FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT REIKI
What is Reiki?
Reiki ("Ray-Key") translates as "Spiritual Energy" or "Universal Life Energy" and in my experience is a more subtle form of energy than "chi." It is the whole and complete life force from which duality and the physical plane (yin and yang) emerge. Because everything is made of energy, everything also consists of Reiki. "Reiki" also more commonly refers to the Japanese system of meditative practices developed by Mikao Usui in the early 1900’s based on his personal experience with Reiki and a life-long study of meditation and martial arts. Reiki helps the body to heal itself by providing it with nourishing energy.
How does Reiki work?
With Reiki, there is no manipulation of the energy (like there is with Acupressure). I open to Reiki, serving as a conduit for the energy and holding energetic space for you. It is your body (and/or Higher Self) which is pulling the Reiki through me, helping you to reconnect to your own "Reiki" energy to support the body in its healing process and in maintaining wellness. (Reiki practitioners do not manipulate the energy for a specific outcome. A healing space is created by opening to Reiki, and Reiki is a supply of fresh vital life force which supports the body's own healing abilities. Reiki knows where to go because of its life-source nature and because it flows to where the body pulls it.
How does it feel to receive Reiki?
You might feel the energy as tingling, a light magnetic flow through your limbs, or the sensation that more than one person is working with you. Some clients have reported feeling floaty or light. Others become grounded, sensing energy moving from the crown of their heads through their body into their feet. Or, you might not feel anything during the session, but find there’s been an interesting shift in your perspective about an issue once you get home and are moving through your life.
Distance Reiki
Reiki can also be received non-locally, or at a distance. Here in the West, the process is typically often described as "sending Reiki at a distance," but it is more accurate to say that it's about the Reiki practitioner "becoming One" with the recipient to allow healing to occur. According to my Reiki lineage, this Oneness does not need to be created as part of the session because it already exists. The meditation techniques taught at the Reiki II and III level serve to remind the practitioner of this connection, and in essence, our mental block to connection is removed.
"Distance" can refer to someone who is simply out of my view or sitting apart from me (i.e., in another room) or completely nonlocal to me (at their residence while I am at home). The amount of distance doesn't matter. When I go into Reiki meditation for a distance session, I open the Reiki field and become One with the recipient.
The session is scheduled in advance, and it's helpful for you to be in a quiet, relaxing environment. After we do a brief check-in over Zoom, I might show your relevant acupressure points, lead you in a grounding meditation to prepare, and you would receive Reiki either sitting in a comfortable supportive chair, or lying down. I would then end the Zoom meeting so you can rest, and we would check in via email later.