My Reiki Journey
Very early on in my journey, when I returned to Toronto and wanted to incorporate more of healing in my daily life, a mentor advised me to try out different healing modalities. Reiki was one of the first I found.
In early 2016, I signed up for my first one-on-one reiki treatment, a prerequisite for the Reiki I workshop, and took the two-day beginner workshop just a few days later.
Despite knowing little about it, I had no doubt about its healing qualities. I sometimes know things in ways I cannot adequately explain, and I knew this was the right thing for me.
After receiving an attunement from my teacher Vivian Osal, my first exercise was feeling and playing with the energy between my hands. The sensations were magnetic, palpable and undeniable. I learned basic theory, how to work with a client, and practiced on other students.
Reiki involves being a conduit for universal life force energy to flow through you for another person (the client). It is known as a safe modality with no risks, as the energy is not from the reiki practitioner, who serves as a facilitator.
I could feel the universal life force energy flowing through until the energy stopped and I knew it was time to move to the next position.
I remember feeling really psyched that I had just learned a tool that could help me help myself, without relying on others. Honestly, it has been such an incredible gift.
Immediately after, I practiced reiki on myself near daily for about two years before I split my time between a few other modalities. The workshop taught me basic skills that I evolved with my own practice.
In my experience, reiki gives me what I need in any given moment:
Practicing daily in the morning has allowed me to start the day feeling fresh, grounded and clear headed, similar to how I feel after a deep meditation.
Practicing before bed helps me release tension and ease into rest. During periods of insomnia, when my brain feels overly active, reiki helps me sleep through the night. Doing reiki as a bedtime practice is my current norm, since I now spend my mornings meditating.
Practicing when I had physical ailments or bad health supported my recovery. It felt energetically supportive, complementing physio and other modern treatments.
Healing is a very personal experience and looks different for everyone. For myself, it has felt consistently nourishing and energizing in the way of providing a sort of clarity and vitality. Others have reported feeling waves of energy, gaining insights in a sort of deep meditative state, crying as emotions flow through, a boost of vitality during periods of prolonged and serious illness, and falling asleep to wake up feeling refreshed.
Personally, I like reiki because of its gentle simplicity. The energy flows where it needs to go and the client gets the support they need based on a sort of universal wisdom. There is no risk to client or practitioner.
I approach each reiki session with respect and appreciation for having access to this incredible energy.
Intention is always key. For me, the preparation begins before a session. I do my best to make sure I am calm, grounded and focused on doing what’s best for the client before and during a session.
Offering reiki is for me a way to support more healing in my communities.
More information about reiki can be found here.
Book a session with me here.
