By Chandrakala Samant

4.04.2005 at CAMH

Introduction

Dr. Chandrakala Samant, Pune, has been practicing various types of alternative therapies like Reiki, colour therapy, psychotherapy etc. She has been practicing Reiki for almost 10 years now. In the beginning, she narrated her personal experience with this therapy and how it benefited her. Her husband suffered from a serious accident some years ago in which he sustained injuries to brain and cervical ribs. Though doctors had predicted that he would never completely recover from the injuries and that would affect his mental health, today he is fully functional as a successful professional and a human being. Dr. Samant shared that it was Reiki that helped her husband recover from his near fatal accident. She claimed that Reiki had influenced all aspects of her life positively. A summary of her presentation is reported here.

Philosophy of Reiki

Reiki is derived from the Japanese language- Reik means “universal” and ki means “energy”. Thus Reiki signifies the universal energy or life force. Reiki originated in India itself, but was not discovered till the 19th century. In fact this discipline was “rediscovered” by a Japanese scholar Dr. Mikev Usni in the 19th century. The therapy rests on the principle of energy, which is present universally and is dynamic. Health is conceived in terms of the balance that is maintained between the energy present in our body and that which is present in our external environment. Reiki is however, a completely non-religious system of healing- one does not need to be a theist for Reiki to be effective.

Reiki is present in our bodies in the form of the seven ‘chakras’. A chakra denotes something that is always moving and is never static. Each chakra is allotted a different colour. It is the balance of energy contained within these chakras that determines the state of health or ill-health. Thus when we learn how to practice Reiki, we learn how to tune the energy in our body with the cosmic energies. This tuning creates a magnetic force around our body, which serves as a resource for transmitting positive thoughts or positive vibrations to the body.

Dr. Samant said that human beings do not use the energy present in their body to its full capacity. We must be using barely 30-40% of the total energy present in our body, the rest being latent. Reiki helps one to activate the seven chakras in our body, which in turn activate this latent energy. Reiki leads to full awareness of one’s energies- it helps the subconscious mind to get in touch with the universal life force. Of course, all this occurs in a graded fashion, as one masters the various grades or degrees, as they are called, of Reiki. Thus when one masters the first degree of Reiki, it enables us to activate four of the seven chakras. In the second degree, all the seven chakras are activated. One is able to access 100% of the energy present in the body. It is on the basis of this activated life force, that Reiki becomes a source of healing, well-being and stress management.

The Seven Chakras

The seven chakras in our body are- Mulaadhar or the root chakra, the Haara chakra, Manipur chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, third eye chakra and crown chakra. As mentioned earlier, each chakra is associated with a specific colour and has specific functions.

Mulaadhar Chakra or the root chakra: If one was to cup one’s hands over our genitals, then that denotes the position of the root chakra. The colour that denotes this chakra is red. This chakra, as denoted by its colour, stands for vitality, force and energy. The root chakra has two basic functions viz. procreation and creativity. A symptom of suppression of this chakra is the inability of a person to express one’s emotions appropriately. These emotions then are manifested in various ailments, like piles etc. Reiki can restore the balance in this chakra and cure such problems. It is very important for this chakra to be activated for a person’s creativity to be utilized to its full potential. Imbalance in this chakra can lead to addictions and depression as well. Reiki is effective in maintaining the balance in this chakra.

Solar plexus chakra or the haara chakra: For women this chakra is located in the uterus, while for men it is located near the prostate glands. Orange is the colour of this chakra. This chakra is entrusted with performing two functions. It enhances our problem-solving capacity. It is also responsible for the creation or withdrawal of enthusiasm in routine life. When this chakra is endangered, one can go into depression and lose all enthusiasm.

Manipur chakra: This chakra is located between the umbilical level and the ribs. The colour yellow signifies it. Four emotions are centred here viz. insecurity, jealousy, generative energy and wisdom. If this chakra is balanced, all these emotions can be controlled and the wastage of energy that happens via the emotions of insecurity and jealousy can be prevented.

Heart chakra: located right next to the heart, in the center, this chakra is signified by green colour. This chakra is the controller of two main emotions – hate / love and sharing. On the one hand, if there is imbalance in this chakra, and one is not able to control the emotion of hate, it can manifest in the form of heart ailments. On the other hand, taking Reiki on this chakra would enhance the emotions of love and sharing, while simultaneously controlling the bad ones.

Throat chakra: This controls the communication process of the individual. When this chakra is activated, the person is able to express his/ her emotions without any restraints. The colour blue denotes this chakra.

Third eye chakra: This chakra is identified with the pituitary glands in our body. These glands are considered to be the master glands in our body, since they control the endocrine system in the body. The chakra regulates mainly two functions viz. decision making ability and forecasting. It is also closely related to the emotion of frustration. When this chakra is endangered, one faces a lot of frustration and loses one’s decision-making ability. The colour indigo signifies this chakra.

Crown chakra: This chakra is located in the head region and is symbolized by the colour, violet. This chakra is vital in the sense that all the nerve endings in the body open out in this chakra. Hence one should never take Reiki here. This blocks the basic transmission of vibrations that reach the body.

The auric field

Every person has an aura or an auric field around his / her body, which is comprised of seven layers, the seventh being the body itself. The auric layers are protective in nature. Thus, only when a particular problem has penetrated through all the seven layers is it manifested in the form of ill health. Only when the aura is examined can one diagnose as to which chakra is imbalanced. Once the healing process starts, it proceeds in a similar way as the progression of the illness- it takes about 21 days’ “cleaning period” for the problem to be flushed out of all the seven layers of the aura.

According to the philosophy of Reiki, all substances, inanimate as well as animate, are made up basically of the 5 elements, viz. earth, water, fire, space and wind. Since Reiki works on all these elements, it can be given to inanimate objects as well in order to enhance their qualities. Dr. Samant gave an illustration of a wristwatch, which was in need of repair, which started working after Reiki was given to it. She further mentioned that Reiki could also be given to things like beauty, money etc.

Uses of Reiki

The following are the uses of this therapy in a nutshell-

• Effective stress management
• Guidance in taking the right course of action
• Creating awareness in the person about his/ her latent energy by activation of all the charkas - this also enables the person to balance his / her body with the outer environment
• Reiki helps in reversing the aging process by increasing the body / mind’s vitality
• It helps maintain the harmony between one’s body and mind
• It is an effective method to achieve detoxification of body and mind

Effects of Reiki

Reiki is based on energy medicine and helps to cure illnesses. Firstly, Reiki works on the causal level of the illness, and cures the problem. Reiki can be effective in healing a variety of ailments right from cold, coughs, sprains, and piles to more chronic symptoms like blood pressure etc.

Secondly, it has been used effectively in many mental health related conditions like depression, schizophrenia and even mental retardation. It amplifies the energy levels in the body, which adds to life’s longevity. In fact, Dr. Samant mentioned that a few HIV positive patients were also consulting her and their life span had been effectively increased with the help of this therapy.

Thirdly and importantly, Reiki approaches the process of healing in a holistic manner: By bringing about a harmony between the body and the mind and restoring back the energy flow in a smooth manner, it leads to a holistic healing of the problem.

Lastly, by facilitating the release of emotions that are blocked, it also helps in effectively managing stress in our lives.

There are five types of influences (or samskaaras) on our lives and personalities. They are: the natural instincts, genetically inherited traits, our karma in the past life, environmental influence and lastly our own will power. Reiki can help us effectively use the last samskaara i.e. our will power. It enhances our will power and can even help the person tide over the effects of the other four samskaaras.

Concluding Remarks

Thus it is apparent that Reiki constitutes a truly holistic therapy, which is not just oriented towards curing illness, but also enhances a person’s sense of emotional and physical well being. It shares a lot of its philosophical values and bases with those of Hindu philosophy and even Ayurveda, making it especially relevant in the Indian context. Reiki can be used in a wide range of contexts, besides physical and mental ill health.