Reiki and Meditation

by Laurelle Shanti Gaia

Creating Time and Developing Focus
When teaching Reiki classes I often speak of my Reiki meditations . This stirs que
stions and comments from many of the students. Frequently students exclaim I jus
t can t meditate , My mind is always wandering , I don t have time to meditate , How do I
Reiki to help me learn to meditate , I ve meditated for years, why do I need to use
Reiki?
It wasn
el like
quarius
help of

t until I began incorporating Reiki into my meditations that I began to fe

I was really accomplishing something. I happen to be a Gemini with an A
moon, talk about mental chatter! So if I can learn to meditate with the
Reiki, I believe anyone can!

The purpose of meditation

First let s consider the purpose of meditation and the forms it can take. Meditat
ion is the art of creating a quiet mind and listening to the sound of silence.
Where prayer is the act of talking with the Divine, meditation is the act of lis
tening and truly hearing what God has to share with us. This can take place duri
ng special sacred moments that you set aside specifically for the purpose of med
itation, or spontaneously. Activities when spontaneous meditations often occur a
re while brushing your teeth, in the shower, hiking, running, washing the dishes
, mowing the lawn and yes, we have all had those auto-pilot moments while drivin
g the car.
Creating time
Now, what about that challenge of making time to meditate? This is a challenge
for nearly every person on the planet. Multi-tasking is a way of life for so ma
ny people, and time seems to be moving faster every day. So how does one make t
ime? Simple just DO it! Our communion with the Divine through prayer and meditat
ion is THE single most important thing we can do each day. NOTHING holds more ur
gency for the development of our day, the events in our life and the growth of o
ur soul. The most important relationship we have is our relationship with God.
The quality of all our other relationships is influenced by our ability to commu
ne with God as we would with a friend.
The best way I have found to create time to meditate is by starting my day earli
er, and the first thing I do is my prayer, meditation and distant Reiki practice
. Whatever the schedule of my household is at the time, I arise at least an hou
r before everyone else. This is MY precious time. These are sacred moments and
they are just for me. You deserve precious, sacred moments to commune with and
develop a relationship, a friendship with God and with the healing love of the
Reiki energy.
Creating Focus
Usui Sensei taught his students the first pillar of Reiki, the Gassho meditation
. Gassho means two hands coming together . Dr. Usui taught his students to place
their hands in the Gassho position every morning and evening. Gassho teaches th
e art of quieting the mind and creating single pointed focus in meditation. One
basically places their hands in prayer position, closes their eyes, and brings a
ll their awareness to the tip of the fire (middle) finger. When the mind wander
s, gently press the fire fingers together and refocus. This technique is detaile
d in Reiki the Healing Touch .
I begin my daily sessions with Gassho, and then I offer prayers for myself, for
others and the planet. Next I send distant Reiki to all who have requested it.
A 21-Day Reiki Meditation Program

I have used the following 21-day program to learn more about Reiki, develop the
ability to focus, to empower my prayers, goals and visions; and to receive answe
rs.
Days 1-7
Begin by creating an intention or a question. Draw the Usui power symbo
l in front of your body and with your hands, move the energy into your solar ple
xus. Breathe deeply, imagining that you are breathing in the essence of the sym
bol. As you exhale allow the energy to permeate every cell of your body, and ex
pand out into your emotional body, your mental body, all the way into your spiri
tual body. State your intention or ask your question. Sit quietly with this ene
rgy for 5-15 minutes. If your mind wanders, simply invoke the name of the power
symbol three times and visualize it. When you finish, acknowledge that you are
holding the full light of the Reiki energy and it will be with you through your
day. Write notes about your experience in a journal. Include any thoughts, word
s, images or feelings that came to you. Do this even if there seems to be no log
ic to it. Often Reiki and the Divine speak to us in symbols, or with pieces of
a puzzle that will come together later by reflecting back on your journal.
Days 8-14
Begin by creating an intention or a question. Draw the Usui mental and
emotional symbol in front of your body and with your hands, move the energy int
o your heart. Breathe deeply, imagining that you are breathing in the essence o
f the symbol. As you exhale allow the energy to permeate every cell of your bod
y, and expand out into your emotional body, your mental body, all the way into y
our spiritual body. Imagine any unhealthy mental or emotional patterns being re
woven into healthy thought, feeling and response patterns. State your intention
or ask your question. Sit quietly with this energy for 5-15 minutes. If your mi
nd wanders, simply invoke the name of the mental emotional symbol three times an
d visualize it. When you finish, acknowledge that you are holding the full love
of the Reiki energy and it will be with you through your day. Write notes about
your experience in a journal.
Days 15-21 - Begin by creating an intention or a question.Draw the Usui distant
healing symbol in front of your body and with your hands, move the energy into y
our entire body beginning by moving the energy from the crown and down through y
our feet. Breathe deeply, imagining that you are breathing in the essence of th
e symbol. As you exhale allow the energy to permeate every cell of your body, a
nd expand out into your energy field.State your intention or ask your question.
Take a moment to imagine or visualize the symbol taking the form of a bridge of
light. This bridge reaches through time and through space. Allow the bridge of
light to carry Reiki energy back in time as it permeates all levels of your con
sciousness and the multiple dimensions of your being.
Next allow the energy to flow forward in time creating harmonious energy in your
future. Now bring the energy into the present moment. Sit quietly with this e
nergy for 5-15 minutes. If your mind wanders, simply invoke the name of the dis
tant symbol three times and visualize it. When you finish, acknowledge that you
are holding the timeless healing power of the Reiki energy and it will be with
you through your day. Write notes about your experience in a journal.
This 21 day program is designed for those who are attuned to level two Reiki. L
evel I practitioners could modify it using level I energy instead of the symbols
. It is possible to also extend the program for another 21 days by replacing the
symbols with the three Reiki Master symbols, or with the Karuna symbols of your
choice.
I hope you find these suggestions helpful, and that you are willing to explore t
he importance of creating special time to deepen your relationship with the Divi

ne and the love of the Reiki energy.

In the Light of the Creator . . .