Wellness Wednesday: Reiki – Understanding How It Works, Benefits, and What to Expect During a Session
PUBLISHED September 23rd, 2020 05:00 am | UPDATED September 28th, 2020 01:03 am
Whether it’s the comforting touch of a friend’s hand resting on your shoulder or the warm embrace of a loved one, it’s clear that the power of touch is profound. In this edition of Wellness Wednesday, we delve deeper into Reiki – the century-old art of ancient touch healing said to be great in complementing Western medicine – with Singapore-based practitioner Stephanie Schueller.
What is Reiki?
Established over 100 years ago by Dr. Mikao Usui, a distinguished Japanese scholar that studied Buddhism, martial arts, and Kiko (a Japanese form of qi gong), Reiki is a Japanese phrase made up of the words meaning “universal life force” and “energy”.
Dr. Usui desired a method of healing that was unattached to any specific religion and religious belief – so that his system would be accessible to everyone. It was this desire that led to this art of hands-on energy healing that targets stagnant energy in and around the body where there has been physical injury or emotional pain. Since then, his teachings have been taught and passed down through the International Usui Reiki Network.
How It Works
Known to improve the flow of energy throughout the body, Reiki is also said to enable relaxation, reduce pain, speed up healing and reduce symptoms of various illnesses. During a session, the practitioner will place his or her hands on certain areas of the client’s body using specific positions, covering main organs or essential body systems.
Once the practitioner’s hands are in contact with the body, energy begins to flow to the areas according to the client’s needs. What’s most interesting about Reiki is that your body’s own inner wisdom will decide where the energy is most needed.
Benefits
Reiki is a gentle and completely safe form of healing, making it suitable for adults, children and babies alike. Pet or plant parents will be pleased to know that Reiki has also proven to be beneficial for animals and all sorts of flora too! As wide-ranging the benefits of Reiki are, you don’t necessarily need to show up with a problem. Even those who are well will enjoy its relaxing and meditative effects.
Some of the advantages of Reiki include chronic pain relief, speeding up the body’s self-healing ability, detoxification and support of the immune system, promoting a natural balance between the body, mind and spirit, improving focus, and better sleep.
What To Expect
The initial consultation with your practitioner only takes a few minutes and is part of the first session. The practitioner will ask you what your objective for the session is, be it a specific illness, pain or emotional issue you’d like to work on.
Throughout the session, you will be fully dressed in comfortable clothing and lying on a treatment table. People claim that afterwards, they feel refreshed and extremely relaxed – something in-between a waking and sleep state. Some even feel as though they achieve greater mental clarity.
The way you experience the energy passed on through Reiki may be different from that of another person’s. It could be experienced as a warm, cold, or tingling, or elicit no sensation at all; the difference in sensation occurs due to the amount of energy flow varying from individual to individual. For example, more energy will flow for someone with an illness or pain than someone who is healthy, but however the flow of energy feels for you, you’ll almost always feel a relief or release after your session.
After The Initial Appointment
Relaxation sets in pretty much immediately after your session. While Stephanie has seen clients leave her practice pain free after one session, like all therapy, the number of sessions required to fully address a specific problem will depend on its severity.
How regularly one might want to attend follow up sessions will also differ. To give a rough idea, stress-related issues may require regular weekly sessions for one month, while chronic pain or more series illnesses may need treatment over a longer period of time.
This article is written in collaboration with State of Reiki‘s Stephanie Schueller and Core Collective, a community where top fitness and wellness professionals collaborate to deliver the best services and results under one roof. Originally from Austria, Stephanie is a certified Reiki Practitioner and was taught the authentic Usui method of Reiki as it was founded and taught by Dr Mikao Usui in the early 1900s. Get in touch with Stephanie here.
Top image by Diego PH on Unsplash, all other images courtesy of Core Collective.
