Nina L. Paul, PhD, is a Reiki Master in private Reiki practice in New York. She studied Immunology and epidemiology at Yale University and is also the author of Living with Hepatitis C For Dummies.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with Reiki 5

Chapter 1: Reiki: Connecting with Life-Force Energy 7

Discovering What Reiki Is and Isn't 8

What Reiki is 8

What Reiki isn't 9

Describing the System of Reiki 10

Examining the Energy of Reiki 11

Defining universal energy 11

Detecting subtle energy 11

Understanding how Reiki works 12

Distinguishing Reiki from other forms of energy healing 12

Exploring the History of Reiki 14

Getting Connected with Reiki 14

Trying a Reiki session 14

Taking Reiki classes 15

Choosing a Reiki Practitioner or Master 16

Experiencing the Benefits of Reiki 17

Healing a physical illness 17

Healing emotions 17

Getting insights or inspiration 18

Going further in spiritual development 18

Looking at the Reiki Symbols 18

Chapter 2: Navigating Your Body's Energy Systems 21

Describing Subtle Energy 21

Discovering Your Body's Energy Anatomy 23

Knowing the body's physical and energetic anatomy 24

Sensing your body's electromagnetic field: The aura 26

Pinpointing the acupuncture system: The meridians 28

Locating your energy centers: The chakras 29

Detecting Your Subtle Energy System with Reiki 31

Chapter 3: Exploring Reiki's Roots and Branches 33

Mikao Usui: The Founder of Reiki 34

Finding Reiki on the mountaintop 34

Teaching Reiki to others 35

Mikao Usui's legacy 36

Considering Reiki before Mikao Usui 37

Exploring the Medical Approach: Chujiro Hayashi 38

Bringing Reiki from East to West: Hawayo Takata 39

Learning Reiki for herself 39

Takata's versions of Reiki history 41

Seeing Reiki in Japan and the West 42

Reiki in Japan 42

Japanese and Western Reiki today 42

Looking at Reiki Branch Lineage 44

Japanese Usui Reiki branches 45

Western Usui Reiki branches 45

Choosing a Reiki Branch for Yourself 46

Letting Reiki Branches Differ 46

Forecasting the Future of Reiki 47

Chapter 4: Looking at the Reiki Principles 49

Describing the Reiki Principles 49

Staying in the present: Just for today 50

Going through the five Reiki Principles 51

Incorporating the Reiki Principles into Your Daily Life 55

Sharing Additional Versions of Reiki Principles 56

Just for today, be humble 57

Honor your parents, teachers, elders 57

Part 2: Experiencing Reiki for Yourself 59

Chapter 5: Getting the Reiki Treatment 61

Finding the Right Reiki Practitioner for You 62

Locating a professional practitioner 63

Interviewing your potential practitioner 63

Preparing Yourself for Your First Reiki Session 65

Exploring a Reiki Session from Beginning to End 65

What to expect before the session 66

Undergoing the Reiki session 67

Session accomplished: After the Reiki session 69

Repeating Your Reiki Experience 70

Using Reiki in Tandem with Other Therapies 71

Committing Yourself to Healing with Reiki 72

Chapter 6: Letting Your Entire Family Experience Reiki 73

Helping Yourself with Reiki 74

Cycling through Life with Reiki 75

Starting with pregnancy 76

Cherishing childhood with Reiki 77

Traipsing through the teenage years with Reiki 78

Gracing the senior years with Reiki 79

Concluding life with Reiki 81

Using Reiki for the Family Pet 82

Knowing when to use Reiki 82

Finding the right pet practitioner 83

Listening to animals 83

Using different techniques 85

Part 3: Becoming Well Versed in Reiki 87

Chapter 7: Seeking Reiki Training and Classes 89

Examining Reasons to Study Reiki 90

Asking the Right Questions about Reiki Classes and Teachers 91

Knowing the Reiki Classes and Certification 94

Distinguishing types of Reiki courses 95

Preparing before your Reiki class 96

Looking at individual Reiki levels 97

Defining a Reiki Master 99

Answering Questions about Attunements 100

Do I need to receive an attunement to access this high-level energy? 100

What about repeating attunements? 101

What will happen to me during the attunement? 101

What happens after the attunement? 101

Chapter 8: Discovering the Reiki Symbols 103

Understanding Reiki Symbols 104

Making it easy to connect 104

Looking at the background of the symbols 105

Using symbols without an attunement 105

Removing the secrecy, keeping the sacred 106

Taking a Close Look at the Four Reiki Symbols 107

Cho Ku Rei 107

Sei Hei Ki 109

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen 110

Dai Ko Myo 111

Drawing the Reiki Symbols 113

Activating the Reiki Symbols 114

Visualizing the symbols 114

Saying the names of the symbols 115

Looking at More Symbols, Reiki and Otherwise 115

Chapter 9: Connecting with Reiki Energy Techniques 117

Connecting with the Reiki Energy 118

Combining Prayer and Intention with Reiki 119

Meditating to Connect with Reiki Energy 120

Prayerful hands: Gassho 121

Breathing meditation: Joshin Kokyu Ho 123

Focusing technique: Seishin Toitsu 124

Chakra meditation 125

Contracting the Hui Yin 127

Receiving Guidance through Intuition 128

Chapter 10: Applying Reiki to Yourself 131

Putting Yourself First 132

Discovering the benefits of self-Reiki 132

Creating ways to incorporate self-Reiki 133

Preparing to Give Yourself Reiki 134

Treating Yourself with Reiki 134

Listing the self-Reiki hand positions 135

Branching out to other positions 144

Personalizing Your Self-Reiki Practice 146

Being creative 146

Using Reiki for first aid self-care 146

Giving yourself a Reiki Shower 147

Chapter 11: Healing Others with Reiki Positions and Techniques 149

Examining Full-Body Hand Positions 150

Starting at the head 151

Moving down the front of the body 155

Switching to the back of the body 161

Don't forget the legs and feet! 164

Considering additional Reiki positions 166

Knowing Where to Go and When to Leave 167

Deciding on hand placement 167

Moving on 169

Using Reiki without Touching the Body 169

Beaming Reiki energy from across the room 170

Using your breath and your eyes 170

Balancing Chakras with Reiki 171

Chapter 12: Reiki Rocks! Using Crystals with Reiki 173

Exploring the Healing Power of Crystals 174

Sensing the energy of crystals 174

Knowing the lore of crystals 175

Distinguishing among Crystals, Rocks, and Gems 177

Finding the Right Crystals for You 178

Considering the crystal's shape 178

Choosing which crystal to use 179

Staying Crystal Clear: Cleaning a Crystal's Energy 179

Knowing how to cleanse your crystal 180

Jakikiri Joka Ho: Using Reiki to clean inanimate objects 180

Giving Your Crystal a Reiki Charge 181

Bringing Crystals to the Reiki Table 182

Knowing which crystals to use 182

Placing the crystals during a Reiki session 183

Part 4: Sharing Reiki with Others 185

Chapter 13: Putting Together a Reiki Healing Session 187

Developing Your Reiki Style 188

Preparing Yourself to Give Reiki 188

Getting Your Surroundings Ready 189

Merging Different Healing Practices 190

Considering Ethics and Boundaries 190

Recognizing that each person or situation is unique 191

Sharing information with others 192

Respecting boundaries 192

Going through the Session 193

Starting the session 193

Taking notes mid-session 194

Ending the session 194

Cleaning and Protecting 195

Exploring the technique of aura cleansing 196

Using the Kenyoku Ho technique 196

Protecting yourself with the Power symbol 197

Cleansing the Reiki room 198

Chapter 14: Experiencing Reiki in a Group Setting 199

Participating in Reiki Events 200

Finding Reiki events 201

Knowing what to expect 201

Reaping the benefits 202

Harnessing the Power of Group Reiki 202

Giving group Reiki sessions 203

Meditating in a Reiki group 205

Passing energy around in a circle 205

Sending distant Reiki as a group 206

Receiving a group Reiki session 206

Going on a Reiki Retreat 207

Taking Reiki to the Community 208

Chapter 15: Sending Reiki Where Needed 209

Like a Prayer: Understanding How Reiki Can Be Sent 210

Sending Reiki to people who are far away 211

Sending Reiki to the future 211

Sending Reiki to the past 211

Sending Reiki to different places and situations 212

Getting Permission to Send Distant Reiki 214

Receiving consent from the recipient 214

Sharing what you learn with the recipient 215

Getting Prepared for Distant Reiki 216

Performing the Distant Reiki Session 216

Using visuals for the distant session 216

Performing the distant Reiki technique 217

Creating the session structure 218

Using Distant Reiki to Heal Yourself 219

Sending Reiki to Many at Once 219

Chapter 16: Combining Reiki Healing with Other Health Practices 221

Discovering...