Reflecting on 2020 as it comes to a close, reminded me that last year (2019), at the first in-person meeting of the new Council with Gilly and William, the theme for TRA’s 2020 Annual Gathering emerged - Being Reiki. We invited Johannes Reindl, the new lineage bearer for Usui Shiki Ryoho to the Gathering. Kristin Bonney, one of the founder members of TRA, introduced Johannes and helped us deepen our connection with the mystical energy of the lineage bearer. As we honour the mystical aspect of Reiki, simply being together in Reiki helps us all progress.

Service is a mystical process. This year (2020), in the energy of the newly formed Council, with two new Council members Louise and Diane, the Council is deepening our process of service and the value of being part of this circle of peers. We start each meeting with brief self treatment, Reiki Principles and the Spirit of Consensus:
“Speak from your heart, Speak only for yourself
Listen with an open heart, Respect what other say
Each voice holds a piece of the truth, No one voice holds the whole truth
The truth is not there before each voice is heard”.

We are learning to serve in a way that nourishes our being, with deeper integrity and loving kindness for self and others. We are realizing that Council members are simply members of the community, just like all the other members. They simply heard the call of the heart and Reiki, in the sacred space of the Annual Gathering, and had the cœurage to step forward to serve at the time.

It seems all of us are in a sacred space together with nature, plants, animals, people and everything that exists in the Universe. This sacred space where the whole is much more than the sum of individual parts. Feeling this mystical connection, welcoming all that life is bringing our way, helps us to stay open to listen more deeply to what life wants us to hear. This openness helps make it easier to listen to the heart. The heart knows what to do, when and how.

At the Gathering, Johannes shared a story with us, of how the people in his village stepped forward to save the village during a crisis, with an inner knowing. Each person just knew what to do, how and when. This inner knowing seems much needed at this time of such deep uncertainty, for all of us.

Just as each cell in the body is important and serves a unique purpose, each member of the Council, each member of the community has a unique purpose and role. Our invitation to you is to take a moment, place your Reiki hands on the heart, and welcome all the sounds around you, listen to the cells in the body, listen to your breath, and listen to your heart to be able to hear the unique role you have.

Wouldn't it be amazing if each one of us can grow our ability to listen deeply and serve in all the circles we belong to, with this inner knowing and love, for the best outcome for the whole.

We invite you to share how you may be continuing to feel the ripples of Being Reiki. The Gathering happens once a year but the benefits are felt through the year and beyond.

With our best wishes for 2021

Mamta Nanda

Serving with gratitude on The Reiki Association Council with Claire, Diane, Gilly, Louise, William.

We trust that this year, the Universe is presenting us this new way of Being Reiki together online for a good reason. And our role is to be able to see the blessing in this. We are grateful that many more members can join us this year because it is online.

The energy feels profoundly transformational and hopeful.

Please feel free to share any thoughts, insights, experiences in the build up to the Gathering or reflections afterwards.

The Government announced in a press conference on July 9th, that close-contact services can reopen in England "subject to some restrictions on particularly high-risk services" from Monday 13 July.

What does this mean for Reiki Practioners practising ‘hands-on therapies’ in England?

In alignment with advice from CNHC, Reiki Practitioners may return to work from Monday 13 July subject to the exception below, and provided that you:

• Do not treat high risk zones. This is defined in UK Government guidance as "the area in front of the face where splashes and droplets from the nose and mouth may be present, which can pose a hazard".
• Have full infection control measures in place.
• Have confirmation that you are covered by your Professional Indemnity Insurance.

The UK Government guidance for close contact services can be found here.

Exception: If your practice is based in an area subject to local lockdown restrictions you cannot return to work yet.

CNHC guidance on preparing to return to work in line with the Government’s guidance is being updated. TRA will keep you informed when it is released.

Please read through all the information links given here to make sure that you are fully prepared to return to work, to ensure safety for yourself, your clients and your family.

Latest update on devolved governments' announcements for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please note the corrected information for Scotland below:

NORTHERN IRELAND

Face to face therapies:
From 6 July practitioners in Northern Ireland can return to work provided:

• They can maintain social distancing of 2 metres.
• Have full infection control measures in place.
• Have confirmation that they are covered by their Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Hands-on therapies:
From 6 July practitioners in Northern Ireland can return to work provided they have full infection control measures in place and have confirmation that they are covered by their professional indemnity insurance.

SCOTLAND

Face to face therapies:
From 15 July practitioners in Scotland can return to work provided:

• They can maintain social distancing of 2 metres.
• Have full infection control measures in place.
• Have confirmation that they are covered by their Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Hands-on therapies:
On 9 July the Scottish Government announced it is in Phase 3 of the route map of moving out of lockdown. Personal retail services such as beauticians can re-open on 22 July but, unlike other countries in the UK, no mention has been made of other close contact services being able to reopen in the Scottish Government's outline of key dates. Until we hear further from the Scottish Government about other close contact services, CNHC advice remains that "hands-on" therapist in Scotland cannot return to work.

WALES

Face to face therapies:
From 13 July practitioners in Wales can return to work provided:

• They can maintain social distancing of 2 metres
• Have full infection control measures in place,
• Have confirmation that they are covered by their Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Hands-on therapies:
27 July has been announced as the provision date of returning to work.

If this date is confirmed by the Welsh Government, practitioners in Wales can return to work provided that they have full infection control measures in place and have confirmation that they are covered by their professional indemnity insurance.

CNHC guidance on preparing to return to work can be found here.

Full update for return to work for face-to-face therapies and hands-on therapies is available on CNHC website.

We wish you the very best with the decision you make at this time, whether you return to work right away or choose to wait.

The Reiki Association Council and Return to Work team.

Dear Members

Thank you for receiving our invitation for the online/remote Reiki Share so warmly. Your response nourishes us deeply to be able to make more such offerings.

The Reiki Shares will take place at 2 pm every Wednesday in May 2020. Duration of the Share will be one hour.

Here is what we will be doing during the Reiki Share. This sharing is to support the members who would be joining us without being online using Zoom.

We will start with an opening circle – to center ourselves, be present as best as is possible, bringing the whole of ourselves to the Share. You may find it helpful to bring awareness to the breath, to the whole body, connect consciously with Reiki, and with your Reiki teachers, and with all the other members who are joining us for the Reiki Share.

We will self treat for 40 minutes, allowing 5 minutes for each position. There are many ways to do the self treatment. Please follow the method you have learnt from your Reiki Master.

After the self treatment, we will invite people to share their experience. We will finish with a closing circle thanking Reiki, our teachers and all the people who have joined us for the Reiki Share.

We invite you to share any feedback you may have from your experiencein the comments below. Your sharing may inspire someone else. Or it may help you make connections with other members. Hearing someone else’s experience may help you remember something from your own experience. It is so good to share, especially at this time when we cannot be together in-person.

We are really looking forward to being together in Reiki with you, in this deeply nourishing energy field that is created simply through your presence. This energy field can feel quite sacred where we can receive the light, strength and wisdom needed to regain our own wholeness and the wholeness of life.

Thank you for being with us in this circle.

The Reiki Association Council

Mamta, William, Gillian, Narkess, Claire

Would you like to hold a Reiki Share in this current situation, when we are not able to visit each other? Perhaps you would like to find out how some other people are managing their Reiki Shares.

Perhaps you have been holding remote Reiki Share already. You might like to share your experience in the comments below.

There are many ways to hold a Reiki Share remotely. You can either do the share online with virtual meeting software like Zoom, or it can be done beautifully without being online.

Here is one suggestion for doing it without being online:
“The sharing group was contacted by email or phone and a set time was agreed. About 10 mins before the agreed time I lit a candle and sat in Reiki to create an energetic circle and visualised the sharing group holding hands in this circle. I said the names of each in the sharing group and sent Reiki for the self treatments that followed to be for our highest and greatest good.  The group then self treated for the appointed amount of time.

We had agreed a basic format for a 30 minute self treatment, 5 minutes in each of the following positions - eyes, side of the head, back of the head, heart, solar plexus and just below the navel, so six positions in all, this added to the sense of synchronicity, but was only a guide. Participants could treat whatever needed treating in the way that they would usually treat themselves.   At the end of the 30 minutes each of us bowed with our hands in the prayer/gasho position to signify the end of the share and a way of honoring the presence of each other. It was a very beautiful experience for us all.”

Here is a sharing of a 90 minute Reiki Share offered using Zoom software:
“I guided the participants through an opening circle, connecting with our body, with the lineage, and with Reiki. This took about 5-10minutes.

Then I invited them to introduce themselves, sharing where they live, how they were feeling, what they were finding helpful at this time, etc. This took about 20-30 minutes. Being able to see and hear each other was very well received.

Then I invited them to do a self treatment together, in a comfortable position – either seated or lying down. I guided them through the self treatment, inviting them to move at their own pace, listening to my voice if they wished to, or not. We did this for about half an hour.

After this we shared our experience of self treating together – although remotely, and the feedback was amazing. I invited questions, if any, in this closing circle, which took about 15 minutes. And we finished with gratitude. It was especially gratifying to hear requests for more such gatherings during this time.

My learning from this first offering is to keep it simple.”

Another suggestion is to include any feedback received from people unable to attend the Share, but wanting the group to know how they are, in the opening/closing circle.

We invite you to share your experience of holding Reiki Shares remotely and help enrich offerings to the community. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below.