This is a very common question and one I struggled with too in the beginning, what to do? Focus on something? Reiki ‘On’, Reiki ‘off’? Visualise white light? Rainbows? Unicorns? And when I was given the answer…”Nothing” I was flummoxed, what did that even mean?
Doing nothing is impossible for the mind, after all, thinking is what it does. Its like asking our heart to stop pumping, or our lungs to stop breathing. Thinking is what the mind does, full stop. So the key to understanding the concept of ‘Do Nothing’ is to first realise you are no more your mind than you are your heart, or your lungs. Our mind is one organ in our body that we have somehow identified with as all of ‘me’. And its funny how attached we are to this, and how impossible it seems to detach. But you are not your thinking, you are not your mind.
In Reiki, one of the key miracles of this energy is that it is universal, non-judgmental, and balancing. So as you apply Reiki to yourself, and to others, you will begin to notice a natural quietening of the mind. In its natural state, the mind is peaceful – like any other organ of the body, it has a job to do – to think. And its job is very valuable to help us live, keep us creative, and help problem solve. Of course over time we have identified with it, given it all our power etc but that is another story. For now, the key concept to play with is that it will quieten naturally with Reiki. So all you have to do is wait for this – and not wait in a demanding or grasping way (that’s just more thinking), but in a quiet, curious way – open and willing to see what happens.
And as the mind quiets, just notice ‘am I still aware?’ This awareness of the mind quietening is your true self. The truth of you actually exists beyond thoughts. The first time this happened to me I got quite a shock, I became aware that my mind was completely still, and in that moment I wondered if I had died! And of course in that wondering, I started thinking again 🙂 But in that split second of total stillness, I also knew I still existed. I was not my mind.
Use your Reiki treatments like this, as a deep deep meditation. In true meditation we do not listen to guidance from an audio (that is guided visualisation, not meditation), we do not focus on an object or something outside ourselves, or chant a mantra (this is building focus and concentration, not meditation). In pure meditation we simply allow all that is – and become deeply aware of it. So become aware of your body, of all the energy coursing around it, of the sensations and the aliveness. Become aware of the breath, the life force energy that you bring in as you breath. Become aware of your thoughts but don’t add to them, simply allow them to run through your mind and out, hold each thought very lightly and stop grasping, or following.
When you treat other people the same principle applies, simply be with the process and become aware of all the movement, and sensations both in your body, in your hands and also in theirs. You will become aware the air around you also moves and flows, the entire environment is alive with energy – its very fun to deeply immerse yourself in this – this is life!
But don’t judge it! Don’t think about it, don’t interpret it, simply allow it to be. It is not for you to be the ‘healer’ and it is not for you to do anything but be present. Allow Reiki to heal, and to balance, and allow the other person to have their own experience, whatever that might be.
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