I ‘m renovating and spring cleaning, but not only my house. I’m taking care of some personal housekeeping as well.
Instead of hammering in nails and painting a room, I shaped and painted my toe nails. Instead of buying storage totes, I bought a new shirt. Instead of mudding walls, I did a Black Sea mud facial. Instead of new track lighting, I got hair highlights. Instead of rearranging furniture, I booked a Reiki session.
While highlights and nail polish are relatively commonplace, Reiki is something totally new to me. I booked it on a recommendation from my hairdresser. (Not surprisingly, personal spring cleaning/renovations parallel home renovations, since one project typically leads to doing four more.)
I went to the Reiki appointment with no expectations or knowledge, but I promptly started Googling when I got home.
Rei means “spirit” and ki means “life force energy.” Reiki then means “spiritually guided life force energy.” It is a Japanese technique used for relaxing, reducing stress, and all kinds of healing.
I lay down on the massage table, with soothing meditation-type music playing and scented candles burning in the room. Covered by blankets, I felt like I was in a comfortable cocoon.
The Reiki Masters started their work. (I should note that usually it is one practitioner, but I found a group of ladies locally who practice in a group of three — at the same cost as one).
One started by holding my left foot, one my right hand, one my neck. They were silent, and they moved their hands inches over my body, sometimes touching me, sometimes not.
I had my eyes closed, but could often sense their hovering hands. At one point, I experienced a jolt down my leg. Another time, when one of them was over my heart, I saw an image of my heart beating, in yellow. Regardless of what was or wasn’t happening, I was melting into the table and had a hard time figuring out if I was asleep or not.
After about 35 minutes, I was told the session was over. I would have happily paid another $30 to have a concurrent session. After I got up (slowly) they told me about what they had seen during the treatment.
The Reiki Masters told me they balanced and flowed energy through my seven chakras, or energy centres. They told me the colours they saw, and the areas they were guided to focus on. One of the women, who typically has visions, shared possible animal totems with me.
They told me that they call on their angels and guardians to give them the energy that they flow into me. The energy then travels to where it is needed to clear blockages or help in healing.
When they talked of the healing from Reiki, they referenced spiritual, physical, and emotional healing. Since I can’t say I was experiencing any particular pain, I can’t comment on the healing value. But I will say it was a wonderfully relaxing experience where I was drifting in and out of purple-and blue-framed dreams.
The Masters also mentioned that the Reiki goes with you; in other words, the energy will continue to flow and benefit recipients after the treatment — so perhaps the healing value will become more apparent after some time has passed.
Since going for my first Reiki treatment, I’ve been hearing about it more and more. I’ve been told that people have found themselves crying or laughing during sessions, or like me, catching some Zs or relaxing deeply.
Some people use it to help recover after breast cancer, relieve whiplash pain, purge emotional wounds, and make spiritual connections. While no one suggests that this is a standalone treatment, Reiki might be one more tool to consider in personal renovation and spring cleaning arsenals.
When planning your next garage sale and starting to move boxes around your house or apartment, think about moving some energy around as well.
After all, the worst case scenario is trying something new, having a story to tell, taking time to relax, and getting to be the focus of at least one person’s undivided attention for an hour.
The best case scenario is that “healing hands” may rearrange your energy furniture into the most comfortable room configuration you’ve known in a while.