For starters I began by asking the kids if they had seen the movie Frozen - the sequel is out this week and a lot of them had just been to the movies. I explained that Reiki is similar to the blue light that the princess shoots out of her hands, but that instead of freezing people, it fills them with love and happiness. We can also use that energy to feel better, to rest and to help others.
With that we jumped right into the Reiki placement - the part of the class that activates the energy so that they can channel it too. In Holy Fire® Reiki classes this is done with a meditation that lasts nearly 30 minutes - most of it in silence, pretty much imposible for kids. So I gave them printouts of the word Reiki in Japanese and suggested that as soon as they got bored, they start drawing it.
We had set up this pencil mandala in the center of the Reiki circle and within minutes they were reaching for their favourite colors 😅
With the activation done, now comes the fun part!
Channeling Reiki for the first time feels like something out of a sci-fi film. I had the kids hold up their hands, think of a color, and ask for Reiki. They imagined they had a balloon between their palms and they filled it with color. Their eyes went wide, talking about how it felt tingly, hot or cold. To some it felt like they had magnets in their palms - these sensations are mentioned by adults in Reiki classes too. Within minutes the kids were so excited, bringing their hands closer together, further apart, before we smashed the Reiki energy balloons and sent it into the room.
We went through several exercises - filling the room with Reiki to clear it. We filled our shoes with Reiki, the cupboards, the plants, and even filled the school's water fountain with Reiki. Then we moved onto Aura brushing, the idea was for the kids to brush each other's energy fields but they were still feeling shy and brushed their own instead. In Reiki Kids classes I find it is important to respect where they are and what they are comfortable with.
Giving Reiki To Yourself
After that we went through the hand positions and what each of them does - for example, healing the eyes helps us clear thoughts and worries. The back of the head lets go of second guessing and also sends Reiki down the spine. The Throat Chakra was their favorite, I think, because we give ourselves Reiki while sounding out DO-RE-MI-FA-SO-LA-TI! I mentioned this step clears our entire mind, body and emotions - without going into the details. The Throat is the center of the 13 Chakra System, including the energy centers above our heads in the Aura and below our feet.
This class didn't cover the Chakras as it was on Reiki & Emotions; when it came to the heart we put one hand over the left side of our chest and the other on the right for balance. Next we moved onto the upper stomach area and I asked them if they had ever felt butterflies in their tummy when they were scared or nervous (they all nodded). This is where we can heal some of our fears - though as one of the kids pointed out, those can be found in the mind too.
We continued down the front of the body before ending with our hands on our knees for grounding. Then we dusted ourselves off with Reiki, and created a HUGE Reiki ball to place over our entire bodies. Then came with a surprise - we set the intention to convert that Reiki ball to water so that other people's vibes slide off us. This is one of my favorite tools and as far as I can tell it is only possible with Holy Fire® Reiki, as that energy alternates between feeling like fire, colorful light or running like water. The Reiki meditations in the Master level involve lots of water.
Reiki & Emotions
Once the basics were over we took a much needed break before coming back to talk about our feelings and emotions. What type of situations might make us feel happy, sad, stressed or angry. For me one of the greatest benefits to Reiki is how it hugs our emotions. I asked the kids to think about a time they had been sad and to give the feeling a color. The color that came to mind representing their sadness was the one they would channel with their hands when they felt sad, letting Reiki flow through them and hug their sadness. It flows through and soothes us.
In my experience what happens (and I use this color technique with adults too) is we need to acknowledge our emotions. Just by giving our feelings the love and validation they need, we feel a bit better. Then Reiki energy flows through and releases some of it from our energy body, like water being poured out of a jug of water. We might not release all of the sadness, but it does weigh less. The space cleared is filled with Reiki so that we can continue healing ourselves 💖
Reiki is complementary to medical care, kids with anxiety and other conditions are always referred to a doctor.
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| Ready for the Kids to Arrive! |
The kids loved the idea of Reiki flowing through their emotions so that they could feel their feelings without getting stuck. We also stressed that it is 100% normal to feel mad or sad, but that none of us wanted to stay mad for weeks afterwards. When it came time to talk about the Reiki Guidelines for Happiness - which in the adult version read "Just for today, I will not worry or anger" - for the kids, I choose to rephrase it as "When I feel angry or stressed, I give myself Reiki."
The 5 Reiki Ideals
The adult classes are deathly boring compared to the kids class, with more history into the Buddhist roots for Reiki, Usui's biography and what led him to create this amazing system for self-healing, meditation and personal growth. We also cover the ins-and-outs of energy healing.
With kids it is best to keep the Reiki class light, practical and playful. I always mention that Usui worked for the Japanese military and how he had been influenced by his family's apparent Samurai ancestry (this was included in the handouts from my Reiki 1 class years ago). We discussed the value of discipline and how Samurai were soldiers, but also spiritual - and that soldiers use their power and force to help their communities live and thrive peacefully.
Because of Usui's background, Reiki's philosophy is based partly on the Japanese military's discipline and guidelines for success (the ideals were taken from the Emperor Meiji). By following these simple guidelines, we would be able to make better use of Reiki in our daily lives. I took the liberty of adapting the traditional Reiki ideals to make them child friendly and relatable.
With kids it is best to keep the Reiki class light, practical and playful. I always mention that Usui worked for the Japanese military and how he had been influenced by his family's apparent Samurai ancestry (this was included in the handouts from my Reiki 1 class years ago). We discussed the value of discipline and how Samurai were soldiers, but also spiritual - and that soldiers use their power and force to help their communities live and thrive peacefully.
Because of Usui's background, Reiki's philosophy is based partly on the Japanese military's discipline and guidelines for success (the ideals were taken from the Emperor Meiji). By following these simple guidelines, we would be able to make better use of Reiki in our daily lives. I took the liberty of adapting the traditional Reiki ideals to make them child friendly and relatable.
Just For Today
If I get mad, sad or worried I give myself Reiki
I give thanks for all my blessings
I give thanks for all my blessings
I do my homework, tell the truth
I am kind to others.
The original ideals talk about Happiness being the answer to our prayers, so to speak. The guidelines bring us closer to feeling happiness and contentment in our daily lives: Just for Today, I will not worry, I will not anger. I am grateful for all of my blessings. I do my work honestly and am kind to all living beings 💝
This group of kids reinforced my faith in humanity and proved that children are our hope for the future. When we came to the last Reiki ideal, I paused and said (in Spanish): soy buena onda con los demás, Mexican slang for "I am easy going and kind to others". The kids let out a collective sigh with HUGE smiles on their faces. They loved the thought of being nice to others, and how it would, in and of itself, bring more joy to their lives. They were also quick to point out that if we are kind to others, it comes right back to us =)
So that was beautiful!
We went on to do moving meditations - using power poses to activate happiness and confidence. The class ended after we had experimented with different Reiki uses, including:
- Handcrafted Reiki Boxes so that the kids could fill the box with love and happiness, and with their intentions. We talked about Free Will and how some people might not want or need Reiki just then, and that was OK. The topic of a wish list came up - Reiki isn't a fairy godmother who gives us video games - it fills us with peace & contentment, and helps us heal feelings of frustration if we don't get that thing that we had been hoping for. We also talked about how things aren't always what they seem, and that sometimes when we have the toy, the appeal wears off (we called them smelly toys...)
- Give Each Other Reiki: I asked a friend to join me and demonstrated a simple Reiki healing. In this instance I placed my hands on her head lightly and sent Reiki through her body. We ask for permission before touching anyone to respect boundaries, and also to be sure we don't make a bruised knee worse. Reiki can be felt even if we do not touch, as a matter of fact I am a huge fan of keeping my hands a few inches away...
...When the demo is over there are usually just a few kids wanting to participate. Most hang back to see how they respond. The ones giving and receiving Reiki share their impressions with the group. With this particular style of Reiki it feels like a river flowing through the person receiving it. The reactions of the kids (or adults) giving and receiving Reiki for the first time are a mix of awe, wonder and visible surprise.
- The Reiki Circle: This is my favorite. We stand in a circle and pretend to join hands but don't do it. Your palm is 5 centimetres (2 inches) from the person next to you. We then send Reiki to the person on our right while receiving from the person on our left. It feels so nice and the pictures from this activity were just adorable.
- Activate a Crystal: Amazonite stones have a beautiful combination of blues and green. It is great for healing fears and speaking the truth. I took a handful of stones with me and taught the kids to clear them with Reiki. The original Japanese clearing technique looks like a karate chop over the crystal, they loved that! We filled it with Reiki and asked the stone to help us by transmuting fears and releasing them to the universe.
Reiki has helped me more than I can put into words, but I didn't discover it until I was 32; what would my responses to life have been like if I had found it earlier? For me the greatest value has been in how it heals fears and hang-ups, tones down our stubbornness and releases beliefs. The adult classes are fun too but more structured; with children we can let our creativity roam free.
I will let you in on a little secret; though it was written for adults (or grown-up kids), some of the tools in Chakra Healing & Magick are meant to connect with our Inner Child. As I have mentioned earlier, our inner magician and our inner child are best buddies. We won't know what we are truly capable of until we reconnect with the joy and wonder that children bring to life.
Regina