means: passing incomplete or adapted ceremonies, or teaching variations on an original form without being clear about the root of the form. Yes, it's expected that a practitioner of any art will move away from the form as they develop their innate abilities, but for teaching it's important to adhere to the form in order to allow your students to develop their own skill at the art, not your art.

As a Reiki practitioner, I've gradually moved away from using the traditional hand postures to following my inner guidance, which I believe happens to everyone following this and similar paths. As a teacher, I pass on what I was taught were traditional hand postures and processes to my students. In this way I open the door to allow them to discover their own relationship to Reiki instead of simply passing them my experience of it. This is my best understanding of how to honor the Reiki lineage and tradition.

Change is the way of evolution, of adaptation of the human species and spirit. What doesn't work is quickly left behind in the world of nature. It's a tough decision for me to say that traditions should not be changed when the time and needs merits. As the saying goes, what doesn't bend breaks. But until the need arises, traditions need to be passed on as purely as possible, so that the information is passed completely to the next generation.