Most people have heard of Reiki but they don’t really know what it is. To be honest even as a Reiki 2 Practitioner I often say I don’t even fully understand it, but that it does truly amaze me every time I practice it.

I first got into Reiki the month after we lost our son Dax. I had been introduced to it a few times when Reiki, or ‘Energy Healing’, had come up in conversation, so, when I saw a local course become available, me being me thought it would be a great opportunity to give it a go and find out for myself what it was all about.

Whilst at my Reiki 1 training (there are three levels to Reiki; 1, 2 and Master), we did a self-Reiki session in a group circle out in the open air in a beautiful garden (I did my training with the beautiful Christine Maudy that operates out of her stunning home in the rolling green hills of Woombye in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland). As we worked down our chakras, visualising pouring in a powerful bright healing white light into each, I got to my heart chakra and felt something shift inside me. As we progressed down to the sacral chakra I literally felt a whoosh up and out of my body and a massive weight felt like it had been lifted. I suddenly stood taller and straighter. Then my tears began to flow. As the meditation came to a close, I was struggling to hold back my sobs and escaped to the bathroom where I literally broke down. I sobbed and sobbed until my tears finally slowed and I could re-join the group. We continued the day and I went home knowing something had shifted but not quite knowing what. The next day I woke and actually felt like myself again, which I hadn’t since we found out about Dax’s condition. It was literally like I could again see the light and could feel positive about the future. That’s when I first realised the power of Reiki, something in my energy shifted and normalised, releasing a blockage that the grief had held for months.

Since then I have gone on to give Reiki to family members overseas; Reiki is not bound by distance, my Reiki 2 training taught me how to practice ‘Distance Reiki’ so that I can help anyone anywhere in the world. It was hard for me to comprehend this but in working with a particular family member that had been struggling with anxiety and insomnia since her husband had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she got her first good night’s sleep after our treatment. I was truly amazed at Reiki’s power.

I don’t fully understand how Reiki works but having done an introduction to Kinesiology and having practiced meditation and mindfulness for some time I certainly understand the power of the mind and that there is a vibration within us. During my massage training, I noticed I was getting incredibly emotional and drained. I used to finish each of my massages with my hands on my client’s shoulders, visualising peace and their weight lifted. On one night in clinic, a colleague came in and felt there was a huge imbalance in my energy and in saying so I burst into tears. There was no reason I knew that would make me do this but in discussing it further I discovered I was literally taking on my client’s bad energy as my own and it was getting me down. I now complete my massages with a touch of Reiki and I physically shake off the energy as my hands leave my client and I haven’t had this problem since.

Being such a scientific minded answers-based person, this realm I find hard to comprehend, but I have concluded that, like with the electrical grid, I don’t need to comprehend it to benefit from it. There is power in words, there is power in touch. We know this from Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work with words and frozen water; harsh words creating angular, imbalanced crystals, and kind, positive words creating beautiful snowflake-like patterns. We also know the power of a gentle supportive touch of a hand to our back, a hug, or a gentle loving stroke.

Reiki teaches us five principles to live by…

For today only I shall not anger
For today only I shall not worry
For today only I shall be grateful
For today only I shall be kind
For today only I shall be honest

I say these principles to myself each day and recommend my clients do this also. Some days I fail at one but often find myself noting my failure and rather than it taking a hold, I acknowledge it, laugh and move on, reminding myself of my promise. I think they are excellent principles to live by and I encourage you to incorporate them into your life.

Reiki has been shown to help deep relaxation, facilitate sleep, reduce blood pressure, help relieve pain, support the immune system, facilitate recovery, help acute and chronic problems (e.g. asthma, eczema, headaches etc.), help relieve anxiety, grief, and depression, clear blockages and emotions from both the past and present, raise the vibration frequency of the body, promote personal growth and much more.

If you are interested in learning more or experiencing Reiki, please book in. I would love to learn with you as to how Reiki may help you.