People often ask me how or why did Reiki come into my life. Does it really work? Can anyone learn Reiki or do you need to be deeply spiritual, intuitive, or “gifted” to learn Reiki? Why learn Reiki? My answers are always the same. Reiki came into my life at a time when I really needed it for emotional healing, and yes, anyone can learn Reiki! I have trained children and adults from seven to 80 years of age and all backgrounds: students, engineers, teachers, nurses, doctors, yoga teachers, massage therapists, stay-at-home moms… all intent on bringing a practice into their lives to support them as they navigate the highs and the lows, the joys and the hardships of what we call ~ Life.
Reiki is an ancient hands-on healing practice that dates back over 2,500 years. It was rediscovered in the late 1800’s by a Japanese monk named Mikao Usui whose successors eventually brought it to the United States in 1972. The goal of Reiki is to bring balance to the energy flow within one’s body to encourage and support healing at all levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
The basic principle of Reiki is that our bodies have the innate ability to heal when our subtle energy bodies are in a state of balance. Traumatic life events, life stressors, lifestyle choices and habits, and painful experiences can all lead to energetic weaknesses or blockages within the energy centers, or “chakras,” in our body. This can result in physical, spiritual, or emotional “dis-ease.” We experience these imbalances in very concrete ways: difficulty sleeping, anxiety, fear, digestive issues, physical ailments, “stress,” pain, and more. Reiki assists our bodies in regaining balance, and thus healing can occur.
Reiki, for me, is the primary tool I use to comfort, soothe, and heal myself and my family. Like an old friend or a soft blanket, I turn to Reiki on a daily basis to wrap myself in this loving energy when I’m hurting, physically or emotionally, or to calm myself when life starts to spin out of control.
I recall years ago when my family’s dear cat, Sampson, 18 years of age, needed to be put to sleep. It was a sudden and unexpected decision that we had to make and we were all very, very sad. I had trained my family in Reiki a few years earlier and it supported us as we all stood around the veterinarian’s table, lovingly placing our hands on Sampson and offering him Reiki as he transitioned out of this lifetime. Not only did it soothe Sampson and help him remain calm and peaceful during the process, but it offered my whole family a tool, a way to empower ourselves, during a very painful process. That night, I placed my hands on each of my family members and offered them more Reiki so that they could fall asleep, calmly and peacefully. I ended the night by offering myself Reiki before I too fell asleep.
On a physical level, my daughter had a headache last week from a cold that was creating sinus pressure. “Mom, can you give me Reiki?” was the request. I did so and five minutes later, her headache was gone. Again, wonderful that her pain had left ~ even more wonderful was I had an instant tool, my hands, that I could immediately use to help her. Reiki…..simple and easy to use. Anytime, anywhere.
Anyone can learn Reiki. You do not need special “powers” or subscribe to any set of beliefs, religious or spiritual, to learn Reiki. All you need is a sincere wish or intention to bring this beautiful healing practice into your life. I offer all levels of Reiki Certification classes so that I can help spread this gift, this birthright, to others. You can read more about the different levels of training as well as my class schedule by visiting: https://www.nhhealthwellness.com/event-category/reiki
Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions at karen@nhhealthwellness.com.
Karen Cerato is a Reiki Master Teacher, a Biomagnetic Practitioner, a Registered Yoga Teacher, and an Occupational Therapist. She is the owner and manager of the NH Health & Wellness Center in Nashua, NH where she offers Biomagnetic therapy and teaches Reiki Certification classes.
