The five Precepts of Reiki include showing kindness. Specifically, we seek to follow the instruction that ‘Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.” It is, of course, a wonderful sentiment, and no one would argue that the practice is anything but loving and helpful. But did you know that there are many benefits to practicing kindness quite apart from the act itself? And these include benefits that have been proven through scientific research! According to the Mayo Clinic, kindness toward others helps us in a number of ways. It is good for the body and good for the mind.
- Good for the Body. At the same time that practicing kindness increases your own self-esteem, compassion, and empathy for others, it can alter, in a positive way, your body chemistry. It does that by decreasing both your blood pressure and the level of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that directly affects your stress level. Kindness has also been shown to improve your mood, and to have a positive impact on loneliness.
- Good for the Mind. Kindness affects your brain activity. It can boost the levels of serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals that provide you with positive feelings of satisfaction and well-being.
And according to Dartmouth College, the practice of kindness toward others increases your energy, your happiness, and your pleasure, while at the same time decreasing pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and blood pressure.
All of this, interestingly, directly supports a statement by the Dalai Lama XIV from years ago, to the effect that if you want others to be happy, or if you want to be happy yourself, practice compassion.” Whether we call it kindness, compassion or some other name, the message is the same: Kindness benefits not only the recipient, but also the donor.
If you would like to experience these and other benefits of Reiki, visit our website or contact us via email to schedule an appointment.
Reiki by Jackie Reikibyjackie.com