The Reiki Dojo

As we pass the Solstice, the darkness begins to gradually recede and the light returns little by little. For thousands of years human beings have held festivals to cheer these dark months. For many it is Christmas and for those celebrating this festival I wish you a happy time. However, it can be a busy time, looking after guests, shopping for gifts and going to parties: potentially an exhausting holiday!

Hopefully once the Christmas parties are over and the main festivities are done, you will have some time to rest. This year my husband Alec and I are on our own for the first time, having spent most previous Christmases with my mother and sister’s family. We do not anticipate being bored, but having – like many – had a challenging year, we are looking forward to the quiet, un-stressful time and a chance to rest and catch up with ourselves.

Have you ever had to take your car to be fixed by a mechanic? In order to achieve the repair did the mechanic need the car to be still or could it be done while driving along? Although a test drive might be needed, most repairs need the car to be at rest. The human body and mind are so much more complex than a car and also need constant repair, so we also need to be at rest to heal. A self-Reiki or receiving Reiki from another is one way to spend some time in stillness, resting and healing.

We have two potential states of being: the stressed state, ready to fight or run in which many of our body’s systems are shut down to prioritise those needed for survival. The other state is the rest, digest and heal state, in which all the necessary physical and emotional functions to digest our experiences and food and heal from any injuries takes place. So rest is vital for our health and well-being. The sleep we have each night helps our bodies to regenerate and heal. 

Yet in our busy modern world we often do not take the time to rest and recover. The past few years have been particularly difficult for many people with many worries affecting nearly all of us. How many of us have really taken the time to rest and recover from this?

I believe that Reiki helps us to drop out of the stressful state and back into the resting state. Many people fall asleep during Reiki, because at last their minds are able to relax and stop looking for the next problem. Muscles relax, breathing deepens and there is a feeling of being at peace. This often lasts many hours, often leading to good sleep, until something triggers the stress response again.

The Reiki philosophy also encourages the resting state, such as the Reiki principles that invite us just for today to not worry or anger – both of which are stressful states. Once we have rested, we can be more resilient to stressful things and are less likely to worry or get angry.

So I wish you the blessing of a restful time over the Christmas holiday, if this is possible for you. If you have Reiki, I encourage you to take time for longer self-Reiki daily through the holiday. I thnk you’ll feel better for it!