V. N. MITTAL

Limited medical resources on board motivate in-flight passengers to look for some alternative therapies in order to alleviate their commonly experienced ailments during long air travels. Simply laying on of hands using the drug free Reiki therapy, can effectively provide instant relief to them from quite a few of airborne discomforts on board.

The continually evolving technology has reduced the passenger discomfort during air travel to a large extent. However, flying doesnt come naturally to humans and certain maladies are to be expected specially in long haul flights due to various reasons including the changing cabin pressures, motion sickness, noise, vibrations and lack of activity. For the frequent flyers, it gets worse because of the changing time zones. The effects of flying vary with individuals depending on their health and age but, commonly, passengers may suffer from one or more of the in-flight sicknesses viz. nausea; ear ache due to Eustachian Tube blockage; swelling of feet, cramps; shoulder and neck pains, headaches and migraines; respiratory problems and even angina pain.

Why Reiki?
While there may be limited resources on board to address the major ailments like angina, there is no remedy available for the lesser problems. In such a situation, the passengers are motivated to take recourse to some of the alternative natural therapies such as Acupressure, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Meditation, Yoga, Massage or Reiki which may address their immediate problem quickly and provide them safe treatment without moving from their seat. Out of these, I have found Reiki as the simplest to learn, manoeuvre and practise anytime anywhere . This ancient healing technique was rediscovered in Japan during the 20th century by Dr Mikao Usui though it was pratised in one or the other form thousand of years ago in India, Tibet, China, and Japan. In Reiki, Rei stands for universal and Ki means the life force energy also known as Qi or Chi in China and Prana in India. Reiki involves harnessing of universal life force energy from the cosmos and channelling its flow with or without hands to your body or to others for the purpose of holistic healing.

How do we access Reiki energy?
Once you have learnt the technique and undergone the ritual of attunements by a Reiki Master.(attunements are the direct transmission initiations which result in transfer of the ability to the recipient to access Reiki.), you can access Reiki as and when desired, by a simple intent or affirmation. Affirmation awakens the innate ability of the hands to channel healing energy either to ones own self or to another person by just placing them on appropriate body positions for a few minutes in order to get the desired healing. Being in flight at the time of giving or receiving Reiki is of little constraint. The access to and movement of Reiki energy is not hampered during the flight and you have an on- the- spot safe and a soothing treatment readily available to you for all types of commonly faced in-flight sicknesses.

My in-flight experiences with Reiki
It was for the first time during my non- stop flight of 22 hrs from Kuala Lumpur to New York about 4 years back that I experienced shooting pain in my ears while the plane took off. First, I tried the recommended isometric exercise but it did not work. I decided to try out the healing art of Reiki which I had learnt from a Reiki Master a few days before my visit to USA. I put my hands over both the ears with the middle fingers plugging them and channelled Reiki for a few minutes. To my great amazement, I got instant relief.

Then, in the same flight, I suddenly noticed a group of people including crew staff assembled near a seat in the rear trying to help a middle aged passenger come out of his angina pain. Luckily, there was a Doctor amongst the passengers on board who must have given the patient some medicine. I silently sent distant Reiki to the patient without going close to him for obvious reasons. After a while the patient was revived and he felt comfortable during the rest of journey. Reiki seemed to have augmented and complemented the healing power of the medication given to the patient .

My experience on board in my long flights to a number of countries around the globe and that of thousands of Reiki channels inspired me to devise these Reiki tips on the basis of well tried treatments developed by Grand Masters Dr. Mikao Usui, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi and other guides.

What can Reiki do for us?
Reiki complements all other systems of healing including general medicines. It not only heals the malady but also addresses its root cause as well, thereby acting as an effective prophylactic to ward off future ailments. One major advantage of Reiki over the other therapies is that in most of the medical situations, a Reiki channel can treat own self without any assistance from a therapist at any time any where . Reiki can also be dispensed to another person or fellow passengers on board by a Reiki Channel. Cabin crew trained in basics of Reiki can, however, be of great help in situations when a patient is not in a position to practise Reiki on him/herself.

Reiki Treatments during flight :
While remaining seated in the chair, the passenger can make use of the following Reiki tips for treatment to him/her self if s/he is a Reiki channel or seek help from a co-passenger / air hostess who may have received proper training in Reiki therapy.

Ear pain
A Reiki channel can treat him/herself or a co-passenger seated in chair dispensing Reiki by placing hands on her/his ears with middle fingers inside the ears for treatment of ear drums affected during the take off. This hand position is also helpful in relieving severe toothache as also stress during flight.

Treating Nausea
The Reiki treatment for Nausea is simple and takes about 18 minutes. Remaining seated in your seat, place hands on and channel Reiki for three minutes each to 1.stomach, 2.solar plexus, 3.liver, 4.spinal cord on the back of solar plexus, 5.head, 6.kidneys, positions on the body. In case the passenger has had no training in administering Reiki , help may be sought from a Reiki channel on board or a trained crew to dispense Reiki on the above six positions.

Vomiting can be controlled by simply placing hands on the upper abdomen and channelling Reiki.

Swelling of feet
Localized Reiki on feet while keeping them raised from the ground is helpful

Stomach Cramps and spasm
Dispense Reiki to six body positions 1. stomach, 2. back of stomach, 3. liver, 4. kidneys, 5. intestines, and 6. head. I have experienced that stomach cramps disappear in about 10 to 15 minutes of treatment. Also, Reiki on the upper abdomen and lower abdomen simultaneously, acts like a first aid for all kinds of stomach problems.

Convulsion
Treat with Reiki 1. liver, 2. stomach, 3. intestines, 4. kidneys, 5 .spinal cord, 6.shoulders, 7. arms, 8 elbow joint area, 9. wrist, and 10. head positions for about 15 minutes in all. In the case of loss of consciousness by the patient, his/her shoes be removed and Reiki may be channelled on the soles of both the feet, also on the chest, the upper abdomen and the middle of the back.

Headache/Migraine
Similarly, instant relief from severe headache/migraine felt during flight or elsewhere can be obtained by placing hands on the face, the top of the head, occipital lobes on the back of the head and the three positions of middle, small and lower of the back respectively.

Tracheitis and bronchitis
Treat the patient by channelling Reiki on 1. tracheas and bronchi, 2. lungs, 3. stomach, 4.intestines, 5. heart,6. kidneys, and 7. head. This treatment works best in sitting position and one can also treat acute asthma by adding a few more positions of 1. liver , 2.pancreas, 3. diaphragm, and 4. nose. In the end stroke the back a few times and wipe down from the seventh cervical vertebra to the buttocks with one finger on each side of the spine. For a diabetic patient the wiping should be done in opposite direction i. e. from buttocks to cervical vertebra number seven .

Angina pain
Treat the patient giving Reiki on 1. heart, 2. liver, 3. stomach, 4. intestines, 5. pancreas, 6.kidneys, 7. spinal cord, and finally end the treatment by gently stroking down your hands on both sides of the spinal column of the patient for about 10 times and then wiping on both sides of the spine with your index finger on the left and middle finger on the right stroking down from the seventh cervical vertebra to the buttocks stopping for a while on the fifth lumber vertebra. In case the patient is known to be a diabetic, wiping with one finger each on both sides of spine should be done in the reverse direction.

Reiki treatment by placing right hand on the back of heart and left hand on the solar plexus provides temporary relief from chest pains till further medical help is available..

Some interesting facts
Reiki is now widely practiced in over 100 countries around the globe. Because of its simplicity in manoeuvrability, cost effectiveness, easy accessibility, Reiki has found wide applications in the area of energy healing. In USA, it is also now being used as a complementary therapy in medical practice in many of the hospitals. More and more doctors and nurses in UK and USA are taking Reiki courses. Big corporate offices in India, UK and other countries also now include Reiki training as a part of HRD measures to cut down absentee rates and upgrade productivity levels of their employees.

Disclaimer:
The tips included here are meant to provide relief through the complementary therapy of Reiki and are in no way meant to be a substitute for conventional treatment.

About the Author
Mr. Veerendra Nath Mittal, M A (Eco. & Eng.) is a retired professional Economist from Government in India and a certified Reiki Master/Teacher currently living in Singapore. He has taught all levels of Reiki to a large number of students from USA, England, New Zealand, Romania, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and India. He has delivered public lectures on Reiki in India and Singapore and has authored a number of articles on Reiki, Yoga, Spiritual Healing and Art of Living and poetry which have featured in international magazines and news letters. He can be reached at email: mittalvn@hotmail.com or on phone +65-64657035.