What is Reiki? My Personal Experience with Healing Energy

On Saturday, I hit a milestone. I had five of my family members come over for a night of food, drinks, and fun. Amy did tarot readings for everyone and I did Reiki. It was my first time doing Reiki on more than one person without the aid of my Reiki teacher or group. It was an incredible, powerful, and fulfilling experience - one that I’d like to share with all of you.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that helps activate the patient's natural healing processes.

First off, we should talk about what Reiki is. In essence, Reiki is a Japanese technique whereby the practitioner channels energy (universal energy, not his or her own energy) into a patient to activate the patient’s natural healing processes to restore emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being to the patient.

Reiki is pronounced ray-key
Reiki means “universal life energy”
It can be used for healing, relaxation, and stress-reduction
Along with laying of the hands, Reiki also incorporates visualization techniques
There are three levels of Reiki

Since I’ve only taken the Reiki I class, I haven’t been taught any of the symbols that Reiki II practitioners or Reiki Masters use. However, one of the techniques I use is to visualize white light coming down from Source to the top of my head (the crown chakra) and flowing through my body and out through my hands and fingertips. It helps me focus on what I’m doing and helps me feel the energy I’m channeling.

Preparation

Staying hydrated during any type of energy work is essential.

I’m sure every Reiki practitioner has a set ritual or routine before doing Reiki. While I’ve never done anything to prepare myself before, I felt it was needed on Saturday since I would be working alone. First, I drank a glass of water. Staying hydrated while doing any type of energy work is vital.

I wanted to cleanse the room I’d be working in, but since one of my aunts is highly allergic to sage (and incense), I decided to sage myself instead. I went outside to my backyard to sage myself. I focused on my intention - to connect with the universal energy and channel it for healing - and let the smoke cleanse my aura. As the smoke washed over me, I felt myself opening and connecting. Felt the energy building. My fingers tingled. I felt equally grounded and connected to Source. I felt balanced. Ready. Able to heal.

I went back inside and drank another glass of water as I set up my table.

Healing Energy

Reiki has been an incredible technique to learn, and I plan to continue learning about it and other types of healing.

When doing Reiki, one of the physical signs is heat. The practitioner’s hands usually get pleasantly warm, similar to a heat pack. It’s relaxing, soothing, and a clear, physical sign that energy is being channeled. As soon as I laid my hands on my first family member, I felt a rush of energy flow through me and into her body. My hands, my arms, and my body became warm. The room became warm. I even began sweating, one of the reasons staying hydrated is so important. I worked with each person for about fifteen minutes. I kept myself hydrated by drinking a glass of water in between sessions.

Each session was different. Even though I started on the head for everyone, I worked on different parts of their bodies, relying on intuition to tell me where to put my hands. For some it was the back and shoulders, for others the feet. Everyone had tension in different areas. No one wanted to get off the table when I was finished, which is one of the best compliments I could have gotten.

The Next Day

The day after I did Reiki, I was exhausted. While I didn’t use my own energy to heal, channeling any energy for a length of time, especially for a beginner, can be exhausting. As with any type of physical exercise, you need to build up stamina when doing any type of energy work. That’s something I have not had many opportunities to do. I hope I will have more opportunities like Saturday to build up my stamina and allow me to work without feeling so tired and worn-out the next day.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. One of my family members even called me to tell me her broken toe was feeling much better. I'm very thankful that I was able to experience this opportunity.

Have you ever received or given a Reiki treatment? Let me know! I’d love to hear your experiences!

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Just as a quick disclaimer, this is my own personal experience. Not all Reiki treatments are the same. Your experience may differ from what I or anyone else has experienced.