Reiki Newsletter-December 2014

Dear Friends,

I haven’t felt ready to teach a Reiki Master/Teacher class up until now. How could you ever teach to “be” the Great Bright Light?  I had a very high bar for myself. Part of it is having a teacher like Frans Stiene. I still have the high bar but somehow it feels like… it’s time. In fact, I started working on the curriculum for the January class. Just putting together the material has blown me away. I’m just looking at the Kanji’s (Japanese characters) of the word Reiki and the Master symbol; and it’s all there. The Earth, the Heaven, the Interconnectedness, the Great Bright Light, and even more… the path to be the Great Bright Light is there too.  Will you join me to unlock them all?

Reiki Master/Teacher- Shinpiden class January 16,17,18 2015 from 9:30 am till 5:00 pm
The Shinpiden/Reiki Master/Teacher level class is the beginning of a journey, it’s the doorway to find your true essence, Great Bright Light. It’s a step to “be Reiki”. What it means to “be Reiki” is to live in a non-dual state, with no judgment, no attachment, with unconditional love and kindness for the self and all living beings.
We’ll review Reiki as a system to discover our true selves; with the guidance of Precepts, hands on healing, symbols and mantras, meditations, and attunements. We’ll learn Reiki Master symbol and how to pass Reiki attunements, more importantly the state of mind behind the attunements. We’ll deepen our Reiki journey with meditations, chanting, Japanese techniques, and build the connection to its source within.

The class is on January 16, 17, 18, 2015 from 9:30 am until 5 pm. It’s $450/person. Please RSVP.

The biggest event of the year is yet to come....

Meditation Retreat in June 19-22, 2015
My Reiki Teacher Frans Stiene is coming from Australia to teach a Meditation Retreat in Cincinnati. Frans has been here for Reiki classes and Retreats, this will be the first Meditation retreat and it will be open to EVERYONE! You don’t need to be a Reiki practitioner to attend this Retreat. Frans will lead us through 4 days of healing and life inspiring meditations. Frans will be focusing on esoteric Japanese meditations and healing practices that are not often taught, some of these practices can be traced back to 7th and 8th century Japanese spiritual traditions. Frans also often includes some 4000 years old Wu (Chinese Shamanic) practices within these retreats. We’ll stay at Transfiguration center in Glendale, a secret heaven at the heart of the city. Here are more details for the Retreat:
http://us.ihreiki.com/events/detail/cincinnati_meditation_retreat

Where is the Retreat?
Transfiguration Spirituality Center is located in the heart of historic Glendale, minutes from Sharonville and I-275, an easy drive from Kentucky and Indiana. It is a newly restored, quiet but active place of peace. The accommodation is lovely with mainly single rooms with private bathrooms. Transfiguration center is located at 495 Albion Ave, Village of Glendale, Cincinnati, OH 45246 http://www.tscretreats.org/

What should I expect?
4 days of healing and life inspiring meditations. Frans will be focusing on esoteric Japanese meditations and healing practices that are not often taught, some of these practices can be traced back to 7th and 8th century Japanese spiritual traditions. Frans also often includes some 4000 years old Wu (Chinese Shamanic) practices within these retreats. You will come away relaxed and renewed with a stronger will to continue meditating after this wonderful inpdepth energetic experience.

Who can come to the Retreat?
The Retreat is perfect for anyone who is interested in deepening their meditation practice or spiritual journey.

What’ll take place?

Retreat  Events	Dates/Times	Payment
Meditation Retreat	June 19-22, 2015 9:00 am- 5:00 pm	Course fee $800 Acc & Meals $325 Total Retreat fee $1125
Private Tutoring and/or Reiki treatment with Frans	Wednesday June 17 Thursday June 18	$125/hour
An Evening with Frans Stiene	Thursday June 18 7 pm Place TBD	Donation based

How do I book and pay for the Retreat?
To book and pay $800 for the Retreat, click: http://us.ihreiki.com/events/detail/cincinnati_meditation_retreat

How do I book and pay for the accommodations?
Once you sign up for the Retreat, your accommodation will automatically be reserved. You can pay the $325 accommodation fee by early June.

What’s included in $325 accommodations?
4 nights stay, and 3 meals a day, checking in on Thursday June 18, staying on June 18,19,20,21 and checking out on June 22nd afternoon. The Retreat will officially start on Friday morning, you can check in on Friday morning if you like. If you need to stay on Wednesday June 17th or Monday June 23rd, it’ll be an extra $ 70 per night.
The Fee includes three meals per day on June 19-22 (except the dinner on 18th and 22nd).

What’s the class size?
We have 13 people officially signed up already. We expect minimum 25 people.

I have dietary restrictions, what do I do?
The meals will be vegetarian and we have a chance to influence the menu. Please let me know your dietary restrictions and I’ll work with the chef to accommodate your choices. We also have access to the kitchen and the refrigerator, in case you need to bring your own food.

Are there any double rooms?
There are 3 double rooms. Please let me know if you want to share a room with a friend or your spouse. There will be no price difference for shared rooms.

Are there any scholarships?
We regret that there will be no scholarships for the Retreat. We’ll continue to offer scholarships for upcoming Shinpiden classes.

How do I book a session with Frans?
Contact me to book a session with Frans. Sessions fill up pretty fast :-)

Can I commute to the Retreat?
This is a residential Retreat and we strongly recommend you to stay in the Retreat Center (to conserve the energy and also not to miss the fun!!!). However if you need to stay at home for family reasons, we understand, but we’re afraid you should still pay a portion of the accommodations fee since financials are based on sharing the rent.

Who can come to “Reiki Evening with Frans” on Thursday June 18th?
While in Cincinnati, Frans generously offers Public talks. Everyone can attend these talks. You don’t need to be a Reiki practitioner. You can bring your family, kids, neighbors, friends.

Who do I call if I have questions?
Send me an e-mail at reiki@presevo.com and I'll get back to you.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season filled with peace, love and joy.
Love & Light,
Zeynep

Reiki Newsletter-November 2014

Dear Friends,

Now that I remember how fun was to teach Reiki, I’m scheduling new classes. The two Reiki 1 classes are still going on simultaneously. In fact we’re 3 months into the weekly Reiki 1 classes and the 3-week Reiki 1 class will end this Sunday and that’s why I’m scheduling even more!!! And even a Shinpiden, Reiki Level 3 Master/Teacher class in January 2015!

Last class of 2014 is to discover what’s hidden inside! Okuden in Japanese means inner/hidden teachings. Are you ready to discover what’s hidden inside?

Reiki 2-Okuden class November 15, 2015 9:30am-6:00 pm
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 understanding of the macro and micro Cosmos. You will learn symbols to help you ground to the Earth, balance with Heavens and expand your heart to connect to the whole Universe. This class is a major step in your self-discovery to find what’s hidden inside.
At the end of the class, students will learn how to invoke and use the Reiki symbols as well as techniques for distant healing. A light vegetarian lunch will be served. $175/person

Reiki 1-Shoden Class in January 24 and January 31 (2 days) 9:30 am-5:30 pm
Ooops this class is full even before I was able to put it out. I can keep your name in waiting list in case of a last minute cancellation. I’ll have another Reiki 1 class in March 2015.

Reiki Master/Teacher- Shinpiden class January 16,17,18 2015 from 9:30 am till 5:00 pm
The Shinpiden/Reiki Master/Teacher level class is the beginning of a journey, it’s the doorway to find your true essence, Great Bright Light. It’s a step to “be Reiki”. What it means to “be Reiki” is to live in a non-dual state, with no judgment, no attachment, with unconditional love and kindness for the self and all living beings.
We’ll review Reiki as a system to discover our true selves; with the guidance of Precepts, hands on healing, symbols and mantras, meditations, and attunements. We’ll learn Reiki Master symbol and how to pass Reiki attunements, more importantly the state of mind behind the attunements. We’ll deepen our Reiki journey with meditations, chanting, Japanese techniques, and build the connection to its source within.

The class is on January 16, 17, 18, 2015 from 9:30 am until 5 pm. It’s $450/person. Please RSVP.

Meditation Retreat in June 19-22, 2015
I am so excited that my teacher Frans Stiene is returning back to Cincinnati in 2015 for a Meditation Retreat that will be open to EVERYONE! You don’t need to be a Reiki practitioner to attend this Retreat. Frans will lead us through 4 days of healing and life inspiring meditations. Frans will be focusing on esoteric Japanese meditations and healing practices that are not often taught, some of these practices can be traced back to 7th and 8th century Japanese spiritual traditions. Frans also often includes some 4000 years old Wu (Chinese Shamanic) practices within these retreats. We’ll stay at Transfiguration center in Glendale, a secret heaven at the heart of the city. Here are more details for the Retreat:
http://us.ihreiki.com/events/detail/cincinnati_meditation_retreat

Also, as you know a portion of the proceedings from my classes always go to a Seva project. In the past we helped Smile Train for kids with cleft lips/palettes to have beautiful smiles, we helped to empower women by helping Half the Sky project supporting a Maternity ward in Africa, we helped the earthquake victims in Haiti and lastly we helped build a water well in Congo. This year, the proceedings will go to… drum roll please…. Doctors without Frontiers. I admire their efforts in West Africa and want to support them in their efforts. Thanks for taking my classes and contributing to a great cause. Deep gratitude to all!

Reiki Hugs,
Love & Light,
Zeynep

Reiki Newsletter-October 2014

Dear Friends,

A great way to fire up your practice is to get together with like minded people and fellow practitioners.

Come join us for REIKI DAY this Sunday Oct 5, 2014 at Grailville
Reiki Day is for all Reiki practitioners across Cincinnati and Tri-County area to learn, share, grow and have fun together. This year, we’ll meet at Grailville for the 11th time for a full day of Reiki fun!

When : Sunday October 5th
Where: Graillville at 932 O’Bannonville Rd. Loveland, OH 45140 Tel: 513-683-2340, Caravansary Bld
Directions: http://www.grailville.org/home.php?ID=37
Who:
Morning session is for all Cincinnati/Tri-County Reiki Master/Teachers from 9:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M
Afternoon session is for all Reiki practitioners from 1:30 P.M until 5:30 P.M
Cost: $15 for Reiki Master/Teachers (includes lunch), $10 for Reiki 1, 2,3 practitioners. Please bring CASH.
RSVP to Maria Kammerer at attunecincinnati@gmail.com

Get ready for some serious Reiki fun!

https://www.facebook.com/events/570570843052750/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming


Reiki 1-Shoden Class is full

Thanks for your interest, the Reiki Level 1- Shoden class is full now. I can have you in waiting list, in case of cancellations. The class will be in 3 sections in below dates:
Session 1 Oct 19 1 pm -5 pm
Session 2 Oct 26 1 pm-5 pm
Session 3 Nov 2 1 pm-5 pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/580150252090948/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar


Reiki 2-Okuden class November 15, 2015 9:30am-6:00 pm

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 understanding of the macro and micro Cosmos. You will learn symbols to help you ground to the Earth, balance with Heavens and expand your heart to connect to the whole Universe. This class is a major step in your self-discovery to find what’s hidden inside.
At the end of the class, students will learn how to invoke and use the symbols in daily life as well as techniques for distant healing. A light vegetarian lunch will be served. $175/person

Meditation Retreat in June 19-22, 2015

I am so excited that my teacher Frans Stiene is returning back to Cincinnati in 2015 for a Meditation Retreat that will be open to EVERYONE! You don’t need to be a Reiki practitioner to attend this Retreat. Frans will lead us through 4 days of healing and life inspiring meditations. Frans will be focusing on esoteric Japanese meditations and healing practices that are not often taught, some of these practices can be traced back to 7th and 8th century Japanese spiritual traditions. Frans also often includes some 4000 years old Wu (Chinese Shamanic) practices within these retreats. We’ll stay at Transfiguration center in Glendale, a secret heaven at the heart of the city. Here are more details for the Retreat:

http://us.ihreiki.com/events/detail/cincinnati_meditation_retreat


Hope to see you in one or all of these events!
Love & Light,
Zeynep

Reiki Newsletter September 2014- New classes, Reiki Day and more...

Dear friends,

Over a year ago, all of a sudden, I lost all my desire to teach Reiki. Believe me, this was a very strange feeling for me. If you took a Reiki class with me, you know how passionate I’m to teach Reiki. I enjoy it so much so that I remember sobbing with joy after my very first Reiki teaching experience and having the deepest sense of gratitude thereafter in each class. There was a big hole when I lost the desire to teach but it was such a clear feeling that I just had to wait and see what Universe is planning for me next. I also knew that I didn’t want to teach one-day Reiki classes anymore. I used to squeeze Reiki 1 classes in a 9-hour-day and it felt like something had to change. I patiently waited and kept on my practice.


I totally believe that when the teacher is ready the student will appear and when the student is ready teacher will appear.

First the desire came to me, I had a short class on “What happens during Attunements” in June. Then I found myself teaching Reiki to two friends at work. Since we were going to do this over lunch, I come up with a 4 month curriculum with 45 minute weekly sessions that includes meditations, hands-on healing sessions, weekly assignments and Reiju.

This will sure be a new way of teaching Reiki for me. That familiar feeling came to me again, and I can’t explain how thrilled I am about this plan.

A month ago we started with initiations, one initiation each week and we’ve just started following the below curriculum.

Reiki 1-Shoden
Week 1 45 min. What's Reiki? How it works? What are the pillars of the system of Reiki?
Week 2 45 min. What's energy? Human Energy system – 3 jewels- Joshin Kokyu Ho
Week 3 45 min. Hands-on Healing
Week 4 45 min. Reiki principles: Just for Today, Do not get Angry
Week 5 45 min. Reiki principles: Just for today, Do not worry
Week 6 45 min. Reiki principles: be Grateful
Week 7 45 min. Reiki principles: work hard
Week 8 45 min. Reiki principles: be compassionate
Week 9 45 min. History of Reiki
Week 10 3 hours Group Hands-on healing practice session
• Students practice Joshin Kokyu meditation and self healing every day

Reiki 2- Okuden
Week 1 45 min. What are Reiki symbols? How they’re used?
Week 2 45 min. CKR +Jumon
Week 3 45 min. SHK +Jumon
Week 4 45 min. HSZSN + Jumon
Week 5 45 min. Japanese Reiki Methods
Week 6 3 hrs Chanting and Hands on healing practice session
• Students practice meditations and self healing every day

Now I plan to expand this curriculum, yet in a slightly different model with 3 x 4 hour-block teachings for Reiki 1. The purpose is to allow students to absorb teachings using pillars of the system of Reiki; Reiki principles, mantras, meditations and hands-on healing, supported with frequent Reiju’s and meditations. The 3 classes will be held on below dates (thought we’re flexible to change the dates with mutual consent of students).

Session 1 Oct 19 1 pm -5 pm
Session 2 Oct 26 1 pm-5 pm
Session 3 Nov 2 1 pm-5 pm

Let me know if you know anyone who is interested in joining these sessions. I’ll also have a 2 hour free Introduction to Reiki class. Later, if you choose to join the 3 class-pack, the total fee will be $150.

Free Reiki Refresher Class on Sunday September 28, 2014 1pm-3pm
The class provides an overview of Reiki as a system of self-improvement and explores pillars of the system (precepts, meditations, hands-on healing, symbols and attunements). There will be time for any questions you might have on your practice. If you took Reiki in the past, this is an excellent chance to boost your practice. If you’re new to Reiki, this is a great chance to understand what Reiki offers.

REIKI DAY IS COMING October 5, 2014
Mark your calendars for October 5, 2014. Cincinnati Reiki Day happens twice a year. It is a chance for Reiki Practitioners from all lineages to come together to practice Reiki, make Reiki friends, and have fun!
The morning session is for Reiki Masters from 9:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M Cost $15 cash only, includes lunch.
The afternoon session is open for all levels of Reiki practitioners from 1:30-5:00. Cost $10 cash only.

Don’t miss this event, RSVP to Maria Kammerer at attunecincinnati@gmail.com
Here is the FB event. Hope to see you all there!
https://www.facebook.com/events/570570843052750/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar


Last but not least, if you want to further deepen your Reiki practice my dear friend Sundar is teaching another 1 year course. This is also what inspired me to teach a class over couple weeks. Sundar’s class is ultimate deepening of the practice!
Program: Support your spiritual journey with Reiki
Description: Reiki, most commonly known as an "energy healing" system or modality in the West, actually has its roots in Japan in the early 1900s, and is first and foremost a path to realizing one's true nature, with healing as a wonderful "side effect". This program is designed to support your personal spiritual journey using traditional Japanese Reiki teachings. Unlike conventional "Reiki Classes", or "Reiki Courses" which are taught over a single day or a weekend, this program is organized as a continuous series of instructional or experiential learning, and practice sessions, taking a student practitioner incrementally deeper into their spiritual practice as well as into the practice of healing. As such, this program would be of great appeal and value only to the serious seeker who is eager to deepen their practice through structured learning, increasingly deeper experiential understanding, and steady and consistent practice sessions, under the guidance of the facilitator as well as the presence and participation of fellow students.
The Facilitator: Sundar Kadayam has trained with some of the world's leading Reiki teachers since 2001, and is currently training with Frans Stiene, internationally acclaimed Reiki Teacher and co-author of classic books such as The Reiki Sourcebook and The Japanese Art of Reiki. With Frans' help, he has deepened his personal healing and spiritual practice since 2007, and provides guidance to other seekers who yearn to deepen their practice. He is NOT a "Reiki Master", and he knows no one in the world who is one, at least not yet!
The Format: Student practitioners will meet with the Facilitator approximately every two weeks (with due accommodations for key holidays and any other important milestones) for two hour sessions as part of a group, and partake in instructional or experiential learning interspersed with practice sessions. The spiritual teachings and practice are drawn from traditional Japanese Reiki, and are designed to take the student practitioner incrementally deeper into the practice. Students will also benefit from periodic spiritual blessings drawn mainly from the Japanese Reiki tradition and occasionally through ancient Indian traditions. The format allows for ample time to share learnings and experiences, for Q&A, and to receive individual guidance on the evolving practice.
The Duration: The program is uniquely designed to provide continuous learning, experience and growth opportunities for approximately a year.
The Cost: The program is free. The facilitator will accept any heartfelt offers at each session.
Class Size: Class size will be limited to 10 students.
The Requirements: As mentioned above, this Program is designed for a serious seeker, and as such requires the student practitioner to attend the meetings regularly, and to commit to their personal practice between meetings. If you would like to be part of this Program, you would need to complete a short questionnaire via email. Given that the class size will be capped at 10 students, the Facilitator may reject the participation from an interested individual at the onset, or even during the Program if individual participation or commitment is poor.
The Questionnaire: Please contact the Facilitator at skadayam@presevo.com to express your interest in attending the Program, or to follow up with any questions you may have. You will receive a short questionnaire via email response, and you can send back your completed answer for review. The purpose of the questionnaire is to allow the Facilitator to better understand your background and your motivation and commitment to attend.

Enjoy one of these options to deepen your practice and keep your fire of the practice burning!

Love & Light,
Zeynep

What happens during Reiki Attunements?

The most mysterious part of the system of Reiki is the attunements. Knowing few Reiki Masters confused about some of the new systems of Reiki and especially about the attunements; I felt like I need to share how I see and practice attunements with the purpose of empowering any confused Reiki Masters to feel confident in the way they practice attunements.

So, here I put a disclaimer that, everything I’ll write here solely reflects my truth and my own understanding (with my limited human mind) filtered from my own experiences, tendency and inclinations. These are accumulated knowledge from my studies with my teacher Frans Stiene and how I see and practice Reiki. My last intention is to offend anyone or create polarity in community. Please take whatever resonates with you and trash the rest. Always remember that Reiki is like the Sun and it just shines on. It’s us humans who put labels on it and make it our own. Reiki doesn’t mind.

Having said that, attunement is the most crucial element of the system of Reiki. You can read books on Reiki, you can practice precepts, you can learn meditations but attunement awakens our energetic connection to Reiki. I always think attunement as a remembering process, remembering who we really are. Someone (in this case the Reiki Master) who already has a connection to the Great Bright Light, shows you , exposes you or shares this Light with you. Attunement is that initial experience with Great Bright Light that you can cultivate and nurture, until you yourself become that Light.

Here comes a choice for Reiki practitioners during both their practice and attunements: either to see Reiki as an external energy frequency and channel it or internalize it by reaching deep down to our innate bright light, nurture it and expand it. For me the purpose of the system of Reiki is to “be” Reiki, to “be” the Great Bright Light. What it means to “be” Reiki, is to live in a state of mind of non-duality, non-attachment, loving kindness and compassion. Regardless to say, precepts point out this state of mind, step by step by working on our anger, worry, fear, living in the moment by being grateful, by bringing our true potential to earth and being kind and compassionate to all living beings. The symbols and mantras of the system of Reiki point us in this direction too. With time and practice, our true self, our clear bright light shines through and Voila: We become the Great Bright Light.

Let’s get back to the Attunement. How does the Reiki Master show/share this Great Bright Light to the student? One thing I find common in all attunement rituals is the mutual Intent of the Reiki Master and the student. It’s the intent of the Reiki Master that the student will receive the attunement (or have an initial experience of the Great Bright Light) and it’s the intent of the student to be open to receive it. When there is this mutual intent between a Reiki Master and student, the attunement works regardless. The ritual of performing the attunement is just a tool.

Even though the attunement ritual is just a tool, the way I practice attunements, I see the steps in the attunement ritual as steps to bring the Reiki Master (myself) to the right state of mind to be the Great Bight Light.

Obviously it’s not easy to get to that right state of mind right away. That’s why we have rituals because rituals help us to get to the right state of mind. Since our body and mind are connected, the physical act of ritual makes the mind act in a certain way. We rock the babies to sleep, we light a candle or chant a prayer before meditation, etc. With the physical act, we prepare our minds to be in a certain way. Reiki attunement ritual is not different. The purpose of the ritual is to bring the Reiki Master to the DKM space, or Great Bright Light, so that Master can be Reiki and share it with the student.

The more the Reiki Master can be Reiki and reflect this Light, the more the student can be exposed to. I believe the higher the Reiki Master’s frequency, the higher the frequency student is exposed to. How much the student can get (or raise his/her vibration) depends on how open and empty the student is. At the end, it will work anyway but how much you get will depend on how much the Reiki Master can share and how much the student can receive.(1) That’s why they repeat the attunements every week in Japan. Every time you receive an attunement, especially if you continue to working on yourself, you can get a little more out of it and raise your own vibration.

At first Mikao Usui didn’t have a formal attunement process. His students would be attuned by just simply being at his presence. According to his early students, he’d sit across from the students and that was enough for the students to be attuned. However, most of his early students were spiritual practitioners, mostly monks or nuns. They were open to receive and they didn’t need rituals to be performed on them. As Mikao Usui started to have more lay students, he developed Reiju, Spritual Blessing, so that the students would get the implication that they were acted upon and that they were receiving something.

Reiju is still the ritual performed by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in Japan and absolutely my favorite ritual. There are no symbols and mantras in this ritual or no levels, students take as much energy as they need/can at that point in their lives, attunements repeated frequently and each attunement deepens student’s energetic connection. Reiju is performed in a state of mindfulness, with compassion, unconditionally, without any attachment to any given outcome. There is no giving or receiving. Master and students simply share the non-dual state of Great Bright Light and just allow it to happen. Allow what to happen? Whatever the students needs at that time.

The ritual mostly followed in West developed by Hayashi, a student of Mikao Usui. Hayashi took Reiju and added symbols and mantras. He also had slightly different rituals for different levels of Reiki. Hayashi also thought slightly different attunements to his students as well as to Mrs. Takata. My first Reiki teacher, William Rand, created the Usui/Tibetan attunements with Tibetan symbols and has recently changed it to another new system of Reiki, with another new symbol.

In my opinion and experience so far, there is no right or wrong ritual for as long as you have the right Intent. Having said that, I personally like to stay closer to the original, but that’s my personal choice. Honestly, I look with suspicion when people start to add new symbols or channel information but again that’s because how I choose to practice Reiki. After all, this diversity of systems of Reiki gives me more motivation to stick to what resonates with me and I think everyone should be comfortable with what/how they practice Reiki.

However, there is one thing constant in all the different Reiki attunement rituals I’ve learned: The Intent. I practiced William Rand’s attunement for years. Now I practice another ritual coming from Hayashi/Tatsumi lineage. My favorite is the original Reiju and I share it abundantly when I share Reiki blessings. However when I pass attunements, I fall back to the Hayashi/Tatsumi ritual. I think they are all beautiful and we’re so lucky to have these tools. Obviously you can sit across from the students and expand to be the Great Bright Light. Some of the most powerful attunement experiences I had, happened without the physical interaction or ritual, by just simply sitting across from my teacher. However if the students are new to this field, they might need to feel the physical touch or some ritual taking place in order to convince themselves something is really going on.

A milestone in my Reiki teaching journey was the decision I made to use the ritual for my own spiritual practice. Do we all need to do it this way? Of course, not. Believe me when I first started to teach Reiki, I passed attunements, following the ritual, almost mechanically, and guess what? It worked, because I had the right Intent. Also, I was told that there were Reiki guides/ spirit guides who help us with the attunements and that all we need to do is to tell them our intent and say which level’s attunement and boom, it was done. I used this method and I “outsourced” the attunement process to my guides. I must tell you they did a great job because all my early students reported great results with their practice.

However, at some point I realized that, the attunements can be an excellent opportunity for me to become the Great Bright Light. (I must give all the credit to my teacher Frans Stiene for this realization). One day, I asked my guides to step aside but I still asked them to be present in the room and correct if I do something wrong. Gradually, I asked them not to interfere and I took the whole responsibility myself. Did I do a better job? Probably not, at least not in the beginning, but it was worth the risk.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that; just Relax! the attunements will work if you simply follow the ritual you’ve learned from your own Reiki master and keep a clear Intent. Yet we, Reiki masters, have an option to use Reiki attunements as a tool for our own spiritual development. Knowing that they’ll work either way, we can decide if we want to consciously practice being the Great Bright Light during this sacred time we spend with our students and attunement after attunement repeatedly merge in that space, become one, eventually take it outside the attunements to our daily lives, live in the DKM space until eventually one day we realize our Divine self, the Great Bright Light.


(1) If you’d like to read more about the state of mind and energy frequency during treatments and attunements, you can read this article from Judith Pennington:
http://www.ihreiki.com/blog/article/the_brain_waves_of_reiki

Bhakti Yoga

There are so many different ways to classify Yoga philosophy, and one way is to look at the different schools of Yoga. In classical terms, there are 4 paths- Karma Yoga (yoga of action), Bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion), Jnana yoga (yoga of wisdom) and Raja yoga (royal yoga).

There were times when I was attracted to different yoga schools throughout my journey. My journey started with Raja Yoga, by observing yamas and niyamas, doing asanas and pranayama, and following the 8 limb path, like most people start their yoga journey in the West. But when I was introduced to other schools, I realized how intertwined they are. Now, if I don’t practice one of them, my own practice doesn’t feel full and complete. I can’t imagine not practicing Jnana yoga, studying scriptures, especially Vedanta which satisfies my analytical mind and soul at the same time. In the same way, I can’t imagine not practicing Karma yoga, doing selfless service either in the form of volunteering, fund raising or simply offering up fruits of my actions. However there is one path, Bhakti yoga, which holds the other 3 together for me. Without Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, my practice would be dry and incomplete.

They say there are 9 different ways of practicing Bhakti yoga. In the East, Bhakti yoga is seen as a devotion to a Divine being, a god, goddess or a guru as the manifestation of Divine. In the West, it’s typically perceived more as devotion to whatever one feels like representing Divine. I was introduced to Bhakti Yoga through Kirtan, or devotional chanting. I was immediately hooked. To me, Kirtan feels like you’re at a stadium concert with your favorite band, but you’re actually on the stage with the band playing and singing your lungs out together. It’s that great! It’s like a flight for the soul, where you start soft and rise above slowly until you completely let go and crack open, without knowing you’re full with Divine and you slowly come back to self but always keep a piece of that experience with you. Ever since then, chanting has become a part of my practice, especially in my long commute to work every morning and evening.

I must say I was very lucky with the grace of a Guru and from time to time I still pinch myself how in the world I deserved this Grace. Only if one feels the call and if it resonates with you is Guru Yoga a practice to follow. It is definitely not for everyone, but it’s very rewarding.

Another important piece of my Bhakti yoga practice is my Altar. I have symbols or pictures of the Divine ones that resonate with me to remind me I’m not alone. I have objects of Divine beauty, a sea shell, or a rose pedal that reminds me the beauties of this world as Divine manifestations. Every time I sit on my altar, I commune with them before I start my meditation practice.

Everything, if done with devotion, can be a Bhakti yoga practice. In my personal practice I use yoga asanas as a way to show devotion. I throw myself, I throw my heart into my mat with devotion. Especially I practice Surya Namaskar, Sun Salutation, my core asana practice for devotion. It’s the intent that counts!

Kapalbhati is my favorite Bhakti yoga pranayama . Like I said, everything if done with devotion can be Bhakti yoga. In Kapalbhati, I visualize Light or a manifestation of Divine in the form of Guru or saint in my 3rd eye. I inhale towards the Divine, stop and merge for a second and I bring back a piece with me when I exhale.

After all, Bhakti yoga practice is to pretend to unite with Divine until you realize you’re the Divine itself.

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga is the yoga of action. For me, it’s the most practical of all yoga schools. It stems from the idea that every desire should be fulfilled. The Universe is so generous that it gives us back whatever we desire or generate. Karma is the ripple we generate at the Universe with our thoughts, words, actions, and desires. In other words, you reap what you sow, what goes around comes around, and every action has a reaction in the universe. It’s a Universal rule. It’s that simple. For as long as we generate a ripple or a reaction in the Universe with our actions, words, or thoughts, we can’t escape from Samsara (rebirth), which means we need to come back to this life over and over again to fulfill what we’ve generated.

Ha ha, here it gets fun…There is a way to get around this Universal law! We can overcome Karma and end Samsara (rebirth) if we can manage not to create karma, and burn the ones we’ve generated so far, while still living in this world.

To me, Bhagavad Gita is the ultimate text that explains how to overcome generating these ripples, Karma.
The Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna at a battle field and begins with Arjuna throwing his weapons down because he doesn’t want to shed blood of his own relatives. He prefers death rather than killing his own family. Krishna explains to him how he should not give up action, rather fulfill action with a sense of service by being true to himself. Any action, he says, should be without any attachment to the result and an offering to Divine. It’s a rather radical way to encourage one to fight, until you realize by the end that the real fight is a fight with your own ego and your life is the real battlefield.

Krishna teaches Arjuna how to fulfill a life without Karma, by finding peace in every action by offering it up to the Divine, and overcoming traps like anger, worry, ignorance and more importantly one’s own ego. If an action is done with selfless devotion without any expectations and attachment, it doesn’t generate a ripple. It’s quiet a learning!

How can we apply this to real life and not generate karma, or a single ripple, in the Universe?

One way to practice this is to perform every action without expecting any particular outcome, without expectations of monetary benefit or praise, and perform everything as a service to humanity and a service to Divine. This way, we at least stop generating Karma.

There are different ways to burn old karma. The most effective way is to bring awareness to a sanskara (imprints left behind). There are rituals, like fire ceremony, that burns karma. Requesting grace of a guru thru meditation techniques is yet another way to clean old karma. Again what counts is the awareness and desire to neutralize our imprints.

The ultimate practice of Karma yoga is to fully materialize our Divine purpose on this earth, live in accordance with our true self, establish our purpose on Earth, to think, talk, act from a space of non-duality, meaning nothing to wish because we realize everything is perfect as is, nothing to regret because everything was meant to be, no anger, no worries, no expectations, nothing to give, nothing to receive, simply being content in the present moment.

and….Voila! No more Karma.

Jnana Yoga

Imagine you’re at a jewelry store and checking out hundreds of gold rings. Each gold ring has a different shape and size. Regardless of their shape and size; their essence is the same, they’re all gold. No matter what shape or size these the rings come, their essence doesn’t change. This is how a Jnana yogi would explain you this philosophy. Our true nature is Divine.
Imagine a see through empty glass. There is air inside, there is air outside. The air inside and outside is exactly the same. That’s how we forget our true essence, and think ourselves separate from Divine. The practice of Vendanta is to dissolve the glass to recognize your true self.

Jñāna yoga is the yoga of knowledge but it’s knowing beyond our intellect, it goes all the way to knowing with the core of our soul. Knowing what? Knowing the ultimate reality, our true nature, our essence; which is pure consciousness and bliss.

Vedanta is the philosophy identified with Jnana yoga and is one of the most difficult paths because it uses mind to negate itself to inquire its true nature. Veda means knowledge and Anta means end. Vedanta is said to be the philosophy which leads to the end of knowledge. It’s funny how it starts with knowledge and draws you into yourself to realize the only ultimate knowledge, is to know the self.

Adi Shankara is the great sage of Vedanta. He was a great philosopher, a poet who lived in the 8th century. He started his spiritual journey when he was 8, he traveled around India all the way to Himalayans 3 times by foot, he wrote many books, poems, commentaries and he died when he was only 32. He established the Swami order that is still used in India today. Sankaracharya’s philopophy or as it’s called Advaita (non-dualistic) philosophy advocates the oneness of individual soul and Brahman (cosmic soul). The rain, the water that flows into the river and the sand in the river that sustains it, all are one and only one. Everything is Divine, the Brahman.

I was first exposed to Sankaracharya , thru Dave Stringer’s beautiful voice. When I listened Nirvanashatakam during a Kirtan, I didn’t understand any of the words but he song touched me so deeply. It was the most inspiring song I’ve ever listened. I think sometimes even the vibration of words are enough to move you even though you don’t understand meaning. After the Kirtan when I read the lyrics, I couldn’t believe how simple yet profound this poem was. Then I started studying Vedanta texts by writings of Swami Dayananda, Swami Tadatmananda, Rasmesh Balsekar.

Here I’d like to share my favorite Adi Shankara poem, Nirvanashatakam.

i am not mind, intellect, ego or memory;
Not ears or tongues, or smell or sight; not ether, air, fire, water or earth.
i am not virtue or vice; pleasure or pain, not mantra, not sacred place,
Scripture or sacrifice; not the food, the eater or the act of eating.
i am beyond all things. i am everlasting, self-luminuos.
taintless, and pure; immovable, blissful and imperishable.
i am without thought, without forms, I am all pervasive, I am beyond all senses;
i am not detachment or salvation or anything that could be measured.
i am consciousness and bliss.
Shankaracharya (788-820 A.D.)

This poem also reflects one of the Vendata techniques, which is negation. The practitioner negates who he/she thinks is until he/she find the true self, the Divine-self.

Here is also my favorite Ramesh Balsekar video. I must admit, it’s little heavy but If you watch this and enjoy it and it resonates with you, probably there is a Jnana yogi in you :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fByNIZWwm4

and I welcome you to the wonderful world of Vedanta!

Raja Yoga

There are so many different ways to classify Yoga philosophy, and one way is to look at the different schools of Yoga. In classical terms, there are 4 paths- Karma Yoga (yoga of action), Bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion), Jnana yoga (yoga of wisdom) and Raja yoga (royal yoga).

Raja Yoga is the school of Yoga that we’re most familiar in the West. It’s also called Asthanga Yoga, or 8 limbed path. Thanks to Patanjali, a sage who lived around 100 BC, he compiled the ancient teachings, the Yoga Sutra’s, which are the foundations of Raja Yoga.
Raja Yoga provides practitioners a comprehensive, step by step approach to purify body and mind to achieve liberation.

The eight limbs of Raja yoga are:
• Yama – things that we should restraint
• Niyama – things that we should cultivate
• Asana – practice of yoga postures
• Pranayama – breathwork to bridge the body and mind
• Pratyahara – withdrawal of senses
• Dharana – concentration of mind
• Dhyana – meditation
• Samadhi – the state to realize true self, blissful and consciousness

Having such a clear path helped to satisfy my analytical mind when I first started my yoga practice. Shortly thereafter I realized how these steps are intertwined and in fact should be practiced together to master the mind. In fact it’s a mix and match! You can take one, any one of these steps, and apply it in conjuncture of another, except the last one, Samadhi. Like you can never tell a fruit will be ripened and fall down from the tree, you can’t tell when you will achieve Samadhi. It’s viewed as God’s Grace.
Likewise, the Yama and Niyamas, the moral codes are like threads, if you go deep down in one, you find yourself perfecting another. That’s how Mahatma Gandhi, by practicing Ahimsa, not only worked towards his liberation but liberated a whole country.

Yamas the “Don’t’s”.
Ahimsa, non-violence
Satya, truthfulness
Brahmacharya, moderation or self control.
Asteya, non-stealing
Aparigraha, non-possessiveness

Niyamas – The “Do’s”.
Saucha, purity
Santosha, contentment
Tapas, self-discipline
Swadhyaya, self-study and study of the sacred scriptures
Ishwara Pranidhana surrender to God

Next 10 weeks during my Thursday night gentle yoga class we’ll focus on one Yama and Niyama, each week. We’ll talk these moral codes and go deep down in each one and discuss how to practice these codes on and off the mat.

After all it’s about how we can take these yogic principles off the mat and integrate into our daily lifes.

Reiki Newsletter- April 2014

Dear Friends,

I declare this month the month of "Reiki".

Reiki as a Spiritual Path –TOMORROW Saturday April 5th at 5pm
Tomorrow Saturday April 5th at 5 pm, Patricia Gary, Sundar Kadayam and I will present a workshop at Victory of Light Expo on “Reiki as a Spiritual Path. It’s at Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Rd. You can join workshops at VOL all day long, from 10 am till 7pm and visit 100’s of booths of healers, readers, energy therapists.

Hope you can all join us at 5 pm!
http://www.victoryoflight.com/pages/index.cgi/201404_festival?disp=Workshops

Shanti: A Journey of Peace is TOMORROW in Aronoff Center at 8 pm
Shanti an expansive and collaborative performance that explores the meanings and message of peace, joy, and the interconnectedness of us all through dance, music, and images of India. The producer and composer Kanniks is our dear friend.

Few of us will go to Shanti directly after Victory of Lightt. You can still get tickets. Half price tickets for students will be available just before the curtain!

http://www.cincinnatiarts.org/events/detail/shanti

Reiki Public Talk by Frans Stiene on April 24 and Reiki Mid-West Retreat
Last but not least, Frans Stiene, my Reiki teacher is coming to Cincinnati for a 4 day Reiki Retreat at the end of this month. As always, he graciously will give a Public Talk. This is a once-a-year opportunity!!! Hope you can all make it!
What: Public Talk on Japanese Art of Reiki
When: Thursday April 24th 7pm-9pm
Where: Cincinnati Yoga School/Lotus Yoga Temple 6125 Ridge Avenue
Feel free to invite your family, friends, neighbors, or anyone you think is interested in Reiki.

Mid-West Reiki Retreat April 25-28 2014
If you want to get more information on the 4 day Reiki retreat, we still have few spots left.
http://cincinnatishinpiden.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/mid-west-reiki-retreat-april-25-282014/
Oh, who is Frans? He is the awesomest teacher on Earth. Read more… http://www.ihreiki.com/about/teachers/frans_stiene

Love & Light,
Zeynep

Reiki Newsletter- March 2014

I was desperately searching for a Reiki teacher in early 2002. I was confused with so many different lineages and teachers charging different fees, all the way from $100 to $10,000, let alone the free online classes. .. and then I found Gulcan Arpacioglu’s Reiki website in Turkey. Gulcan took her Reiki Master class from William Rand in England two years prior. At that time, she was a full time Reiki teacher, teaching extensively in Istanbul. I was pleasantly surprised that someone from Turkey went all the way to train with William Rand, the same Reiki teacher I was considering taking my Reiki 1 class with. I sent Gulcan an e-mail asking a few questions about William.

She replied to my mail immediately, I was touched by how thorough she was and how she answered all my questions patiently and compassionately, even though I was miles away, just a newbie asking some questions about Reiki.

This later impacted how I reply to anyone who asks me questions about Reiki.

More impressive was the fact that Gulcan never gave up on me, she continued to follow up with me. I took my Reiki class with William Rand in November that year. I was drunk with Reiki. Everywhere I looked there was Reiki. I wanted to share it with everyone I met. Gulcan was the first person I shared my Reiki 1&2 class experiences. I wrote her every detail, every miracle. We become Reiki pen pals.

I wanted to meet her in person when I was in Turkey the next summer. I sent her an e-mail. Her reply came few weeks later, just a day before we departed for Istanbul. She was in Denmark attending a training with the Dalai Lama. She was talking about how she was still up in the clouds. I was astonished. Could one really meet the Dalai Lama? Wow! I didn’t know we were going to be in Toronto next year sitting together just few yards from the Dalai Lama :-)

Gulcan and I at Toronto- May 2004

Gulcan and I met for first time on Monday June 30th 2003 at 10:30 am in her home in Fenerbahce, Istanbul. (thanks to my journaling records!)

I remember that day very clearly. It was one of the most memorable days of my life.

I’m not exaggerating… A lot happened that day that changed my life forever. First thing I remember is Peanut, Gulcan’s Cocker Spaniel who greeted me as soon as I entered her apartment, (Peanut, if you’re not in doggie heaven, you must have incarnated as a human being already!).

It was a beautiful summer day. We sat in her balcony overlooking the vast Marmara Sea. There was a clear blue sky, the Princess Islands were shining like diamonds, we could see sailing boats and joggers on the trail down below. We had a lot to talk about. We caught up on our life stories. She was an industrial engineer from Middle East Technical University, one of the most prominent engineering schools in Turkey. She worked in IT, she had experiences in sales, training and even as a translator.

I brought her a gift, a necklace that had immediately reminded me of her when I saw it. It turned out to be her symbol. She was surprised. She even asked me “Who are you? Really WHO ARE YOU?

When I told her I work for P&G, we immediately found a common friend. She called him, gave me the phone and we surprised him. Gulcan talks about miracles of Reiki and how it brings people together. Over the phone she invited our friend to attend her upcoming Reiki class. He was confirmed. We all laughed.

Then the doorbell rang, Gulcan was surprised, she wasn’t expecting anyone. It was her mom who lived close by. She stopped by to say hello. She was the cutest old lady with a cute straw hat. Gulcan told me she is Reiki 3. I was so happy to meet her.

Gulcan then showed me her library. So many books, books everywhere. She recommended some Reiki books, I took notes, I had so much to learn. I was like a sponge. She was looking for a certain book and she remembered that she had leant that book to Yesim, a friend of hers. She called her friend to ask her who the author was.

Yesim? Could it be the same Yesim? Another acquaintance?


A year prior to meeting Gulcan, I came across the blog of a writer from Istanbul, Yesim Cimcoz. I immediately felt close to her. She lived and studied in the US. She was my age, she had a 3 year old son and I had a 2 year old daughter. She too was a yoga, Reiki and Tai-Chi practitioner and believe it or not she lived in my neighborhood, Moda in Istanbul (in a huge city of 12 million people!). In her blog, she mentioned Gulcan as her Reiki teacher. Being home sick, I loved her writing on Istanbul so much that I printed it and put it on my cork board at work and read it few times every day.

“For me Istanbul is not a city. It is a smell. It is a yellow light in a window at night reflected on thick velvet curtains pulled tight, behind which lives I don't know, have never met, are being lived. It is the voice of the muezzin sounding a sad prayer that enters my soul and floods my whole being, pulling me into different directions all at once. Istanbul is an old woman, frail, wrinkled, eyes reddened from age, white hair brushed loosely back sitting in her faded nightgown in the late afternoon before the window of her living room, looking out expressionless at the people that go by. Istanbul is houses where crocheted cloths cover television tops and side tables. It is the smell of a glass of fresh brewed tea on a cold day and warming by the heat of a wood stove. It is the smell of fresh baked bread and the crisp sound of a piece being pulled of as steam rises to bring forth the smell. Istanbul is the Bosphorus lapping against an old boat that carries me to the evening lights of the other shore as sea air and the salt sprinkle across my face and the tired, disillusioned, weary people on their way home from another long day at work sit indoors. Istanbul is expectation, anticipation and hope in the air. It is relentless, pulling, tugging at me never allowing my attention to drift elsewhere. “

I felt so close to Yesim, I even thought about writing to her and telling her how I admired her writing. I never did. However, her last name Cimcoz sounded so familiar. Where do I know this last name? I asked a good friend of mine who is a veteran of Moda, she knows everyone in our neighborhood. Sure enough, she did, she said, Yesim is Huseyin’s wife. Of course, I remember Huseyin. He is a good frined’s high school friend. I can’t believe I come across Huseyin’s wife on the internet. Yet, I still didn’t write to Yesim.


Gulcan was on the phone with Yesim and I asked her if she’s talking to Yesim Cimcoz. Gulcan couldn’t believe we have another connection. She gave me the phone. I didn’t know what to say. I told Yesim that I had found her website a year ago and I loved her writing about Istanbul that it’s on my cork board back in America. Gulcan invited Yesim to her Reiki Share that night so that we could meet! I was not used to so much excitement in one day and it was not even over yet.

Gulcan thought we must have a karmic connection. So many coincidences were simply too much.

She had a friend who is a karmic astrologer. Typically people wait for months to get an appointment with him. Gulcan directly called him and asked him to tell us if we had a past karmic connection. We gave him my birth date and time, he already had Gulcan’s. He put our charts together and he confirmed that I was Gulcan’s student in a past life. He said, now that we found each other again, we’ll work together and travel as well.

At noon, Peter joined us, back then Gulcan’s boyfriend, now her husband. Peter was such a gentle soul, but very deep. We had lunch together. We talked and talked and talked. We had so many similar interests. I didn’t want the day to end. After lunch, Peter made us Turkish coffee. Peter is a Britt who studied Philosophy. At that time, he had just left a 20 year consulting career as an ex-pat in Istanbul with one of the largest consulting firms to spend full time in writing, breathwork and energy healing. I admired his dedication. Could I do that one day?

If Gulcan was Fire, Peter was Water. If Gulcan was Yang, Peter was Yin. They complete each other so well. I associated myself with both of them. I loved being electrified with Gulcan and soothed by Peter.

Gulcan and I at Caddebostan -Summer 2010

My one hour visit lasted 6 hours that day, I left their apartment at 4:30 pm only to come back at 8 pm again that night for the Reiki Share. When I was on the table to receive Reiki, the door bell rang. Someone came over and touched me gently. I immediately knew who she was. She was Yesim. The circle was complete.

Peter Adams, Yesim Cimcoz, Gulcan Arpacioglu, Zeynep Premdasi Yilmaz
February 2014

You can find Peter’s book, The Healing Field at Amazon. Yesim was the writing coach during the process to bring this book to life. Peter’s book is a collection of real-life cases of intensive energy healing work that Gulcan and Peter have been experiencing for the last 15 years. A must read, if you’re into healing. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of all elements that impact healing. It reinforces a field of consciousness that expands to past lives, before birth and even ancestors. This healing field connects us to one another, to our family and ancestors and to wider community of all sentient beings and is sensitive to ethics and harmony of all.

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Field-Energy-Consciousness-Transformation/dp/1452583560/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393701071&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+mark+adams

Reiki Newsletter- February 2014 Upcoming Reiki Retreat in Cincinnati April 25-28,2014

Dear Friends,

Lately I was thinking how important it is to keep the fire of my practice bright and strong. This is true for everyone regardless what your practice is; it could be yoga, Reiki, martial arts or whichever practice brings you closer to your true self :-)
It’s important to have a disciplined practice but from time to time we need to juice up our practice, immerse ourselves deeper into it so that its fire will burn stronger. It’s also important to bring some fun to it, some play time! I try to surround myself with like minded friends and practice together or attend workshops or retreats annually.
An excellent opportunity is coming up now! We’ll have the very-first- ever Reiki Retreat with Frans Stiene in Cincinnati this April. This will be time to dive deeper, rejuvenate and invigorate our practice and have lots of fun too! Hope you can join us.

Where is the Retreat?
Transfiguration Spirituality Center is located in the heart of historic Glendale, minutes from Sharonville and I-275, an easy drive from Kentucky and Indiana. It is a newly restored, quiet but active place of peace. The accommodation is lovely with mainly single rooms with private bathrooms. Transfiguration center is located at 495 Albion Ave, Village of Glendale, Cincinnati, OH 45246 Tel: 513-771-2171 http://www.tscretreats.org/

What should I expect?
It’s intense experiential work, Reiki practice, discussions and you will come away relaxed and renewed with a stronger will to deepen your practice. (a lot of fun too!!!)

What’ll take place?
Reiki Retreat
April 25-28, 2014 9:00 am- 5:00 pm, Course fee $800, Acc & Meals $325 Total Retreat fee $1125

Private Tutoring and/or Reiki treatment with Frans
Wednesday April 23 and Thursday April 24 $125/hour

A Reiki Evening with Frans
Thursday April 25 7pm- 9pm at Cincinnati Yoga School Donation based (with suggested donations of $10)


How do I book and pay for the Retreat?
To book and pay $800 for the Retreat, click: http://us.ihreiki.com/events/detail/cincinnati_reiki_retreat_25-28_april_2014

How do I book and pay for the accommodations?
Once you sign up for the Retreat, your accommodation will automatically be reserved. You will need to pay for the $325 accommodation fee latest by April 10. Please send a check addressed to Transfiguration Spirituality Center directly to me via mail.

What’s included in $325 accommodations?
4 nights stay, and 3 meals a day, checking in on Thursday April 24, staying on April 24,25,26,27 and checking out on April 28th . The Retreat will officially start on Friday morning, you can check in on Friday morning if you like. If you need to stay on Wednesday April 23rd or Monday April 28th, it’ll be an extra $ 70 per night (including meals).
The Fee includes three meals per day on April 25-28 (except the dinner on 24th and 28th).

I have dietary restrictions, what do I do?
The meals will be vegetarian and we have a chance to influence the menu. Please let me know your dietary restrictions and I’ll work with the chef to accommodate your choices. We also have access to the kitchen and the refrigerator, in case you need to bring your own food.

Are there any double rooms?
There are 3 double rooms (one is reserved already as of 1/6/14). Please let me know if you want to share a room with a friend or your spouse. There will be no price difference for shared rooms.

Are there any scholarships?
We regret that there will be no scholarships for the Retreat. We’ll continue to offer scholarships for upcoming Shinpiden classes.

How do I book a session with Frans?
Contact me and be quick because folks started to book their treatments already :-)

Can I commute to the Retreat?
This is a residential Retreat and we strongly recommend you to stay in the Retreat Center (to conserve the energy and also not to miss the fun and pillow fight too!!!). However if you need to stay at home for family reasons, we understand, but we’re afraid you should still pay the $325 since we’ve rented the building and financials are based on sharing the rent.

Who can come to “Reiki Evening with Frans” on Thursday April 24th?
Everyone! You don’t need to be a Reiki practitioner to come to this event. You can bring your family, kids, neighbors, friends! Everyone is welcomed! It’ll be at Cincinnati Yoga School 6125 Ridge Road, Pleasant Ridge. Get ready for some serious Reiki fun :-)

Who do I call if I have questions?
Me! Send me an e-mail at turquoizen@yahoo.com or check the website for more info: http://cincinnatishinpiden.wordpress.com


Hope you can make the Retreat or the Reiki evening (or both) and I’ll see you there!

Love & Light,
Zeynep

Reiki Newsletter-January 2014

Dear All,

May this be the year to love, to be kind and compassionate to ourselves, the Earth and all humanity, to let go of anything we don’t need any more, and to unite around love, kindness, care, service and action. May this be a wonderful year for you all!

I got the awesomest New Year gift yesterday when I received an e-mail from MyCharity:Water. As you may remember, over a year ago we’ve raised $1,114 and donated to a water project to bring clean and safe drinking water to a water deprived community in Africa. Our project is complete and I’ve received pictures from the project site at Congo. My deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to this project by either coming to my yoga or Reiki classes or donating directly to the project. I deeply bow to you all. You made a difference in the world! I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Check it out:
http://my.charitywater.org/p/myprojectsview?project_id=CD.ACF.Q1.12.115.210&campaign_id=21233

Last night Wayne Dyer was on PBS, for annual PBS fundraiser, introducing his new book Wishes Fulfilled. As we work on our new year resolutions, it’s been a tradition for me to share tips on how to materialize your resolutions/wishes and use Reiki to empower them. Wayne Dyer shared 5 simple steps in fulfilling the wishes:

1. Have a clear Intention
2. Visualize yourself accomplishing your Intention.
3. Think about the emotions when you’d accomplished your goal and live those emotions right now.
4. Do it subjectively, do it for yourself, not to please anyone else. Make your intentions yours and yours only.
5. Let it sleep. Before you go to bed every night, clear your mind and think about your intention and simply sleep on it.

Isn’t it simple? Here are some more tips:

 Manifesting a reality starts with clear intentions (remember The Law of Attraction). What you focus on is what you attract to your life.
 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”. Instead 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.
 Always use positive statements in current tense. Instead of saying “I don’t want to be sick”, say “I am completely healthy”.
 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.
 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.
 To empower your goals with Reiki; you can simply write down your resolutions on a piece of paper or visualize it.
 Connect to Reiki by saying an intention or affirmation like “I’m opening myself to Reiki”. Feel the gentle current of Reiki.
 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.
 Send Reiki to the image or to the paper for 5-10 minutes, or as long as you feel necessary. .
 Well, the work starts after you send Reiki. Make an action plan and work towards your goal.
 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 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.
 Always remember you are worth it and you deserve it!
 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.

Here I’m making a wish that all your wishes to come true!

Love & Light,
Zeynep