Sedona Reiki Master

Reiki  is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Mikao Usui. After three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama, in Japan, Usui claimed to receive the ability of "healing without energy depletion". A portion of the practice, tenohira or palm healing, is used as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Tenohira is a technique whereby practitioners believe they are moving "healing energy" (a form of ki) through the palms.

There is no generally accepted scientific evidence for either the existence of ki or any mechanism for its manipulation, and a systematic review of randomized clinical trials conducted in 2008 did not support the efficacy of reiki or its recommendation for use in the treatment of any condition.

History -  - Sedona Reiki Master

Derivation of name Reiki

Japanese reiki  "mysterious atmosphere; spiritual power" is a loanword from Chinese lingqi 靈氣, which some Chinese-English dictionaries translate: "(of beautiful mountains) spiritual influence or atmosphere"; "① intelligence; power of understanding ② supernatural power or force in fairy tales; miraculous power or force"; "① spiritual influence (of mountains/etc.) ② ingeniousness; cleverness". This Japanese ki  "gas, air; breath; energy; force; atmosphere; mood; intention; emotion; attention", here meaning qi "spiritual energy; vital energy; life force; energy of life". Some reiki translation equivalents from Japanese-English dictionaries are: "feeling of mystery", "an atmosphere (feeling) of mystery", and "an ethereal atmosphere (that prevails in the sacred precincts of a shrine); (feel, sense) a spiritual (divine) presence."

English reiki or Reiki transliterates a Japanese loanword. Reiki is syntactically used as a noun (referring to either "the putative energy" or "the therapeutic method based upon it"), a verb, or an adjective. Some Western authors loosely translate reiki as "universal life energy". This coinage partially mistranslates: ki means "life energy" — rei does not mean "universal".

Origin - Sedona Reiki Master

Mikao Usui (臼井甕男) originated Reiki in 1922 after a twenty-one day retreat on Mount Kurama, involving meditation, fasting, and prayer.

Usui said that by mystical revelation he had gained the knowledge and spiritual power to apply and attune others to what is called Reiki.

In April 1922, Usui moved to Tokyo and founded the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Society).

Usui was an admirer of the literary works of Emperor Meiji, and, in the process of developing his Reiki system, summarised some of the emperor's works into a set of ethical principles, which later became known as the Reiki Principles.("GOKAI" in Japanese) Many Reiki teachers and practitioners aim to abide by these five principles,, one translation of which is:

"The secret method of inviting good fortune.

The marvelous medicine for all sickness

Just for today:

Do not be angry

Do not worry

Be grateful

Work with integrity

Be kind to others.

Every morning and every night, sit in the Gassho position [hands held palm-to-palm] and speak these words out loud in your heart.

For the evolution of body and soul, Usui Reiki Ryoho" — Mikao Usui, the founder.

Usui taught over 2000 students to use Reiki. Sixteen of his students continued their training to reach the Shinpiden level, equivalent to the Western third degree, or master level.

Usui died in 1926.

Early development - Sedona Reiki Master

After Usui's death, Chujiro Hayashi, a former student of Usui, left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai and formed his own association. Hayashi simplified the Reiki teachings, stressing physical healing and using a more codified and simpler set of Reiki techniques.

Hayashi initiated and trained Hawayo Takata, who travelled widely in the USA, practising Reiki and teaching the first two levels to others.

Takata stressed the importance of charging money for Reiki treatments and teachings. In 1976, Takata began teaching the Shinpiden stage and introduced the term Reiki master for this level. She also fixed a price of $10,000 for the master training.[citation needed]

Takata died in 1980  by which time she had trained 22 Reiki masters. Almost all Reiki taught outside Japan can be attributed to her work.

Teachings - Sedona Reiki Master

Reiki teachings claim that there is an inexhaustible, universal "life force" spiritual energy, that can be used to induce a healing effect. Believers say that anyone can gain access to this energy by means of an attunement process carried out by a Reiki Master. Claims for such energy have no known theoretical or biophysical basis.

Reiki is described by adherents as a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. The belief is that the energy will flow through the practitioner's hands whenever the hands are placed on, or held near a potential recipient, who can be clothed. Some teachings stress the importance of the practitioner's intention or presence in this process, while others claim that the energy is drawn by the recipient's injury to activate or enhance the natural healing processes. Going further, the belief is that the energy is "intelligent", making diagnosis unnecessary.

A second level of training, including another initiation, is said to equip the practitioner to perform Reiki treatments from a distance. This method, it is stated, involves the use of special symbols to form a temporary connection between the practitioner and the recipient, regardless of location, and then to send the Reiki energy. Techniques are also taught whereby Reiki can be sent to a specific point in time, either in the past or the future.

Practice - Sedona Reiki Master

Whole body treatment - Sedona Reiki Master

In a typical whole-body Reiki treatment, the practitioner asks the recipient to lie down, usually on a massage table, and relax. Loose, comfortable clothing is usually worn during the treatment. The practitioner might take a few moments to enter a calm or meditative state of mind and mentally prepare for the treatment, that is usually carried out without any unnecessary talking.

The treatment proceeds with the practitioner placing his hands on the recipient in various positions. However, practitioners may use a non-touching technique, where the hands are held a few centimetres away from the recipient's body, for some or all of the positions. The hands are usually kept still for 3 to 5 minutes before moving to the next position. Overall, the hand positions usually give a general coverage of the head, the front and back of the torso, the knees and feet. Between 12 and 20 positions are used, with the whole treatment lasting 45 to 90 minutes.

Some practitioners use a fixed set of hand positions. Others use their intuition to guide them as to where treatment is needed, sometimes starting the treatment with a "scan" of the recipient to find such areas. The intuitive approach might also lead to individual positions being treated for much shorter or longer periods of time.

It is reported that the recipient often feels warmth or tingling in the area being treated, even when a non-touching approach is being used. A state of deep relaxation, combined with a general feeling of well-being, is usually the most noticeable immediate effect of the treatment, although emotional releases can also occur. As the Reiki treatment is said to be stimulating natural healing processes, instantaneous "cures" of specific health problems are not usually observed. A series of three or more treatments, typically at intervals of 1 to 7 days, is usually recommended if a chronic condition is being addressed. Regular treatments, on an on-going basis, can be used with the aim of maintaining well-being. The interval between such treatments is typically in the range of 1 to 4 weeks, except in the case of self-treatment when a daily practice is common.

Localized treatment - Sedona Reiki Master

Localized Reiki treatments involve the practitioner's hands being held on or near a specific part of the body. Recent injuries are usually treated in this way, with the site of injury being targeted. There is great variation in the duration of such treatments, though 20 minutes might be typical.

Some practitioners use localized treatments for certain ailments, and some publications have tabulated appropriate hand positions. However, other practitioners prefer to use the whole body treatment for all chronic conditions, on the grounds that it has a more holistic effect. Another approach is to give a whole body treatment first, followed by a localized treatment.

Training - Sedona Reiki Master

The teaching of Reiki outside of Japan is commonly divided into three levels, or degrees.

First degree - Sedona Reiki Master

The first degree Reiki course teaches the basic theories and procedures. Four "attunements" are given to the student by the teacher. Students learn hand placement positions on the recipient's body that are thought to be most conducive to the process in a whole body treatment. Having completed the first degree course, the participant can treat himself and others with Reiki. The course duration is traditionally four sessions, most often presented in 2, 3, or 4 consecutive days

Second degree - Sedona Reiki Master

In the second degree Reiki course, the student learns the use of three symbols which are said to enhance the strength and distance over which the effect can be exerted. Another attunement is given, which is said to further increase the capacity for Reiki to flow through the student, as well as empowering the use of the symbols. Having completed the second level, the student can work without being physically present with the recipient.

Third degree or master training - Sedona Reiki Master

Through the third degree, or "master training", the student becomes a Reiki Master. (In Reiki terminology, the word "master" does not imply spiritual enlightenment.) One or more attunements are carried out and the student learns a further master-level symbol, called Dai Koo Myo. Having completed the master training, the new Reiki Master can attune other people to Reiki and teach the three degrees of Reiki. The duration of the master training can be anything from a day to a year or more, depending on the school and philosophy of the Reiki Master giving the training.

Variations - Sedona Reiki Master

There is much variation in training methods, speeds and costs. There is no accreditation body for Reiki, nor any regulation of the practice. Reiki courses can even be taken over the Internet, although Traditionalists state that attunement must be done in person in order to take effect, as the Reiki Master/Teacher doing the attunement must be able to actually touch the energy field of the person being attuned. Some traditionalists maintain that any method that teaches Reiki "quickly" cannot yield as strong an effect, because there is no substitute for experience and patient mastery of the art.

Scientific research - Sedona Reiki Master

The strongest research conducted as of 2008 has failed to demonstrate that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition. This systematic review assessed this evidence base, finding nine studies which fit their selection criteria. A modified Jadad score of methodological quality was used, taking into account the difficulty of blinding practitioners. Non-randomized studies were excluded, as the potential for intentional or unintentional bias in such studies is large, rendering the results uninterpretable. Overall, the methodological quality of the evidence base was found wanting, with even high-ranking studies failing fully to control for placebo effects and most studies suffering "methodological flaws such as small sample size, inadequate study design and poor reporting." As trials with such flaws are known to be likely to show exaggerated treatment effects, there is insufficient evidence to indicate that reiki is effective as sole or adjuvant therapy for any medical condition, or that it has any benefits beyond possible placebo effects.

Safety and effectiveness - Sedona Reiki Master

The National Council Against Health Fraud suggests that any clinical effect of Reiki may be due to suggestion (the placebo effect), and Reiki has been labelled as a "feel-good" therapy, where recipients themselves do not expect any significant healing effects.

Internal controversies - Sedona Reiki Master

With the many varied ways that have been used to teach Reiki, there have emerged points of controversy between different groups, teachers and practitioners. Controversies exist on topics such as the nature of the Reiki energy itself, fees charged for courses and treatments, training methods, secrecy of symbols, and attunement methods.

Following the death of Hawayo Takata, through to the mid 1990s, there were rival claims to the title of "Grandmaster" of Reiki. However, this dispute largely evaporated when it was discovered that Takata herself had created the term.

Notes - Sedona Reiki Master

References - Sedona Reiki Master

• Reiki: Universal Life Energy, Bodo J. Baginski, Shalila Sharamon, Alois Hanslian & Chris Baker, English print: Life Rhythm, 1988, ISBN 0-940795-02-7
• Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution, Daniel J. Benor, M.D., Vision Publications (MI) (December 2000) ISBN 1-886785-11-2
• Reiki (Principles of), Kajsa Krishni Boräng, Thorsons, 1997, ISBN 0-7225-3406-X
• Reiki Healer: A Complete Guide to the Path and Practice of Reiki, Ellyard, Lotus Press, 2004, ISBN 0-940985-64-0
• Reiki: a Gift from the Universe, Trevor Gollagher, 1998
• Big Book of Reiki Symbols, Mark Hosak and Walter Luebeck, Lotus Press, ISBN 0-914955-64-0
• Complete Reiki Handbook, Luebeck, English print: Lotus Press, 1994, ISBN 0-941524-87-6
• Reiki: Way of the Heart, Luebeck, English print: Lotus Press, 1996, ISBN 0-941524-91-4
• Spirit of Reiki, Luebeck, Petter & Rand, 1st English print: Lotus Press, 2001, 5th print: 2004, ISBN 0-914955-67-5
• Reiki Systems of the World, Oliver Klatt with Petter, Luebeck, Rand, Alexander, Furumoto, Mitchell and others, Lotus Press, ISBN 0-914955-79-9
• Healing Reiki, Eleanor McKenzie, Hamlyn, 1998, ISBN 0-600-59528-5
• Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, Pamela Miles, Tarcher/Penguin, 2006, ISBN 1-58542-474-9
• Reiki For Dummies, Nina L Paul PhD, Wiley Publishing Inc, 2005, ISBN 0-7645-9907-0
• Reiki Fire, Frank Arjava Petter, Lotus Press, 1997, ISBN 0-914955-50-0
• Reiki: The Legacy of Dr. Usui, Frank Arjava Petter, 1st English print: Lotus Press, 1998, ISBN 0-914955-56-X
• Hayashi Reiki Manual: Traditional Japanese Healing Techniques from the Founder of the Western Reiki System, Petter, Yamaguchi and Hayashi, Lotus Press, ISBN 0-914955-75-6
• The 'Reiki' Factor in The Radiance Technique(R), Dr. Barbara Ray, Radiance Associates, 1983 (current Expanded Edition (c) 1992), ISBN 0-933267-06-1
• Reiki: A Beginner's Guide, Sandi Leir Shuffrey, Headway (Hodder & Stoughton), 1998, ISBN 0-340-72081-6
• The Reiki Sourcebook, Bronwen and Frans Stiene, O Books, 2003, ISBN 1-903816-55-6
• The Japanese Art of Reiki, Bronwen and Frans Stiene, O Books, 2005, ISBN 1-905047-02-9
• A-Z of Reiki, Bronwen and Frans Stiene, O Books, 2006, ISBN 1-905047-89-4
• Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui, Usui and Petter, 4th English print: Lotus Press, 2003, ISBN 0-914955-57-8
• Reiki: the Science, Metaphysics and Philosophy, Dr. John & Esther Veltheim, Parama, 1995, ISBN 0-9645944-0-4
• An Introduction to Reiki National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (retrieved on 3 July 2007)
• ABC of complementary medicine Catherine Zollman and Andrew Vickers, BMJ 1999;319:693-696, 11 September 1999, (retrieved on 3 July 2007)
• BRCP Divisions and Practises Institute For Complementary Medicine (retrieved on 3 July 2007)
• Reiki: Review of a Biofield Therapy — Miles, P., True, G., Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (March/April 2003), 9(2) pp 62-72
• Human Hemoglobin Levels and Reiki (Journal of Holistic Nursing, 7(1)pp.47-54 1989)
• Biological correlates of Reiki touch healing, Wardell, D.W., Engebretson, J., J. Advanced Nursing, 33(4): 439-445 (2001)

External links - Sedona Reiki Master

• Introduction to Reiki at the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• The International Center for Reiki Training Many articles on Reiki and research into Reiki.
• The International House of Reiki Excerpts from Tomita Kaiji's 1933 book and many other articles.
• Council of Australian Reiki Organisations Ltd. an Australian non-profit national body with approximately 22,500 members through affiliated organisations.
• National Council Against Health Fraud article on reiki
• Reiki - Skeptic's Dictionary

In traditional Chinese culture, qi (氣 / 气; Pinyin qì, Wade-Giles ch'i Jyutping hei; Japanese ki; Vietnamese khí; Korean gi; pronounced IPA: [tɕʰi˥˩] in Standard Mandarin) is an active principle forming part of any living thing.

It is frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or élan vital (vitalism) as well as the yogic notion of prana. The literal translation is "air," "breath," or "gas" (compare the original meaning of Latin spiritus "breathing"; or the Common Greek πνεῦμα, meaning "air," "breath," or "spirit"; and the Sanskrit term prana, "breath" ).

Term and character - Sedona Reiki Master

The etymological explanation for the form of the qi logogram in the traditional form 氣 is “steam (气) rising from rice (米) as it cooks”.

The earliest way of writing qi consisted of three wavy lines, used to represent one's breath seen on a cold day. A later version, 气, (identical to the present-day simplified character) is a stylized version of those same three lines. For some reason, early writers of Chinese found it desirable to substitute for 气 a cognate, character that originally meant to feed other people in a social context such as providing food for guests.[citation needed] Appropriately, that character combined the three-line qi character with the character for rice. So 气 plus 米 formed 氣, and that is the traditional character still used today. (See the Oracle bone character, the Seal script character and the modern "school standard" or Kǎi shū characters in the box at the right for three stages of the evolution of this character.)

In the Japanese language, the Chinese character corresponding to qi (氣) is pronounced ki. The Japanese language contains over 11,442 known usages of "ki" as a compound. As a compound, it may represent syllables associated with the mind, the heart, feeling, the atmosphere, and flavor.[citation needed]

Parallel development occurred in the Korean language which uses Chinese characters (hanja) alongside the indigenous Korean system (hangul). There are also some cases in which commonalities are due to the long history of their geographical relationship.[citation needed]

Definition - Sedona Reiki Master

References to things analogous to the qi taken to be the life-process or “flow” of energy that sustains living beings are found in many belief systems, especially in Asia. Philosophical conceptions of qi date from the earliest recorded times in Chinese thinking. One of the important early cultural heroes in Chinese mythology is Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor). He is identified in the legends of China as the one who first collected and formalized much of what subsequently became known as traditional Chinese medicine.

The earliest extant book that speaks of qi is the Analects of Confucius (composed from the notes of individual students some time after his death in 479 B.C.) Unlike the legendary accounts mentioned above, the Analects has a clear date in history, and most later books (at least the ones that do not purport to be relics of the legendary earliest rulers) can also be assigned clear dates in history.

Manfred Porkert described relations to Western universal concepts:

Within the framework of Chinese thought no notion may attain to such a degree of abstraction from empirical data as to correspond perfectly to one of our modern universal concepts. Nevertheless the term qi comes as close as possible to constituting a generic designation equivalent to our word "energy". When Chinese thinkers are unwilling or unable to fix the quality of an energetic phenomenon, the character qi 氣 inevitably flows from their brushes.

Although the concept of qi has been very important within many Chinese philosophies, over the centuries their descriptions of qi have been varied and may seem to be in conflict with each other. Understanding of these disputes is complicated for people who did not grow up using the Chinese concept and its associated concepts. Until China came into contact with Western scientific and philosophical ideas (primarily by way of Catholic missionaries), they knew about things like stones and lightning, but they would not have categorized them in terms of matter and energy. Qi and li (理, li, pattern) are their fundamental categories much as matter and energy have been fundamental categories for people in the West. Their use of qi (lifebreath) and li (pattern, regularity, form, order) as their primary categories leaves in question how to account for liquids and solids, and, once the Western idea of energy came on the scene, how to relate it to the native idea of "qi". If Chinese and Western concepts are mixed in an attempt to characterize some of the problems that arise with the Chinese conceptual system, then one might ask whether qi exists as a "force" separate from "matter", whether qi arises from "matter", or whether "matter" arises from qi.

Fairly early on, some Chinese thinkers began to believe that there are different fractions of qi (in the sense that different fractions can be extracted from crude oil in a catalytic cracker), and that the coarsest and heaviest fractions of qi form solid things such as rocks, the earth, etc., whereas lighter fractions form liquids, and the most ethereal fractions are the "lifebreath" that animates living beings.

Yuán qì is a notion of "innate" or "pre-natal" qi to distinguish it from acquired qi that a person may develop of their lifetime.

Early philosophical texts - Sedona Reiki Master

The earliest texts that speak of qi give some indications of how the concept developed. The philosopher Mo Di (also known as Mo Zi or "Master Mo") used the word qi to refer to noxious vapors that would in due time arise from a corpse were it not buried at a sufficient depth. He reported that early civilized humans learned how to live in houses to protect their qi from the moisture that had troubled them when they lived in caves. He also associated maintaining one's qi with providing oneself adequate nutrition. And, in regard to another kind of qi he recorded how some people performed a kind of prognostication by observing the qi (clouds) in the sky.

In the "Analects of Confucius", (composed from the notes of individual students sometime after his death in 479 B.C.), "qi" can mean "breath", and it can be combined with the Chinese word for blood (making 血氣, xue-qi, blood and breath) and that concept can be used to account for motivational characteristics. The Analects, 16:7, says:

The [morally] noble man guards himself against three things. When he is young, his xue-qi has not yet stabilized, so he guards himself against sexual passion. When he reaches his prime, his xue-qi is not easily subdued, so he guards himself against combativeness. When he reaches old age, his xue-qi is already depleted, so he guards himself against acquisitiveness.

Meng Ke (also known as Meng Zi, Master Meng, or Mencius) described a kind of qi that might be characterized as an individual's vital energies. This qi was necessary to activity, and it could be controlled by a well-integrated will power. But this qi could not adequately be characterized by English words like "lifebreath" or "bio-plasma" because when properly nurtured it was capable of extending beyond the human body to reach throughout the universe. This qi can be augmented by means of careful exercise of one's moral capacities. On the other hand, the qi of an individual can be degraded by averse external forces that succeed in operating on that individual.

Among the animals, the gibbon and the crane were considered experts in inhaling the qi. Dong Zhongshu (ca. 150 BC) wrote in Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals:

The gibbon resembles a macaque, but he is larger, and his color is black. His forearms being long, he lives eight hundred years, because he is expert in controlling his breathing.

猿似猴。大而黑。长前臂。所以寿八百。好引气也。

Dong Zhongshu

Not only human beings and animals were believed to have "qi". Zhuang Zhou (also known as Zhuang Zi or Master Zhuang) indicated that wind is the "qi" of the earth. Moreover, cosmic Yin and Yang "are the greatest of 'qi'." He describes qi as "issuing forth" and creating profound effects.

Zhuang Zi gave us one of the most productive of insights into the nature of "qi". He said "Human beings are born [because of] the accumulation of 'qi'. When it accumulates there is life. When it dissipates there is death.... There is one 'qi' that connects and pervades everything in the world."

Another passage traces life to intercourse between Heaven and Earth: "The highest Yin is the most restrained. The highest Yang is the most exuberant. The restrained comes forth from Heaven. The exuberant issues forth from Earth. The two intertwine and penetrate forming a harmony, and [as a result] things are born."

Zhuang Zi was a contemporary of Mencius. Xun Zi followed them after some years. At 9:69/127, Xun Zi says: "Fire and water have qi but do not have life. Grasses and trees have life but do not have perceptivity. Fowl and beasts have perceptivity but do not have yi (sense of right and wrong, duty, justice). Men have qi, life, perceptivity, and yi." This passage gives us some insight into his idea of "qi". Chinese people at such an early time had no concept of radiant energy. But they were aware that one can be heated by a campfire even though the air between camper and fire is quite cold. Clearly, something is emitted by the fire and reaches the camper. They called it "qi". At 18:62/122, he too uses "qi" to refer to the vital forces of the body that decline with advanced age.

Later, the syncretic text assembled under the direction of Liu An, the Huai Nan Zi has a passage that presages most of what is given greater detail by the Neo-Confucians:

Heaven (seen here as the ultimate source of all being) falls (duo 墮, i.e., descends into proto-immanence) as the formless. Fleeting, fluttering, penetrating, amorphous it is, and so it is called the Supreme Luminary. The dao begins in the Void Brightening. The Void Brightening produces the universe (yu-zhou ). The universe produces qi. Qi has bounds. The clear, yang [qi] was ethereal and so formed heaven. The heavy, turbid [qi] was congealed and impeded and so formed earth. The conjunction of the clear, yang [qi] was fluid and easy. The conjunction of the heavy, turbid [qi] was strained and difficult. So heaven was formed first and earth was made fast later. The pervading essence (xi-jing) of heaven and earth becomes yin and yang. The concentrated (zhuan) essences of yin and yang become the four seasons. The dispersed (san) essences of the four seasons become the myriad creatures. The hot qi of yang in accumulating produces fire. The essence (jing) of the fire-qi becomes the sun. The cold qi of yin in accumulating produces water. The essence of the water-qi becomes the moon. The essences produced by coitus (yin) of the sun and moon become the stars and celestial markpoints (chen, planets).

– Huai-nan-zi, 3:1a/19

The development of the ideas of qi and of qi zhi zhi xing (氣質之性) in Neo-Confucianism go beyond the scope of a fundamental account of Chinese ideas about qi, but the fundamentals are contained in the above passage.

Traditional Chinese medicine - Sedona Reiki Master

Theories of traditional Chinese medicine assert that the body has natural patterns of qi that circulate in channels called English. Symptoms of various illnesses are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced qi movement (interrupted flow) through the body's meridians, as well as deficiencies or imbalances of qi (homeostatic imbalance) in the various Zang Fu organs. Traditional Chinese medicine often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of qi (metabolic energy flow) in the body using a variety of therapeutic techniques. Some of these techniques include herbal medicines, special diets, physical training regimens (qigong, tai chi chuan, and other martial arts training), moxibustion, massage to clear blockages, and acupuncture, which uses small diameter metal needles inserted into the skin and underlying tissues to reroute or balance qi. It has been hypothesized that the alleged therapeutic effects of acupuncture can be explained by endorphin-release, by relaxation or by simple placebo effects. The NIH Consensus Statement on acupuncture in 1997 noted that concepts such as qi "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."

It is hypothesized that qi could be transmitted through the fascia independent of any neurological activity.

Scientific investigation - Sedona Reiki Master

There are many uses of the term "qi" in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, but it's a imprecise concept of which the best, non-poetic translation is probably "stuff".

There are other uses of the term qì which are slightly more concrete; for instance, following an organ network, it means "function", e.g. gān qì (肝氣) or "liver qì" should be interpreted roughly as "liver function". Further confounding matters, the Chinese term gān is itself a bundle of functional interactions with other organ networks, rather than referring specifically to the tissues of the Liver. A particularly notable discrepancy is pí qì (脾氣) or "spleen qì", which refers mostly to quality of digestion. While from a Western Medical Science perspective the spleen is involved in digestion, sending bilirubin to the liver for inclusion in bile fluids, it is a minor player compared to other organs.

There are also terms like Yuán Qì (元氣) and Zhēn qì (真氣) which are all relatively well defined concepts, and refer variously to interactions between organ networks. When used in the sense "qì is obstructed", it may simply refer to a blockage of body fluids[citation needed] (eg, lymph, veinous blood and interstitial fluid) easily moved by massage such as Tuina.

So, care should be taken during translation to know which sense of the term "qì" is being used. Each of them is its own scientific interpretation. The "sensational" types, ie those which have no explanation in current standard histological models of the body, are the dé qì (得氣) effect felt when an acupuncture needle is inserted and manipulated, and closely related the yíng qì (營氣), which is said to circulate in the

It has been hypothesized that the effects of acupuncture can be explained by endorphin-release, by relaxation or by placebo effects. The NIH Consensus Statement on acupuncture in 1997 noted that concepts such as Qi "are difficult to reconcile with contemporary biomedical information but continue to play an important role in the evaluation of patients and the formulation of treatment in acupuncture."

However more recent investigations point to connective tissue mechanotransduction, in other words a domino effect caused by the specific twisting and knotting of the fabric of the body. The connections with electric conductivity were studied in the United States in the late 19th Century, and are currently the subject of more active research.

Feng shui - Sedona Reiki Master

The traditional Chinese art of geomancy, the placement and arrangement of space called feng shui, is based on calculating the balance of qi, interactions between the five elements, yin and yang and other factors. The retention or dissipation of qi is believed to affect the health, wealth, energy level, luck and many other aspects of the occupants of the space. Color, shape and the physical location of each item in a space affects the flow of qi by slowing it down, redirecting it or accelerating it, which directly affects the energy level of the occupants. Feng shui is said to be a form of qi divination.

Martial arts - Sedona Reiki Master

Qi is a didactic concept in many Chinese, Korean and Japanese martial arts. Martial qigong is a feature of both internal and external training systems in China and other east Asian cultures.

Entertainment - Sedona Reiki Master

Ki is used in the entertainment business too. Anime such as the Dragonball series, Naruto, the video games based off of it and other martial arts movies/anime/video game.

References - Sedona Reiki Master

Further reading - Sedona Reiki Master

• James L., PhD. Oschman (2000). Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis of Bioenergy Therapies. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone
• Wright, Thomas; Eisenberg, David (1995). Encounters with Qi: Exploring Chinese medicine. New York: Norton. 
• Porkert, Manfred (1974). The theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine: Systems of correspondence. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. 
• Soo, Chee (1984). The Chinese art of Tʾai Chi Chʾuan. Wellingborough: Aquarian Press. . 
• Yan, X; Lu F et al. (2002). "Certain physical manifestation and effects of external Qi of yan xin life science technology" (pdf). Journal of Scientific Exploration 16 (3): 381–411. .

External links - Sedona Reiki Master

• Article by Bing YeYoung "A Philosophical and Cultural Interpretation of Qi"
• The Skeptics Dictionary