Spent the weekend at the Applied Neuro-science course in London.  Professor Patricia Riddell makes the learning very clear and the exercises reinforce the learnings.  I expected it to be good but it is amazing!  I am now working out which parts of the brain are used during each section of sophrology exercises and bringing a whole new dimension to the sophrology training.

When our ‘life-force energy’ or life's natural flow of energy becomes unsettled in any way or gets blocked, it usually leads to emotional imbalance and health problems.

Stress and anxiety, negative and harmful thoughts, disturbing feelings, emotional turmoil or physical trauma, all can bring imbalances into the body, which may lead to more serious health issues if left untreated.

Reiki supports the body in releasing stress and tension by creating deep relaxation while stimulating healing and health. Some people say that a reiki treatment feels like warm, gentle rays of sunshine surrounding you, flowing through you and totally relaxing you.

When we become relaxed and free of any stress or worry, it really helps our body to restore its natural, inner ability to heal. Reiki healing not only helps you get rid of unwanted stress, but it also gives you a way to achieve deep relaxation often resulting in improved sleep too.

Reiki restores your energy balance and vitality by relieving the physical and emotional effects of unreleased stress. It gently and effectively opens blocked meridians and chakras, clearing the energy bodies, leaving you feeling relaxed and peaceful.

Reiki treats your body, mind, emotions and spirit as a whole, it is a powerful, natural and safe method of healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. 

Reiki is wonderfully gentle and nurturing.

As a Reiki student you will be introduced to the practise of mindfulness in the First Degree Level and continue with this state of living in the present moment, of being relaxed, calm and fully engaged in what you are doing while being fully aware of what is happening in the moment ‘right now’ and giving yourself completely to your undertaking without distraction as you progress to the Master Degree Level.

Dr Mikao Usui’s principles described in our blog article ‘The Five Reiki Principles by Dr Mikao Usui’ are wonderful teachings about embracing mindfulness in our everyday activities.  When we are encouraged to “just for today” contemplate one of the 5 principles, we are being guided to be present in a mindful state.

Mindfulness is a practise that you can embrace as part of your daily life by learning how to enjoy and be in the present moment with no purpose other than being awake and fully aware, simply observing the moment in which you find yourself, without judging, reflecting or thinking.

With regular practise you will learn to release your attachment to the past and the future and just “be” now, content and accepting in the present moment, ultimately finding a deep peace within yourself.

There is a wonderful book, written by Thich Nhat Hanh: called “The Miracle of Mindfulness” that guides you on how to enhance the use of mindfulness as part of your daily activities in life.

Dr. Mikao Usui developed these principles when he realized our spiritual, emotional, and physical health truly begins when we take responsibility for our own well-being.

These principles are recommendations on how to create a peaceful life and do not call for an in-depth knowledge of Reiki to be effective.

FIRST PRINCIPLE
Just for today, I will not worry.

When we worry, it may be that we are creating a mental reaction to something that hasn't happened yet, which means that we are experiencing the emotion before the action.

We all have the ability to create a future in our mind, but this future does not exist until we create it, so when we worry, it is often for something that doesn't exist, but this emotion gets stored in our brain and is then accessed every time we think about that situation. 

Once this emotion of worry has been established, it is quite difficult to see the future from a different perspective and because of this, we may find ourselves creating the future we are trying to avoid.

Letting go of worry just for today, allows us to trust that we will be able to handle any situation the future brings us and from this perspective we are able to discover that the only thing that truly exists is the present moment…  

SECOND PRINCIPLE
Just for today, I will not be angry.

Anger is a reaction to something that is mostly out of our control, which means that, instead of thinking of the situation we are faced with as being different, and reacting to it differently, we have a tendency to judge and use a predetermined response, and if our predetermined response is anger, then we will become angry.

When we react in this way, our mind creates chemicals that gives us the feeling of anger, as a result our body tenses up, our heart rate increases and our emotions become clouded.

Since anger is created in our mind, it is our choice to hold onto it, or just for today, to let it go.

THIRD PRINCIPLE
Just for today, I will be grateful.

Sometimes we keep asking for more because we only see what we don't have instead of being grateful for what we do have.

When we become grateful for the very experience of our physical existence, grateful to be alive in this very moment, for the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and all that sustains us, we easily give thanks and forgiveness to others in our lives.

This principle helps us develop a deep understanding that, just for today, everything we need has been provided. 

FOURTH PRINCIPLE
Just for today, I will do my work honestly. 

When we do our work honestly and with purpose we feel good about ourselves and more fulfilled about our work, bringing more purpose and meaning into our life.

We should also be true to ourselves and truthful towards others, instead of hiding who we really are from ourselves and others.

Through honesty we can move forward in life without harming ourselves or others.

FIFTH PRINCIPLE
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

By living in kindness we live in a way that is most beneficial to our mental well-being, acknowledging everything that surrounds us as a living object when looked at from an atomic level, so our kindness and respect should be unlimited.

We create kindness within ourselves by understanding that we are all connected and perfect while being at different stages in life.  When we are kind, even in times of personal difficulty, then kindness has become a permanent part of our autonomic response system. 

How we approach any situation with ourselves and all that is around us, is done making a conscious choice, the one of vital importance is “kindness”.

Even though it might seem a bit overwhelming to live by all five principles every single day, you can always begin today by choosing one that resonates with you now.