You don’t have to be a practitioner to live ‘The Reiki Way’.
There are five fundamental principles to Reiki. These principles were created as a way to inform how to live a fulfilled life. Depending on the branch of Reiki studied they may vary slightly, but the general idea is the same.
1. Just for today, I will let go of anger.
2. Just for today, I will let go of worry.
3. Today I will count my blessings.
4. Today I will do my work honestly.
5. Today I will be kind to every living creature.
Practiced daily, these simple principles get us grounded and present to every moment in every day. The idea is to take one day at a time, to be aware of how we perceive the present moment and to know that we have the power to make a not-so-good day, great.
Just for today, I will let go of anger. Anger is typically triggered when something or someone fails to meet our expectations (including ourselves). Anger will bubble up when we look at a situation and apply our past experiences, thoughts or opinions onto what’s happening now. We have a preconceived notion of how things coulda, shoulda or woulda been and we get angry it they don’t turn out the way we want them to. Power lies in seeing our anger for what it is and understanding where we play a part in creating the anger in any situation. We’re not living in the present when we’re worrying because we’re not able to see a different outcome in the current situation.
Just for today, I will let go of worry. Worry lives in the future. When we worry, we anticipate problems that haven’t happened and may never happen. Rather than being present to what’s happening, we create scenarios in our heads, often far more negative than they end up being. This is where we create mountains out of molehills. While we may not realize it, building those mountains adds a lot of heaviness to our psyche. We stress ourselves out worrying – elevating our blood pressure, quickening our heart. We initiate a primitive fight or flight response, with nothing but our thoughts of what may or may not be rather than dealing calmly with any situations when (if) they arise.
Today I will count my blessings. When shit hits the fan and everything seems to be falling off the rails, it’s so easy for us to only look at the problems. We focus on what’s not going right, and understandably so when things get tough! We can often take the good things we have for granted or regret what we don’t have. But there’s something magical in looking around and being grateful for what we’ve got. Having a feeling of gratitude changes your energy. Just think about how good it feels when you’re around someone that lights you up, makes you smile and laugh when you’re down. That shift of energy shows us how it feels to be thankful for the good stuff.
Today I will do my work honestly. Unless you’re Paris Hilton, you’re probably working to make a living. And you’re likely at work or working most of the time. If you’re spending most of your time working, you might as well be doing something you love, value and doing it with integrity. Treat your work as an opportunity to challenge and grow yourself, not just a way to pay the bills. Doing the same thing day in and out? Why not find a way to do it differently or infuse some play into what you do?
Today I will be kind to every living creature. This is about being kind to everyone we meet and interact with. While we have the conscious choice to choose who we decide to live with, work with, love and have in our lives, there’s no reason why we can’t treat everyone with respect. Being kind extends to all living creatures includes others, animals, the earth and ourselves.
These principles help simplify what we tend to complicate the most in our lives – how we see ourselves, the world and others around us. If we can take a breather the next time we get caught up in preconceived notions and be kind to ourselves and others and be thankful for what we’ve got, we’ve made huge strives to living fuller and happier lives – ‘The Reiki Way’.
Much love XXX
No Comments