Jikiden Reiki Booth at West Coast Women's Show

This was our 2nd time to have the booth at West Coast Women's Show.


I have been doing Reiki since 2005, and tried different marketing method 
to get the word out.


For me, the best ways to spread the word is

"Word of mouth"

People experience my Reiki session, and those people tell their friends, and those friends tell their friends how good they felt with Reiki session. 


Oh, please don't get me wrong. I am not doing Reiki just to make money, but this 
is my full time work as well, and marketing is an ongoing task.


News paper ad, magazine ad are too impersonal for me, and also I am not
a good writer. Net working, trade shows and markets are my way of marketing.


It cost a lot, but at least I can meet people, and it is possible to let those people 
to experience my mini Reiki session right at the moment.


So, we were are the trade show last weekend.

West Coast Women's Show 

--- The West Canada's largest trade show, 

brings over 25,000 shoppers to the show.

Many different style of booth and products. Candles, soaps, supplements, jewels,
purse, cosmetics, travel, hotel, insurance, to name a few. and our booth was

"Jikiden Reiki"

Jan, Maureen, Sue and myself had a 5" x 10" booth with two massage chair settings. 

3 of us are at the booth, one is taking a reservation, two are doing mini Reiki sessions.

It's quite amazing to see the small 5" x 10" space (1.5 m x 3m)

can make such an inviting Reiki room :) --- by the way this photo is from last year.

Nice inviting feeling

Even we are giving Reiki, we pay attention to those people 

who are walking by. Reiki still works without focusing on the receiver !

Jan keeps her smile :)

The receiver can hide by putting their face in the head rest,

and have a head set for a relaxing music to block the outside noise.

For me,  I just close my eyes and I can make my own space :)

Maureen is sitting on the stool, Mari is standing.
Depends on what part of the body
we are placing our hands on. 

Yes, 3 full days make us tired as well.  In that case, we do Reiki each other !

Jan gives Reiki for Maureen.

This yeas, 2014, we have few new items in our booth !

T-shirts, and the dragonfly red cloth ! 

1st day, Jan, Maureen and Mari are here again !

 Our booth continues to have people on the chairs.

One more new thing is, Sue joined this year ! 

2nd day morning with Sue and Maureen.

Sue is giving Reiki session.

Even though Reiki is in my daily life, there are so many people haven't 
heard of Reiki, or do not know what is Reiki !  

We have to make sure they are understanding that Reiki isn't a massage.

It's a energy healing technique, our hands doesn't manipulate, the energy does !

Some people sit down on the chair and few minutes later, 

they pick up their heads and say,

"When are you going to start ?" 

(she is expecting our hands to move...)

Then we say,

" . . . it's already started. Reiki isn't a massage, 

so my hands won't be moving, OK ? " (with smile)

They look so disappointed if they were expecting a massage, especially 

with the ladies who came to the Show for the shopping, and they are tired 

of walking around with a heavy bag full of samples, and special brooms,

and a magical door mat.

But, really, Reiki is as good as massage, if not, better...  

Here are 4 of us working together to spread the word.

Reiki as a home remedy, anyone can learn.

Reiki as part of your health care...

from left : Mari, Jan, Sue and Maureen

We all teach Jikiden Reiki and also have home studio to offer Reiki sessions ! 

If you are looking for a teacher or practitioner in your area,

Mari Okazaki : Chilliwack/Vancouver

Jan Morrison : Chilliwack/Rosedale

Sue Tedaka : Langley/Surrey

Maureen Cardoso : Abbotsford/Mission

Tuna roll or California roll ?

"What is the difference between Jikiden Reiki and other style of Reiki ?"

This is one of the very common question I encounter, and I heard it once again last night and decided to write about it today.


Put simply, Jikiden Reiki doesn't have any non-Japanese concepts. Chakra healing, crystal healing, angel healing, aura healing, New Age teaching, materialistic gain: "how to get job with Reiki, how to be wealthy with Reiki", etc,  are non-Japanese concept and are not the part of Jikiden Reiki teaching, because Jikiden Reiki didn't take a journey through the world. 


I remember the conversation with some of other Reiki teachers, and we related
with the Sushi and the Dance. 


Using the example with Sushi.

There are sushi rolls wrapped with sea weeds, 

like tuna rolls. This is the common sushi rolls

that you see in Japan.

Then, there are sushi rolls with wrapped with rice, 

like California rolls.

I had never seen it in Japan and it had amazed me when 

I saw this roll for the fist time in Canada 15 years ago.

When my host family took me to a sushi place and I remember that I said,

"How did they make this? It's inside out ! " 

The first avocado that I ate in my life was 

in Chilliwack, in one of the sushi rolls.

I just had a Japanese high school student lived with me for a while and 

she was amazed to see the Western style sushi rolls.

She is taking a photo of the assorted sushi.

Those rolls are created to suit to the Western taste,

based on Japanese sushi recipe.

Wikipedia : History of California Roll

It is creative, delicious, popular menu.

Then there are crazy creative rolls, like with mango sauce 

with fish roe and poppy seeds on top, 

that don't even taste like sushi, but taste good !

All of the above are known as Sushi, none of them are better than others.

It is a personal choice.

Although I don't feel right to call the creative sushi as a traditional sushi.

Also, just like the Ballet.

Romantic Ballet started in Italian Renaissance, moved into France.

Then Classical Ballet soared in Russia.

Some people didn't like the strict style Ballets.

They created the Modern and Contemporary Ballet, 

and other creative and unique style of Ballet.

If you want to take the classic ballet lesson and went to the dance studio that promotes,

"Classic Ballet class", and ended up learning hip hop, you would be confused and think,

"Is the Hip Hop part of the Classic Ballet ?"

So, Jikiden Reiki is like the tuna rolls, or Romantic Ballet. There are no other cultural influence, nothing has been added or amended. The teaching contents are quite a bit different compare with other style of Reiki, strict in certain way to preserve

the traditional teaching.  It doesn't suit to some people, but it suits me.

Teaching is deeply related to Japanese culture, and deeply spiritual without 

being religious and it is a life time skill. Simple but deep. 

I often hear this comment, 

"I do Usui Reiki, it is a Japanese traditional Reiki." but in fact, there are SO MANY

style of Usui Reiki, and most of them took their journeys through the worlds, which

took place of the California Roll effect.

I also often hear this comment,
"I'm a Reiki Master and I learned to communicate with loved one in a spirit world." 
I feel this would be the Creative Roll effect. 

If you want to learn Reiki, the most important thing is that you choose the Reiki teacher and style that you feel connected.

**********************************

Mari Okazaki
Jikiden Reiki Practitioner / Teacher
Website : www.jikidenreikiwithmari.com
                  www.mariokazaki.com

"Reiki is a compassion in action." by Chiyoko Yamaguchi