Kundalini Awakening

Now that you have come this far, you will find detailed information about opening or activating the Kundalini, Most of what you will read here is used in the teaching and practice of Reiki, Whilst the purpose is different, the end result, with practice, will be the awakening of spiritual energy.

The text and diagrams are from a publication used for teaching Reiki students, but the exercises are basically the same in several different spiritual disciplines.

There are many, if not hundreds of publications available on this subject, some of which I have listed on another page, All having slightly different views of the same thing, I have chosen to use this one simply because it works for me.

Read on…

The material of this chapter is very ancient, going back to the Sanskrit and Tantric Buddhist teachings. These teachings were old at the time of Jesus, and he brought some of them to early Christianity.

For almost two thousand years they have been lost to the West and are now being reintroduced, as some of the planet’s oldest knowledge and civilizations are threatened with extinction and loss. They are methods known by various names in different Eastern countries. I do not know when or how these exercises were integrated to become part of advanced Reiki teaching. Nor do I know who developed the attunement method I use that employs them. The material may actually have been an original part of Reiki, since Mikao Usui seemed fully trained in Buddhist learning and aware of the ancient Sutras.

By understanding the energy channels of the body, the healer understands how Reiki enters and moves through her. By working to expand these Reiki channels, she increases her ability as a healer. By learning to control the energy flows, the healer becomes a Reiki adept now able to transmit that energy to others. That transmission is the Reiki attunement process, and the energy exercises of this chapter train your body to carry it. The ability to contain and transmit heightened amounts of Ki and the techniques to make use of the energy are what comprise the Reiki attunements and make a Reiki Master. The exercises of this chapter begin that process.

The nature of this energy and how it moves through the body is the nature of life itself Channeler Barbara Marciniak, in her awareness raising book "Bringers of the Dawn" (Bear & Co., 1992) calls the life force energy "Light" (what in Japan is called Ki) and defines it as "information". She states that human DNA, the carrier of "Light," or Ki or information, was once twelve stranded where now it is only a double helix strand. In the nature of human evolution today, we are learning to tap into the coded information/Ki and to reconnect with what we have lost.

This energy work of re connection is happening right now, and primarily happening in those people aware of Ki (or Light) and how to use it. The methods of opening and channeling Ki are very ancient (Vajrayana Buddhism, Hinduism, Ch’i Kung) but being re discovered at this time, as the need is being re discovered. By opening the Light or Ki channels and learning how the life force works, new information begins to open as well.

This new information is the greatest potential for human growth since the Tantric God/Goddess Shiva brought Reiki to this planet.

The life force (Ki) is being accessed in new ways with ancient methods, and its vehicle for transforming humanity is-as one of its several avenues Reiki. There is a saying that "There is nothing new under the sun". We are returning home to ancient ways, as the route to becoming modern. Re connecting human DNA and reclaiming our heritage as Light Be-ings (Light in the definition of Ki or information), is almost a metaphor for Reiki. Returning Reiki to as many on the planet as choose to open them selves and use it, is returning the twelve stranded DNA and the Ki/Light/information we have lost.

Several ancient esoteric systems energy-channelling systems are now being revealed for the first time in the West. For the first time the rules of secrecy and mystification are being set aside, as the urgent need for healing of people and the planet grows. Wiccan teachings, Hindu and Buddhist teachings, the early Christianity of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the methods of Kundalini and Tantric meditation, and of the Asian Ch’i Kung are newly available for anyone to read and understand. With oral tradition inoperative in the modern world in favor of books and television, and with a culture that is rapidly destroying its roots, such opening up is necessary for the survival of the learning. It is also necessary to re-spiritualize Earth people to give their lives value and meaning. Re-spiritualizing means saving the Earth, re connecting the DNA, and learning who we really are.

Reiki plays a vital part in this process. The healing system reconnects people with their Earthly and Heavenly Ki (their connection to Earth and the stars), and reopens abilities humans have for many centuries forgotten. Learning the nature of these abilities, what they are, and how and why they happen, means learning the nature of the life force. The ancient energy methods being reclaimed and revised for a new time and culture are the keys to Reiki, and Reiki is the key to transmitting them universally to the Earth. No other method of working with Ki and the Light/information/energy system of the human body is so effortless and simple.

While it may not have been important a hundred years ago to know what the Reiki attunement and energy really do in the body, there is an urgency today that requires that we know. By making use of the Ki energy channels and developing them, we also reconnect the missing strands of DNA and reconnect our bodies, minds and spirits. By knowing how and why, we open the way to learning more. Though part of Reiki’s magic and beauty lies in its simplicity, the information (Ki/Light) must be available to any who wish to understand it. In writing this chapter, I will do my best to present the information, as I understand it.

The first concept is the circulation of Ki through the body. Ch’i is the life force energy, called Prana in India and Ch’i in China. In terms of Kundalini Yoga (from India), Prana means "breath", but also is defined as "a body of energy acting as the medium for carrying consciousness". Consciousness is the animating force of be-ing, without which there can be no life. In yogic traditions, Prana is always symbolized by the Mother Goddess, called Shakti-Kundalini, the feminine quality of existence that births consciousness into form. The study of the movement of Shakti-Kundalini through the body is called Kundalini Yoga, and the use of breath to regulate Prana is called Pranayama Yoga. Tantra Yoga is another method of working with the Prana/Ki energy channels.

Shakti-Kundalini in Asia is the Yin principle, represented by Earthly Ch’i. In Japan and China, the movement of Prana or Ki is based upon intention, the concept that Ki can be regulated in the body and moved by way of mind force. Buddhist teaching states that all reality is created through the action/intention of Mind upon the Void. The "Ki" in "Reiki" is the Goddess of consciousness, the life force energy, and the connecting link between the physical, energy and spirit bodies.

The intention to move Ki is expressed when a Reiki healer puts his/her hands down to do healing, it turns the energy on.

A more focused and conscious intention is required to pass the Reiki attunements. Ki comes from the Heavens and the Earth, and is the enlivening force of Be-ing. Along with Heavenly and Earthly Ki, all people are born with Original Ki, the life force instilled in us at conception. While Earthly and Heavenly Ki are drawn into the body from without, Original Ki is inward, and is stored in the space between the navel and the Belly Chakra, in front of the kidneys (Door of Life), in the center of the body. The Hara is the Japanese name for this storage space. It is called the Triple Warmer in China and the Sacral Center in India. Both Asia and India describe the energy channels by which Ki (or Prana or Ch’i) enter and circulate through the body. Both systems begin with a primary central channel, flanked by a pair of channels that move energy in opposite directions. These channels follow the line of the spinal column vertically through the body. They branch to become the body’s entire electrical "wiring" system. India describes the chakras as being rooted in the etheric central power line (Sushumna), and this lines energy is repeated on the bodies beyond the etheric double. There is a chakra system on each of the bodies, on the etheric double, the emotional body, and the mental and spiritual levels.

China considers the paired directional channels to be the main trunk of the acupuncture meridians. Branching from these primary channels are all of the large and small acupuncture lines, what in India are called the Nadis. These are the nerve channels of the etheric body, and they reach into the physical level. Divided further from the Nadis is the physical central nervous system, the autonomic system of the body. The meridians or nervous system channels end in the Seketsu (Japanese word), the reflexology points of the hands and feet. This network of branching channels is the bridge between the etheric double and the physical body, as well as between the etheric double and the higher vibrational bodies. Imagine it as a branching tree, and it becomes familiar as the Tree of Life, a symbol used in many cultures.

The three primary channels in India are called the Kundalini, generally considered to be located on the etheric double. The great central channel running vertically through the body, along the spinal column from Crown to Root chakra, is called the Sushumna. It is the connection between the energies of Earth and Universe, and contains a neutral energy charge. On the physical level, this is the spinal cord and central nervous system. On the etheric double level, the chakras are located along the Sushumna line. The pair of opposite moving channels are known in India as the Ida and Pingala, or sometimes as the Shakti and Shiva. These move in an intertwining path along the Sushumna, the energies crossing at the points between the chakras. Ida is feminine and has a downward movement on the front of the body, while Pingala is masculine and rises upward along the spine.

In China, Japan and other Asian countries the three channels are given different names and emphases to describe the same concepts. The central channel, with the focus on its position beyond the physical and etheric double levels, is the Hara Line in Japan. The pair of energy lines that move one on each side of it are called the Conception (or Functional) Vessel and the Governing (or Governor) Vessel. These are the Great Central Channels that are called Ida and Pingala in India. The Conception Vessel is feminine (Yin), and has a minus energy charge. It begins at the perineum or Hui Yin point (more on this later), and moves upward through the front of the body to end just below the lower lip. The Governing Vessel is masculine (Yang), and carries the opposite plus charge. It also begins at the perineum (between genitals and anus physically), and moves up the back of the body along the spinal cord. It ends at the top of the upper lip.

Where in India the energy points along the central channel are known as chakras (etheric double), in Asia key acupuncture points are instead mapped along the two central energy flow lines. The chakras are de-emphasized, and are considered minor centers. It is my belief and interpretation that this is because the emphasis of the channels is not placed on the etheric double where the chakras are, but on the deeper Hara Line. The Asian key acupuncture points correspond with the places between the chakras where the Conception and Governing Vessel (Ida and Pingala) meet in their Ki circulatory movement. These points are also the "new" chakras described earlier, and they and the central channel (Sushumna on the Hara level) form the Hara Line. The movement of Ki or Prana in both systems is described as having a spiraling movement, and a pattern that resembles the life molecule DNA.

The discipline of moving Ki or Prana through these energy channels is called opening the Kundalini in India, and has other names and discipline systems in India and Tibet. In the Asian countries the discipline is called Ch’i Kung (or Qi Gong). There are some differences in how the energy is moved in these systems. Replenishing the life force is the major goal for doing so in Asia, and spiritual growth and transcending the body is the first intent in India and Tibet. In India, the process is that of moving the Prana energy upwards from the Root to the Crown chakras. Once Shakti and Shiva meet at the Crown, the energy is expected to release from the Crown or return along the pathway by which it came. In Asia, the downward path is given as much attention as the upward movement. This result’s in less negative symptoms caused by the back lash of more energy than the body can handle.

Unawakened Kundalini rests at the base of the spine, coiled in a spiraled serpent form, She is Kundalini Shakti power consciousness. When she awakens, she rises along the Sushumna through the chakras to unite above the Crown chakra with Shiva pure consciousness. The union is described as bliss and is the transcendence of the body and the fusion of Earth with heaven. For Tantrists, this is union with the Goddess and with the oneness of all life. The duality of the earth-plane is resolved into the bliss of union and oneness, "As above, so below."

In Ch’i Kung, where the energy pathway is directed in a circle rather than upwards only, the goal is for using the life force efficiently for health and long life. Spiritual awakening comes later. Practicing the energy circle daily is said to be a cure for almost any dis-ease because it heals energy blockages and weaknesses anywhere in the body, and brings Ki to all the organs. Ch’i Kung works with the Conception and Governing Vessels (the Ida and Pingala), instead of the central Sushumna that is focused upon in India. The circular path results in a grounded ending to each session, rather than allowing a heavy rush of Ki into the upper chakras. This prevents "overheating the brain," emotional problems and hallucinatory experiences, and provides a safety valve that using the Sushumna lacks. By moving energy through two channels in opposite directions, any excess energy is safely grounded or released.

What does this mean in terms of Reiki? Reiki also works by bringing Ki/Ch’i/Prana through the body. The energy moves through the primary channels the Hara Line, Conception and Governing Vessel sand through the branching energy pathways to the hands. The Reiki attunement opens and clears the three primary channels, and the chakras as well, directing and increasing the flow. It clears and opens the energy on both etheric double (Sushumna) and Hara levels. Each succeeding attunement after Reiki I increase’s the channels capacities for holding and transmitting Ki, first in healing and then in passing attunements. It is by manipulation of Ki through the Conception and Governing Vessels that enough electrical energy is held in the Masters body to transmit the Reiki attunements.

Reiki is a Kundalini discipline

With Reiki II, the healer begins to manipulate this energy, increasing his/her body’s ability to channel and hold it. In India, Tibet and Japan the discipline was only one part of the years of training in all the Tantric practices. By the time a Reiki II healer has become experienced with the energy level of the Second Degree, he/she has reached a place of attainment in his/her capacity to work with this energy. Whether he/she is conscious of it or not, the energy channels are open and flowing, and when he/she does healing, a strong amount of Ki passes through him/her. When he/she reaches Reiki III, however, he/she must learn to transmit the energy at will and become conscious of the process. This is the goal of the Ki Exercises that follow, to increase the body’s capacity for holding this energy, and to make the process conscious. Later in Reiki III, the act of Mind and intent are added.

There first needs to be awareness of the energy flow pattern, which Ch’i Kung terms The Microcosmic Orbit. This is the basis in Ch’i Kung for all energy work, and I will discuss it briefly. I have chosen exercises in the Ch’i Kung method rather than in Kundalini Yoga because of the completed energy circuit used in Ch’i Kung, which prevents problems from electrical overload, and is vastly safer to do unsupervised. A lot of energy can be generated with it quickly, without discomfort or risk.

Tantric Kundalini techniques also duplicate the exercises given here.

For serious work with the Microcosmic Orbit, I recommend two books by Mantak Chia: Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao (Aurora Press, 1983), and Mantak and Maneewan Chia’s Awaken Healing Light of the Tao (Healing Tao Books, 1993). My information on Ch’i Kung is mostly from these sources. The Microcosmic Orbit connects the Conception and Governing Vessel channels to make a completed energy circle through the body. It does so by two movements, both of which are vital for Reiki III. The first is to connect the channels at the bottom (Root chakra) of the body by means of the Hui Yin position, the closing of the perineum. The second movement connects the channels at the top of the body, and this is done by placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. These are discussed more thoroughly later

The path of energy movement in the Microcosmic Orbit is the beginning and basis of the Reiki Ki exercises. It is done in meditation, similar to doing distance healing, but with the energy focused inward. Begin by placing your attention on the navel or Hara. When warmth (Ki) begins to build at the Hara, move it by mind intent down to the perineum (Hui Yin, Root chakra) behind the genitals, and then up into the spinal cord. Stop for a moment at the Kidney point (Ming-Men), and then raise the energy/Ki slowly up the spine to the top of the head (pineal gland, Crown). Follow the energy flow, do not force it. Hold this energy at the Crown for up to ten minutes, and then direct it downward to the forehead/Brow (pituitary, Third Eye). Flow the energy down the front of the body to the Hara/Navel again. Hold it at the Hara until the warmth collects, then start the Orbit again, moving it next to the Root.

Repeat the circle several times. Increase with practice to thirty-six Orbits per session.

When you are proficient with the above, include the legs and Earth connection. From the navel, direct the energy flow to the Hui Yin (Root), then dividing it into two channels send Ki down the back of the thighs to the back of the knees. From there it flows down the calves of the legs to the soles of the feet. The K-i acupuncture point (Yung-Chuan) on both soles is the location of the chakras in the feet. The point is called Bubbling Spring and is the body’s electrical connection with Earth energy. Once warmth builds in the soles, move the energy to the big toes, then up the front of both feet to the knees, drawing energy from the Earth through the soles. Continue the flow up the insides of the thighs and back to the Hui Yin behind the genitals.

Return the flow up the spine and divide it again for the arms at a point between the shoulder blades. Send Ki down the inside of both arms to the middle of the palms, the place where Reiki flows from when healing. Concentrate on the sensation, and then follow the flow along the middle finger and up the outside of the arms. When it reaches the shoulders it returns to the main circuit and flows up the spine and neck to the Crown again. Continue the energy circuit along the central channel, returning it to the Hara.

When finished with moving the energy, complete the Microcosmic Orbit meditation by grounding it. This is extremely important and must be done at the end of every session, whether you have done one energy circuit or many. With the energy at the starting and stopping place of the Hara, place your fist lightly over your navel area. Rub it in a spiral of no more than six inches width. Women move the spiral counter clockwise thirty-six times, and then reverse it to go clockwise twenty-four times. Men move it in the opposite direction, clockwise thirty Six times, then counter clockwise for twenty-four. This grounds and collects the energy, preventing electrical overload and discomfort

The Microcosmic Orbit described above is the foundation for the two Ki exercises that follow. The exercises were taught to me as part of Reiki II in 1989. I had no knowledge at that time of their origin or of the Microcosmic Orbit, and was delighted to discover them in print while researching this. These Ki exercises are known to both Kundalini Yoga and to Ch’i Kung, and are considered major practices in both disciplines. They were probably brought to China and Asia from India and Tibet.

The reason for doing the exercises is to increase the body’s ability to receive and channel Ki. It requires a much increased energy capacity to pass the Reiki attunements, and the exercises are a preparation for doing so. If you are not planning to take Reiki III training, you may skip doing these, but I hope most students of Reiki will become Reiki III’s. The exercises have much in the way of spirituality, and health increasing value in themselves.

There is one final note before beginning the exercises, and this involves the sacredness of the body. While many metaphysical disciplines work to transcend the physical, it is important to realize also that the body is magical and sacred. Buddhists believe that the resolution of karma can only be accomplished while incarnated, and certainly Reiki can be done only in body. In this age of the breaking down of civilizations to make way for a healed planet, there are too many things on Earth that pollute and damage the body, mind and spirit. Many of these are unavoidable, we have no choice but to breathe the air, drink the water, and eat contaminated food, as nothing else is available to us.

We do, however, have some control in other things. Many healers believe, as I do, that a smoker or recreational drugs user, can never be a fully clear channel for Reiki, nor can an abuser of alcohol. Never do healing or pass attunements when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These states at any time invite in negative entities and attachments unwelcome in healing. They are wholly negative for the healer. Never do healing or pass attunements when you are angry or more than slightly ill. If you wish to quit smoking or break addictions to alcohol or drugs, Reiki and the Microcosmic Orbit are powerful self-healing tools. Remember that as a Reiki practitioner, you are a sacred channel for the life force energy of the Goddess Universe.

Exercise One

Begin with the meditative state, and start the Microcosmic Orbit. Feel or visualize Ki as fire energy (Raku) and move it from the Hara (navel) to the Hui Yin (perineum), then up the spine to the Crown Bring the energy down the front of the body to the Hara again. Directions are given from this point that are different for women and men. Do not visualize the Reiki symbols with this exercise.

For Women:

Begin with the root lock, the Hui Yin position, which will be discussed fully in the next exercise. To use it for this one, begin by sitting on the floor with the heel of one foot pressed against the vagina and clitoris. Use a firm, steady pressure, which can also be achieved by sitting with a small pillow held between the legs, a tennis ball, or even a larger sized crystal. Place your tongue against the roof of your mouth behind the teeth. This position is the basis for most Kundalini Yoga and Ch’i Kung work, including the Microcosmic Orbit. Use of the pillow is a Zen-Japanese Buddhist) technique. You may feel heat or orgasm from the pressure.

Next raise energy in your hands, by rubbing them together or starting the flow of Reiki, until they are warm. Cover and press your uncovered breasts with the palms of your warmed hands, beginning to massage them in an up and outward direction. Do this eighteen times without stimulating the nipples, and become aware of the flow of Ki to the vagina, pineal and pituitary glands (Root, Crown and Third Eye). The upward rotation is called dispersion. Stop with the fingers lightly touching the nipples and flow the energy from breasts, vagina, Crown and Third Eye into the Heart chakra. Repeat the set of eighteen massage circles two to four times, flowing Ki to the Heart after each set.

Then do the rotations in the opposite direction, moving down and inward instead of up and out. Gather the energy into the nipples, and move it to the spine at the back of the breasts. Next move it down to the Kidney Point. Do two to four sets of eighteen circles. The inward rotation is called inversion.

Move your hands from the breasts to the Kidney Point at the back of the body, behind the lower ribs. Massage and lightly shake the area nine to eighteen times, then stop. Do this set of motions two to four times, resting at the end of each set. Feel the heat in the kidney area. Move your hands again, this time massaging the lower abdomen from the groin to the ovaries. Massage the liver and gall bladder area on the right side under the lower ribs, and the spleen on the left side

Do outward then inward massage motions, thirty-six times for each position. Massage the vaginal area next, to gather in the energy; Pause and feel the Ki expand.
Place the right hand on your vagina and left hand over your Heart center, and draw the resulting sensation of universal love into your heart.
Draw in Earth energy and continue the Microcosmic Orbit, ending by gathering the energy into the Hara. This completes the first exercise for women.

There are more benefits to this exercise than expanding the Kundalini channels. Most spiritual disciplines work in some way to direct sexual energy upward to the Crown. Sexual energy is Original Ki and its loss decreases life force vitality; shortening life spans and reducing optimal health. This energy is lost through menstruation, ovulation and the sexual act. The exercise above recycles this energy, increasing Original Ki for the benefit of body, mind and spirit. Combining sexual energy with heart energy develops compassion, and brings a sense of peace, well being and delight.

The breast rotations also serve to balance women’s hormonal processes, with sometimes-dramatic results. Dispersion rotations can cause menopause symptoms to disappear, with the explanation that "the blood is turned back". Women with cystic breasts find that the dispersion rotations may reduce or eliminate the lumps. Doing only dispersion rotations may decrease breast size. Use rotations in the inversion direction to increase breast size, but avoid these if you have breast lumps or menopausal discomfort. For most women, doing both rotations (the same number in each direction) balances the hormones without changing breast size.

Another possible result of doing these exercises daily is the "turning back of the blood" itself For some women, estrogen levels can decrease enough to stop the menstruation cycle. In esoteric philosophy this is considered positive, as it means the sexual Ki has been recycled, diverted to the Crown. This is probably not reliable enough for birth control in most women. If menses stop and pregnancy is wanted, discontinue the exercises or go to a lower number of rotations (under a hundred per day). There are no known ill effects from these exercises. They stop the biological clock and enhance creativity and mental awareness.
The exercise may be done twice a day, morning and evening. Do no less than thirty-six rotations and no more than three hundred and sixty per session. Start with a smaller number and increase gradually.

For Men:

This exercise is also best done without clothing, and begun in the meditative state with the Microcosmic Orbit. Do not visualize the Reiki symbols while doing it, or the Raku (fire energy). To do so causes over stimulation and discomfort. If this happens, return the excess energy to the Earth, and use the Microcosmic Orbit finishing spirals to gather the Ki into the Hara. The Hui Yin position and how to connect the Conception and Governing Vessels for the Orbit are discussed later in this chapter. Also read Exercise One for women before beginning.

Start by raising energy in your hands; rub them together quickly or start the flow of Reiki when your hands are warm, massage and lightly shake the kidneys nine to eighteen times. Stop and notice the warmth. Using mind power, inhale into the kidneys, and then exhale the Ki into the Kidney Point. Do this two to four times. Become aware of the energy connection between the kidneys and the genitals.

Raise energy in your hands again. Cup the testicles lightly, without squeezing, covering them in your right palm. Massage the testicles eighteen to thirty-six times. Stop, and feel the Ki gather in the testicles. Hold the testicles in the left palm, and place your right palm over the Hara. Using light pressure, massage with your right hand clockwise around the navel thirty six to eighty-one times. Changes hands and repeat, first raising energy in your hands again. Massage the Hara counter clockwise this time, thirty-six to eighty-one times. The right palm cups the testicles. Move both palms to cover the genitals. Feel the stimulation in the organs and contract the muscles to gather the energy. Stop and feel the energy expand. With the right hand on the testicles, place the left hand over the Heart center. Draw universal love energy into your heart. Continue the Microcosmic Orbit, returning the energy to the Hara, and ending the exercise with the finishing spirals.

There are several purposes for this exercise. The first is in increasing compassion by connecting the heart and sexual organs. A second major benefit is in recycling sexual or Original Ki for longer life and fuller optimal health. The sexual organs themselves are strengthened. Prostate problems, premature ejaculation, and other sexual difficulties may be relieved. Circling energy through the Microcosmic Orbit heals all the organs and balances energy blockages anywhere in the body. Spiritual awareness is raised, and the mind, body and spirit are unified. The exercise also develops a heightened sense of inner peace, security and well being, it sparks an increase in creativity, mental awareness and spiritual growth.

Exercise Two…The Hui Yin Position

The Hui Yin position connects the Conception and Governing Vessels at the top and bottom of the body. Without this position, Ki moves through the channels in opposite directions, in and then out in a straight line flow. Contracting the Hui Yin allows Ki to move in a complete circuit through the body, and is the propelling force for energy movement in the Microcosmic Orbit. The Orbit cannot be completed or Ki activated without it. This is also the means by which Ki is propelled through the Reiki Masters body to transmit attunements in the method of initiation I use and teach. The Ki exercises are not used in the Traditional Reiki attunement process. In passing Reiki attunements, the Hui Yin position is one of the major differences between nontraditional and Traditional Reiki.

In Traditional initiations, four attunements must be passed to each student in the First and one in the Second Degree. With the Hui Yin contraction, and the nontraditional method that activates the Hara Line, only one combined attunement is required for each degree. Reiki III involves a single attunement in both methods. While both initiation processes work, I believe that activating the Hara Line to pass attunements is more powerful. Many of my students who have received the attunements both ways have commented on this, and I have felt it for myself also, the need to pass four attunements severely limits the number of students per class and increases the length of class time significantly. In order to bring Reiki to as many people as possible, and to teach at women’s festivals where there are large groups, the fewer attunements needed the better. The third reason for the newer method lies in its simplicity. There are four different attunements to learn for Traditional Reiki I, a different one for Reiki II, and another one again for Reiki III. With the method I use, only one combined attunement is required for each degree and it is done in the same way for all three levels. The necessity of learning the Hui Yin position for any student planning to take Reiki III training is evident. I do not know who developed the method for passing attunements that I use, or who developed it with the Ch’i Kung exercises. Until now, Reiki has been an oral tradition.

The Hui Yin position is another example of turning sexual energy into spirituality; and of activating and replenishing Original Ki. It is a basic feature of Kundalini Yoga, Pranayama Yoga, Tantra Yoga and Ch’i Kung, and I have seen it discussed in a number of books on these subjects. By contracting the perineum, the Conception and Governing Vessels are connected at the bottom of the body. This results in the temporary closing of the Root chakra, or the Root chakra equivalent on the Hara Line. Instead of Ki leaving the body through the feet it moves upward, and sexual energy is diverted to the Crown.

In Kundalini Yoga, the position is known as the Root Lock or Moolbond. Placing pressure on the vagina as described in the first Ki exercise creates a posture called Siddhasana, the posture of accomplishment. It is considered the optimal meditation position for spiritual growth; the pressure is made by placing the heel of the foot (or a pillow or other object) against the vagina or anus, or the perineum in between them. The closing of the Hui Yin (perineum point) brings Earthly Ki upward into the Hara, while at the same time drawing Heavenly Ki downward to the Hara, as well. When the two energies meet, they generate heat that moves to the base of the spine (coccyx, Root chakra), releasing Kundalini energy.

Exercise Two teaches the student to contract the Hui Yin without external pressure, closing the perineum by muscular contraction. This is necessary, because it must be employed in passing the attunements while the Reiki Master/Teacher is standing and moving around. The position is absolutely necessary for passing Reiki attunements in the nontraditional method I teach. Also note, however, that for the student with handicaps that prevent her from using it, the Reiki guides intervene and the attunements may still be passed correctly. First locate the physical muscles involved. They are between the genitals and the anus on both women and men, and are an acupuncture point known as CV-1 (Conception Vessel-1). They are the place of the episiotomy in childbirth, and of women’s Kegel exercises. (Contracting the Hui Yin is a Kegel exercise.) In Chi Kung it is known as the Gate of Life and Death.

The second part of the position is to place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the teeth. This connects the Conception and Governing Vessels at the top of the body, as the perineum contraction does it at the Root. There are three possible placements on the palate to do this from, but the simplest is the furthest to the front, and called the Wind Position. Only light pressure is needed, just touch the palate with the tongue tip and keep it in place while doing the exercise. This also must be done while passing Reiki attunements.

From a seated position, begin working with these energies. Instruction is again given for women and for men. Do not visualize the Reiki symbols while doing the exercises at this time, wait for the attunement process in Reiki III.

For Women:

While sitting in a straight chair or on the floor, contract the muscles of the vagina and the anus. It is probably easier to contract the anus muscles first; the vaginal muscles will follow. Contract the anus as if you were trying to draw your rectum up into your body. Contract the vaginal muscles as if trying to stop the flow of urine.

If you have ever done Kegel exercises after childbirth, for bladder incontinence, or to stimulate orgasm, the exercise is familiar. The contraction happens anatomically in the Pubococcygeus muscle. When both openings are contracted correctly, it feels like air is entering the body through the rectum. Hold this position for as long as is possible and comfortable, then release. Repeat it several times. This may be hard to do at first for many women. Practicing develops muscle control, however, and the more you do it the stronger the muscles get. You will be able to hold the contraction for longer and longer amounts of time. Eventually, you will be able to hold the contraction as you go about your day, locking it into place and forgetting about it. Remember, however, that you are closing your Root chakra on the Hara Line by doing so. Release it frequently. You must be able to hold the Hui Yin, your tongue at the roof of your mouth, and your breath as well, for as long as two or three minutes at a time to pass the Reiki attunements. This is the goal of the exercise, to develop the necessary muscular control. Begin initially to do the exercise with the breath held. When the vagina is fully contracted, you will also feel the cervix contract, closing an additional energy gate. Ki immediately begins to move upward in the body along the Hara Line, and energy can no longer move downward to leave the body through the feet and internal organs. Connection is made to Earth energy, which is drawn upward into the Hara.

Next, while holding the Hui Yin position at the base of the body, place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, in the groove behind the teeth on the hard palate. Now the energy circuit is closed and the Conception and Governing Vessels are joined at both ends. You will feel the Microcosmic Orbit begin almost immediately, and this tongue position with the Hui Yin is required to do the Orbit. Now Ki moves from the Crown downward, as well as from the Earth upward. The Hara is activated, and the energy cycles through the body in what feels like a moving figure eight. This figure is also the Egyptian symbol for infinity.

Practice holding all three parts of the Hui Yin, Contract the vaginal and anus muscles, place your tongue tip on the roof of your mouth, and take and hold a deep breath. Hold this for as long as you can. Eventually, you need to be able to do it standing up. Without holding the breath, practice the Microcosmic Orbit while connecting the two ends of the Conception and Governing Vessels into an energy circle. The position makes the Microcosmic Orbit possible.

For Men:

This exercise is done in the same way for men as for women, except that only the anus is contracted. Draw the muscles up and in.

The two gates for men are located at the tip of the penis at the urethral opening, and at the base. These are the places where sexual Ki is otherwise lost from the body. Read the information for women, and do the exercise in the same way. For men and women, practice both exercises twice a day, the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. The more use of the Microcosmic Orbit with them, the better. As you practice them for longer periods, a sense of total well-being, becomes part of daily life and many physical and emotional problems begin to clear. Doing the exercises releases endorphins in the brain, causing a natural "high". The second exercise is required for passing Reiki attunements, but the first removes energy blockages, increases spiritual awareness, and develops the body-mind-spirit connection. This is particularly true for men. For women and men both, the first Ki exercise may be important for healing reproductive difficulties and hormone imbalances.

I particularly salute the men who are developing spiritually in this era of a changing Earth. Awareness that begins with self healing is a part of the healing of all men, and a part of making the Earth a better place to live on for all Be-ings.