In this article I want to talk about Mindfulness and Compassion, which I believe are two essential components of Reiki practice.
Whether we are treating others, working on ourselves, empowering others or living our lives with Reiki, we should grow to embody those two states, the essence of the Reiki precepts.
Let me explain…
According to Usui Sensei’s surviving students, Mikao Usui introduced his students to the practice of mindfulness at First Degree level, and emphasised this more at Second Degree level. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary (9th Edition), to be mindful is to take heed or care, to be conscious.
Mindfulness or being mindful is being aware of your present moment.
You are not judging, reflecting or thinking. You are simply observing the moment in which you find yourself, fully aware. Moments are like a breath. Each breath is replaced by the next breath.
You are there with no other purpose than being awake and aware of that moment.
So mindfulness is a state of living in the moment, of being relaxed, calm and fully engaged in what we are doing. Mindfulness is being fully aware of what is happening right now and giving ourselves completely to our task without distraction. By learning how to enjoy and be in the present moment we can find peace within ourselves.
Like precepts, mindfulness is largely associated with Buddhism and it is a meditative practice that is not reserved for special meditation sessions: it is a practice that you can embrace as part of your daily life and when carrying out routine and mundane tasks.
The Reiki precepts are such an important part of Reiki, aren't they: embracing and reflecting mindfulness and giving us such a simple and powerful set of guidelines for "changing things for the better".
Some people like to chant the precepts to themselves each morning, perhaps while carrying out Hatsurei ho, or they have them written on a "Post It" note stuck to their filing cabinet or fridge.
I have been working with some ideas about how we can really *deepen* our experience of the precepts in our lives, and there are two things that I have come up with.
Firstly, I have created a "Precepts Rehearsal" method, which you can read all about in this blog: Precepts Rehearsal.
Secondly, I have used my knowledge of Ericksonian suggestion patterns to create some powerful guided meditations that can help you to fully embrace the Reiki precepts in your daily life. Japanese Reiki uses a method called "Nentatsu Ho" to embed suggestions about positive behaviour, using Reiki as a 'carrier', and I have blended that principle with hypnotic suggestion patterns so you can effortlessly deepen your experience of Mikao Usui's simple life-principles.
