LIFESTYLE

"Just for today: do not be angry. Do not be worried. Be grateful. Work hard. Be kind to others."

Imagine a world where we all lived by these values. Road rage would be a thing of the past. Stress-related illness would hit an all-time low. We’d never again take our houses, our kids, our lives for granted. Wouldn’t it be lovely if everyone followed this sage advice? It’s so simple, so understated, and yet so profound—much like the technique it accompanies. These are the Five Principles of Reiki, a Japanese method of stress reduction, healing, and relaxation—a practice that many believe may yield miraculous results.

The word Reiki (ray-kee) means “universal life force energy,” and that’s precisely the power this treatment harnesses. Though the belief in this energy has been around for thousands of years, the techniques to influence and transmit it date back to around 1922. Reiki’s creation is credited to Dr. Mikao Usai, a Japanese physician and monk, who said that the techniques came to him through a revelation during a three-week retreat on Mount Kurama involving fasting, prayer, and meditation. Reiki is based on the principle that every living thing resonates energy; in fact, the “ki” in “Reiki” comes from the Chinese word chi (or qi), which means “spiritual energy.” When that level is low, we’re more likely to get sick and succumb to environmental stresses; when it’s high, we feel happy, healthy, and whole. Reiki aims to raise these vibrations to a level that promotes healing from within. Raising the vibration is purported to make negative thoughts and feelings—which attach themselves to our energy and disrupt the flow—break apart and disperse. To achieve this elevation, the practitioner places his or her hands either directly on or very near the body at specific points, with a variety of different hand positions meant to facilitate the flow of energy. Each position is held until the practitioner feels the transmission of energy cease—typically two to five minutes, but there’s no hard-and-fast rule.

“When you put your hands on a body, it will tell you what it needs,” says Mary Magdalene King, a Las Vegas-based massage therapist and Reiki Master. It’s for this reason that she feels it’s important for people to schedule a Reiki session—a time period of unspecified length—rather than appointments measured by the hour; sometimes the process just requires more than the allotted time, and sometimes, less. “A session allows me to work on what the body needs instead of going by the clock,” she says. Mary was influenced by homeopathic healing practices from a very young age. She attended the Dahan Institute of Massage and became nationally certified, and for Mary—who says she has always been very sensitive to other people’s energies—Reiki just came naturally to her practice.

The process of soothing and healing people through her hands is powerful. “Nothing can replace the gift of touch,” she says. “When people walk through my door, they sometimes look like they’re dragging so bad they won’t make it through the rest of the day.” But after a treatment, Mary asserts, those same haggard, tired clients walk out feeling refreshed and revitalized.

That feeling of wellbeing is one of the reasons Reiki has enjoyed widespread popularity. People seek treatments for a whole host of health purposes, from simple “preventive maintenance” to relieving chronic pain and healing disease. Miraculous stories abound—tales of people who’ve used Reiki to remedy even the most dire and permanent of situations. At the very least, Reiki promotes a deep relaxation, which in and of itself can have beneficial effects on the body. “Stress is the No. 1 killer, and people don’t take the time to relax,” says Mary. Those who receive Reiki treatments report that they can sometimes even sense the energy flowing through them during the process, a feeling often described as “glowing” and “radiant.”

Reiki also has all sorts of complementary healing modalities that practitioners claim increase the benefits: yoga, reflexology, hypnotherapy, and the list goes on. Mary sometimes supplements her Reiki sessions with various tools and techniques. “I love tuning forks, they help raise the energy vibration,” she says, adding that she’s seen some amazing results with this method. (The sound waves produced by tuning forks are purported to travel swiftly along the body’s energy pathways, helping to clear blockage.) She also uses Quantum Touch, which combines various body awareness and breathing exercises with the traditional energy-raising aspects of Reiki.

A common misconception about Reiki is that it is attached to some sort of religion, which automatically steers some people away. While it’s true that the practice is spiritual in nature, there is no dogma attached to it (aside from the five basic principles listed earlier). You don’t need to hold any particular beliefs—religious or otherwise—in order to effectively learn and use Reiki. It will work whether you believe or not, although a positive attitude and an open mind never hurts. While scientific studies have yet to officially prove the validity of such a treatment, the ardent testimonies of its practitioners and clients seem to be proof enough.

Mary strives every day to be an instrument of healing for everyone she touches, and to empower her clients. “I want you to get excited that you’re doing something wonderful for you,” she says. And then she hopes you’ll pass the good feeling on to each person you encounter—after all, “be kind to others” is one of the Five Principles.

Mary practices out of the office of Dr. Pauline Alwes, naturopath, 2560 East Sunset, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV. She can be reached by calling (702) 505-7994..