I haven’t written much about my passion for Reiki — the Japanese energy healing modality that I have been training in for the past couple of years.
More than anything else in my advanced yoga/meditation/mindfulness training — Reiki has resonated with me the most. At the risk of sounding strange, I feel like I’ve been doing this kind of energy work, or at least sensing it, my whole life. When I was first attuned at Yoga on High Teacher Training Institute in Columbus, OH about two years ago, the warm, magnetic, tingly feeling of the energy emanating from my hands as I placed them on myself or others in an act of healing, was deeply, somewhat strangely familiar. The energy seemed to be innately part of me, not something that was particularly bestowed on me by the attunement. Though the goal for most people when they schedule a Reiki session is to alleviate some uncomfortable physical symptom, the practice is much deeper for me. Reiki creates a connection between myself, other people in the Divine in caring, compassionate and healing light.
Since then I have been practicing Reiki with friends and family, but now I feel called to share it with those who come to me for self-care coaching (or maybe even just for Reiki!). For those of you who may have not experienced Reiki or other energy healing modalities, this is what a formal, in-person Reiki session would look like: You would come to my treatment room with a massage table on it. I would ask you what you needed and set an intention for the session. I would ask you if you wanted me to touch you or hover over your body. If you want touch, I’d ask if there are places you’d want me to avoid or particular places to focus on. You would get comfortable on the table using props and blankets. I might start with a short body scan meditation; then I would ask for a blessing and invite the Reiki energy to flow through me. I would move my hands lightly around your body, serving as a conduit for the Universal Energy flowing through me. In a distance session, we would ask the same questions about your needs and intention for the session, but I would send the energy to you without touch. I would ask you to put yourself in a comfortable position and a location where you will be free to relax without interruption.
Most often the practice is deeply relaxing and can help alleviate pain or other physical symptoms. It may also create a meditative time in which you draw insights into deeper, more pressing questions that you have about your life, your meaning, your purpose. To assure those skeptics out there – this practice is not a cure for major illnesses, nor is it a replacement for medical treatment. But, it can help alleviate stress, promote calm and peace, and even help to create a space for meditative reflection.
I feel like Reiki is now a deep part of my purpose. (I was attuned at the Reiki Master Level just last weekend!) This energy work can help bring your best self forward, forming you and others into the healthiest leaders they can be. Leaders who aware of their purpose and acting upon it in life. I believe strongly that making communities full of healthy leaders will help to create healthy communities — something we so desperately need in these fractured times.
Schedule a time with me to explore Reiki or other mindfulness modalities. A 30-minute consultation is free!
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