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Some of the ideas for
Reiki are quite similar to the concept of
"qi." Usui also studies subjects such as Yoga, Ayurveda, and classic
Chinese medicines. Mikao Usui would go on to train a number of
students, who went on to become his disciples. One of his most
prominent disciples was Chujiro Hayashi, who went on to teach and
spread the Reiki techniques. The variation that he taught was much more
simple than the techniques that had been promoted by Mikao Usui. It was
Hayashi who first developed a collection of specific hand positions.
This was a sharp contrast to Usui, who preferred more mystical methods
for treatment.
Hayashi trained Hawayo
Takata, and she would go on
to introduce the practice in the United States. While she claimed to be
a Grandmaster, the term is not used in Japan. As the practice of Reiki
spread throughout the world, the practice became split into two
categories, and these are independent school and traditional school.
The traditional schools were devoted to teaching Reiki in the same
manner that it was taught by the founder Mikao Usui. In contrast, the
independent schools teach Reiki in a way that differs greatly from that
which was used by Usui.
Ironically, Reiki is rare
in Japan, the
country from which it originated. It is much more popular in the West,
and has become popular in a number of hospitals. One notable example of
Reiki being used by the healthcare industry is the National Health
Service in the United Kingdom.
In recent years, a number
of
changes have occurred with Reiki schools. Many of them are now moving
towards independent forms that can allow the treatment to be more
widely available to a larger segment of the population. Some have even
begun merging Reiki with a number of New Age practices or beliefs such
as channeling and Wicca. A number of symbols and new procedures have
been added.
The vast majority of
changes that have been made in
Reiki are a result of the harm that adherents believe Hawayo Takata
brought to the practice. While her methods were strict, the methods
that are used for Reiki today are much more loose. One element that
some schools have added to the practice of Reiki is called Seichim
energy, and will alter the experience and practice of channeling. The
independent Reiki movement has made it popular with a larger segment of
the population.
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