How is Usui Reiki and Kundalini Reiki different?

Usui Reiki seems to work on the etheric energy level of the body, or the ‘blueprint’ of the body.  Energy from the Universe travels through our hands and into the body automatically and without thought or intention.  The healer can actually be asleep or can be an animal and the reiki will still flow, as if by osmosis.  Energy will travel from areas of high energy ie. the Universe, to areas of low energy ie our body.  It is a very simple, natural and totally automatic response.  The Reiki workshops activate the Reiki in a person’s hands and allows this process to flow.  As a result you do not need to be aware of energy, or of flow, or indeed of any sensations.

Usui Reiki treatments for both self-treatments and treating others last from 30 to 60 minutes and induce a deep sense of relaxation, similar to meditation.  As a result when treating yourself with Reiki you will feel much calmer and it will probably put you to sleep!  The Usui system’s advantage is in its ease of use and automatic flow – meaning you do not need to be aware of what you are doing, or have any feelings or sensations for the energy to work.

At the level 1 Workshop you will learn how to give a treatment to yourself, to others and to plants and animals.  However, if you wish to do distance healing, cleanse environments or work on specific blockages you will need to attend a level 2 workshop to learn the symbols to activate these processes.

More on Usui Reiki, click here

Kundalini Reiki appears to work through the mental energy (a higher vibration energy level) and requires mental thought to activate the healing.  Practitioners are taught to think ‘Reiki’ to get the flow going.  As a result the practitioner is more involved, and more influential in the healing process, this is particularly true at higher levels of healing in Kundalini Reiki 2 and 3.  Although this may seem more like hard work, the process is quickened and shortened because of this higher energy involvement.  It also means that through intention, the practitioner can manipulate the energy and move it around the body, as well as harmonising situations and events, releasing emotions and conducting distance healing.  This is much wider in range than Usui Reiki 1 (these techniques are taught in Usui Reiki level 2).

Kundalini Reiki treatments are 5 minutes in length and as a result people find it an easier system to do as a daily practice.  There is also an optional 20 minute mediation given at the level 1 class for those who enjoy meditation and want a longer treatment.  This system’s main advantage is in its speed to treatments and the flexibility and range of tools offered at level one.  In general we feel Kundalini Reiki 1 is equivalent to Usui 1 & 2.

More on Kundalini Reiki, click here

The benefits of beginning with Usui Reiki is that it is absolutely the best foundational healing course for the beginner, or the skeptic.  It is also the original Reiki and for some it has the attraction of its long tradition and reputation.  It is truly a tried and tested system of effective healing.

The benefits of beginning with Kundalini Reiki is that it is more versatile, faster and easier to incorporate into daily life.  It is also much faster to learn and you can benefit from a huge range of tools in a very short period of time.

No prior Reiki knowledge is required to do this course.

Kundalini 1
Saturday 18th February, 9.30am-4.30pm, with Shirley Tay
Wed 7-Thurs 8 March, 9.30am-12.30pm, with Kate Drewer

Fee: $240
Email: kate@reikicentre.com.sg or shirley@reikicentre.com.sg to reserve

During the Workshop, only one attunement is required to activate the participants to Kundalini Reiki.  The treatments are very quick, just 5 minutes in duration which means a great deal of ground can be covered during the day.  This is a fast paced workshop and we will learn the following:

Students learn how to:

1. Give a Reiki energy treatment to themselves
2. Give a Reiki treatment to others, and other living things
3. Give distance healing to others, and other living things
4. Clear space (offices, home, workshop rooms etc) to provide more balanced energies
5. Clear past blockages such as situations, uncomfortable relationship ties, past trauma etc.

The attunement and meditations are extremely calming and healing so the day itself is a wonderful healing experience and opportunity to de-stress, have fun and learn a fantastic tool for life!

Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a towel to lie on.  It is recommended that no alcohol is taken 48 hours prior to the course.
To register please email: kate@reikicentre.com.sg or shirley@reikicentre.com.sg

More on Kundalini Reiki
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From The Kundalini Experience, Lee Sannella MD

Since beginning to teach Kundalini Reiki I have had several questions regarding the awakening of the Kundalini, especially from those of you who enjoy surfing the net – there is a lot of ‘danger – beware’ information on the internet and some people are concerned that Kundalini Reiki will inadvertently awaken the kundalini with unpleasant results.  To demystify the experience, I have excerpts from Lee Sannella’s comprehensive book to help to identify some of the main factors in kundalini awakening, please read this book for a greater understanding on the energy and how it manifests.

Key to note however, is that Kundalini Reiki is NOT designed to awaken the kundalini which normally only happens after rigorous and prolonged meditation or other spiritual practice.  Kundalini Reiki does help us to harness the power of this energy but it does not facilitate its release up the spine and into enlightenment, unfortunately for us!  To awaken our ‘greatest potential’ we would need to do at least 1-2 hours of meditation a day for several years, and even then it is a curiously rare phenomenon.

The following symptoms are not designed to scare the living daylights out of you (though they might!) but more to assure those of you who get the normal detox headaches, tingling or aches and pains that you are far removed from the real symptoms of Kundalini awakening and are simply experiencing a regular detox.  If however you are experiencing many of the symptoms below – don’t worry, you are not going mad but you are on your journey towards bliss – yay!

Benefits of Kundalini Awakening:

The awakening of the kundalini is seen by many as the gateway to enlightenment and unification with the universe.  The reports of those who have experienced this phenomenon include being bathed in ‘bliss’, peace, ‘oneness with the universe’, ‘ecstasy’.

Swami Narayanananda, in his book The Primal Power in Man, describes the classical account of Kundalini arousal which is also mentioned in traditional scriptures of Hinduism (especially Yoga and Tantrism) but also reflect similarities in Taoism, Zen traditions, and Buddhism.

The opening of the senses:

Common symptoms in cases of Kundalini awakening –

1.      Sounds such as tones, music, hissing, roaring, thunder, drumming, cymbals.

2.      Visualizations including colours, light inside your head or body, hallucinations, outside luminescence of objects.

3.      Temperature, extremes of heat or cold that can be measured by thermometer.

4.      Sensations of tickling, vibrating, itching, crawling moving about in a patterned manner or pulsating and flowing.  Especially movement from the legs, pain in big toe, up the legs towards the back, neck, head and face in that order.

5.      Movement, spontaneous involuntary positioning (often in yogic poses) of limbs, fingers, whole body.  Crying out or grunting, yelling, screaming involuntarily.  Odd breathing patterns.

These symptoms are often experienced during meditation, quiet times, in bed or sitting quietly.

Often reports of pain, fear of madness or psychosis, fear of illness or death creates such resistance to the energy flow that the opening is impeded creating much more pain or lengthening the time to completion.  Completion can be as long as months or years. If the fear is stopping you from moving forwards, simply stop your meditative practices and the flow will abate by itself.  The flow is completed when the feeling of bliss resides almost solely in your crown.  Reports of instant healing of ailments, clarity and insight is common with such awakening.

Kundalini awakening as yet is a very rare phenomenon but we believe it is growing as more people open the path and more people recognize what it is and how to handle the flow.  Although it sounds extreme, kundalini awakening is the fast track to inner bliss and enlightenment, though it is not the only route.

Reiki has been likened as another route to enlightenment, albeit without all the nashing of teeth and drama queen excesses.  Kundalini Reiki is a fast track of sorts, as the healing is done more quickly and intensely, so definitely there is opportunity to work on your kundalini energy and heighten this experience when done in conjunction with other practices such as Kundalini Yoga, Osho meditation, or other spiritual traditions.

However, it bears remembering that Kundalini Reiki done with the intention of healing and wellness and for only the prescribed 5-15 minutes a day will NOT create the experiences described above!