It seems to me that each person is a receiver, much like a radio or television, and as receivers we are capable of picking up many stations. We tune into the frequency to which we adjust our dial, and then these same frequencies become the vibrations we emit. Positive frequencies do abound; love, compassion, kindness are so common but we often overlook their power. Ours is a society that focuses upon all that is wrong. We crave the evil, the shocking, the violent, and this makes us fearful and melancholy. The collective ennui of our society is palpable and has become destructive. Too many have given up their own ability to tune into the higher vibrational patterns, or they never even knew they could. Reiki and yoga are parallel practices aimed at fine-tuning an individual’s personal frequencies to receive the universal frequencies of healing, goodness, and God. As more people discover these practices and tune into these higher frequencies, the world will heal and become a place of cooperation more than competition.

Reiki translates to mean “Universal Life Force”. It has been called many things by many different traditions. The yogis call it prana, martial artists Qi or Ki, it is the Holy Spirit, or maybe God. Reiki is a vibrational channel that emanates healing both in the present moment and across time and space. Reiki is said to be inter-dimensional and timeless. Traditionally, one is opened or attuned to the Reiki frequency by a Reiki “master”. A similar practice takes place in many yoga traditions wherein a yoga guru passes on enlightenment to a worthy student through touch. With practice, the Reiki practitioner becomes more aware and sensitive to the messages being sent through the opened channels and the energy flows more freely. Like meditation or yoga, these practices can take lifetimes to master.

Yoga means to yolk or to unite. The scope of yoga is far too grand to give it sufficient justice in this short article. For today’s purposes, suffice it to say that yoga consists of eight practices designed at uniting a person directly with everything. Yoga is to take the many and return them to the one. Ultimately, all the vibrational frequencies are one vibrational frequency, and the yogi seeks union with this universal life force. These practices also take years and lifetimes to master because they aim at bringing a person into oneness with all that is, was, or ever will be. Like Reiki, the connection is inter-dimensional and timeless.

Though modern physics might be beginning to scratch the surface upon some insights that the ancient yogis understood long ago and a gathering body of empirical scientific evidence is building, these concepts of infinity, being able to heal or connect across time and space, or becoming one with everything are not popular in traditional scientific study. They sound more like the realm of magic and mysticism. Because these are not easily understood ideas, and because our language doesn’t have words to describe these phenomena, and because most human beings are not up to such a daunting task, intermediaries like priests or Demi-Gods are used to help us understand. Much of religion is encapsulated in myth and Demi-Gods because the ultimate reality is not able to be expressed in words, and it is not appropriate for everyone to be open to such a powerful frequency. We must prepare the body and the spirit to receive these elevated vibrational patterns.

The beauty and paradox of both Reiki and Yoga are that the preparation for the elevated states lead directly to the elevated states themselves. It is only by diving head first into the practice that we reveal the truth of our limitations. The practices bring us into a relentless and honest look at self… at ego. Especially in the beginning we might feel that these practices cause suffering, but in actuality we confront our limitations so we can then embrace them with kindness. The path toward opening the heart and soul is not a painless one. True healing requires a bit of sacrifice, but these are not the sacrifices of self-torment, guilt, or loathing; rather, these sacrifices require us to embrace the sometimes uncomfortable truth that we have tuned into lower frequencies. To open ourselves up to the frequencies of universal life force, of God, we must extend our reach. We must open up each and every cell to the possibility of God’s perfect plan. By embracing the path and by undergoing the journey, the practices, we ultimately realize that there is no end. All is one, and one is all.

I know that these are not simple ideas. Forgive me if I pretend to seem to have understood these things, because I assure you I have not. I present these ideas only because I hope to add to the good vibrations. When I walk through the forest, I feel Reiki; I feel God. When I swim in the ocean, when I hear laughter, when swing sets creak and frogs croak, when lovers kiss, and when night turns to day, I feel it. There is so much goodness, and there is so much that isn’t. We do have a choice. It is an easy choice, but the devil is in the details. A lifetime is so short, while an hour can be so long. Live each day a breath at a time, and let each breath be focused on love and goodness. This my friends is the path of the yogi.