Thursday 11 February 2010

Japanese Reiki Techniques 3. Koki ho - Healing with Breath. Gyoshi ho - Healing with the Eyes. Heso Chiryo ho.

All the following energy techniques are not just for reiki practioners but will enhance any energy work that you do. Great for Healing work, Meditation, Chi Kung or Tai Chi or just to balance your energetic systems.

Koki ho - Healing with Breath

"Koki-ho" means the way of healing with the breath. This technique does not seem to have directly survived in Takata Sensei's teachings. It indirectly
appears in many attunement sets where the Reiki Master "blows" the energy or symbols into the student. This technique is very useful to treat people that cannot be touched such as a burn or accident victim. It is also useful for those who do not want touch, such as someone that has been abused.
This is a focused way of healing with the breath. After connecting to reiki, breathe in through the nose. Gently blow out through the mouth with lips pursed. If you are unsure how to do this (laughs) watch a smoker exhale. The lips form a small round opening that the breath flows through. When doing this feel the reiki as you breathe in. Some "see" the reiki as a white light or mist that they are breathing in. You may feel the heat on the lungs, mouth and throat.

Gyoshi ho - Healing with the Eyes

"Gyoshi-ho" means the way of healing with the eyes. This technique does not seem to have survived in Takata Sensei's teachings. Energy flows from the entire body. You experience this directly when doing "Jyoshin Koki-ho" section in Hatsurei ho. It is said that energy emanates most strongly from the hands and this is why touch healing (te-ate) is taught first in Reiki. Energy also emanates strongly from the eyes and the breath. This technique teaches you to send reiki with the eyes. Like Ko Ki ho, this technique is very useful to treat people that cannot be touched such as a burn, accident or abuse victim. The essential part of this technique is that the look is compassion. For those with  Christian backgrounds think of a look that you have seen in a picture of Jesus of Mary. For those who have seen Kuan Yin statues think of the look of total compassion. The look is not a "stare", but a soft, relaxed, defocused look. It is said that all reiki is Karuna (compassionate action) and Metta (loving kindness). The essence of your being is loving kindness for all, your look is total compassion, reiki radiating out from the eyes.

This technique is simplicity itself. Simply look at where you wish to send.
Connect to reiki. You are reiki. With eyes relaxed, radiating loving kindness and compassion to all, feel the reiki flow through the eyes to the person you are treating. See or visualize the energy flowing into where you are looking. Just be reiki. You can move to various places to treat or simply know and intend that it goes where it will.

Heso Chiryo ho

Heso Chiryo ho is the way of naval healing. The hara is thought to be the center of the being. The naval sits above this and thus this is considered an important point in healing all diseases.
Begin by standing next to the person to be treated. Gassho and calm the mind. Doing the breathing with Gassho technique is a good way to connect to reiki and be mindful. State the intent by saying "I now begin Heso Chiryo ho". Place one hand over the naval with the tip of the middle finger in the naval. Feel for the pulse. When you feel the pulse you are becoming in resonance with the universal energy. Continue for about 5 minutes or so, until you feel relaxed and in balance and harmony. Finish by doing gassho and giving thanks.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Japanese Reiki Techniques 2 Jyoshin Koki-ho. Gassho. Seishin Toitsu. Reiki Principles. Mokunen.

All the following energy techniques are not just for reiki practioners but will enhance any energy work that you do. Great for Healing work, Meditation, Chi Kung or Tai Chi or just to balance your energetic systems.

Jyoshin Koki-ho

Jyoshin Koki-ho (Joshin Kokyo-ho) is a breathing technique. You breathe reiki in through the nose through the crown and into the hara on the in breath. You breath the out breath from the hara. This technique is part meditation, part hara energization, and is done to cleanse the spirit.
Jyoshin Kokiho is done to cleanse the spirit, heart and mind. It is a focus
meditative breathing technique. To do Jyoshin start by placing the hands in Gassho and your eyes closed. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. On the in breath, breathe in the light of reiki through the crown and into the hara. Let the light fill your body completely transmuting all that is
negative and stuck into light. This relieves tension, anxiety, and promotes calm. On the out breath, breathe out that light and radiate it from you to all the
universe.

Gassho

Gassho is a common practice in many eastern traditions. It is called "Namaste" in the Indo- Tibetan traditions. Gassho is holding the hands clasped in a prayer position at about the level of the chest. In reiki, Gassho is formally practiced by sitting on the floor or on a chair. The hands are in the prayer clasped position with the middle fingers touching in front of the chest.
The eyes are closed. The reiki precepts are said (For today only do not anger, do not worry, be grateful, do your work with appreciation, be kind to all people).
The middle fingers touch as this completes the meridians that terminate in the hands, in particular the fire element terminates at the tip of the middle finger. (Some call this the "reiki laser".)

Seishin Toitsu - mindfulness meditation

You are in the Gassho or namaste position. This technique involves breathing through the hands. On the inhalation breathe in through the hands. See the reiki light that flows into the hands move in to the hara or hara line. Your hara is filled with light. Some see the hara as a fire of white light and as they breathe in this reiki light the light and fire increases in the hara.

On the exhalation see the energy moving back out through the hands. The light and energy in the hara remains with you.
You will find that the hara and hands become quite warm when doing this.
Continue until you feel done.

(N.B. When done in a group, it is at this point that the Teacher will do "reiju" or an empowerment/attunement. This group practice of Hatsurei ho is called "Shuyo ho".)

Reiki Principles

The reiki principles are said as affirmations at this point. They are referred to as "Gokai Sansho" and are said three times.

For today only;
anger not,
worry not.
Be Humble.
With gratitude work on yourself.
Be kind to all.

Mokunen

Mokunen sets the intent of focus of concluding Hatsurei ho. To do Mokunen, say with the mind clear "I am done with Hatsurei now". This is said to the mind and subconscious, but let it reverberate everywhere.

Japanese reiki techniques 1 Gyosei. Kihon Shisei. Mokunen and Kenyoku-ho.

All the following energy techniques are not just for reiki practioners but will enhance any energy work that you do. Great for Healing work, Meditation, Chi Kung or Tai Chi or just to balance your energetic systems.

Hatsurei ho is the Jewel of Reiki. This technique is part mindfulness
meditation, part strengthening the reiki channel, and part self empowerment.
It is said to be the cornerstone of Usui's practices and was taught to all
Second level students. There are some sources that report that it was taught as separate techniques to Shoden (Level One) students as they progressed.
Hatsurei ho contained the following techniques:

* Preparation -clearing the mind - Gyosei
* Kihon Shisei - beginning position
* Mokunen - setting the intent and focus
* Kenyoku ho - Dry bathing
* Joshin Koku ho - The Cleansing Breath
* Gassho - meditation posture and breathing technique
* Seishin Toitsu - mindfulness meditation
* Reiki Principles
* Mokunen


Preparation - Clearing the mind

The first part of doing Hatsurei ho is to clear the mind. In Usui's Reiki Ryoho this was done by singing Gyosei. These were the stylized poetry as composed by the Meiji  Emperor.
They were chanted/sung in a very specific way. The chant, cadence, and rhythm
help develop mindfulness and clear the mind.

Kihon Shisei

Kihon Shisei is the beginning position. The traditional position would be to sit in zazen style. Since few of us in the west have had practice and experience
sitting this way, it might be uncomfortable and become a distraction. You might find a straight backed chair to be more comfortable and suited to your needs. The important element is sitting up with the back straight. The eyes are gently closed. Your focus is into the lower abdomen.
This is called the Hara in Japanese and is referred to as the Tan Tien (dan tien, tan dien) in other places. You hands are placed gently in the lap.

Mokunen

Mokunen sets the intent of focus. To do Mokunen clear the mind and with
mindfulness say, "I am beginning Hatsurei now". This is said to the mind and subconscious, but let it reverberate everywhere.

Kenyoku-ho

Kenyoku-ho (dry bathing) is a technique to clear and strengthen the energy channels. The technique was common to many martial arts and chi kung schools such as JuJitsu, Aikido and KiKo and was added by Usui. It is likely that this technique comes from the rituals of Shinto priests. The ritual action was to cleanse the body before contacting the deity.
Those familiar with the martial arts will recognize the two parts of this
technique as common techniques. The first is a down block across the
midsection (this technique is used in a variety of martial arts such as Karate, Kung Fu, Aikido, etc.). This down block is followed by what is commonly called in the martial arts as a "shirk" or technique to remove an opponents hand from your wrist that is done by sliding the knife edge of your hand down the arm.

A. Place your right hand on the left shoulder so that the right fingertips are on the left shoulder. The hand is open, the fingers held together all point upwards. The hand (palm down) is against the body.

B. Slide the hand downward toward the right hip. Move the hand, going across the chest and ending up fingers down at the right hip. The hand (palm down) stays in light contact with the body the entire movement. (This is what is called an open handed down block in the martial arts)

C. Repeat this process starting with the left hand on the right shoulder and
going down to the left hip.

D. Place the right hand again on the left shoulder. Slide the right hand down the left arm (inside or outside, each will cover different meridians - see below) all the way to the finger tips. (This is what would be called a "shirk" in the martial arts, used to remove an opponents hand that is grabbing your arm.)

E. Repeat this with the left hand on the right arm.

F. Start with the right hand on the inside of the left elbow, and slide the hand down to the fingertips.

G. Repeat this with the left hand on the right inside of the elbow.

Note - Some masters teach the hand should slide to the inside of the arm and others teach it should slide down the outside of the arm. Different meridians are stimulated for each. The inside slide is yin and will effect the lung, heart, and kidney meridians. The outside slide is yang and will effect the triple
warmer, colon and small intestine meridians.
It is interesting that this technique appears to have survived after a fashion in the Rand school that teaches to cut the cords on the solar plexus using a "karate chopping technique".