What is Reiki and how does it work?
Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique… the term comes from the Japanese words ‘rei’ meaning universal and ‘ki’ meaning vital life force energy that flows throughout every living thing; reiki is not linked to any specific religion or belief.
My Reiki journey began in early 2020 when I started training with Chris Vickers from CV Holistic Therapies... I started with Reiki First Degree Shoden (where you mainly treat yourself or possibly family/friends) before moving onto Reiki Second Degree Okuden (practitioner level). I found Reiki to be the most beautiful natural therapy and really enjoyed the ‘the Reiki effect’ which Taggert King, Reiki Master/Teacher describes in his Shoden manual as…
- More laid back
- Calm and serene
- Better able to cope
- More positive
- Less affected by stressful people and stressful situations
In a Reiki treatment, the practitioner uses light and gentle hand movements to guide the flow of energy throughout the body to help promote healing. Although clients can sit in a straight-back chair, it is much more comfortable for the client to be laying on a treatment couch or in a Reflexology chair, they can then completely relax and usually drift off!
Every Reiki practitioner has their own specific technique but as a rule, the practitioner either places their hands on or just above specific areas of the body, usually the seven main chakra points…
- Root Chakra – at the base of the spine
- Sacral Chaka – in the lower abdomen, four fingers below the navel
- Solar Plexus Chakra – bottom of the rib cage
- Heart Chakra – in the heart
- Throat Chakra – the base of the throat
- Third Eye Chakra – between the eyebrows
- Crown Chakra – the crown of the head
Personally when I’m giving a treatment, I like to start by placing my hands on the shoulders of the client – it’s a great way to feel ‘connected’ and as the client has their eyes closed, it’s also a way of letting them know the treatment has started. I then move to the client’s feet as I feel it helps to ‘ground’ the client and also as a Reflexologist, I’m hugely aware of the importance of our feet and the role they play as the foundation of our entire body. Then I start at the Root Chakra and work upwards throughout the various chakras placing my hands just over that part of the body. I then finish the treatment with my hands back on the shoulders so I ‘disconnect’ and give the clients a few minutes to come around or in some cases wake up.
It's difficult to describe how a Reiki treatment feels… some clients notice that they feel my hands getting hot and tingly, they can see vivid colours or images, and some have an overwhelming sense of emotions being released. I try not to say too much because I feel it gives an expectation for the client and again, everyone is different and experiences different reactions!
Treatments can vary and obviously be tailored to an individual’s needs – I’ve given everything from 10 or 15minute taster sessions to a full 1hr treatment. But I’ve always had amazing feedback and clients can sometimes be really surprised on their response to the treatment.
There’s so much more I could share but I’ll save that for another time! I would highly recommend trying a Reiki Treatment to feel the benefits for yourself. As a practitioner, I regularly treat myself as well and believe me, I always know when I’ve missed a few sessions!
And if you don’t already, please do keep up-to-date with all the latest news from Wandering Sole Therapies on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
Jo xx