Usui is a very popular name in the field of natural healing. Usui is the last name of the Japanese monk that developed a form of healing that is used across nations. It is also known as Reiki. It is experienced by a variety of patients and is a part of the alternative healthcare system. The practices that make up the Usui system of natural healing include the following.
• Herbal medicine – This is the practice of using herbs to heal or to maintain wellness. Herbs are ingested by cooking with herbs, supplements, teas, or making a topical ointment.
• Naturopathic Medicine – This involves the theory that health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being; meaning that health is not just the abstinence of disease or illness.
• Massage Therapy – The power of touch comes is utilized by massaging away stress so that the body is able to heal. Reiki is a form of massage therapy.
• Holistic Medicine – This theory comes from Aristotle when he stated that “The whole is more than the sum of its parts”. This means that the body and all its parts work together so should be accessed together and healed together.
• Meditation – a discipline in which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned thinking mind into a deeper state of relaxation. Different forms focus on different goals which may be a greater focus, creativity, or self-awareness.
• Chiropractic medicine – This focuses on the musculoskeletal system of the body. The users of this form of alternative medicine hold that when physically adjusted, the body will be aligned and the positive energy will be released to promote healing.
• Yoga – A form of alternative therapy that involves the exercise of the body and mind through breathing and stretching techniques.
Reiki History
It is told that in the 1920’s, a Japanese Buddhist Monk, by the name of Dr. Mikao Usui ended a retreat of fasting meditation with the healing powers of touch. Usui had a strong background in kiko (energy cultivation) and a martial art that had a strong resemblance to Zen. He also studied Zen and the system of Reiki carries all these influences. He unified all his learning into the practical form of Reiki. In 1936, a woman named Hawayo Takata brought this practice to the Western hemisphere via Hawaii and it has been taught and performed ever since.
What is Reiki?
The word Reiki comes from the Japanese words “Rei” (spiritual) and “ki” (energy). The word translates to mean “spiritual life force.” The Usui system of healing (Reiki) uses the flow of energy from practitioner to patient to enhance the body’s natural capabilities of healing by balancing energy. Reiki incorporates elements of all the other alternative healing practices. Some of these include: spiritual healing, auras, crystals, charka balancing, meditation, aromatherapy, and more. Reiki or Usui utilizes specific techniques to restore and balance the natural energy source within the body. This is a hands-on holistic treatment that truly touches on all levels:
• Body
• Mind
• Spirit
Who Benefits From Usui?
It is a misconception that only the ill can benefit from Reiki treatments. This has probably seemed to be the way because you hear of the benefits for patients, such as patients fighting Cancer. When someone undergoes traditional medical treatments to help fight this horrible disease, they are pumped full of chemicals and radiation to help kill the bad cells. However, with those treatments people also lose the inner energy needed for natural healing. Reiki treatments transfer positive energy and target those areas so that the negativity is blocked and the positive energy can help the patient heal.
Some patients tell of relaxation and comfort felt during the treatments; others say they feel heat or tingling from the practitioner’s hands. There is no typical treatment and some people may need multiple treatments before the benefit is felt.
There are certain forces that are present around us. Some people have trouble grasping things that they can not put their hands on. The Usui healing system is one of belief. An open mind and heart are needed to truly reap all the benefits that this ancient form of healing has to offer. When Usui came off that mountain, he had been blessed with a gift of healing. The true gift came when he shared his healing powers with those around him and it spread to help people across the nations everyday.