What is Reiki?
Reiki is universal life force energy that works in harmony with your body’s own energy to bring about balance and healing.
A Japanese technique, Reiki is very good for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.
It is administered by "laying on hands" or “hovering hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If your "life force energy" is low, then you are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, you are more capable of being happy and healthy.
Reiki & Me
As I prepare to launch Reiki as a new therapy in my treatment room early in 2024, I have spent time reflecting over the last few weeks, on my own Reiki journey and how I got to where I am today, ready to share it with you.
It is no secret that over the years I have suffered from chronic anxiety that led to a complete breakdown in my mental health and my recovery was a distance travelled.
Counselling and therapies led me to a journey of self-awareness, self-reflection and self-discovery and I continued this journey with a great deal of education, training and personal development, where I gained the skills to be able to offer therapies to other women to give them space to pause, relax and breathe.
I first experienced Reiki in 2008 when I was looking for some peace and tranquility in my mind, away from the trauma of my breakdown. It was recommended to me by one of the health professionals I was working with at the time. I went for a number of sessions and it was a positive experience, giving me some headspace to work through the confusion in my mind.
I must be honest and say that I never really gave Reiki much more thought, or really understood it’s power, until I began work as a holistic therapist myself, and in the Hygge clinic in Orkney, where I practiced, another Fiona practiced there too, and offered Reiki.
She was a lovely person with the most calming nature (obviously it's in the name!) and I was so drawn to her energy.
After just one session, I was hooked.
I wanted more of this amazing energy. With each session, I felt more balanced and emotionally happier. I now could honestly say, I loved Reiki. I never considered, even at this point, that I too could offer reiki or even be attuned to use it for my own benefit.
Fast forward to 2019, I was living in Alloa, having moved our home and my business from the Northern Isles. I was searching for someone to give me my Reiki “fix” and I came across Laura Clark, Reiki Master and Teacher who has a practice in Crook of Devon.
Meeting Laura was a game changer for me – my first Reiki session in her beautiful studio was magical – and I felt so aligned to her – my energy was super strong too and she could feel it!
She suggested that I consider becoming attuned to Reiki I, to continue my own practice and perhaps Reiki II in addition to this, to allow me to add this to my therapies in my treatment room.
It was definitely food for thought – I went home excited and started to think about what this would mean for me and my clients.
I completed my Reiki I training in February 2020, just before lockdown – my attunement was really powerful – both myself and Laura felt this - and immediately I knew this was going to be something special.
The experience of learning about Reiki through Laura was profound. I highly recommend her teaching. It left me with a lasting glow and a real “toolkit for life” – and that was just the very beginning.
I have had a daily Reiki practice ever since that day, normally whilst still lying in my bed in the morning – sometimes it takes a longer time and sometimes I only have time for a shorter session and focus on an area where I feel I may need it – this helps me feel balanced and grounded, and I have grown both emotionally and spiritually through this.
I often practice Reiki at night when I am lying in bed before I go to sleep and if I wake in the night – it is a lovely way to make myself feel calm and I normally fall asleep whilst my hands are on my heart chakra.
Reiki Principles
Added to this are the Reiki principles – they are simple and easy to remember.
Mikao Usui - the founder of Reiki said to bring our hands into prayer position (or Gassho, a Japanese word that means "palms of the hands placed together”) and recite these precepts morning and night.
He said this was the secret method of inviting happiness into our lives.
This is the first thing I do in the morning when I open my eyes – it has become a habit and do it everywhere, not just when I am at home. I try to remember to do it every night too!
Just For Today I will not anger
Just For Today I will not worry
Just For Today I will do my work with honesty and integrity
Just For Today I will be thankful for my many blessings
Just For Today I will be kind to every living thing
By November 2020, I knew that I wanted Reiki to become a greater part of my life journey, so I went to see Laura again, this time for Reiki II teaching and attunement, which further unlocked the power of Reiki energy to enhance my healing on an emotional and mental level, as well as the physical body.
Reiki and me and you!
Reiki II also opened the door for me to offer this as a service to clients as a stand-alone treatment or to be included as part of my existing practice.
There was so much more work involved in this, including lots of case studies and self-reflection. The grounding of my daily practice helped make this simpler to navigate.
That was three years ago now.
I had completed a chunk of the case studies and have continued my personal practice.
There was something holding my back from fully embracing this, and putting my new treatment out to the world, and I recognise now, from reflection, that the only thing stopping me was my own limiting beliefs.
Many clients, who recognise the energy, say they can feel my Reiki when I am doing other treatments with them. A kind of bonus in a way, because it is always there!
Since this summer, I have experienced a real shift with my Reiki.
My wish to bring Reiki into my therapy room for the benefit of others was shining.
I had some other training and case studies I have been doing for another therapy (more details coming soon!) I will be introducing early in 2024. I needed to get that out of the way before I could find the proper time and energy to complete the remainder of my case studies.
I had a great chat with Laura, my Reiki Master, about getting back on track and I contacted a couple of ladies who come to me for other therapies and had offered back at the start to be further case studies, and they both agreed! How amazing was that? Everything was falling into place. The universe is telling me I am ready.
The icing on the cake was this.
I have a client who is very spiritual and works with some very powerful energy, and when she came for her appointment last week, she told me that she could see me in her work, and it was time for me to come out of the shadows and complete my Reiki training so that I could share my light.
I hadn’t told her about my reiki or that I had been thinking about getting my case studies finished – I took this as a sign that I need to do this!
It's time to share my Reiki light. I have kept it more or less to myself for almost four years and now I am ready. Early in the New Year I will be adding Reiki to my therapies.
I am grateful to everyone who has been part of my Reiki journey so far. I hope you will join me as I travel further.
I don't know when I will be ready to receive Reiki III - Reiki Master - I am trusting the process for now.
Just for today, I am thankful for my many blessings.
Much love and Reiki light,
Fiona x