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From the first time I experienced Reiki during a session, which was about 2006, I knew in my heart that I had to learn it. At the time, I was having occasional acupuncture sessions with a very skilled and talented acupuncturist. One day as she and I were chatting during my appointment, she mentioned that she thought I’d like Reiki, as she knew of my interest in crystals and spirituality. “What’s Reiki?” I asked. I was not familiar with it. As she briefly told me about it, it sounded wonderful and I was curious. I asked her where I could have a session. She mentioned that she was a Reiki practitioner and could give me a session. With that, I was ready to book a session and experience it! I recall that my initial Reiki sessions were very relaxing and took me deep into inner stillness. The radiant Reiki energy felt so blissful and nurturing. I remember having some inner visions during some sessions as well. I left my Reiki sessions feeling uplifted, peaceful, lighter, and clearer. I simply loved the energy and asked her to tell me more about Reiki. I was surprised when she told me that one could learn Reiki in a weekend workshop. I was excited and because I had a great rapport with her, I was hoping she would offer a Reiki class so that I could learn from her. However, she explained that although she had the certification to practice Reiki, she hadn’t done the next level of Reiki training to be able to teach it. The strong interest I had to get certified in Reiki continued. I thought to myself, how could I not learn it? I would be able to give myself Reiki and it would be a wonderful and empowering way to enhance my personal well-being. I feel Reiki is a beautiful gift to humanity. Anyone can learn Reiki, and its loving, nurturing, and transformative power can bless and guide all aspects of one’s life. So, I began to research more about Reiki and Reiki certification. At that time, Reiki was not as well-known or mainstream here in Edmonton, Alberta, as it has become today. I wanted to find a Reiki teacher and class that felt right for me, that would provide professional, high-quality, and thorough training. In my research about Reiki, I learned about the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT). With the extensive Reiki research that William Lee Rand, the founder and president of the ICRT had done, and the advanced training and experience of the Reiki teachers at the center, I felt like training through the ICRT would be the right fit for me. I felt it would provide me with what I was looking for and a solid foundation in Reiki. So, in September 2007, I travelled to Sedona, Arizona, to take the Usui/Tibetan Reiki Level I/II class with Laurelle Shanti Gaia, a Senior Reiki Master Teacher with the ICRT. It was a beautiful experience and class. And it would also slowly continue to set my path in a new direction. My husband accompanied me on the trip, and we spent some extra days there, enjoying the beauty of Sedona, which is known for its red rock formations and spiritual vortex sites. He didn’t take the class with me, but he did later become my first Reiki student! 
As a side note … For some time before doing my Reiki I/II class, I had become interested in studying the non-dualistic teachings of A Course in Miracles (ACIM). I hadn’t yet purchased the book though, to get started with the curriculum.
During one of the days that I was in my Reiki class, my husband was out and about walking around in Sedona, and found a little bookstore where he found and purchased a copy of the ACIM book for me. It was a nice surprise and gift. I mention ACIM here, simply because it has been such an important part in shaping my personal path of self-realization and also my approach to healing and vibrational alignment. One that recognizes and honors our inherent nature (our formless essence) which is already whole, complete, awake, and One with all of creation. The essence of what we truly are is perfect peace, love, innocence, pure awareness, and presence. My intention for taking the Reiki I/II class was to use it for myself. After the class, it became my practice to give myself Reiki regularly. I appreciated that I didn’t need to direct anything, but instead I could allow the conscious intelligence of Reiki to take the lead. I could simply be carried by the sacred energy, which knows exactly what to do and what is needed. I found this liberating to be able to simply rest and relax into, its calming energy. I also began to give Reiki treatments to friends and family. After receiving the Reiki I/II attunements, one thing I noticed was that my intuition opened up and Reiki was helping me to learn to trust it. Many experience an enhancement of their intuition with attunement to Reiki, along with a heightened awareness of energy. So, Reiki was helping me to become increasingly more aware of, and in tune with, the innate intelligence and wisdom that we all hold within. Eventually, I felt the inner nudge to take the next level of Reiki training through the ICRT which was the Usui/Tibetan Advanced Reiki Training (ART) and Reiki Master class. I took this Reiki training in 2008, in Oregon, with another Senior Reiki Master Teacher, Colleen Benelli. Reiki was assisting me to gain more confidence, build resilience, and giving me the courage to follow the path that brings me the most joy. After the Reiki Master training, I also noticed an expansion in creativity. Slowly, Reiki was guiding me to trust more in the divine order of the Universe and the flow of life. At that point, I had witnessed the personal transformation I was receiving from Reiki. I was incorporating Reiki into all areas of my daily life. With the benefits of Reiki that I was experiencing, I felt inspired and enthusiastic to share Reiki with others professionally too. So, I began renting a therapy room in a wellness center and began offering Reiki sessions in Edmonton, a couple of evenings per week. As I continued my path with Reiki, in 2011 I travelled to Seattle to take the Karuna Reiki® training with William Rand who developed this advanced form of Reiki in the 1990’s. (The meaning of the word karuna is compassionate action in Sanskrit). During those years when I began my Reiki journey, I was working at the University of Alberta as an International Admissions Advisor. With my educational background in the fields of Biology and Education, I had developed a strong interest in the area of holistic health. Shortly after the Karuna Reiki® training, I decided to leave my work at the University of Alberta to focus on this interest. In 2020, I did the Usui/Holy Fire® III Reiki® Master training online, with William Rand. Holy Fire® Reiki was first introduced through the ICRT in 2014. Holy Fire® III Reiki is a combination of traditional Usui Reiki and a modern evolution of Reiki which has a higher vibration. Holy Fire® III Reiki is both powerful and gentle and its energy is noticeably more refined and comes from a higher level of consciousness. This has been my personal experience with Holy Fire® Reiki as well. Just to note, the word "holy" as used in the name Holy Fire® Reiki refers to wholeness and completeness. In 2024, I took the Usui/Holy Fire® III Reiki World Peace Reiki Master Upgrade webinar which was presented by William Rand and Colleen Benelli. It was a gift to myself for my birthday. In 2025, I took William Rand’s Reiki Booster Ignition online and have definitely felt a boost in the Reiki energy afterwards. Reiki has been such a wonderful support on my personal path over the years, nurturing me holistically (physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually). It has helped me to feel a stronger sense of purpose in life. Reiki has also assisted me with moving through resistance, change, and challenging experiences and situations. And it has offered guidance and direction towards solutions and opportunities. Reiki has been one way for me to deeply connect with inner stillness and the present moment. I have also worked with other lovely and transformative vibrational modalities over the years, and had focused on some of those for a while at times, but I keep coming back to Reiki. Reiki is like a caring and supportive friend that has always been there for me since it entered my life. I feel blessed that I have been able to share Reiki with others, not only in-person as I had initially begun, but also largely remotely by distance and online. This year will be 19 years since I took my first Reiki class. I can’t imagine my life since then without Reiki, as it has been such an amazing ally and light on my path. It has enriched my life in so many ways. I am comforted, knowing that as I move forward, Reiki will continue to guide me. In Oneness and Peace, Maya Bringas ✽PS. Do you have a Reiki experience or story? Feel free to share it in the comment box below. I always love to read your comments. Also, if you feel the inner calling to explore Reiki, you are welcome to learn about Reiki training and sessions with me. It would be my joy to support you on your unique path.
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