Dear Ones,

Happy New Year to you all!

Our dear friend Tony organizes a “Distant Reiki Experiment” every year to help Reiki practitioners charge their goals for the New Year. It’s that time again. You are all invited to participate in this experiment to charge your goals for 2011 with Reiki!. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday January 2nd at 3pm EST. To sign up and get the instructions click: http://www.distantreikiexperiment.org/You can still participate if you don’t sign up. At 3 pm on Sunday, please use the following statement of intent during whatever process you choose to send Reiki so we can all focus the energy in the same direction: “I would like to send pure Reiki Energy to fully and completely empower and manifest each goal posted to the Distant Reiki Experiment's website; and to heal and empower every practitioner participating in this event as well as the Earth.“
May all your wishes come true...!

As in every January Newsletter, I’d like to share some tips on how you can create your resolutions and send Reiki for their materialization. Manifesting a reality starts with clear intentions (remember Secret: The Law of Attraction). What you focus on, you attract to your life.

Ø Express your New Year resolution with clarity. Instead of saying “I want to be happy”, define happiness. Say “I want a new job that will bring my highest potential” or “I want to be in a relationship where we can share and grow together”. In stead of “I want a new car” say the model and the color and add any other details as possible. This shows how clear you are with your goal.

Ø Always use positive statements in current tense. Instead of saying “I don’t want to be sick”, say “I am completely healthy”.

Ø Visualize yourself as already accomplished your wish or resolution, i.e. you can visualize yourself at the front yard of your dream home, at the office, or in a loving relationship. Visualize as many details as you can.

Ø Think about what emotions you’d have when you accomplish your goal. Add that emotion to your vision. Feel the breeze of the ocean or sand in the beach, warmness of the sun in your face when you’re in your dream vacation. Feel the joy, the happiness, the contentment of accomplishing your goal.

Ø To empower your goals with Reiki; you can simply write down your resolutions on a piece of paper or visualize it.

Ø Activate Reiki by saying an intention or affirmation like “I’m opening myself to Reiki”. Feel the gentle current of Reiki.

Ø If you know Reiki symbols use them at this time. If you are using visualization, beam Reiki to the image as if it’s in a screen in front of you. If you prefer to write it down, take the piece of paper into your palms and provide Reiki.

Ø Send Reiki to the image or to the paper for 5-10 minutes, or as long as you feel necessary.

Ø Well, the work starts after you send Reiki. Make an action plan and work towards your goal. I’ve just updated my personal OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures) and I’d be glad to work with you individually if you’d like to create yours. This is a tool I’ve adapted from corporate world. It starts with having a vision, mission, achievable goals, and measurable targets for your goals. It works amazingly!

Ø It’s also very important to prepare yourself for your goal and bring your surrounding conditions ready for the materialization of your wish, i.e. check internet resources for healthy diets, how to learn a new skill, etc. One thing I often do is to talk about my goals to my family and friends. The more you talk about your goals, the more you’re inspired and get closer to them. It’s also important to surround yourself with people who’ll support you and your goals.

Ø Always remember you are worth it and you deserve it!

Ø Probably the most important aspect is not to cling to the outcome. Remember it’ll be materialized only if your goal is aligned with your life plan and if it’s for your utmost good. Trust the Divine order for that.

Meditation 101 Workshop on Sunday January 9th 2:30pm - 4:30 pm in Grace Tree Yoga Studio
Make “learning to mediate” one of your New Year resolutions. Learn how to quiet your mind and receive benefits of meditation in the form of reduced stress, reduced anxiety, improved relaxation, increased concentration, increased awareness and inner harmony. This class is for anyone with any level of meditation experience and perfect if especially you want to learn the basics of meditating. You will be able to define what meditation is, the benefits of meditation, and learn all the basics you need to meditate. You’ll also learn a choice of different practical meditation techniques. We will focus on how to sit comfortably, how to calm the breath, how to calm the mind, and how to expand the benefits of meditation to whole life and even to the universe. I’ll give examples from how I meditate and of course…. we’ll meditate together. $35/person
http://www.gracetreestudio.com/

Meditation Meet-ups starts on Sunday January 9th 5:00pm - 5:45pm at Grace Tree Yoga Studio
I’ll start facilitating monthly Meditation group meetings at Grace Tree Yoga Studio every second Sunday of the month. Join me each month to experience the dynamics and support of meditating as a group. Each meet-up will begin with a brief introduction for newcomers on the basics of meditation and a grounding meditation. The rest of the time is open for everyone to have their own experience. All are welcome. Free (Love offerings accepted).
http://www.gracetreestudio.com/

Reiki World Peace Meditation on Wednesday January 12 7:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Join thousands of people around the world to send Reiki for World Peace. You can download the World Peace cards from William Rand’s web site: http://www.reiki.org/WPCM.html


Reiki Level 2 Class on Friday Jan 7th 9:30 am-5pm
Are you ready to take your Reiki practice to the next level? This class is empowered with Japanese Reiki Teachings and introduces the “symbols” as a means to invoke particular energies to help enhance your mental, emotional and spiritual healing. You will learn symbols to help you ground to the Earth, balance with Heaven and connect to the whole Universe. At the end of the class, students will learn how to draw, how to activate and where to use the symbols in daily life as well as techniques for distant healing. The fee is $125/ person. A light vegetarian lunch will be served. Pre-requisite for Reiki 2 is Reiki 1. Let me know if you're interested.

Here is my New Year Gift: Free Reiki Refresher Class for everyone Saturday Jan 8th from 10 am-12 noon in my home
You might have taken a class few years ago; you might not have been practicing Reiki as much or even forgot what it was. It’s OK. :-) You can come back for a refresher class and refresh your knowledge. It’s my heartfelt New Year gift for you. Please RSVP to claim your gift.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

I wish you all a happy New Year filled with abundance of health, peace, prosperity, love, and joy. I bow to you all.
Reiki hugs,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi” Yilmaz

Reiki Newsletter - December 2010

Dear All,

Congratulations new Reiki practitioners! Congratulations for your commitment to self-development and taking charge of your healing. I’ve attached an article from my Reiki Master Frans Stiene that talks about the 3P’s of the Reiki practice: Practice, Patience, and Perseverance. I also wanted to remind of some points that might be helpful to new practitioners (and to old ones too). :-)

Reiki is simple: After the class, sometimes new practitioners don’t know how to start their Reiki practice. All you need to do is to place your hands on yourself and make an intention to start Reiki (or turn the switch on). You can say “I open my hands and my heart to Reiki”, or any other affirmations that will bring out that intention, or simply think about Reiki. It’s that simple! Intention is the key to start Reiki.

How long should I practice?: I’d strongly encourage you to do the 21 days full body treatment (~45 min) but please don’t let this discourage your practice. 15 minutes of Reiki is better than none. Also, you can do Reiki anytime during the day, whenever you have time. Consistent practice is important to build your confidence. Remember that Reiki will always stay with you.

Precepts: The best way to bring Reiki into your daily life is to practice precepts daily: “Just for Today, don’t be angry, don’t worry, be grateful, work hard and be kind to all living beings”. Repeat these precepts twice daily, write them down and put them in your living room, kitchen, computer screen, places that you can see them daily. More importantly, make an intention to practice themJ. There are articles on this blog on the precepts; read them when you have a chance :-)

Meditate: Spend some quiet time alone every day. Simply watch your breath, or watch nature, or practice any other meditations you like. I’d recommend doing Joshin Kokyu-Ho (breathing into abdomen and exhaling/expanding out from each and every cell of your body).

Keep a Journal: Keep a Healing journal. Write down your experiences, your emotions, your dreams (as if they’ve already come true). Writing is very healing.

Don’t cling to the outcome: Have your goals, actions, and dreams be well defined but always trust Reiki to bring about the highest good of all concerned. Don’t forget you’re only an instrument and all you can do is to bring the Light in. It knows how to work.

Remember: PRACTICE, PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE. May we all be healed at all levels!

Reiki at Victory of Light Festival-
It was another awesome gathering where we’ve provided Reiki to VOL participants. Heartfelt thanks to all Reiki Masters and practitioners who came to share their Lights and especially to Patricia, Arleen and Gwynne for leading the event. Come back next time :-)

Healing Wednesday will be on Wednesday December 15th from 10 am till 2 pm
“Healing Wednesdays” is to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. We provide Reiki to those who come to get free food at Manna OutReach. During winter months, our practice will be on appointment basis. Elfriede is getting the word out and getting appointments. Please contact Elfriede directly at elfriede@knopf-family.net if you’d like to help.

Other December Reiki events as posted on Ning:
Dec 4-5 Reiki 3 Class by Pure Reiki
Dec 4 Reiki Share at Rosemary Gauck’s house/Price Hill
Dec 5 Reiki Energy Share at Alliance Healing Center/ at Mason by Brecka Burton-Pratt
Dec 15 Reiki World Peace Meditation at 7:30 pm
Dec 19 Reiki Share at Northern Hills Methodist Church/ Winton Road

See details of all events: http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/events

Hugs to you all, keep warm,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi”
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Reiki Newsletter-November 2010

Dear Friends,

We’ve had another awesome Reiki Day on October 3^rd and will sure not be the last one. We’ll continue to meet in every six months. Watch out for the announcement for April 2011 Reiki Day soon. This time we’ll have more hands-on Reiki, new techniques and meditations. In the mean time, as promised, I wanted to share the hand-out I’ve had for “Reiki as a Spiritual Path” break-out session.

There is a 15^th century Indian poet, Ekanath Maharaj, who in one of his poems pays gratitude to his Guru for helping him see the “Truth”, the eternal truth that is J . I was thinking why I love this poem so much. May be because I too am blessed to have teachers who make me realize things that I couldn’t have on my own.

It took me a similar blessing to get a deeper understanding of Reiki, not only as a method of healing but also as a spiritual path during the Shinpiden class (Reiki Master Teacher training in Traditional Japanese tradition). I always knew Reiki could be a spiritual path if one chose to take it deeper. However, I always had arms length distance to the notion of practicing Reiki as a spiritual path. Honestly, I had the intention to use Reiki as a tool to practice compassion and selfless service to open my heart, to open it to unconditional love.

It’s perfectly fine to practice Reiki as a hands-on healing modality, like many do; but it’s also important to understand the possibilities that Reiki can offer. If one chooses to practice Reiki as a spiritual path, Reiki is equipped with tools and notions that could lead anyone to Enlightenment.

This realization also brought all the different pieces of the Reiki puzzle together for me. Once seen as separate pieces; precepts, symbols, mantras, hands on healing, meditations all came together and most importantly I realized that all these pieces were all steps for the same purpose; leading to “Great Bright Light”, to the “Enlightenment”, “Satori” or as I call “Self-realization”. Not only that, I was able to see clearly how different spiritual traditions, (as I share in this example, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism) are all paths that lead to the same destination, the same hill top that when we reach the view is the same no matter which path you follow. Oh well, here it’s all in one page!

Healing Wednesday will be on Wednesday November 17th from 10 am till 2 pm

“Healing Wednesdays” is to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. It’s very fulfilling to provide Reiki to those who need it the most and can’t afford it. People start to line up at the free food bank at 10 am and we offer Reiki to all those who wait in line. Come stop by any time and stay for as long as you want. We take shifts. Contact Elfriede directly to register at elfriede@knopf-family.net. What a great way to celebrate my birthday!

Reiki at Victory of Light Festival- Sharonville Convention Center on Sunday November 21^st at 5 pm

It has become a tradition to have a Reiki breakout session at Victory of Light! This is one of a kind gathering where we’ll match the audience with Reiki practitioners to give everyone a “Reiki experience” while a group of Reiki Masters talk about Reiki and answer questions. We need help from all Reiki practitioners. This is a great opportunity to spread Reiki and has worked well in the past VOL’s events. Please mark this date down and come join us to help spread Reiki! Feel free to bring your friends or invite anyone who is interested in learning about Reiki. Patricia, Arleen and Gwynne will conduct the session (and we’ll all help). Victory of Light is the largest holistic expo in Cincinnati with 100’s of booths with readers, healers, crystal shops, books, aura photography and all day workshops. Spare yourself some extra time to look around. You can literally spend a whole day there. Please RSVP via Ning. http://www.victoryoflight.com.

Reiki Share/Support Groups:

Reiki Support Group meets at the Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash every 2^nd Saturday. Next meeting is on November 13th. Pease RSVP directly to Mira if you’d like to join. It’s a great way to ask questions and share experiences. Contact Mira at: mirashukla9@hotmail.com.

Reiki Share at Northern Methodist Church on Sunday, November 21^th (6700 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH 45224), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Please RSVP by the Friday before to Elizabeth at sharingreiki@yahoo.com. The fee for this Share will be $10. Light refreshments will be provided.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Zeynep "Premdasi" Yilmaz

http://reikinewsletter.blogspot.com

http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Reiki Newsletter- October 2010

Dear Ones,

That’s it! Reiki Day is this Sunday! You still have a chance to sign up and join us. 62 people have registered so far. We have lots of fun planned; break-out sessions, Q&A sessions, Reiki drumming, Reiju and more…! This will be a day to refresh, learn, experience, and mingle with like minded people. The morning session will be for Reiki Masters/Teachers (9:30 am-12:30pm) and afternoon session is open to all practitioners (1:30 pm-5:30 pm). Sign up at http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com or simply send me an e-mail.

This Month’s Highlights:

Nurturing Day on Sunday October 9th at Milford Spiritual Center by Mim Grace Geiser

Mim is planning a full day of indulging ourselves by massage, yoga, Tai Chi, Paraffin Wax Treatment, and many other activities. Check out the flyer attached.

Meditation 101 on Sunday October 24th from 3:30 pm-5:30 pm at Grace Tree Yoga Studio Presenter: Moi!

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Meditation workshop. I’m grateful for the opportunity to teach this class at the beautiful Grace Tree Yoga studio. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years around the world. Ithelps to reduce stress, reduce anxiety, improve relaxation, increase concentration, increase awareness and inner harmony.

Meditation 101 workshop is for anyone with any level of meditation experience and perfect if especially you want to learn the basics of how to meditate. We will focus on how to sit comfortably, how to calm the breath, how to calm the mind and how to expand the benefits of meditation to whole life and even to universe. You’ll learn a choice of different practical meditation techniques including conscious breathing, visualization, mantra meditation, mindful action and contemplation and yes….we’ll meditate together J

I continue to teach a gentle yoga class Thursday evenings between 7pm-8:30 pm in Grace Tree Yoga Studio in West Chester. First class is free. http://www.gracetreestudio.com

Reiki 2 Class Coming up in late October-early November: Let me know who’s interested J

This class is to learn to invoke energies of the Reiki symbols that will help enhance the mental, emotional and spiritual healing and enable you to send Reiki at a distance as well as to the past and future. The class covers: Meaning of the Reiki Symbols, how do symbols work?, how to use symbols?, Japanese Reiki methods , Self practice & Group practice; how to incorporate symbols into daily Reiki practice. The fee for Reiki 2 is $125/ person.

Healing Wednesdays will continue on Wednesday October 20th from 10 am until 2 pm

“Healing Wednesdays” is to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. It’s very fulfilling to provide Reiki to those who need it the most and can’t afford it. People start to line up at the free food bank at 10 am and we offer Reiki to all those who wait in line. Come stop by any time and stay for as long as you want. We take shifts. Contact Elfriede directly to register at elfriede@knopf-family.net. I’ll miss it this month. I’ll be up in the clouds (i.e. having lunch with Dalai Lama that day).

Reiki Share/Support Groups:

Reiki Support Group meets at the Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash every 2nd Saturday. Next meeting is on October 9th. Pease RSVP directly to Mira if you’d like to join. It’s a great way to ask questions and share experiences. Contact Mira at: mirashukla9@hotmail.com.

Reiki Share at Northern Methodist Church on Sunday, October 16th (6700 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH 45224), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Please RSVP by the Friday before to Elizabeth at sharingreiki@yahoo.com. The fee for this Share will be $10. Light refreshments will be provided.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Hugs to you all,

Love & Light,

Zeynep “Premdasi”

http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Reiki Newsletter - September 2010

Dear Ones,

The big day is only a month ahead!!! Reiki Day is on Sunday October 3rd at Grailville. We have lots of fun planned for you! This will be a day to refresh, learn and experience, it’s all about Reiki. The morning session will be for Reiki Masters/Teachers (9:30 am-12:30pm) and afternoon session is open to all practitioners (1:30 pm-5:30 pm). I need your opinion for the break-out sessions. We are trying to decide between different topics. If you’d have only 1 break-out session option, which one would you choose?

1) Modern Reiki vs. Traditional Japanese Reiki
2) Reiki as a Spiritual Path
3) How to use Reiki in Daily Life

Oh, also, please register in advance! The space is limited and I really mean it. There is a building code and a limit for number of participants. We’ll split the cost. It’s $20 for Reiki Teachers and $10 for Reiki practitioners. I can’t wait to see you all there. Please sign up at http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

We’ve had an awesome day at Wellness Fair introducing Reiki to Wellness Community last Friday. It was a true team work! Thanks to Rosemary, Linda, Bruce, Bob; we’ve explained Reiki and provided Reiki to all participants. We’ve answered some very good questions and I‘ve just received a BIG Thank you note from Wellness community. I just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of interest (and need) for Reiki amongst Wellness Community. If you are a Reiki teacher and willing to offer your time to teach Reiki there, please let me know!
Wellness Community, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free emotional support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones. http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/. All of their services are free.

You still have not come to my yoga class??? Don’t worry, now I teach every Thursday evening from 7pm-8:30 pm in Grace Tree Yoga Studio in West Chester. It’s a gentle yoga class and first class is free. http://www.gracetreestudio.com/

This Month’s Highlights:
Systemic Constellation Workshop on Sunday September 5th from 10 am till 5 pm in at the Netherland HiltonAll I can say: You have to experience it!! It’s a shamanic workshop to recognize and release any karma you carry from your family. Do you have unfinished business with your ancestors? Then you have to take this workshop. Cost is $150 and will include catered lunch. http://www.soulsolutionshome.com/

Healing Wednesdays will continue on Wednesday September 15th from 10 am till 2 pm
We’ll continue with the “Healing Wednesdays” to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. It’s very fulfilling to provide Reiki to those who needs most and who can’t afford. People start to line up at the free food bank at 10 am and we offer Reiki all those who wait in line. This is one of the best exposures vs. time, I’ve ever experienced! Come stop by any time and stay for as long as you want. We’ll take shifts. Contact Elfriede directly to register at elfriede@knopf-family.net.

Upcoming October Events:
Nurturing Day on Sunday October 9th at Milford Spiritual Center by Mim Grace Geiser
Mim is planning a full day of indulging ourselves by massage, yoga, Tai Chi, Paraffin Wax Treatment, and many other activities. Check out the flyer attached.

Would you like to have lunch with Dalai Lama? No kidding…At Duke Convention Center on October 20th
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's International Freedom Conductor Luncheon will be Oct. 20 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Registration starts at 11 a.m. and the luncheon will run 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. The Dalai Lama, will speak and answer questions. Tickets, $125, can be purchased at www.freedomcenter.org/dalailama.

Dalai Lama Public Talk in Miami University, Oxford, OH on Thursday October 21st
Miami University announced it would host the Dalai Lama Oct. 20-22 and he would address the public 2 p.m. Oct. 21 in Millett Hall. Discounted, presale tickets costing $5 will go on sale to Miami students, staff and retirees Sept. 1. Tickets for the public, $25, will be available starting Sept. 8. For tickets, call 513-529-3200 or visit http://www.tickets.muohio.edu/. Tickets sell out quickly!!!

Reiki Share/Support Groups:
Reiki Support Group meets at the Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash every 2nd Saturday. Next meeting is on September 11th. Pease RSVP directly to Mira if you’d like to join. It’s a great way to ask questions and share experiences. Contact Mira at: mirashukla9@hotmail.com.

Reiki Share with LIVE HARP Music at Northern Methodist Church on Sunday, September 19 (6700 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH 45224), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Nancy Bick Clark, internationally known Celtic Harper, will provide live music during the Share. Please RSVP by the Friday before to Elizabeth at sharingreiki@yahoo.com. The fee for this Share will be $20. Light refreshments will be provided.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Hugs to you all,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi”
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Reiki Newsletter - August 2010

Dear Friends,

I NEED YOUR HELP at Wellness Fair on Friday August 27th at 6:30pm at Wellness Community NKY location:
Wellness Community will be showcasing Reiki during a Wellness Fair on August 27 at 6:30pm at Wellness Center NKY. This is an open invitation to all Reiki practitioners. Just like we do in VOL, we’ll explain Reiki and let participants experience it in a relaxing environment. The more practitioners, the more people we can help experience Reiki. Please let me know if you can make it.
Wellness Center, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free emotional support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones. http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/. Spread the word, let anyone who has cancer know about this organization. All of their services are free (including yoga, tai-chi, breathing exercises, support groups, etc.)

Reiki Day at Grailville on Sunday October 3rd
I’m thrilled to inform you that we are now inviting all Reiki practitioners to Reiki Day! As you know, Reiki Masters were meeting in every six months in a day-long Reiki Day to share, learn from each other and build a community. The morning section of the meeting will be for Reiki Masters/Teachers only (9:30 am-12:30pm). The afternoon session is open to all practitioners (1:30 pm-5:30 pm). In the afternoon session, we’ll have break-out sessions on subjects like: Modern Reiki vs. Traditional Japanese Reiki, Reiki as a Spiritual Path, Origins of Reiki, Reiki in Daily Life, Reiki for a common cause, How to send distant Reiki. We’ll have Reiki drumming and share Reiju (Reiki blessings). The space is limited. Please sign up by September 1st either at Ning or by e-mail. Agenda is attached. I can’t wait to see you all there.

Gentle Yoga Classes on Thursday evenings from 7pm-8:30 pm in Grace Tree Yoga Studio starting August 12th
I can’t believe this is finally happening. I’m going back to my roots and start teaching a gentle yoga class in Grace Tree Yoga studio. Grace Tree is a recently renovated, brilliant studio in West Chester. Come try my gentle yoga classes on Thursday evenings starting August 12th. First class is free.
http://www.gracetreestudio.com/http:__www.gracetreestudio.com/Home.html

Upcoming Events:
Healing Wednesdays will continue on Wednesday August 18th at 10 am
We’ll continue with the “Healing Wednesdays” to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. We’ll change the hours of the Healing Wednesdays to match the food store hours at Manna Outreach. This is an excellent opportunity for new Reiki practitioners to volunteer for those who are in need. Please pass on to your Reiki networks. Contact Elfriede directly to register at elfriede@knopf-family.net.

Systemic Constellation Workshop on September 5th from 10 am till 5 pm in Netherland Hilton
I can’t put this workshop into words. You have to experience it!! It’s like psycho-drama but it’s more than that. It’s an experience to release any karma you carry from your family, family relationships and a way to get awareness of blockages. All I can say is that you won’t regret it. Cost of the workshop will be $150 and will include catered lunch. I’ve been to one last year and I plan to attend this one again.
http://www.soulsolutionshome.com/

Reiki Share/Support Groups:
Reiki Share at Northern Methodist Church on Sunday, August 15 (6700 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH 45224), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Please RSVP by the Friday before to Elizabeth at sharingreiki@yahoo.com. The fee for this Share will be $10. Light refreshments will be provided.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Hugs to you all,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi”
e-mail: turquoizen@yahoo.com
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Reiki Newsletter - June 2010

Dear Friends,

I know how challenging it was for the pioneer Reiki teachers to get Reiki accepted and experienced in medical institutions, in hospitals, even in the hospice. I’ve heard that even Wellness Center was distant to Reiki for a long time. Well…. Not anymore. I’m thrilled for two opportunities at the Wellness Center. I’m thrilled that I’ll teach a class there for their practitioners and then we’re all invited to join the Wellness Fair at their NKY location on August 27th to demonstrate Reiki. Please mark down your calendars for August 27 at 6:30pm. The more practitioners, the more people we can help experience Reiki.

Wellness Center, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free emotional support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones. http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/
This engagement might be the beginning of a new wave of Reiki teaching and practicing opportunities for practitioners.

Have you not been feeling connected to Reiki lately? These two continuous education classes will sure give you a boost!
Modern Reiki vs. Traditional Japanese Reiki on Wednesday June 9 from 7:30pm till 9:30 pm
This class elaborates on differences of Reiki as thought and practiced in the West vs. Traditional Japanese Reiki teachings. You might have seen my article on the blog. This class elaborates on that article; and discusses purpose of Reiki, pillars of Reiki system, symbols, mantas, meditations, attunements from comparative perspective. The class is $25/person.

Deep Dive into Reiki Symbols on Wednesday June 16 from 7:30pm till 9:30 pm (only Reiki 2 and above practitioners)
This class is an in depth exploration of Reiki symbols. We’ll discuss the meaning and function of each symbol and discuss how to eventually drop the symbols and “be what the Symbols represent”. The class is $25/person.

A range of other events that inspire me and I hope will inspire you too….
Gentle Yoga Class on Thursday June 10th at 7pm-8:30 pm in Grace Tree Yoga Studio 8859 Cincinnati-Dayton Road West Chester, OH
It’s me teaching!!! I can’t believe I’m finally getting back to teaching Yoga. This is a big deal (and big dream) for me. I’m starting by subbing classes but I hope to have a regular class by this Fall. This will be a very gentle class of self reflection and self acceptance. Come join.
http://www.gracetreestudio.com/http:__www.gracetreestudio.com/Home.html

Compassion Rising: a special night of music and meditation on Compassion on Friday June 11 at 7:30pm – 9:30pm
What happens if Jesus and Buddha meet? That’s how Michael Fitzpatrick describes the moment Thomas Merton and Dalai Lama met in 1968. This brilliant cellist is inspired by the friendship by Merton and Dalai Lama and composed music on Compassion: Compassion Rising. When I met and listened to Michael he advised me to listen to the CD in a meditative form. I thought it would be wonderful to invite friends and have this “Compassion” experience together. We’ll listen to the CD and meditate on Compassion on Friday June 11 at 7:30pm in my home.

“CONVERSATIONS ON LIFE” with Sundar Kadayam on Sunday June 13 at 2 pm
We’ll continue with the free flowing Spiritual conversations. These conversations are an exploration about life from a spiritual angle or an afternoon with like minded friends (or both).I’m delighted to host Sundar. Come join us! These gatherings are free.

Healing Wednesdays will continue on Wednesday June 16th at 11 am
We’ll continue with the “Healing Wednesdays” to reach out to communities that can’t afford Reiki. We’ll change the hours of the Healing Wednesdays to match the food store hours at Manna Outreach. This is an excellent opportunity for new Reiki practitioners to volunteer for those who are in need. Please pass on to your Reiki networks. Contact Elfriede directly to register at elfriede@knopf-family.net.

Spiritual blessings…..
Sri Karunamayi will be at Anderson Community Center at 7850 Five Mile Rd, Anderson Township, OH 45230 on June 22 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Individual Blessings will follow Discourse. The program is free. Details are at www.karunamayi.org. For me, it’s been a tradition to get blessings from Karunamayiji when she’s here. It’s a blissful experience even to wait there.

Reiki Share/Support Groups:
Reiki Share at Bethesda Arrowsprings on Wednesday, June 9 from 6:30pm to 8:00 pm at Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs ~ Physical Therapy Dept.

Reiki Support Group meets at the Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash every 2nd Saturday. Next meeting is on June 12th. Pease RSVP directly to Mira if you’d like to join. It’s a great way to ask questions and share experiences. Contact Mira at: mirashukla9@hotmail.com.

Reiki Share at Northern Methodist Church on Sunday, June 20 (6700 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH 45224), from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Please RSVP by the Friday before to Elizabeth at sharingreiki@yahoo.com. The fee for this Share will be $10. Light refreshments will be provided.

All other Reiki events (Reiki shares, support groups, clinics) are posted in Ning. Sign up to get invitations to new events. http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com/

Next Newsletter will be in August. Have a wonderful summer!!!
Hugs to you all,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi”
e-mail: turquoizen@yahoo.com
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Modern Reiki vs. Traditional Japanese Reiki

My whole understanding of Reiki has changed after I attended a Shinpiden class (Traditional Japanese Reiki Master Training) in October 2008 with Frans Stiene. Thanks to my good friend Sundar, I was exposed to Japanese Reiki teachings for a year prior to attending the class already. The Shinpiden training allowed me to have a deeper understanding of Reiki not only as a method of healing but also as a spiritual path. At that point I had been trained with one of the most prominent Reiki teachers in the West, William Rand (whom I love dearly and I owe an eternally gratitude for all his research and what he has done to spread Reiki), I was teaching Reiki for 4 years already and I was thinking I was already approaching Reiki spiritually. I guess I just didn’t know what I didn’t know!

The Shinpiden class with Frans Stiene has made me realize how different pieces of Reiki, once seemed separate pieces (precepts, symbols, mantras, hands on healing, meditations, attunements) all come together to complete the puzzle and were all steps for the same purpose: leading to “Dai Komyo”, “Great Bright Light”, “Enlightenment”, “Satori” or as I call “Self-realization”. I talk more about this in “Reiki as a Spiritual Path” class. Here I’d like to explore what I’ve learned in Japanese Reiki teachings that were different from Reiki as I’ve learned in the Western traditions. I must say that these are my interpretations and I can’t generalize this as “Traditional Japanese Reiki”. Here is a summary:

Definition of Reiki:
Reiki in West translated in to English as “Universal Life Force Energy”. That’s not wrong but missing a piece. Rei, as we all know, usually translated as something not known, something under mist or ghost, it’s something that comes from spirit. In this context ”Rei” can be defined as “Spiritual”. “Ki” is the universal life force energy that runs through and all around us, it’s the energy that animates us. So, Reiki in short can be translated as “Spiritual Energy”. No wonder the ‘Spiritual” part is dropped in Western translations as Reiki is typically practiced as a hands-on healing modality and typically the spiritual aspect of it is undermined. The biggest and far most difference of Traditional Japanese Reiki for me was that it’s a “Spiritual” practice for self-improvement.

Purpose of Reiki:
In Traditional Japanese Reiki practice, Reiki is a system of spiritual healing and self-improvement practice. It’s a system, with a set of practices, that ultimately connects the individual to higher realities and activates our own ability to become whole at all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. In Western Reiki practice “healing” is the goal, in Japanese practice “healing” comes as a side effect of the practice of the system.

Source of Reiki:
In Western Reiki traditions, it’s typically referred Reiki as “channeled”. In Traditional Japanese Reiki, the source of Reiki is not outside, it’s in us, we need to tap into ourselves to reach into it. Question is: How far can we go in? By keeping attunement to this energy, via various tools (precepts, symbols, mantras, meditations), we can actually become this energy.

Pillars of Reiki
In Traditional Japanese Reiki, there are 5 pillars of the Reiki system and they are all coherent:
1- Attunement: purpose of attunement is for the student to “remember” connection to this high frequency healing energy whose source is within.
2- Precepts are guidelines and foundations of how to bring Reiki into daily life
3- Meditation techniques are to build internal energy and quiet the mind.
4- Hand positions on self and others helps clean energy channels, tune into the energy and self-healing as well as helping others heal themselves.
5- Symbols and mantras are to deepen the connection to energy and invoke deeper connections at physical, mental/emotional and spiritual levels.
In Western Reiki traditions, the pillars are thought as separate practices.

Precepts:
Mikao Usui has started his spiritual teachings in 1915, 7 years prior to receiving Reiki in Mount Kurama in 1922. This makes sense since it’s very unusual for someone to be Enlightened and acquire an energy like Reiki unless the person has already been practicing spirituality. Mikao Usui’s earlier students state that, in his earlier years as a spiritual teacher, Mikao Usui was primarily teaching what we know today as Reiki precepts. No wonder Usui Sensie has made precepts the foundation of the Reiki practice after he acquired Reiki. I don’t think we, Western Reiki teachers, including myself, give enough prime time to Reiki precepts during Reiki classes. Whereas in Traditional Japanese Reiki practice precepts are the foundation of the daily practice.

Symbols/Mantras:
Mikao Usui has introduced symbols into the Reiki system in 1923 as he started having more lay students who have difficulties in connecting to the energies the symbols represent. Symbols are used as tools to invoke the energies of Japanese cosmology. The symbols are to be used as training wheels and dropped after one becomes the energy that the symbols represent.
In Western Reiki, symbols are practiced as “magic wands”. When I first learned Reiki, I was told to draw the symbols and that they have the inherent power within and they’ll work on their own once you’re initiated into them. Guess what: It worked! It’s only that it helps to understand what symbols are for and what they represent especially if one is willing to understand how the symbols relate to universal manifestation of energy (for more information come to the “Deep Dive into Symbols” class).

Meditations:
In Western Reiki traditions, typically there are no regular meditation practices. However Reiki meditation techniques are thought as part of Traditional Japanese Reiki. The techniques start with building internal energy in Hara center and progresses to moving internal energy between hara and heart center. Different meditation techniques are introduced depending on student’s level of progress.

Attunements:
In Western Reiki practices, attunements represent levels of Reiki (Reiki 1,2,3, etc.), attunement is also perceived as power of the Reiki Master. In Traditional Japanese Reiki, the student continuously receives Reiju, or Spiritual blessings. The student receives whatever he/she needs at that time, at the level they can absorb it.
In West, Reiki masters adapted use of different tools and rituals for Reiki attunements and rituals differ a great deal from tradition to tradition. It really doesn’t matter what ritual a Reiki Master follows, as ritual is only a tool to get Reiki Master to energetically connect to Reiki and share it with the student.

Hands-on Healing:
In Western Reiki traditions, there are different sets of Reiki hand positions. Some Masters use hand positions very strictly, some encourage students listen more to their intuition. Mikao Usui have used 5-7 hand positions originally and a set of hand positions targeting specific ailments believed to be developed by Dr. Hayashi (these are posted in Reiki Ryoho Hikkei in Ning). Dr. Hayashi since he was a medical doctor, had more interests in hands-on healing. As most Western traditions stem from Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Takata lineage, there are more importance in hand positions in Western Reiki. I personally believe that it’s very important to give students a structure and hand positions are very helpful in that sense. However one should develop intuition and be flexible to change positions as necessary.

Having said all this, I’m grateful I’ve learned Reiki in Western traditions, and then had a chance to expand and deepen my knowledge with Traditional Japanese Reiki practices. There is no right or wrong way to learn and practice Reiki. Reiki is such a flexible energy, it comes to you the way you are ready for it. It’s just that we should be open to possibilities and willing to take it deeper. Reiki has endless possibilities, it’s just a question how deep we are ready to take it.

With Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi” Yilmaz
turquoizen@yahoo.com
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Reiki Principles- Be Grateful

There are so many things to be grateful of in life, but can you be grateful if your daughter has a severe brain disorder and is having 150 seizures day? Can you? Seriously?

It was the day after Thanksgiving, a day after Venkat was pronounced brain dead; I was at the Children’s Hospital to see him one last time. I was honored to get to know him and be with him in his journey of brain cancer during last 3 years. All of his family, friends, relatives, and teachers were taking turns at ICU to see him to say good-byes. The ICU waiting room was crowded like it has never been before. While Venkat’s loved ones were waiting for their turns; I met a young father, Scott, at the family waiting room inside the ICU. Scott’s little daughter was at ICU at that time. This little girl was born with a brain disorder. She was having 150 seizures a day. It was such an extreme case that she had never learned to walk because she couldn’t walk long enough without having a seizure. She was scheduled to have a brain operation the next day. As we got to know each other, Scott asked what all the commotion outside the ICU was all about. I explained him Venkat’s situation; that he was a brilliant young man who was suffering from brain cancer and that it’s only a matter of hours till they cut the life support. Scott turned to me and said something that I’ll never forget. He said how grateful he was for his little girl. He said I’m so grateful that she is alive and she’ll live. It was a great lesson for me that it’s all relative to what to be grateful for.

One develops a different level of gratitude, especially if you are volunteering at the hospitals and hospice. The time I’ve spent at Children’s Hospital has helped me to develop gratefulness at different levels. Every time I see a child having chemo or dialysis, I go back home and hug my kids. One becomes more selective on what to make an issue; a low grade or not putting the dishes in the dish washer is not as important anymore.

Why are we trying to develop “Gratitude” by the way?
Developing an attitude of Gratitude rather then taking things for granted helps us to develop an awareness of life and cultivate joy and happiness. Isn’t it all we want: to be unconditionally happy? Gratitude helps us to take that additional step in the road to happiness.

Gratitude can be a consequence of transcending the first 2 principles of Reiki (Do not Anger and Do not Worry). If you can eliminate all anger and worries from your life; it automatically takes you to a space of Gratitude. There are no other feelings left but being Grateful for everything; a stage of unconditional gratefulness for “life” itself, a “life that is perfect as is”. I can’t explain how liberating that feeling is. It happened to me after my Shinpiden class (Japanese Reiki Master training). Energetically, I got to such a high place that I developed extreme acceptance and understanding which eliminated all anger and worries from my life (at least temporarily:-). All what was left was a feeling of Gratitude. I remember looking around as if I saw the sky, the trees, the grass for the first time and being grateful for their existence. Unfortunately, I fell back down from that stage, but at least I had a glimpse of what a wonderful feeling being in Gratitude for an extended period of time. If freedom from anger and worries creates such a liberation and joy, I can’t even imagine liberation that Enlightenment brings.

However, like all other Reiki precepts, we can intentionally practice cultivation of “Gratitude”. Here I wanted to share a few tips that can help to cultivate Gratitude.

- Begin the day with Gratitude: Every morning start the day for being Grateful for your breath, for the waking up, for the human experience, for a wonderful day ahead. Starting the day with a positive tone helps set a positive tone throughout the day.

- Notice little miracles every day:
o Notice the water coming out of shower and what a miracle it is, be grateful for having running water, be grateful to the person who invented the shower
o Notice the clouds, the sun, the rain, be grateful for the weather of the day, no matter what it is
o Notice the birds, the flowers, the animals, little miracles of the creation
o Be grateful for your work, for the roads, for the public transportation, for the cars, for the people who made all the inventions we use in daily life
o Be grateful for the food, for the people who grow the food, for the Earth unconditionally sharing its resources

- Be grateful for the people in your life, for everyone who came to your life to teach and share something
o A great way to show your Gratitude is to write letters to the people you’re Grateful for (these can be short notes as well). Write a letter to your most memorable teacher, your coach, your best friend, your mom, dad, even though you may choose not to send the letters, writing it down will transfer the ripples of your gratitude to the person.

- Have your computer password set up for something that reminds you “Gratitude”. Learn how to say Gratitude in different languages and make it your password.

- Develop awareness that everything you own owes its existence to others (alarm clock, electricity, sweater, cell phone, etc.)

- Every time you write a check, write “Thank you” or put a smiley face

- Take pleasure in every thing you do or see or touch; this is a fundamental step towards an” attitude for gratitude”.

- You may keep a Gratitude Journal in which you write down every day 5 things that you are grateful.

- End the day with Gratitude: Think about all the miracles of the day and be grateful.

I have been keeping a Gratitude Journal since the beginning of the year. This is a computer download. The Gratitude Journal opens up every time you start your computer. Here is the link to the Journal. http://www.gettingunstuckllc.com
Scroll down in the web site and it’s on the left towards middle. You can click and download it. Here are some things that I wrote to my Journal, not in order of priority at all:

I am so happy and grateful for/that:
having a gratitude journal, holidays, meditation friends, potluck dinner, being healthy enough to do 108 sun salutations, my son’s recital, Nutcracker, watching Survivor finale with kids, the distant Reiki experiment, Reiki, a great yoga class, holiday break, 2nd tier friends, shelter and warm clothes, meditation, my off-day, having clarity of what I want, wonderful friends, my mind’s games, global rescue organizations, having a friend I love this much, (lots of entries for my best friend being safe in Haiti), being inspired, giving inspiration, neck is not hurting this morning, hanging on and swinging, a spa day, endless possibilities, can live 4 seasons, being fit enough to finish 108 sun salutations, time to fill this in, I'm on a spiritual path, that I'm surrounded with friends, my life, warm cloths, snow, my work and office, the fog and the beautiful white scene, chants, I have support/ tools/gurus, I can forgive, I have a purpose, I feel GOOD, I fell G2xOD, for Reiki as a spiritual path class , not panicking, it's Friday, birds, free membership to Allure and Lucky, Universe's plans, being sick to be grateful for wellness, feeling much better, being able to eat, feeling better, was able to do energization, presentations, I am able to PRACTICE, for all the people who donated to Haiti, for my son, a cubicle, being able to make trip plans, for being in MVIC, I am healthy, spring is coming, I have so many things to organize that I LOVE, many options we have, spring is almost here , surrounded with friends ,CYS party, my sister, continuous inspiration, all my upbringing, all great attributes which I'm willing to offer up, meeting hubby for lunch, breath, having time of my own, my off-day, rain, a happy Saturday, a deep sleep, satsangs, interesting personalities, Calyx challenge, my Olay basket, the challenge that prepares me to my future achievements and service, inspiration, I trust, the opportunity to FLOW, being able to serve, yoga teachings, all the blessings, non-alcoholic beer, Tazo tea, chips and green tea, squirrels, earl grey tea, I have a vent, slumber party, cell phones, tazo tea and breakfast, all saints and sages who came before us to inspire, spring, caramel tea, electricity, computer, newsletters, sun, vacation, spring, rain, wind and sun, croissant and sunrise in Paris, diversity of people, Istanbul, the crowd, modem, my hair dresser

I’ve participated a “Gratitude experience” 5 years ago. During the 42 days of the experience magical things have happened. If you want to see the limits of Gratitude, you can check it out at www.gogratitude.com.
You can join the worldwide community of Gratitude http://www.worldgratitude.com/, or follow it at Facebook by typing: World Gratitude.

Gratitude attitude is about developing an awareness of life and attracting more miracles to your life by demonstrating gratitude to every day miracles. You will notice that you are naturally begin to feel happier, less concerned about what you haven’t got but happy with what you got.

I sincerely wish that we all reach to a stage that we live in that natural state of “Gratefulness” at all times.
In Gratitude,
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi” Yilmaz
turquoizen@yahoo.com
http://cincinnatireiki.ning.com

Reiki Principles- Do not Worry

We all worry about different things at different stages of our life; sometimes for a test, sometimes for our jobs, financial crisis and sometimes a more serious health issue. Our worries are linked to fear of an unknown future and our perceived lack of ability to cope with it. If we put it in perspective, most of our worries are a “what if” scenario that 9 out of 10 times won’t happen; however the fear in our minds are very real. If you have no worries, no fear of future; then you are one of the select few who don’t have any attachments or one of the few who can completely surrender and trust the higher power, higher plan, Universe, etc. Then, Congratulations! However, this is extremely difficult. For those of us who are not completely free; and those of us who fall into the trap of fear, worry and anxiety; here are few guidelines that can help to deal with our worries:

1) First of all, recognize your worry and accept it. Recognize that we are all human beings and as long as we live in this world (unless we are enlightened beings) we are not free . We have desires, expectations, attachments that create a fear of separation. A fear of separation from our dreams, life styles, family, job, health.

2) Don’t beat yourself up because you’re worrying. Just accept your emotions and focus on your emotions for a while (without clinging to them too much. This will help you better understand the root causes and inner repercussions of your fears and worries. Let’s say you are worried about losing your job. What is the fear behind to make you worry about losing your job? It can be: I won’t be able to provide for my family. There is a financial crisis. I won’t be able to find another job. I’m not qualified enough to find another comparable job or as quickly. Let’s say you’re worried for your health: I’m scared there is an undiagnosed disease. My health might fail anytime. I might die.

3) After you recognize your worry and the root fear underlying it, accept it and make a decision to free yourself from that fear. This is the most important decision that you need to come back again and again when dealing with your worry: Your determination to neutralize the fear. Be careful not to suppress the fear it as it’ll come back sooner or later if you do so. Instead accept it and tackle it.

4) As you move to tackle your worry, ask your self if there is anything that can be done. The best way of dealing with a worry is to come up with an Action Plan to tackle it. If you are worrying for a test (or an interview), make an action plan on how you can best prepare for it. Make a study plan or find resources to help you with the interview tips. If you are worried about losing your job, be proactive. Start building your resume. Check out online resources for jobs or even colleges to gain additional skills. If you are worrying about your health, schedule a check-up. Don’t let the worry eat you, take action.

5) One way of dealing with the worry is to visualize yourself coping with it. First of all, put a smile on, it’s hard to worry with a smile on your face . Then visualize yourself accomplishing the test, the relief after a successful interview, visualize having a completely healthy body, etc. Send Reiki to that image and let that be so. Remember the rule of attraction: Your thoughts are energy and what you think is what you attract. How you think about your life, what it turns out to be for you.

6) Worries are sometimes based on negative beliefs about life that life is tough and requires struggle. This negative belief might create a worry that you need to struggle to earn money, or if you laugh too much, sad things will happen, etc. If you have beliefs that you want to change, I’d recommend EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to remove unwanted belief systems. I got an excellent tip from “Finding your own North Star”. Book suggests, to do something different every time you indulge in the unwanted habit or worry. Every time you find yourself worrying about same thing, you can wear a hat, squat, or say a strange word, etc. Over time you’ll see you get less and less falling into the worry.

7) If the situation that makes you worry comes with prolonged uncertainty, or a life threat for you or a loved one, i.e. a serious disease; I’d recommend breathing techniques and positive affirmations. I think meditation (meditation in the context of single pointed concentration) is more challenging to tackle a state of worry. You may lose concentration easier or fall into negative thoughts when you are meditating. When set free, mind might fall back into worries. Instead it’s better to keep the mind busy with positive affirmations and breathing, so that the mind won’t engage or entrapped with negative thoughts. Don’t take me wrong, I’m a strong supporter of meditation and I have a committed meditation practice, it’s only in those serious life threatening situations that, I believe positive affirmations and breathing work better. Here are some examples:
a. I Trust
Inhale, say “I” and open up yourself to Divine Power, feel as if your whole being is opened up to whole Universe.
Exhale, say “Trust”, suck up that Divine power into your very Being. When exhaling, accept deeply in your consciousness that “You Trust with your whole being”. Accept deeply that “You trust to this System, Universe, God, Creator, your life plan, and the outcome of your situation will be for your utmost good.”
b. I am Light
Inhale, say “I am” and feel your whole being expanding to Universe. Exhale, say “Light”, imagine drawing Reiki in the form of “Light” from the Universe into your very Being. Imagine yourself lighten up with the power and light of Universe.
c. I accept myself the way I am
Feel a deep acceptance of your fears, worries and anxiety, your whole being and even things that was holding you. Inhale say” I accept myself”, exhale say “the way I am”, feeling a deep sense of acceptance sinking in for the way you are.
d. I love myself the way I am
Feel a deep love and acceptance for yourself and accept yourself as a Divine Being
d. I am surrounded with everything I need
Feel a deep trust that you are surrounded with Divine Power and Love and everything else you need to tackle the situation.
e. “I am completely healthy” or be more specific “It’s a benign tumor” etc.
In your mind’s eye, imagine yourself being completely healthy. You can use your breathing, inhaling “I am”, exhaling a deep trust and belief that “completely healthy”. You can send Reiki to this image in your mind.
f. I give up all negative thoughts, I am all positive
Imagine opening yourself up and offering up your negative thoughts with each inhalation to a higher power and exhaling in pure light instead.

8) Praying is powerful to deal with worries. Pray to Higher power, God, Universe. You can ask help from an ascended being, prophet, your spirit guide or a Guru to support you. Imagine that you are being loved, cared and fully supported by this person throughout these troubled times. You can have a picture of this person, or an object to remind you of him/her, you can say a mantra to remind you of him/her. You can simply pray to this person and ask being supported. Just meditate on this person until you feel their deep love and support.

9) When you get too worried, you create scenarios in your mind or a variety of worries. Offer your worries up, without clinging to them too much. Offer them up to your ascended being, prophet, spirit guide or Guru and imagine that they are picking up every bit of your worries. Keep your concentration up in the air above the point between your eye brows and imagine your worries are sucked up to the light by the ascended being, prophet, Guru with each breath (Don’t forget to ask for their permission before you do this and Thank to this person after you release your worries to them).

10) Stop pitying yourself and try to continue with your life. Write down a to-do list, a list of all the things you want to achieve or do once you get out of the situation. Don’t wait until you are out of the woods to start getting to it. This will keep your mind busy.

11) List all the things you’d change in your life, once you’ve gone thru this experience. Write them down immediately and don’t wait until you are out of the woods to bring your list to life.

12) Watch funny movies and try to keep smiling. It’s harder to be negative with a smiling face 

13) Do nice gestures to others, this opens your heart and reminds you that you are not alone but connected to everyone else, all humans (you may need to force yourself into this but it pays off).

14) Express your worries by writing. Writing can be very healing.

15) If you feel like you can’t deal with your worries, reach out to talk to your family, friends, therapists and ask help.

16) Remember that “everything happens for a reason”, it might be time for you to work on the root cause. Try to get to the root cause of your problems. Louise Hay’s book- “You can heal yourself” is a good guide for some of the root causes of problems. I suggest you work with a good therapist (especially an EFT or Tapas practitioner who practices these modalities along with Reiki) to make you realize the root causes and release physical, emotional, mental impacts from your life. These sessions can be very healing.

17) Go back and revisit what you’ve learned from this experience and move on.

18) Be thankful to these troubles and try to see them as a blessing. Earth is a laboratory for us to experiment how we can give up our attachments and surrender. It might be hard at first to be thankful for something that puts us into so much trouble but 10 years from now you’ll see why.

May we all reach to a stage where we can live completely worry-free.
Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi” Yilmaz
turquoizen@yahoo.com

Reiki Principles- Do not Anger

Dear Friends,

I’m convinced that our life journey is an upward spiral. Sometimes it feels like we’ve traveled all the way yet it still feels like we are back to square one. Believe me, where we are is a deeper and higher reflection of square one. I first noticed this when I was “intentionally” practicing Yama/Niyamas (moral Codes of Yoga). When I thought I practiced all codes (oh well, what an underestimation!!!), I found myself back at the very first one: “Ahimsa” (Not-harming). I realized that I practiced not to harm others, not to harm animals, the earth, the universe but until I unconditionally love and accept myself the way I am, I can’t really practice Ahimsa at its full meaning. As much we love and honor other living beings, we also need to love and accept ourselves. That understanding helped me to deepen my practice for all other codes. The same happened to me with the Reiki principles. I started contemplating and practicing Reiki principles with the first one “Just for Today, Do not get Angry”. In fact I wrote about this principle when I first started this monthly newsletter few years ago. As I was reading Martha Beck’s book “Finding our own North Star” I came to a deeper level of understanding and perspective on how to deal with Anger and that’s why I wanted to share it in this special newsletter issue.

This principle sounds simple when you read it but it’s probably the most difficult principle to practice as it touches a very core essence of us humans; our ego. We should first face it that, if we are humans, we’ll face with anger in one way or other, for as long as we live a human life.

Anger is an emotion that is triggered when we face with a “perceived” injustice. How could he do this to “me”? “I” don’t deserve this. How many times “I” told you not to do “so and so”? Sounds familiar? Anger is very special in a way that, it triggers some physiological changes in body that gives the individual an extra energy and strength to act on this “perceived“ injustice. Don’t we all feel this great boost of energy when we get angry? On the other hand, if not act on, this boost of energy, this “inner fire” can burn us from inside out. It can even be more destructive than not acting on it, if anger persists for over an extended period.

Anger can also be triggered when we don’t come up to our own expectations. Did you ever find yourself saying “How stupid am I”? “Why don’t I seem to understand this, or why do I always get myself into these relationships”, etc, getting frustrated with yourself? Again it goes back to Ahimsa/Non-harming. If we can’t love and accept ourselves, how are we supposed to love others fully?

I think the first thing to do, is to accept that as long as we have an ego, we might face anger, because there will always be something that will push our button in one way or another and this will happen at different levels of our existence and spiritual development. There might always be something different that will cause”anger”. So, we’d better learn how to deal with it.

1) First step to deal with anger is to recognize and acknowledge that we are getting angry. This might not be easy if we are not in touch with ourselves and our body. Anger takes us over in no time. Anger is just like boiling water, once the water starts to boil, you can’t see the bottom of the pot anymore; it’s too late. However if we can catch ourselves before we start to boil with anger, we can at least have a choice for reaction.

2) After we recognize that we are getting angry, the next best thing is to take a deep breath. As our breath is intimately connected to our autonomous nervous system and the mind, taking a deep breath cools the body fire caused by anger and eventually calms us down, giving us a chance to make a decision on how to act on the thing that makes us angry. To take a deep breath, you can breathe deep into your stomach and deepen the breath with each inhalation. You let your abdomen rise to its limit and let fall completely with exhalations. Do you want to give it a try? Take a deep breath now.
If you are short-breathed by anger, try counting at least to ten before you take deep breaths.

3) Once we calm ourselves down, try to understand what’s causing the anger? What lies beneath it? After you identify the cause, consider as many options as you can. Can you change the situation? We all know by now that we can’t change the people we interact with, the only way is to change ourselves or control our own behavior (at least stand up for ourselves).
I noticed that most situations that I get angry is not setting proper boundaries or expressing myself properly.

4) One way to deal with the hot energy of anger is burning the fire energy created by anger with physical movement. If you can, try to use this energy constructively (cleaning the toilets in your home, doing excessive yard work, chopping tree stumps, attending kick boxing or aerobics classes).

5) Though this makes us feel better, this doesn’t change the fact that we need to deal with the cause of the anger. The best way to replace the fire energy with cooler energy is by articulating ourselves. Articulating exact cause of anger is so important. If we don’t speak up or say why we are angry for, we can’t expect others to figure it out. To articulate it, best way is to try to have a calm and face-to-face conversation with the person that makes us angry. If this is hard for you to do: consider writing your anger. You can write everything bothers you in a notebook, and at least get it out of your system. You can then burn it as you visualize your inner fire burns.

Again sooner or later, we need to face the fact and have to have a face-to face conversation on what makes us angry. I really liked the way Martha Beck described the constructive ways to express our anger, so here again are examples from Martha Beck’s book.

a. When you have the face to face conversations, it’s important to have very clear examples instead of generalized statements.
Useless generalizations Angry Specifics
“You are such a cheap jerk” “When you didn’t tip the waitress, I felt awful for her and angry at you. You have done things like this before too…”(give other examples, stay specific)
“You’re always pushing people around” “When you told the kids to clean their rooms, you yelled and threatened before you asked them nicely. I’m really pissed off about that, and I’m not going to let anyone treat our kids that way”
“You don’t love me enough” “You almost never seem to be listening when I speak to you, you look the other way or read the paper or say “uh’huh”. That really hurts, and I’m angry about it”.


b. Speak in terms of your first hand experience. Don’t let your anger tempt you into accusations that are not from first hand experiences like “all our friends think that you are….”
c. Don’t moralize, just express your feelings. Don’t get into “I’m Right, You’re Wrong”. The fact is that, unless we are God, we don’t know what’s absolutely right or wrong. That’s why we can only speak for our own value judgments.
Preaching Truth
“Your way is wrong and my way is right” “What you’re doing is hurting me, and I want you to stop”.
“Any sane person would agree that your way is wrong and mine is right”. “What you are doing is depriving me of something I really need, and I want you to stop”.


6) During the face to face conversation, spell out what you’d do if nothing changes. It’s important that you decide what to do if the other party is non-responsive. (Taking your teenager’s car keys, stop lending money to your sister, etc.)

7) If the person is not responsive or unwilling to hear why you’re upset then it means that there is no way to sustain a healthy relationship with this person. In extreme cases, this might mean quitting your job to ditch an evil boss or filing divorce to escape a spouse who ignored your pain and anger for years.

8) My favorite reaction to anger, which is also a practice of unconditional love, is to put my self into other person’s shoes. It helps me to understand and reason of their motive. Why are they behaving the way they are? What would I do if I were them?

If you are having problems with sustained anger control; remember there are two more words preceding this first precept “Just for today…” Also remember that everyone that we face in our lives is here to teach us something. No matter how you deal with anger, make sure “Love” leads your reactions, love for others and love for your very self. You are too precious to ignore something that makes you angry or your essential self is too precious to be diminished by your self-anger.

Love & Light,
Zeynep “Premdasi”