©Lea K. Tawd, Reiki Ideals. Giclee Print, 11 x 8.5."
Lately I've been catching myself going down the black hole of social media scrolling. When I finally come out of it--my brain full of the awful news about genocides and police shootings combined with ridiculous recipes and cat videos--my nervous system is too disregulated to be able to competently do anything else.
Being a Reiki Master, I often feel that I "shouldn't" even be such an easy victim to these kinds of behaviors. But I am also human and these systems are built by design to suck us all in. Luckily my Reiki training has given me lots of tools to regulate my nervous system and get back on track.
One of these tools is meditating on the Reiki ideals, which were created by Master Mikao Usui, the founder of Usui-style Reiki which is commonly used today. I love this tool so much because it brings me back into the present moment and helps to keep me there, and you can use this even if you don't have any Reiki training. Simply take a deep breath, close your eyes if you like, and repeat to yourself:
Just for today, don't worry.
Just for today, don't get angry.
Just for today, be grateful.
Just for today, work hard.
Just for today, be kind to others.
I included them in this way on the artwork I made shortly after my Reiki I & II trainings (above). Since then, I have modified them a little bit to be more in the present tense. This feels more aligned to me. If it also feels right for you, repeat these phrases instead:
Just for today, I release all fear and worry.
Just for today, I release all anger.
Just for today, I am filled with gratitude.
Just for today, I am diligent in my work.
Just for today, I am kind to all living beings, including myself.
I like to repeat these at least three times while giving myself Reiki. I focus on the feelings of the words and let them fill me up as I repeat them. I find that if I do this first thing in the morning it helps to set up my whole day to be more calm and focused. It's something I can always come back to during the day if I find myself getting flustered.
I do also like to note that, to me, "work" does not have to mean what you do for a living. It can be whatever it is that you want to focus on at the time, whether actual work, play, rest, political action, or anything else.
You can purchase the print shown above by clicking on the image, or click here to schedule a Reiki session