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Yoga for Health – Reiki for Healing

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‘Health’ can be defined as a balanced state of being, whereas ‘healing,’ on the other hand, can be described as the journey to arrive at this state. Yoga and reiki may be practiced interchangeably or in tandem on this journey to allow, achieve and/or maintain a balanced state of being.

Of the 28 meanings of the word ‘yoga,’ the one we are perhaps most familiar with is ‘union. ’ Traditionally, many gurus of the ‘Vedas’(the font from which the various practices or types of Yoga have originated) state that yoga is the union of body, mind and spirit. We can also think of yoga as the creation of an internal awareness that enables the integration of these aspects of our human form.

 

There is a wonderful story that illustrates this connection in The Gospel According to Sri Ramakrishna, by M. He relates an episode concerning the eating of a morsel of food. The guru raises his hand to his mouth and eats, then repeats the action without the food. He is asked by a disciple, “Why did you repeat that action?” Ramakrishna responds, “The first time I did it without awareness; all actions must be made with complete awareness.” Thus, even the smallest movement done with awareness is yoga. This is certainly a far cry from the visions of Gumby taking on pretzel-like postures that many of us think of as yoga. The Asanas, or postures, serve to prepare the body to maintain a comfortable position for meditation. This allows us to connect to our spirit or ‘divine energy’ and arrive at a place of balance, ease and oneness.

The study of yoga, Vedanta philosophy and master level training in several reiki traditions provides a deeper understanding of these traditions and how they may be applied to improve the quality our everyday lives. In a balanced state, our bodies are self-regulating (our hearts beat and we breathe without much thought) and self-healing. We need only look at a paper cut to see how quickly the skin regenerates to understand this concept. Other aspects or disciplines of yoga can guide us along the path towards wellness.

There are many yogic practices that can yield many of the same benefits that the exercise form of an asana does. Remember that the principle is the union of body, mind and spirit. The path from the physical to the more subtle or energetic is well described in Sir John Woodroffe’s book The Serpent Power. There is a progression from yoga as exercise to Yoga Nidra to Kriya Yoga to Kundalini. It is with these practices that we move from the internal (physical) to the more external or all-encompassing (energetic).

Yoga Nidra or the ‘yoga of sleep’ achieves this with simplicity. This guided meditation practice follows a rotation of awareness through the physical body, based on the organization of the motor cortex of the brain, gradually moving towards a connection to the subtle body as we become more adept. As Yoga Nidra progresses to the rotation of awareness through the chakras, or energy centres, which we associate with the nerve plexi of the physical body (sacral, solar, heart, etc.) and the nadis or meridians of the energetic or subtle body (think of the nerve channels), the practice can be called Kriya or the ‘yoga of action.’ With Kundalini Yoga we begin to raise this energy from its resting place in the physical body, at the Root chakra or Mooladhara, to connect to the infinite. Each of these practices can assist us in returning to a state of balance, ease and health.

We have described how a few yoga disciplines follow the path from an internal awareness of body to an external awareness of the energy that is us and that is all around us. We could say it is an upward path—and what goes up must come down.

If what affects the physical also impacts the mental/emotional and energetic, then the reverse is also true. I can attest to this from my own experience with irritable bowel Syndrome and a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. The physical disorder left me incontinent, anaemic and extremely fatigued. Emotionally, it left me depressed, anxious and deeply disturbed. It completely disrupted life as I knew it. Through meditation practices I was able to affect a change upon my physical body. I am now symptom free of IBS. Reiki, commonly referred to as an ‘energy therapy,’ also played an important roll in my recovery.

The word ‘reiki’ originated from two ancient Tibetan words: ‘raku,’ the vertical flow of energy through the body, and ‘kei,’ the horizontal. We have come to know reiki in the western world as ‘universal consciousness’ or ‘universal energy,’ the same as prana in yoga.

Reiki training provides an attunement or connection to universal energy. We allow this energy to flow from the universal to the physical, through the practitioner’s body to affect a change upon another, whether it is physical, emotional or energetic in nature. This is facilitated through a series of hand positions around the body, or it can also be activated at a distance, since it is an energetic connection created with thought and intention. We are merely reversing the flow of awareness from the external (universal) to the internal (physical). In terms of yoga, the path now flows from Kundalini to Kriya, then Nidra and Asana—as above, so below.

No matter the direction of the many paths or rivers, they all lead to one ocean where we may rest at ease in a state of balance and health.

14 Benefits of Yoga (equals) 14 Benefits of Reiki

Body

  • Support the body's natural ability to heal itself
  • Strengthen the immune system
  • Treat the underlying causes of illness, as well as the symptoms
  • Balance the functions of the organs and glands
  • Cleanse the body of toxins

Mind

  • Revitalize the body, mind and spirit
  • Promote relaxation
  • Relieve pain
  • Enhance personal awareness
  • Enhance meditation

Spirit

  • Re-establish spiritual equilibrium and mental wellbeing
  • Balance the body's energies
  • Strengthen intuition
  • Promote creativity

T.S. (Tim) White, RYT
runs a weekly Yoga/Reiki class at Trinity St. Paul's United Church in Toronto. He volunteers as a Reiki practitioner at Wellspring - A network of cancer support centres.

 


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