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Creating balance and harmony in life is no easy task, yet the practice of Reiki can help to promote feelings of calm and ease. This gentle form of healing can be remarkably powerful in reducing stress, which then enables the body to return to its natural state of health and well-being. With Reiki, a new level of understanding is often gained about the importance of being balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Reiki supports one in becoming more aware, centered, and self-empowered. The word Reiki actually means Universal Life Energy; and by using it on oneself or others, a connection to this energy is created which can be both profound and transformative.

The Gift of Reiki is designed as an introduction to the world of Reiki and its enormous potential; yet the material in this book is also useful for someone who has already studied Reiki. All facets of this system of healing are covered in this comprehensive guide which explains in detail how to use Reiki effectively and presents many different applications for it. The book also outlines the most recently documented version of the Reiki history. Embracing all schools of Reiki, the book is inclusive; and therefore, it is an excellent text for teaching Reiki.

You will discover:

• The potential of Reiki as a path of self-development
• New insights into the Five Reiki Principles
• How to adapt a Reiki treatment for various situations
• The benefits of both receiving and giving Reiki
• How Reiki works in conjunction with other healing modalities
• The individual insights of three Reiki teachers
 

The collaborative effort of writing this book has been an exceptionally rewarding experience for the three of us. Since we live in different states, and wrote only when we were together, the project has taken four years to complete. Little did we know when we began, how all-encompassing the work would be or where it would take each of us on a personal level. As the book grew and evolved, we observed change and growth in each other as well. In weaving together our individual ideas, experiences, and teaching styles, a synergy has been created. The result is The Gift of Reiki.

Susan Bradford has been practicing Reiki since 1989, and began teaching it in 1996. Prior to that, she had a twenty-year career editing art books for various publishers in New York City. After taking Reiki, she began to realize that editing no longer served her creative or spiritual needs, and moved increasingly toward Reiki and other healing arts, such as shamanic process work, energy balancing, and Jin Shin Jyutsu acupressure. What began as a part-time activity has become a passion and a vocation. Susan is constantly deepening her connection to Reiki through further study and exploration of its many forms. She has studied three types of Usui Reiki and has become a Gendai Reiki Master. She lives on Orcas Island, in Washington State with her partner, while maintaining her teaching and healing practice in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and New York City. She has taught classes and retreats in many places on the East coast, and in Chicago and Colorado. Susan is also a visual artist and improvisational dancer. She continues to paint and dance as a primary means of self-expression and as a way to connect to her inner self. Her creative work intertwines with all her work in the healing arts, and each influences the other. She believes healing at its best is creative, and that her art can be a form of healing.

Claudia Fischer brings to the practice and teaching of Reiki many of the skills she acquired during her twenty-four year career in higher education administration. Her work in advising and counseling allowed Claudia to have a significant influence on the lives of many students. In addition, her position gave her the opportunity to gain experience as a workshop leader and to organize conferences on both the regional and national levels. She is currently associated with a national consulting firm in higher education, where she serves on the board of directors and also as a consultant. During the years that Claudia was engaged in the study of energy healing and spiritual counseling, she was introduced to Reiki and was drawn to the elegance and simplicity of it. She became a Reiki Master/Teacher and is also a Gendai Reiki Master. One of her passions is to promote a more peaceful world by teaching effective conflict resolution and communication skills, and by creating awareness of the need for environmental conservation. Claudia has had a lifelong love of music, and has sung in a classical choral group for many years. She has one son, and lives with her husband in Delaware.

Catherine Roche leads a full and diverse life in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, as a Reiki teacher and practitioner, Yoga teacher, musician, wife, and mother. She also co-manages a holistic center. She began her career in the healing arts as a histology technician working in both surgical and research laboratories. In time, Catherine was led to seek out more natural systems of healing, and, in so doing, discovered first Yoga and then Reiki. She took Integral Yoga teacher training at the Satchidananda Ashram near Charlottesville, Virginia, and has been teaching classes for seventeen years at various holistic and spiritual venues throughout the Pocono region. After witnessing the healing qualities of regular Yoga practice, Catherine felt the need to learn a more hands-on approach to helping herself and others. Upon becoming a Reiki practitioner, she immediately began to work on clients. She, then, realized how beneficial it would be to pass on this wonderful energy, so she became a Reiki Master and began to add Reiki classes to her teaching schedule. She has two grown daughters, both of whom have learned Reiki from her; and she sings and plays drums in a jazz duo with her husband. Catherine brings the peaceful balance of Yoga, the creative pleasure of making music, the nurturing care of motherhood, and the joy of a loving relationship to her healing work.

Susan, Claudia, and Catherine have created The Bi-Coastal Reiki Institute in order to spread information about Reiki, to teach individual Reiki classes across the country, and to expand the availability of Reiki classes to a variety of professional settings, such as hospitals, hospice organizations, corporations, and schools. It is also our intention to support the work of other teachers from all Reiki schools.
 

Excerpts from the Book

Many people think that Reiki is just a system of healing, used primarily to promote relaxation, balance, and good health. As a result, it is common for most Reiki classes to emphasize only the process of how to give a treatment. However, even though treatment is a central element, Reiki is much more than that. It can also become an integral part of our way of life. Embracing Reiki in this way provides a rewarding and fulfilling path to self exploration and spiritual growth. As we learn more about ourselves through the practice of Reiki, we attain new levels of understanding and gain insight about our relationship to everything around us. Just by doing Reiki on ourselves and others, we may find that our minds are more open to new ideas, that our philosophy of life has gradually shifted, and that the way we live has changed. In this natural way, it is possible for Reiki to emerge as something very powerful and profound.

 

Although you are merely a conduit for the energy, it is still desirable to apply your intention for the highest good when giving Reiki. In fact, the more focused and fully present you are, the more strongly connected to the Universal Life Energy you can be. Some ways to accomplish this are through conscious breathing, mindfulness, and visualization. Your willingness to fully expand your mind in this way leads you toward a deeper understanding of how to use your intention more consciously. It is important to remain open and fluid, and at the same time to have focus and direction. Ask for Reiki to flow through you, without being attached to a specific outcome. Remain conscious of your breath as much as possible. When you combine intention, intuition, and breathing with Reiki energy, trust that the highest good is always served. Remain conscious of your intention, and allow the mystery to unfold.

It is tempting to look at the healing process from a place of success or failure. However, this way of thinking is based totally on ego; and ego has no influence on the power of Reiki. Taking credit for the success of a treatment or blaming yourself for a supposed failure is a contradiction to the true nature of Reiki. If your ego is in the way, you cannot be completely open to the energy.

When you are strong and healthy, it is easier to fully enjoy the blessings of your life. Making the commitment to work on yourself regularly is a way of accepting the responsibility for your own good health, your mental clarity, and your emotional stability. You are literally taking your healing process into your own hands, and nothing can be more empowering than that.

Over the years, we have found that, after taking a Reiki level I class, the student who immediately establishes a regular self-treatment routine benefits the most. This type of discipline makes Reiki an integral part of your life from the very beginning, which is one of the primary goals for any Reiki student. Once you know how Reiki feels on your own body and after you experience the impact it can have on you, it follows naturally that you will be able to build the confidence you need to work on others. In addition, when you are feeling whole, it is possible for you to be an open conduit for Reiki energy to flow through you to another person.

We are living in an age where the demands of daily life are constantly growing; mental illness is widespread; and stress is rampant. The ever-increasing pace of life is wearing, disorienting, and often debilitating. We feel as if we are running faster and faster, and yet we cannot keep up with what needs to be done. Because of all this, it is more important than ever that we consciously take care of ourselves. It is essential to develop a strategy for coping with the stress of living in today’s world. Once you have the gift of Reiki, it will be a central component of any such plan.

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