My name is Sarah Martin and I am a wellness specialist at Peoples South. At the end of January, I was lucky enough to join a reiki workshop being held at our location. For those unfamiliar with reiki, it is a form of hands-on energy transmission healing. The three-day workshop was held by Reiki Master Michael Abedin, who also publishes local magazine Austin All-Natural. Michael has had extensive training in reiki, linking him to eight different teachers in lineage under the founder of the practice, Mikao Usui. He has even traveled around the country with his previous teacher helping to train many other Reiki Masters. These days, Michael offers self-instructed, weekend-long workshops welcoming newcomers to Master Level Quantum attunements.
Reiki was first discovered as a healing tool by Mikao Usui about 100 years ago. Legend states that while asking for enlightenment atop a mountain in Japan, Usui was struck by lightning. After years of meditation following the strike, he is said to have acquired the energetic powers of reiki. The reiki process he developed and introduced to the world is a tool which can bring divine healing to an individual. By following specific hand placement technique and symbols, a student can learn how to transfer energy to someone else.
Reiki is a far more spiritual practice than I had previously realized. Regardless of your spiritual background, it is an accepting practice that doesn’t discern between religions. While being fueled by intent from the administrator, it is up to the client to accept the energy in order to heal his or herself. This is a key component of reiki. Before beginning a treatment, it is important to ask the individual as well as their higher self to accept the healing energy in the intensity that is appropriate to each participant at that time. It is also good practice to ask upon spirit guides to assist in the session. As much as it is a spiritual practice, it can pack an emotional punch as well. During these calming sessions, it is intended to serve as a safe place for the client to clear any emotional baggage that may be hiding beneath the surface. Some people believe these internal blockages are the root of disease states that arise later in life. Reiki helps to establish a mind-body connection for optimum wellness.
In the course I took, I was attuned to Quantum Reiki Master. There are many spins on the traditional reiki lessons that combine different techniques and ideals to the original model. Quantum Reiki is akin to quantum physics modalities. I was attuned one level higher each day starting from Level 1, Level 2 and to Master Level on Sunday, the final day of the workshop. This included a guided meditation to introduce me to my spirit guide, chakra alignment and a specialized reiki teacher attuning technique. Besides the attuning, we also partnered up in the class and were walked through step-by-step sessions to practice on each other. It was amazing how the spots that had been worked on felt so different than the ones that hadn’t yet been worked on. It felt very uplifting to perform and receive treatments and I look forward to continuing my reiki journey.
by Sarah Martin. Sarah is a wellness specialist at Peoples South.