By Jeff Baird, Sunrise Reiki Colorado
My client is now on the table with the bolster under her knees and is covered with a light blanket. She is wearing an eye pillow as the soft music begins to play. I check on her comfort level and she tells me that she is very comfy and ready for the Reiki session to begin. I sit down on the roller stool positioned behind her head, ground myself, put Holy Water on my hands and say a prayer for the session. “Please be with me as I share Reiki with (client’s name) and deliver what is for her highest good. Amen.”
My comfort is also important. If a Reiki practitioner is not comfortable and grounded, most of the energy will go to the practitioner, rather than to the Reiki recipient. I use a small tube pillow to position under my forearms. Reiki is spiritually guided and always goes where it needs to go. I pause for a moment and say “Reiki” three times or “Reiki on.” I place both of my hands at the top of her head. With my hands in this position, my goal is to slow her emotional “wheels” down and deliver a gentle, soothing feeling that relaxes her and will build as the session continues.
After a while, I cup my hands around her crown as the Reiki flows. This hand position brings a feeling of love and safety as I cradle her head. Then, I place my hands over her ears. Many of my clients love this part of the session the most as Reiki clears out their ears from all negative things they have heard. Reiki cleans the slate. The amount of time that I spend at my client’s head is determined by the emotional situation. When I have worked on people with PTSD, a great deal of time is spent here. Reiki clears the mind and always delivers feelings of peace, love and hope.
Prior to the session, I asked the client if they would prefer that I lightly touch them or that my hands hover over them. How they receive Reiki is entirely up to them. To date, I have never had a client ask me to hover. My touch is so light and gentle and I am very careful about avoiding delicate areas of the body, whether it be a person’s private parts or a painful area. For example, when I have worked on breast cancer survivors, I always hover over the breast area. During a recent session, I spent a lot of time working on the client’s throat chakra. I placed one of my hands at the top of her head and the other hovered over her throat area. Again, my client’s comfort is always at the very top of my list.
During a Reiki session, I am guided and led to different areas. My Guides have a way of gently nudging me and giving me direction. After the session, I may tell a client that I was being drawn to their knees. This is very common as knees are about moving forward. It could be that the client is having a hard time moving forward in a relationship, job or a deep, personal objective that is stalled. Reiki helps us move forward in areas that are for our Highest Good. Maybe we need to end a relationship or leave a job. Whatever the situation, Reiki shines a light and helps us navigate issues where we need to make a decision and then make a move if it’s meant to be.
As the session continues, I focus on where I am led as well as where the client told me about specific sensitive or painful areas, while ensuring that I am covering their entire body. I have also lightly tapped my Singing Pyramid a couple of times and held it over their head for clarity and also at their feet for grounding.
Halfway through the session, I will ask the client if they are comfortable lying on their stomach. They have been holding stones or crystals in their hands and will continue to do so as they turn over. If someone is lacking love and really needs a boost, I may have them hold Rose Quartz in one hand. White Selenite may be held in their other hand for clarity, overall cleansing, purification and spiritual connection. It all depends on the client’s needs and what crystal can help by enhancing the Reiki session. My precious stone and crystal collection is always growing and I listen carefully to the client and my Guides to determine which gem is best for the situation.
While the client is turning over, I make sure that they are comfortable and make any necessary adjustments to the bolster and blanket. The pillow they were using has been taken off the table. They are now lying on their stomach and their face is in the cradle, which is covered with a light cover or a padded one, depending on their preference. After they are settled, I spend more time at the top of their head, ensuring that by turning over, they are still very relaxed and at ease, without interruption. I might spend another 5-10 minutes at their crown before moving to the next area.
I have given Reiki sessions in all kinds of environments – barns, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, community centers, senior living communities, spas, under trees, by streams and even in parking lots. In these cases, it is not always possible to have a client turn over halfway through a session. However, when someone comes to my office, I make a point of sharing Reiki with them while they are on their back and on their stomach. The only time this is not my approach is when someone is more comfortable sitting in a chair. In any case, Reiki always delivers what we need most as it helps us heal physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Part Three of “One of my Reiki sessions” will follow this article.