Sometimes nature makes it easy to see new growth, announcing it with bright color.

With people, healing and new growth may not be so visible.

We have to be steady and mindful.

Steady enough to practice daily self-treatment. Mindful enough to notice spaciousness as it opens within us.

In spaciousness lies the possibility of choice where before there was only reaction. And we know where reaction takes us…

The next time you feel cramped, reach for self-practice. As your awareness becomes spacious, bring the Reiki Precepts to mind.

Today only,
Do not worry,
Do not anger.

With thankfulness,
Work diligently.

Be kind to others.*

Engaging the Precepts invites new understanding. Reflecting on them clarifies whether to take action in this moment, or refrain from acting.

With steady, mindful practice, we grow true happiness.

What new growth and happiness has your Reiki practice brought you? Click here to share in a comment.

*This is the translation of the Precepts offered by my dear friend and esteemed colleague, Japanese Reiki master and monk Hyakuten Inamoto.

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INVITING HAPPINESS: Exploring the Reiki Precepts deepens your experience of the Precepts so you can access them moment to moment. You will leave this workshop feeling refreshed and empowered.
Saturday, July 14, 10 AM to 7 PM
Upper West Side Manhattan location
Special early registration available.
Please click here to learn more.

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As the students in a recent First degree class introduced themselves, I learned that seven of the 13 students were already practicing First or Second degree Reiki. While it’s not unusual to have even a Reiki master in my First degree classes, I’d never had more than half the class taking First degree for a second time. And most of them traveled from out of state to join us.

Even more interesting, all seven were practicing daily self-treatment and loving their practice. Why had they come, I wondered. The response was unanimous: they lacked the clarity they wanted; they were confused.

After the class, one of the students told me the difference our class had made to her. She said simply, “I came here confused and I am no longer confused. Thank you.” I asked Joan to elaborate, and she let me share her thoughts with you. –

The welcome email I received when I registered for your First degree class suggested I not do additional reading before class, as reading presented an opportunity for confusion.

I had already taken a First degree class elsewhere. That class included talk of sweeping auras, pendulums, balancing chakras and personal messages from spirit guides. With all the extras, I left the class confused about Reiki and with many unanswered questions.

My confusion soon spread to others. When people asked me about Reiki, my attempts to explain were met with confused looks or jokes.

I love my restorative yoga teacher and she agreed to teach me Second degree (distant) Reiki practice. Now I understand that what I needed at that point was to practice more rather than learn more techniques. I clearly wasn’t ready, and became even more confused.

Meanwhile my brother had done a lot of research and has been practicing Reiki for a year. He became my mentor,  sending me your book REIKI: A Comprehensive Guide, and inviting me to follow your Reiki, Medicine and Self-care Facebook page. I got on your mailing list and found your class.

I am confused no more.

Your class allowed me to be comfortable as a beginner. It had none of the add-ons I had found so confusing, just simple practice and lots of it.

Focusing on balance and practice feels like the heart of Reiki. As you suggest, experiencing a period of self-practice seems to be the best way to get the personal clarification and understand the role of Reiki in my life.

Later, I may want to learn more adjunctive practices, but now I understand it is important to build a foundation through daily self-practice.

We have become used to taking an aspirin and getting immediate results. I am learning self growth takes time and patience, and that understanding alone is a lot of growth.

Are you confused about your Reiki practice? Do you have a specific question? Please ask it below, or on the free webinar to celebrate this blog’s third birthday on Tuesday, May 1 at 7PM Eastern US time: Feeling Good about Your Reiki Practice. Click here to register and leave your question for discussion in the comments box.

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Flower buds hold such promise,

And need our protection.

A frost,

Strong wind,

Heavy rain,

Cause irreparable damage.

The buds of practice are fragile,

Vulnerable to

Chilly reception from a friend,

A surge of emotion,

Over thinking.

Protect your practice now;

Soon it will protect you.

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INVITING HAPPINESS: Exploring the Reiki Precepts deepens your experience of the Precepts so you can access them moment to moment. You will leave this workshop feeling refreshed and empowered.
Saturday, July 14, 10 AM to 7 PM
Special early registration available.
Please click here to learn more.

My client emailed, clearly fried and in pain, hoping for a last minute opening.

Once on the table, her deep sigh launched a litany of stresses. It was not time to suggest silence.

Another sigh.

Reaching for resolution, she said, “I know everything is all right. Everything is going to be all right.”

I let her words hang in the air a few moments.

Now, or later?

“Which is it?” I asked.

Her expression turned quizzical.

“You just made two very different statements,” I said. “Is everything all right, or is everything going to be all right?”

She laughed and confirmed, “Everything is all right.”

Today only…

When we are truly present in the moment, Today only, we know everything is all right. We can feel it. The rightness of each moment is palpable, there for us to experience when we give the present moment our full attention.

“Everything is all right” centers us.

“Everything is going to be all right” projects us out of the present into an unattainable future fantasy, leaving us powerless, joyless, lost and vulnerable.

What to do?

Everything-is-all-right doesn’t mean it’s spiritual to be passive. Not at all. There are times that require an active response.

How can we know whether to be still or take action?

Start with the stillness of your practice. Once we connect with:

Today only,

Right now,

Everything is all right,

We are better able to recognize if action is required, and to take action with skill and compassion.

Being present relocates us from a fantasy fixing land into a place of powerful, joyful creativity.

How has connecting with the present transformed your experience of life, and of yourself? Please click here to share with us in a comment.

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Come explore the sweet power of the Reiki Precepts on Saturday, July 14: Inviting Happiness. Click here for more information.

I rounded the corner, colliding with a woman who had come for Reiki healing a couple of years ago. She looked radiant and ageless.

We laughed and hugged, sputtering apologies and greetings. Her ebullience and joy were infectious. Nothing about her presence belied the frenzy with which she was packing up her apartment to swap Manhattan’s breathtaking skyline and bright lights for acres of quiet unspoiled forest, diving into a new life with the man she mentioned at our first session.

They’d had just a handful of dates at that point, but she was cautiously sensing this might break a string of heartaches.

She moved easily from Reiki treatment to a seat in my next First degree Reiki class. A savvy New York shopper, she quickly recognized daily Reiki self-practice as a sensible investment in her health and well-being.

This time, as her relationship became more day-to-day, it also deepened. Respect and love grew hand-in-hand. She reorganized her business to free her geographically.

The secret method for inviting happiness

“I can’t believe how wonderful my life is,” she said. “Every morning I wake up next to the man I love, surrounded by the beauty of nature that feeds me so deeply. I’m actually living the life I dreamed of.”

“Do you think this would have happened without your daily Reiki self-treatment?” I asked.

She looked startled, as if considering this connection for the first time.

Reflecting a moment, she shook her head. “No.”

“Can you let the life of your dreams be good enough?” I asked.

Another startled look. I knew I was being cheeky but I was willing to push a little to offer a parting gift.

“Yes, I can,” she said with conviction, “as long as I keep practicing Reiki.”

What unexpected happiness has Reiki practice brought to your life, or enabled you to sustain? Please click here to share in a comment.

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Bringing the healing art of Reiki into conventional health care relieves the suffering of so many patients, families and staff. There are spaces in the 4-day Medical Reiki intensives in both NYC (March 29-April 1) and Atlanta (April 11-15). Please click here for details.

Are you part of our Reiki, Medicine and Self-Care community on Facebook? Join our daily conversations about Reiki practice and communication to broaden your perspective, deepen your understanding, and strengthen your communication skills.

From a conventional health care perspective, primary health care happens outside the home. In the US, primary care providers (PCPs) are physicians (usually family physicians or internists), physician assistants, or nurse practitioners.

PCPs provide basic health care, both routine prevention (typically screening and lifestyle counseling) and treatment of illness that does not require a specialist. When a patient requires care from a specialist, the PCP makes referrals and remains on board to coordinate care.

True health care reform

But how can primary health care be given outside the home? Isn’t real primary health care what happens at home? Why can’t a responsible adult be her own primary health care provider, and think of her doctor as a resource to use as needed — and likely needed less?

Given the dire condition of the health care industry, that would seem to be a primary place to refocus.

How can we orchestrate such a turnaround, from people neglecting their health for years and then expecting  doctors to put Humpty-Dumpty back together, to people engaging in their own care day by day, protecting their health and well-being while they still have them?

Information is not enough

It’s not enough for people to be informed, they have to feel empowered, to know that their efforts will bring benefit. And many people have to feel better before they can feel empowered.

That’s where Reiki practice can make a difference, and often make a difference quickly.

People start feeling better when they start practicing Reiki self-treatment. When people feel better, they make better choices. It’s that simple. Reiki practice opens the door to many other health-promoting choices.

Take an hour of Reiki and call me in the morning

How can we help the mainstream public take Reiki practice seriously? Since most people take health care advice most seriously when given by their doctors, let’s reach the mainstream public through conventional health care.

That may sound far-fetched, but I have a plan, one that can be easily implemented by credible, well spoken Reiki practitioners.

Are you with me?

There are so many instances in which Reiki treatment can help patients whose health, for a variety of reasons, isn’t well managed by conventional care. Having a Reiki practitioner available in those situations makes it easy to demonstrate the effectiveness of Reiki practice.

First things first

First we have to get more Reiki practitioners in the health care door. It might be the door to the hospital, or it could be the door to your own doctor’s office.

Extending the scope of health care is in everyone’s best interest. Let’s do it.

How has your Reiki practice improved your health care? Please share in a comment below.

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Are you part of our Reiki, Medicine and Self-Care community on Facebook? Join our daily conversations about Reiki practice and communication to broaden your perspective, deepen your understanding, and strengthen your communication skills.

Join me for the Medical Reiki 4-day intensives in New York City March 29-April 1 and Atlanta April 12-15. This will be an intimate time of learning practical skills and strategies to bring Reiki practice mainstream without whitewashing its inherent spirituality. You’ll leave with deeper conviction and understanding, and knowledge that will inform your personal health care choices.

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I hadn’t seen Rosina Wiltshire since she moved from New York City some years back. It was a delight to reconnect when I arrived in Barbados to give my Medical Reiki seminar. Rosina’s intriguing saga of how she found her Reiki master came up in conversation, and she agreed to share it in this short video.

I’ll be blunt: Rosina is a remarkable woman. She served at the United Nations for 14 years in various capacities around the world, and put her doctorate in political science and international relations to good use as a university professor for more than 20 years (I envy her students).

When Rosina was leading the UN meditation group of the The World Community for Christian Meditation in New York City, she attended a retreat in which group leaders explored the commonalities and differences between Christianity and Buddhism with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Rosina has practiced Reiki since 1993, and was initiated as a Reiki master in 1998. She brings insightful analysis and heartfelt care to all she does. But don’t believe me: watch the short video and see for yourself. If you receive this as an email and the video doesn’t show, please click here to view it.

How did you choose your Reiki master? Please click here to share your story as a comment.

If you missed the Medical Reiki seminar in Barbados, don’t fret. Come to a Medical Reiki intensive in New York City March 29 – April 1 or Atlanta April 12 – 15. Click here for more information.

Are you part of our Reiki, Medicine and Self-Care community on Facebook? Join our daily conversations about Reiki practice and communication to broaden your perspective, deepen your understanding, and strengthen your communication skills.

GUESTBLOGGER David Baugnon is a writer and award-winning filmmaker who lives in New York. David had insomnia even before the PTSD he suffered from surviving an earthquake; both worsened with the events of September 11, 2001. I asked him to share his story of healing PTSD and insomnia to help other sufferers appreciate how Reiki healing can help them.

Reiki Healing Changed My Life by David Baugnon

I decided to learn to practice Reiki when my mother was diagnosed with cancer a year ago. I didn’t know much about it, but I felt relaxed and balanced after each of the two Reiki sessions I received. I thought at the very least it could help my mother relax, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking for a miracle.

So it was with Mom in mind that I arrived at a First degree Reiki training with Pamela Miles in August, 2011. Little did I know the class would immediately change my life for the better. That night, for the first time in two decades, I got a good night’s sleep.

I’ve always had trouble getting to bed at a reasonable hour. This habit was exacerbated by my late work schedule, usually 2 PM to 10 PM, but after I survived the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, my sleeping habits worsened dramatically. I had been hitting the mattress around 2 or 3 AM. After the quake, it became 5 or 6 AM.

The human body is amazingly adaptable and I continued my life on only four to six hours of sleep.

When my son was born in 2010, I realized I could not continue like this. I didn’t know what to do. A PTSD specialist was extremely helpful, but it wasn’t until I started practicing Reiki self-treatment that I found real relief for the anxiety that kept me sleepless for so long.

During our very first Reiki practice in class, I noticed a subtle shift into relaxation, as if I were sinking into myself. When I described it to Pamela, she stated simply, “That’s your body down-regulating.” I had never heard the term before, but it seemed right on target.

I arrived home that night eager to do my Reiki homework. I used to stare at the ceiling, thoughts spinning in my head, and many times, my heart racing. That night and pretty much every night since, I practice self-Reiki and fall into a deep, restful sleep.

I now start every day with a 30-minute Reiki session, and that too, has been life-changing. I used to wake up agitated with a billion things to do. Now I ease into my morning and it’s made all the difference in how I approach my day.

I am more patient, less reactive, and that has been invaluable with a toddler in the house. I feel like a better person, a better parent and a better spouse. My wife has seen the change as well (probably the ultimate test) as she says I seem “calmer and less stressed out.”

And as for my mom — truth is, she was reluctant to let me practice Reiki on her (not sure if she did any research and she’s a pretty die hard Catholic) but she did allow me to “pray” over her with my hands upon her, if only for a minute or two. She is currently cancer-free and we’re all happy.

Although I’m just a novice in the practice of Reiki, I’m excited about the path I’ve started and utterly grateful for Pamela’s class and her refined mastery of teaching Reiki.

GUEST BLOGGER Nancie Teresa Biver, aka Gypsy Woman, is a Second degree Reiki student practicing since 2003. When she emailed her thanks for my interview with Takata-trained Reiki master Paul David Mitchell, I invited her to share her thoughtful comments with you. –

I have spent the past nine months in Europe on a journey that started in New Orleans. When many areas of my life fell away all at once, I said to Elizabeth Ohmer Pellegrin, my friend and Reiki teacher, “Maybe I should just go to Europe.”

Details began to unfold even as my words hung in the air, and I arranged to visit Reiki masters Elizabeth knows in Germany.

I came to Germany for a month to expand myself and my life, to grow and have new experiences. And to heal.

The month came and left, but I am still here, based near Hamburg, exploring Germany and the Netherlands, connecting with Reiki masters along the way.

I value Paul Mitchell as a leader of our practice, and was excited to see Pamela’s interview with him listed on her Reiki, Medicine and Self-care Facebook page.  I was particularly interested to hear his perspective on Catholicism and Reiki.

Hearing Paul speak was so inviting. His tone and careful manner of expression felt very nurturing. I appreciate how he talks about his life and Reiki without binding his experiences to anyone else’s.

As Paul shared his experiences with Takata and with Reiki and the Catholic church, I never felt that he was imposing his ideas on me. His discernment and manner in simply sharing his Reiki stories taught me more than any lecture could.

I loved hearing his personal story, how practicing Reiki led him back to his Catholic religion, and his reminder that continued daily practice is a key to letting our ourselves unfold. No drama, just what’s there today, and what is unfolding.

Paul’s generous sharing set me remembering my own Catholic roots, left behind years ago, and a sadness there, a sense of something lost. I am paying attention to that.

I had never heard the Reiki Precepts described as tools for happiness before. I remember Paul made a comment to the effect that people tend to be happy when they act in accordance with the Precepts.

That comment put my recent insights about wanting to be more grateful in a new context. I laughed to think of my tendency to be grouchy instead of grateful — definitely not happy then! I saw how practical it is to be grateful instead, and a happier experience for me!

I love Paul’s commitment to the traditions and to oral history. Listening to the interview brought me back to how good it had felt to be in a room of students learning First degree Reiki and talking about Reiki. I noticed that Reiki community, even the virtual kind, still felt that good!

I’ve been considering Pamela’s comments about the need to make information that supports Takata’s teachings accessible to the public, and how that doesn’t violate the oral tradition of teaching. I sense there is a balance, supporting and nurturing our oral roots while creating an information base to engage a culture that readily reaches for information.

The interview made me feel good about my commitment to Reiki practice, and to giving myself daily treatments. Paul’s story of Reiki “leading him back to Catholicism” was a reminder that we each have a path, unfolding and growing like a seed. Practicing Reiki is one way to nourish that seed.

Paul reminded us that the future of Reiki is in our hands. The personal experience of giving daily treatments and sharing Reiki with others connects us. We’re not alone out there. And in that I feel a real love and sweetness.

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Didn’t hear my conversation with Paul? No worries, I have a SPECIAL GIFT for you! The inspiration people expressed in the many thank-yous I received after the interview moved me to offer the recording to the community as a gift when you sign up for my free monthly ReikiUpdate e-newsletter (if you are already signed up, you will not receive duplicates). Click here now to receive the link where you can download the recording.

Mrs. Takata frequently expressed her vision that Reiki practice become “as common as aspirin.” What better way to make that happen than communicating effectively with doctors and health care administrators? There are many ways I can help you do that, through blog articles, the Communicating Reiki and Introduction to Medical Reiki recorded webinars, and the in-person Medical Reiki weekend seminar in Barbados and 4-day intensives in New York City and Atlanta. Click here for more information.

Want to receive the weekly blog posts in your inbox? You can. Click here.

In January’s ReikiUpdate I asked, “How I can help?” What I had in mind was what classes and content would help you with your Reiki practice.

What I received was much more profound. I have never been so grateful that I didn’t communicate clearly!

Many of you opened your hearts to share your dreams, your frustrations, your doubts, and the wishlists for your lives. I was deeply touched by the outpouring, and moved by your confidence that, as a spiritual healing practice, Reiki can help us accomplish our life goals.

Reiki healing practice requires practice

The key word, of course, is practice.

Reiki healing is not magical, although it can seem that way. If we really want our Reiki practice to change our lives, and we want to stabilize that transformation, we need to do our part — we need to actually practice.

As with anything else, the best results come with consistent practice.

When asked about daily self -treatment, one practitioner responded, “off and on.” Other than hands go off and on as we proceed with our hand to body placements, that’s really a NO.

Another practitioner said she practiced regular self-treatment “most of the time.” What’s regular about “most of the time?”

There’s no con in consistent

We don’t sleep “most nights,” nor do we eat “most days.” The only way to keep from conning ourselves is to be consistent in our efforts.

Architects don’t just dream of buildings; they draw the plans that contractors then build.

We build our dreams through daily practice. Daily, as in every day. Unfailingly.

(We don’t have to be rigid. It’s okay if our Reiki practice is shorter some days than others, as long as it happens and tomorrow we’re back to a full practice.)

More off or more on?

When we settle for off-and-on, “on” tends to be only when we’ve hit a rough patch. Then just as our balanced state is stabilizing, and our daily practice is about to install a level of steadiness in our lives that we never imagined, our Reiki practice is off again.

When our practice is as important to us as sleep, when we crave the nourishment we receive from practice as much as we crave food, we have connected with the power to transform our lives.

The power to transform our understanding and our lives is ever-present; our daily practice is the vehicle it needs to manifest.

How can I help?

Do you have a question about practice that is keeping you from practicing? I want to help you. Here are links that discuss the questions I’m asked most often:

Do you have doubts?

Do you have how-to questions about daily practice?

Would you like to communicate Reiki with more confidence?

Are there other questions I can help you with here? Please leave them as a comment below. If you are reading this in your inbox, click here and then scroll down to the comment section.

If you don’t receive my free monthly ReikiUpdate and would like to, sign up here.

Will we meet soon in Barbados, San Juan, or Atlanta?

Pretty bows pictured above are available on Etsy.