When I first taught Reiki I taught very minimal meditation practices to students and only at level 2 (Okuden) and above. This is because this is how my teacher taught me and his taught teacher taught him, and her teacher taught her.
In our Reiki lineage it simply wasn't part of the syllabus of the courses we taught. According to Reiki teacher and researcher Frans Steine this was because when Reiki travelled from Japan to Hawaii and then the US and UK the Buddhist meditation practices weren't deemed as suitable for a western audience, so were dropped to make the training more appealing (along with other changes to Usui's back story).
For me not learning the meditation practices was fine, because I had a strong meditation practice from another source. However it did leave me feeling like my Reiki practice was incomplete, particularly as some of my Reiki training conflicted with my meditation training - something that didn't sit well with me at the time.
In 2019 I stumbled across another teacher (mine had since ascended to the heavenly realms) that was speaking in terms much more akin to my meditation training. He spoke of everything being Reiki, non-duality and a deeper translation of the Reiki symbols.
I keenly absorbed every word and soon found myself on his training course to repeat the most advanced levels of training.
Here I learnt of multiple Buddhist meditation practices that are extremely important for developing a clear mind so we might be the best possible vessel for Reiki. The included some practices I had already learnt, plus many more I had not. I got deep explanations on their origins and why they were used, and perhaps most valuable of all, a passionate teacher that led by example.
Now I have a healthy daily meditation practice and encourage others to do the same. Just a simple Kenyoko Ho (dry bathing ) 2-3 times a day is an achievable meditation practice to cleanse the body so we don't accumulate stress and tension. I now teach this technique at the Shoden first course.
For anyone interested in Reiki, a daily meditation practice is a requirement for spiritual advancement. Unless we have remained enlightened since birth, we have most likely acquired quite a bit of energetic debris, indulged in overthinking and succumbed to being easily distracted. A daily meditation practice is s a commitment to our personal development, helping us to develop focus, cleanse old beliefs and facilitate healthy energy flow.
I like meditation for how I feel after I have done it, which is clearer, more calm and stable, and better able to hear my intuition and guidance. It definitely makes me a better practitioner and a calmer more resilient person - something that both my clients and students benefit from.
Do you have a daily meditation practice? If so, which approaches are your favourite?
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