Reiki and Breathwork
A lot of people ask me, "How do you combine Reiki with Breathwork?" Well, to start, let's look at the word reiki itself. And then, we will consider how I combine it with breathwork.The word reiki combines two Japanese kanji- Rei, which means "Spiritual Wisdom or Divinely Guided or From Heaven" and Ki- which means "life force" and is the same as prana, chi or energy.Reiki is a Japanese word for an essential quality that we all possess. We all have divinely guided life force energy because we "are" divinely guided life force energy. We are one with it. Everything is energy and it is everywhere that we look. There is no way to be separate from it.For me, reiki is a lot like breathing. I have studied breathwork for over 15 years with my teacher, Jessica Dibb of the Inspiration Community here in Baltimore Maryland. And breathwork is a tool, skill, practice that I return to over and over again. After all, I'm always breathing. The breath is always there for me.Everyone is always breathing, actually. We aren't always aware that we are breathing but we are. So...the breath is intimately tied into life force. Again, we see that we can not be separate from it. From the very first one until the very last one, the breath carries our bodies along this journey of life, and without it, the journey ends. At least, this version of it does.Everything breathes. The day breathes with its sunrise and sunset. The moon phase is like a breath in the night sky- from empty to full to empty again. The room you find yourself in now is breathing. The land upon which you reside in this moment, breathes. The Ocean breathes. The Mountain breathes. The River breathes. The Earth, herself, breathes.Every person you encounter, regardless of language, culture, ethnicity, or gender is a mixture of breath, soul and spirit. Every being you encounter, whether person or animal, stone or plant, is a mixture of divinity and form, a mixture of heaven and earth.Reiki, divinely guided life force, and breath bring us to a recognition of the oneness of all things. And in this oneness, labels fall away. Language falls away. And everything falls into a place of "same-same". Sure...we all use different words to translate similar experiences, however, the essence of the experience is the same.
Breath is an abundant, free resource....and in all honesty, probably our most underutilized, underappreciated resource on the planet. You don't need to go anywhere to find it. It doesn't cost anything. It is always right here. In this moment. In this inhale, in this exhale. And every breath is so full of love and grace and potential.Take a moment now to take one full deep conscious breath and allow yourself to be filled with that love and grace and potential...and feel the appreciation that flows in as you tap into your own life force (ki) and feel how life wants to move through you (rei- divine guidance).This is what happens when people walk into my office for healing treatments. I see them as a heavenly human... a mixture of breath, soul and spirit, and we just breathe together inside of the Reiki symbols. And in that space, the unified field of body, breath and spirit, healings happen, miracles unfold and lives transform.Reiki is a bridge between Heaven and Earth. The human body is a bridge between Heaven and Earth, and the breath within the body is also a bridge between Heaven and Earth.So, I guess...my charge to you is to consider everyone and everything that you meet today , including yourself, as "a mixture of breath and soul and spirit", because to me, this is what reiki and breathwork bring to the world. Unity. Oneness.Every day take time to breathe. Consciously breathe. Let your breath be the prayer. And listen for how your breath (ki) and the divine (rei) are guiding your life force to move through the world. You do not have to look outside of yourself for the source. It is always right here. In this moment. In this breath. Enjoy!