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Byosen Part Three
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Dear friend! Article Byosen Part Three: Perception Training The last two newsletters on the byosen dealt mostly with the different levels and the movement of the byosen. In the following pages I will talk about how to make your hands more sensitive, more perceptive in order to feel the byosen better and thus be able to treat your clients more effectively. For a better understanding of what follows please re- read the last two newsletters, volume #25 and #24. In case you have misplaced them or you have subscribed recently, you can download them under the heading ”newsletters” on my website, www.ReikiDharma.com . The most important thing to understand is that perceiving the byosen is not a psychic ability, but perception. This perception can be trained by practicing simple exercises. If you would like to develop your psychic abilities as well, please practice the Reiji- Ho Technique described in part two of this series. Sensitivity and Perception Your hands are already sensitive after you have been initiated into Reiki, yet they may require some additional perception training to feel the byosen clearly. The traditional way to increase the perception in Reiki is divided into two pathways. One depends upon your teacher; the other depends on your personal practice. Hayashi Sensei sometimes demanded that students practice on their own before he was ready to give them an attunement. Training with your teacher Reiju The most precious gift your teacher can give you is the attunement. The Japanese word for attunement is Reiju. In this case, the word Rei means, soul or spirit. The word Ju means to grant or to give. When the soul forces that are dormant in your being are activated by your teacher, the energy awakens and your hands become super- sensitive. After receiving a Reiju is a good time to practice perceiving the byosen for that reason. In Japanese Reiki circles it is said that is helpful but not absolutely necessary to repeat the Reiju at least once a month- until you yourself become a teacher. One Reiju opens the door to the Soul. My personal favorite Reiju ritual is what I learned from Chiyoko(Yamaguchi) Sensei in 2002. But any ritual that is well- proven to activate Reiki and is close enough to the original, will do. Giving treatments together with your teacher When I trained with Chiyoko Sensei, the participants practiced giving Reiki to each other daily. Under her guidance it was easy to learn: she was an expert in giving treatments with 65 years of actual experience and a heart full of love. I felt like a Reiki baby in her presence… The best way to practice on your own is to work on someone who is seriously ill, because the byosen is felt strongly. If someone ”just doesn’t feel well” the byosen is often minimal and hard to catch for a beginner. Your individual Practice Below I will share with you a few techniques that you can work with either alone, or with a partner. Three of them are what Usui Sensei taught to his students with the name “Hatsuleiho”. (Exercises to strengthen your energy and perception). These are the Gassho Meiso, Joshin Kokyu- Ho and Kenyoku. The first Hatsureiho Technique: Gassho Meiso (Gassho Meditation) Preparation The first technique to increase your perception is the Gassho meditation. You sit with your eyes gently closed in a quiet and preferably darkened room. It may be helpful to place your tongue against your front teeth, and to breathe through your nose as you breathe in- and through your mouth when you breathe out. When breathing out, the tongue automatically drops down. If you like, imagine that you are looking at something beautiful through your closed eyelids, about ten inches in front of you. This focuses the energy on the third eye and makes it easier to be single- pointed. Make sure that you are not disturbed, and that there is nothing that needs to be done. Turn off the telephone and, for half an hour say goodbye to all worldly activities. If you can sit quietly without any movement of body and mind, the results are best. But if you have a backache and your knees are pinching you, don’t hesitate to practice anyway. The occasional thought will not disturb you much… Make sure that the area just above and just below your navel is relaxed and not tight. Wear comfortable pants or open the top- button if necessary so you can breathe easily into your Tanden (two or three fingers width below your belly button). Fold your hands in front of your heart. The word Gassho means two hands coming together. The correct way to practice Gassho is to hold the hands up, with the palms touching. Each finger is supposed to lie upon the respective finger of the other hand. The hands are held so that the finger- tips are held just below the nose. The elbows are not touching the body, but there is enough space in between the inside of the upper arm and the armpit to fit in an egg. The back is held erect and the head floating up by itself as if held up by a helium- filled balloon. The Technique Focus your attention on the place where the two middle fingers meet. In the Japanese Reiki- Tradition it is said that the middle fingers have the strongest current of Reiki Energy. (Remember that when giving treatments in an area too small for the whole hand). Now pay attention to what is happening in the palms of your hands, as well as in all the fingers. You are probably going to experience a pulsation or tingling sensation in some or in all parts of your hands and fingers. This is the Reiki- Energy. Keep your attention on this process and your middle fingers for at least twenty or thirty minutes. When the time you have given yourself for this meditation is up, take your hands down, rest for a few minutes and then continue with your daily activities. If you have more time, continue as follows: Additional practice This can be done with open or closed eyes, preferably in a darkened room, because you may actually be able to see the energy that is generated. Mrs. Koyama of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai said that you can see the energy playing around your fingers in purple rays. You may see this with open- or with closed eyes. If darkening the room is too time- consuming, do it in daylight or outside in a beautiful quiet place in nature. The Technique Your hands are in the Gassho Position. Move the palms of your hands slightly apart, so that there is a space of about one or two inches in between them. Feel the energy between your hands and when you do, compress the air/energy between your palms, by moving your hands slowly away from each other, and then again closer to each other. You may also move your hands towards or away from your body slowly, as if forming a ball of energy. Slowly let your hands come apart further and further. Each time make sure you take enough time to feel the energy between your palms. If you don’t feel the energy anymore at some point, let your hands come closer together again. Then, when you feel it once more, let them move further apart again. Continue to do so until your hands are about shoulder- width apart, or more. This exercise can be done on the train, or in nature, at home or at the office when you have a few minutes of time. When visiting a power spot (like Mount Kurama for example), you may feel the energy instantly, just by moving your palms apart. There is no time limit for this exercise: you decide the length of it in any given situation. Partner Exercise for strengthening the perception Exercise One Do the same thing described above with a partner, placing the palm of one of your hands on the palm of your partner’s hand. Then continue as described above. Exercise Two Place one hand on your partner’s body and one hand on your own upper thigh. It does not matter which hand you place on your partner’s body. If your partner has a physical problem in his body, place your hand on that area. If he does not have a problem, or is not aware of one, place your hand on his shoulder. You probably remember that we said earlier that toxicity accumulates around the large joints of the body, the inner organs, the head, the lymphatic system and the afflicted area(s). On the shoulders or between the shoulder blades the byosen readily shows itself in every one of us. Now pay attention to what you are feeling in both hands. Knowing the pulse of the Reiki- Energy will help you distinguish what is going on. Whenever you touch the body- whether it is your own, or someone else’s, the energy immediately begins to flow. Chiyoko Sensei always said when she touched the body “On” and when she took her hands off she said “Off”. Once initiated into Reiki, this is what happens whatever you do, awake or asleep, conscious or unaware… in good spirits or when you’re having a bad day. You will now feel different sensations in both hands. The hand resting on your thigh will probably pulsate with the Reiki pulse slightly. It will feel warm, relaxed, comfortable and neutral (unless you have just run the New York Marathon). The other hand will perceive something entirely different: you will become aware of the byosen of your partner’s shoulder. You may feel a tingling sensation, a strong pulsation or even pain in your hand. Exercise Three Partner exercise. One partner sits quietly as the other prepares himself. After ten or fifteen minutes switch over. Now you rest and your partner prepares himself, then begins the treatment. These exercises are to be done without the previously described Gassho Meditation. But make sure you do begin with folding your hands in the Gassho position, wait until you perceive the Reiki- Pulse, and only then, begin… Remembering Compassion While practicing the above techniques please remember that you are doing it for your clients. Practicing with this attitude you don’t get too involved with the phenomena that you may experience. The utmost goal of Reiki is not the fireworks, but compassion. Remember the fifth Reiki Principle: be kind to others (hito ni shinsetsu ni). The second Hatsureiho Technique: Joshin Kokyu- Ho (breathing exercise to purify the spirit) Preparation This is the second of the exercises to strengthen your sensitivity as well as the output of Reiki energy. Remember the principle law of energy: whatever you pay attention to grows… Pay attention to sensitivity and energy and you have more of both. Sit in a comfortable position with closed or open eyes in a quiet and preferably darkened room. To find out what is easier for you, test both ways. Some of us are visited by more thoughts when the eyes are open; others are busier with the eyes closed. To make matters more complicated this may change according to the inner seasons! In any case testing it just takes a minute or two. It may be helpful to place your tongue against your front teeth, and to breathe through your nose as you breathe in, and to breathe through your mouth when you breathe out. When breathing out, the tongue automatically drops down. If practicing with closed eyes, imagine you are looking at something beautiful through your closed eyelids, about ten inches in front of you. Make sure you are not disturbed, and there is nothing that needs to be done. Turn off the telephone and, for ten minutes say goodbye to all your responsibilities. If you can sit quietly without any movement of body and mind, keeping your back erect, the results are best. But if you have a backache and your knees are pinching you, don’t hesitate to practice anyway. Make sure the area just above and just below your navel is relaxed and not tight. Wear comfortable pants or open the top- button if necessary, so you can breathe easily into your Tanden (two or three fingers width below your belly button). The Technique This technique should initially not be practiced for more than three to five minutes. If you find yourself dizzy or light- headed, you know that you have overdone it already. Stop the exercise immediately, breathe normally and take a few minutes before you resume with whatever you were doing before. Breathe in through your nose and imagine that you are breathing in a mixture of air and Reiki- Energy through the top of your head- your crown chakra. Pull this breath into your lower abdomen, into your Tanden. Hold your breath and the energy there for a moment or two. While you are holding it, allow this energy to fill your body and energy body, reaching all the corners of it and nourishing it. Let the nectar flow… and then slowly and consciously, breathe out. Make sure that you hold your breath only for a few seconds. No need to aim for a new world record! When you breathe out, breathe out through your mouth and imagine that you are simultaneously breathing out the accumulated energy through your hands, your fingers and finger- tips as well as your feet and toes. You can do this exercise alone, to increase ”your” energy, or practice while giving a treatment. You will be surprised by the “Turbo Reiki” effect. Gradually increase the time you spend breathing like this, until it becomes second nature. Side effects: be careful, breathing properly will change your life! Precaution During pregnancy and if afflicted with high blood pressure, take it easy with this exercise, because it may bring the blood pressure up even more. I suggest you take two or three normal breaths, and then one as described above. If in doubt, measure your blood pressure while practicing. Increase the time for this exercise slowly. Begin with 2 minutes. The third Hatsureiho Technique: Kenyoku (dry bathing) Of this lovely technique I have come across three versions over the years. It is hard to say which one is right. Experiment with all of them and find out which one fits which you. This may not always be the same… follow your body’s inner wisdom. The Technique, version One Place your right hand on the left side of your chest, over the collarbone. Now stroke down gently across your chest to the right hip- bone. Do the same with your left hand, starting on the right side of your chest, above the collar bone. Stroke down gently towards your left hip- bone. Repeat the movement with your right hand. Now put your right hand on your left shoulder and stroke down gently over your arm and the palm of your hand, down past your finger- tips. Do the same stroke with your left hand over your right arm and repeat the pattern once more with your right hand stroking along your left arm. I was taught this version by someone who used to be a Buddhist monk. In his school of Reiki they add a Gassho at the end, to add a little spice of gratitude. The other two version begin the same way with three diagonal strokes over the torso. In the second version you then proceed to stroke over the outside of the arms three times (right, left, right). In the third version you stroke over the wrists three times. If you are left- handed or feel more comfortable stroking with your left hand, begin with the left hand. Giving Treatments Once properly trained by your teacher, you can discover the wonderful world of the byosen by yourself. You can practice the techniques mentioned above and most of all: give treatments. When Chiyoko Sensei met foreign and Japanese Reiki Teachers who did not learn from her, she always asked them first: Do you do treatments? And, have any of your clients recovered from a serious illness? If they answered “no” she wondered, “ What in the world do you teach when you have no experience…? Trouble shooting You don’t feel anything Your teacher has not been able to guide you well, but it is never too late. Practice the Joshin Kokyu- Ho technique described above. If that does not help you, think about which representational system you use predominantly. Are you a kinesthetic, an auditory or a visual person? I once talked to a friend who is a musician. She told me that she had Reiki two, but did not feel the energy. I thought it would be impossible to be a musician and not feel anything. So I asked her to listen to the body of the next client, as if it were a song. She called back to say that she listened, she heard and now she feels… If one hand is more sensitive than the other Train the less sensitive hand. Choose an area with a strong byosen and place the hand that is more sensitive on it. Wait a while to let the byosen develop. Once you receive a strong signal, change hands and, again, let the byosen develop. If the signal lessens, change back to your more sensitive hand. With a bit of practice, both hands are able to feel the energy equally well. If you feel a different byosen in both hands Since there are many areas in the body where toxicity accumulates, you may feel a different byosen in both hands. This is not due to the sensitivity of your hands, but that’s exactly what is happening in the body. The area that one hand rests upon may be more toxic than the other. If you feel the client’s byosen in your own body Don’t worry about this, but be grateful instead. This is a wonderful way to find out what is happening in the body of the client. You are simply using your body as an instrument. Touch the respective body part of your client, and the itch in your body will go away. No need to worry about receiving negative energy from your client: Reiki is a One Way Street. You feel the byosen only in one finger, or, in the back of the hand. This is possible when the afflicted area is very small. Let’s say your client has a cavity in one of his teeth and you place your hands on both cheeks. You may feel the byosen only above the injured tooth. You don’t feel the byosen in your hands, but somewhere else in your body A friend of mine perceives the byosen in his feet, instead of in his hands. Be open to anything you may perceive, trust your inner wisdom and if in doubt, ask your teacher for guidance. Words of encouragement The ways of the byosen are still relatively un- charted. Keep working with the mind of a pioneer. Every client, every illness and every fate is unique. Know that the only thing required of you is to have a heart filled with love and to do absolutely nothing…The more you disappear, the more Reiki takes over to do the job. I trust that a combination of these exercises and receiving Reiju repeatedly will have a lovely effect on your hands and your client’s body and soul. Your clients, the people that you are practicing Reiki for, will be blessed by this benediction and Usui Sensei’s last wish will become true: that Reiki will heal the Earth and its inhabitants, with love and gratitude, your friend Frank Arjava Petter Copyright© 2008 by Frank Arjava Petter Frank Arjava Petter is the author of seven international Reiki bestsellers. He teaches worldwide and can be reached by email at Arjava@ReikiDharma.com or by telephone at +49- 211 50 73 810. Workshop News: Reiki Master/Teacher Training with Arjava in Düsseldorf, Germany: January 7-13, 2009. There are a few spaces left yet; take the chance, there may not be another one. Japan Tour:
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Frank
Arjava Petter |
