What is Reiki?

What is Reiki

Although reiki is considered quite popular, many people still don’t know what it is. It’s like describing the sun to someone who has only ever lived in a cave. Words just won’t do it justice, but take them out to the sunshine, and there you have it—they feel that warmth and glow for themselves! 

The best way to understand it is through your own experience with it. This is how you will come to know Reiki and yourself.

Reiki, in its simplest terms, supports your body to come into harmony and balance with itself. This balance can take different forms depending on your needs and what is happening in your life at that moment. If you are tired, you’ll feel re-energised. If you are anxious, you’ll feel peaceful. If you feel stressed, you’ll feel calmer. If you feel out of sorts, you’ll feel more like yourself. If you feel overwhelmed, you’ll discover a sense of peace within. If you feel ungrounded, you’ll feel centred.

To fully benefit from reiki, we have to learn to set aside our expectations, approach it with an open mind, and be open to receiving what we need in a reiki session. The open-mindedness creates space for healing to happen naturally rather than ‘trying’ to force or make something happen. If you expect to see colors during a reiki treatment but instead feel a deep sense of inner peace wash over, you can either focus on what you didn’t get or truly let in what you did experience. We learn to meet ourselves as we are each time we receive or practice reiki. We meet ourselves and reiki as if for the first time.

On another level, reiki restores the natural flow of energy into our beings so we can discover our true nature. Reiki is a Japanese modality, a spiritual practice that guides you to experience and be more of your true self.

Understanding what Reiki means

The word “Reiki” is made up of two Japanese kanji (characters):
Rei (meaning spiritual, sacred)
and
Ki (meaning energy, life force).

Together, these kanji mean “spiritual energy.” This leads us to ask: What and where is this spiritual energy? Is it outside of us, is it inside us, or is it both?

Seeing ‘spiritual energy’ as only external may lead us to believe that the practitioner holds all the power and wisdom, potentially preventing us from looking within, listening to our inner guidance, and sitting with the deeper patterns and wounding behind our challenges.

On the other hand, if we think it’s internal, we can forget about others and get lost in navel gazing. We can forget to consider how our choices and actions affect others. We might think everyone else is the problem, not us. We can become more selfish.

It’s both inside and outside of ourselves. Ultimately, we can rediscover that spiritual energy is universal and all-encompassing. Everything alive has Reiki. Everything has spiritual energy. Reiki is all around us. It is in everyone and everything. Reiki is our True Self. Who we are beneath all the’stuff’ of life.

The system of Reiki was designed to help us connect consciously with this spiritual energy. It is non-religious and promotes balance, healing, and well-being. It’s a nurturing, nourishing treatment and practice that, over time, helps you let go of anger and worry, increases your vitality and makes you feel more present in your everyday life.

The goal of Reiki practice is to rediscover your true essence (i.e., oneness, coming from the same universal source).

Reiki can offer you so much more when you are open to it. It can deepen your connection to your self and your bodies self healing capabilities, increase your vitality and support your nervous system.

It’s been an incredible journey. I am so very proud of myself as I have come into bigger and stronger me….it’s amazing to be here. Thank you for your support when I was very much suffering at every level. Doing the reiki courses and the shamanic healing was key. I am reminded everday how far I have come. Your kindness and experience and skills were of great value to me at time where I needed them.

A shell in the water on a beach.

Discovering the benefits of Reiki

The ability to heal is as natural as the ability to breathe, and through reiki, a reiki practitioner essentially guides the person to bring healing and balance back into their awareness.

The beauty is in the direct experience. While descriptions or listening to someone explain reiki can provide insight, it’s only through direct personal experience that you’ll truly understand its effects. Your relationship with Reiki will evolve and grow as you continue to engage with it.

 Reiki supports you in connecting with yourself, your own inner healing, your own inner light, and really your true self.

I came to you as I was stuck, felt trapped and didn’t want to keep feeling this way. I didn’t know what to do and someone recommended you and I’m so glad I took the chance. I really feel so free. I can’t stop smiling! It’s lovely to feel like my ‘old’ but new self again.

How you can experience Reiki

There are a number of ways you can experience the benefits of Reiki:

  • Reiki sessions (in person or remote / distance)
  • Self-practice (training required)

Receive Reiki by Distance or Remote

Distance healing allows you to receive reiki healing without leaving your home.

I’ve offered distance reiki with great results for many years. Distance Reiki is helpful if you are unable to get to an in-person treatment but also if you are in the hospital or recovering from surgery. Distance also makes it easier to receive support if you are anywhere in the world and wish to receive guidance from a specific practitioner or teacher.

The majority of my distance sessions take place via Zoom, so we can still connect and check in with what brings you to Reiki. I can share music with you, and you get to lay down in the comfort of your home. We talk before and after the treatment, just like in-person treatments. The benefit is that you can stay relaxed in bed afterwards if you wish!

Receive Reiki In-Person

The reiki treatment takes place in a relaxing environment where you can give yourself permission to relax. At the beginning of a session, I will explain what reiki is, clarify why you are looking for reiki, and ask if you are suffering from any specific ailments. Then you get the opportunity to switch off from the external world for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours and experience the benefits of reiki for yourself.

 During the reiki treatment, you remain fully clothed and lie on a massage table with a light blanket covering you. I will place my hands over specific parts of your body, usually starting from the head and working towards the feet.  

As I use the hand positions, you may become aware of sensations (heat, cold, tingling, shivers, etc.) throughout your body. You may also feel nothing. This is totally normal, as the reiki energy being absorbed by your body is going to whatever part of your body needs it the most. Reiki usually invites a deep state of relaxation, so you may even fall asleep.

Each treatment is as unique as each person, as reiki works on many levels and goes where it needs to go. Most people notice a difference after the first reiki treatment, and the benefits of reiki grow with repeated sessions.The reiki energy is cumulative in that it builds up each time you have a treatment, which is why it is recommended to have 4-6 sessions to kick-start your bodies self-healing ability.

Before experiencing reiki, my mind was heavy and cluttered. I was worrying about the future yet also lost in the past. Now, I feel so much more in my body than I have in months. I feel lighter and finally have some head space to get clearer on my way forward. Thank you! I always look forward to my reiki appointments.

A Lughnasadh trail in the woods with moss on it.

Levels of reiki training

Traditionally, Reiki training comprises three levels (although some Reiki teachers divide Shinpiden or Reiki Level 3 into two, for a total of four levels). The names of the levels and content within the training often depend on the reiki lineage.

Reiki I (Shoden)

The beginning of your reiki journey. This training focuses on healing the self and on the basics of healing others. You learn about the 3 diamond or the chakra depending on the lineage.

Reiki II (Okuden)

Where students learn three mantras and symbols that support you in focusing energy. You learn to practice with Earth, Heaven, and Heart Ki, as explore the basics of developing a professional treatment practice.

Reiki III (Shinpiden)

Where students learn the fourth mantra and symbol and how to perform attunements. You move deeper into their practice and what is means to live reiki. Eventually, you may establish a professional teaching practice after ample self-practice and sharing Reiki with others.

Whether you come to Reiki for inner balance, spiritual growth, or a renewed connection to your true essence, Reiki can support you in your healing. Experience the beauty of Reiki for yourself and invite peace and wellness into your body and mind.

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I'm Roseleen

Your guide to navigating those life shaping moments.

All of my work is shaped by the beauty and wisdom held within nature. We grow by learning to be relationship with ourselves and nature so you can be your most present, aligned and embodied self.

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