What It Feels Like

Reiki works like a thermostat that regulates the body. Much like a furnace that automatically turns on and off to regulate the temperature, Reiki flows slowly or rapidly-as needed–to dispense balancing energies. Like a pendulum swinging back and forth, Reiki sometimes moves erratically, other times smoothly. These fluctuations of ki energy churning within us can often be felt as pins-and-needles tingling, hot flashes, goose bumps, chills, throbbing, etc.

During a Reiki treatment, both the Reiki practitioner and the recipient may feel Reiki sensations. A practitioner’s hands will often heat up as a result of the flow coursing through his palms. The recipient frequently feels sleepy and yawns repeatedly as incoming Reiki energies soothe and calm pent-up emotional tension and stress.

You may experience any of the following sensations during a Reiki session: heat or coolness, pins-and-needle tingling, vibrational buzzing, electrical sparks, numbness, throbbing, itchiness, and sleepiness.

Some people are more in tune with their bodies than others and will be able to share fantastic stories about feeling the different sensations that occur while using Reiki. They will talk about experiencing imagery, kinesthesia, and/or inner voices while either giving or receiving Reiki.

You May Not Feel Anything

Reiki sensations can be very subtle and may be overlooked, but with continued practice most people will begin to notice even the slightest shifts of energy. A few people will seldom, if ever, feel anything with Reiki beyond the tactile sensation of hands-to-body touch.

Fortunately, Reiki works whether you feel it or not. If you are having difficulty feeling sensations while giving a Reiki treatment, try closing your eyes. Keeping your eyes shut eliminates visual distractions, which will help you focus more on the person and the sensations.

Hot and Cold Hands

It is often taught that after receiving your Reiki Level I attunements you will develop hot hands. Having hot hands is supposedly a credible sign that the attunement worked and that you are now officially a channel for Reiki. Experiencing hot hands may very well indicate that Reiki has been awakened and you are now a genuine, functioning Reiki conduit. But if you do not experience hot hands, does that indicate nothing has happened and that your attunement was a failure? Not at all. Every person’s attunement experience is unique. Being told that you need to experience hot hands or that your experience was somehow deficient because it was different from that of others is greatly misleading.

Always wash your hands with soap and water before applying Reiki. Avoid fragrant soaps and lotions, especially if the person you are treating may be allergic to the aromatic chemicals used in those products. If your hands are naturally cold, briskly rub your palms together for several seconds to warm them up before beginning treatment.

Temperature Variations

For some Reiki practitioners, hand temperature may change as they are giving Reiki treatments. These changes range from burning hot to icy cold. Sometimes, the practitioner’s and the recipient’s perception of the temperature will be different. For instance, as you are giving Reiki, you may feel that you’re burning up, but your recipient may feel coolness from your touch. Or, it may be that you are experiencing cold hands, while the recipient may comment on the warmth of your hands.

Extrahealing Hands

Here is an experience that is not at all uncommon. Some Reiki recipients may feel that additional practitioners are participating in the Reiki session. For instance, one woman reported that during a one-on-one session with the Reiki practitioner, she had felt two additional pairs of hands placed upon her body.

One possible explanation of the “extrahealing hands” sensation according to some belief systems is that healing spirit guides are present…. Maureen J. Kelly, author of Reiki and the Healing Buddha, says the sensations of the hands that Reiki practitioners experience can be explained by the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. If the practitioner’s hands are hot, it indicates the recipient’s body has too much yang energy. If the hands are cold, the body has too much yin energy.

The Reiki Pulse

The pulsating sensation of Reiki can be felt in all parts of your body, but especially in the palms of your hands. This is because the palms are the outlets of Reiki energy. Reiki is like an anxious mother waiting at the door with open arms for her children to come home. Reiki wants to flow out of your hands and be put to good use. As soon as you place your hands on yourself or someone else, Reiki automatically turns on.

After you are attuned to Reiki, you become a walking generator of sorts. Your body will heat up and start spewing out healing energies whenever you are near anyone who is receptive to Reiki. This feeling can overwhelm the newly attuned person, especially if he or she had not been advised beforehand that this could happen. Your immediate reaction may be to place your hands on the person, but this is not recommended. Never assume that you have the right to go up to a person and touch him or her just because your body’s sensations are telling you that he or she is open to it. Always ask first.

You do not need to lay your hands on the person for Reiki to flow over to him or her. Simply put a smile on your face and allow Reiki to do all the transference; just being aware that you are a conduit for Reiki is sufficient. The receptive person doesn’t need to be aware that anything is happening.

If you are among a crowd of people, such as sitting in a movie theater or shopping at the market, you probably won’t be certain to whom the Reiki is actually flowing. Accept your role as a Reiki channel and try not to get caught up in a need-to-know mindset. It is not important to know where the Reiki is going. Simply let it flow. After a while, you won’t even pay attention when Reiki is flowing from you because it will become a routine occurrence.

Healers who are familiar with the healing properties of gemstones will sometimes combine the healing energies of specific crystals in their Reiki sessions with clients. Metals, on the other hand, are conductors of energy and will absorb Reiki, potentially cheating the receiver of the full benefit. Magnetic jewelry also presents a problem, as it may polarize the Reiki energy.

Balls of Pulsating Energy

There may be times when Reiki will ball up in your hands, creating a circling orb of energy.  Imagine having a tennis ball glued to the palm of your hand. No matter how hard you try, you cannot shake it off. Now, imagine that this tennis ball is a living organism that has a pulse.

Experiencing these pulsating balls of energy in your hands can be an odd or even disturbing sensation, but there is nothing to worry about. Reiki isn’t flowing anywhere outside of you, because there is no specific place for it to go. However, this may very well be an indication that self-Reiki is needed. Take advantage of this excess of energy in your hands and place your hands on your body. Allowing the Reiki to flow into your body should help reduce or release the ball of energy from your palms.

Anytime you feel an excess of energy building up in your body, you can take advantage of this by infusing inanimate objects with Reiki. Placing Reiki inside objects transforms them into healing instruments. Reiki can be put into any object by holding the object between your hands and allowing Reiki energies to pour into it. Reiki Level II practitioners can also place Reiki symbols, along with their energies, into these objects, making them become even more powerful. Any of the following objects may be filled with Reiki:

• Reiki your bed pillow, filling it with Reiki energies for a restful night’s sleep.
• Reiki your bath water-nothing feels more soothing than soaking in a Reiki

bath.

• Reiki your lamps and light bulbs-their illuminations will have a Reiki glow!
• Reiki your aromatherapy candles, incense sticks, and flower essences.
• Reiki your shampoo, skin lotions, and toothpaste.
• Reiki your vitamins and prescription medications.
• Reiki your shoes–this will be a special treat for your feet.
• Reiki your computer to reduce the number of system crashes.
• Reiki your telephone to help you be more patient with disruptive callers.

Vibrating Hands

Water pipes expand and contract to accommodate the water as it flows through them. In this same manner your body also adjusts to the flow of Reiki being channeled through your body. When Reiki is being drawn out of your palms at a faster rate or in larger proportions than you are accustomed to, you may experience your hands vibrating. The vibration occurs as a result of the Reiki gushing through your body so quickly that it gets backed up into your hands. Reiki is trying to get out and go where it needs to go, but the openings in your palms are too narrow to pass it on efficiently.

This is not an insurmountable problem. You’ve done nothing wrong, so there is no need to be overly concerned. Aside from being uncomfortable, the shakiness in your hands is merely signifying that the person receiving Reiki from you is in great need. The recipient is sponging up Reiki as fast as he or she can get it.

Other Sensations

Aside from the vibrational sensation in your hands, you may also experience soreness in your wrists and the joints of your fingers. In treating people with severe illnesses, you may feel a powerful pulling of Reiki energies from your neck, shoulders, and down your arms as well. If you find channeling greater volumes of Reiki painful or uncomfortable when treating someone, remove your hands from the recipient from time to time to give your hands a chance to rest. You can alternate – ten minutes hands on, ten minutes hands off, and so on.

Facilitating the Flow

Reiki flows in the direction of the easiest pathway. When the natural course of a river comes up against a dam, the water pools up in that area until it either breaks through the blockade or reroutes itself by traveling around the obstacle, moving through to the next available open channel.

Reiki is just like a river. Its energies flow through our bodies, following the most natural path in filling us up. The hand placements used to administer Reiki allow the energy to enter the body through different channels. 

There are tweIve basic hand placements that are used in giving a full-body Reiki treatment–four placements on the head, four on the front of the body, and four pIacements on the back of the body. Applying Reiki for five minutes in each of these placements helps to distribute Reiki evenly over the whole body. However, when hands are placed on one area, sometimes the person will experience hot spots elsewhere. For example, you may have your hands placed on the person’s throat, yet the person will feel a trickling of energy running down one or both of her legs. Always know that Reiki goes where it needs to go.

Dealing with Blockages

As you move your hands through the various hand placements, you may come to a position on the body that feels blocked. When you no longer feel Reiki flowing from your palms, your first impulse may be to move on to the next hand placement-but hold on. Blocked areas are denser and often need more attention given to them. Sometimes all you will need to do is shift your hands an inch or two from that position, either up or down, in order to get Reiki to start flowing again. If this doesn’t work, be patient. Keep your hands on the recipient’s body where you sense Reiki is being blocked for a full five minutes before moving along.

In Tune with Your Etheric Hand

No pressure is to be applied to the body when giving Reiki. Place your hands gently on the body. However, there may be situations when your hands might feel as if they are actually sinking deeply into the body while giving Reiki. This sinking or magnetic pulling sensation happens when your etheric hand extends itself into the deep tissues.

During a Reiki treatment, you may sense a waft of fragrance. It has been said that this can be an indication that a spirit guide, angelic being, or Ascended Master is visiting your session. Some reported sensing Mrs. Hawayo Takata’s presence through a subtle floral fragrance.

Removing your physical hand before your etheric hand has retracted itself to join the physical hand can cause a disruption in the healing session. If your hands feel like they are stuck to the body, it is likely that this kind of deeper etheric healing is occurring. It is advantageous to keep your hands in position for an extended period while this deeper healing work is being done. If it is not feasible for you to keep your hands in position due to time constraints or some other unavoidable reason, be sure to remove your hands slowly without any abrupt movements. Take care to be as gentle as possible.

A Vessel That Never Empties

When you are giving a Reiki treatment to someone, you are giving your time and your intent to assist: you are not giving away any of your own energy. Reiki is in infinite supply. It never runs out. As a Reiki practitioner you are making yourself available as a vessel through which Reiki can be accessed.

During and after giving a Reiki treatment, you may feel a variety of emotions. These feelings can run the gamut from exhaustion to exhilaration, or something in between. However, these feelings have not occurred because you have been drained of energy. Something else is going on. It is possible that you were in great need of Reiki yourself and, by giving Reiki to another person, you also received Reiki. Reiki will always attend to the practitioner’s needs as well as the recipient’s. Reiki always offers a double treatment. If you routinely feel tired after giving Reiki to someone else, this is an indication that you need to focus on self-treatments for a while. After attending to your own needs, you will feel better and more capable of sharing Reiki with others.

Feeling the Pain of Others

If a practitioner is empathic touching other people may cause her to (Ed. appear to) develop mirrored illnesses. However, having empathic abilities is not a requirement of Reiki, nor does it enhance Reiki’s effectiveness. Empaths need to learn that the ability to “take on” or “feel” another person’s pain or emotions is best used as a diagnostic tool. Don’t hold on to the empathetic feelings–they must be released as soon as possible.

People with empathic natures are also known as highly sensitive people, ultrasensitive people, or people with “overexcitabilities.” According to the research of Jim and Amy Hallowes, highly sensitive people, or HSP, make up 15 to 20 percent of the world’s population.

Ed.  Note – Being an empath is not related to Reiki. If you are also an empath, however, do take extra care and see suggestions in this section.

When you find yourself feeling the sensations of someone else’s emotions or pains within your own body, take some gentle, deep breaths and ask the person you are treating to take a few deep breaths as well. This should help break up the blocked energy so that you can continue the treatment without continued discomfort.

Perception Techniques

Reiji Ho and Byosen Reikan Ho are two Reiki techniques taught in Japan. These techniques focus the practitioner on perceiving sensations within the body of the person being treated. You can learn how to develop your intuitive abilities and use intent when treating illness and imbalance. The learning process is gradual, as you continue to practice giving Reiki treatments to others.

Byosen Reikan Ho

Byosen Reikan Ho is a scanning technique that is done before and after a Reiki session. The practitioner’s hands are moved over the body without touching the person, to detect dis-eases and imbalances. This technique can be used to detect and treat dis-ease that has not yet manifested in the body. It is also used to treat residual toxins from past illnesses as a preventative measure against reoccurrence. Byosen Reikan Ho is not a diagnostic procedure, but a technique performed to locate and treat illness.

Reiji Ho

Reiji Ho is the intuitive ability to know where imbalances are in the body without touching it. The practitioner’s hands are intuitively led to areas and specific spots on which to lay his or her hands in order to facilitate a healing.

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Articles in this issue:
- Become an Amazing Reiki Teacher
- I Am Boundlessness
- Human Light Technology
- Rituals in Reiki
- Prescription Reiki Update: Awake
- Giving Thanks, A Season of Giving

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a spiritual healing art with its roots in Japanese origin. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word (Rei) which means “Universal Life” and (Ki) which means “Energy”. Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice. It is not massage nor is it based on belief or suggestion. It is a subtle and effective form of energy healing using spiritually guided life force energy.

Reiki is the life energy that flows through all living things. Reiki Practitioners understand that everyone has the ability to connect with their own healing energy and use it to strengthen energy in themselves and help others. It is believed that a person’s “ki” or energy should be strong and free flowing. When this is true a person’s body and mind is in a positive state of health. When the energy becomes weak or blocked it could lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance.

A Reiki session can help ease tension and stress and can help support the body to facilitate healing on all levels – physical, mental, and emotional. A session is pleasant and relaxing and is often utilized for one’s personal wellness and not just for an illness.

HISTORY

Reiki is believed to have been associated with Mikao Usui who is credited with rediscovering the root system now called Reiki. His tradition and methods were passed through several grandmasters of Reiki. Today, Reiki takes many forms, however, The Usui System of Natural Healing is still the form most widely practiced. Practitioners and Master Teachers are trained through an initiation process where Masters pass on their knowledge and expertise to their students.

DESCRIPTION OF A TYPICAL SESSION

A session is usually 60 to 90 minutes long. A discussion will usually take place during an initial  session with a Reiki Practitioner. They will describe the session to the client, give the client an opportunity to discuss any particular problems or issues they are experiencing and ask them what they are hoping to achieve from their session. For the actual session, the client will rest comfortably on a massage table on their back with their shoes removed. Reiki can be performed with the client sitting comfortably in a chair as well. Unlike massage therapy, no articles of clothing are removed and a client is always fully clothed; loose, comfortable clothing is suggested. A session can either be hands-on, where a Practitioner will apply a light touch during the session, or hands-off where they will hold their hands slightly above your body. If a client prefers not to be touched they can indicate this to the practitioner before they begin.

The session will then proceed with the Reiki Practitioner moving through specific standard Reiki hand positions beginning at the person’s head or feet. A recipient of Reiki might feel a warming sensation or a tingling during the session or nothing at all but sheer relaxation. The session should be very pleasant, relaxing and invigorating.

WHAT IS IT USED TO TREAT?

Reiki is a great tool for stress reduction and relaxation. Many people use Reiki for wellness, not just to assist in healing. Reiki is not a cure for a disease or illness, but it may assist the body in creating an environment that may facilitate healing. Reiki is a great tool to use in complement to traditional medicine and is practiced in many hospitals and medical care settings.

Many times a client, after experiencing Reiki treatments, will wish to learn Reiki to treat themselves by taking a Reiki I course. This can be beneficial and can sometimes provide the number of treatments that are recommended for a more serious condition/issue when cost would prohibit it otherwise.

Please Note: Reiki is meant to be used as a complement to traditional care or as a personal relaxation or stress reducing tool. It is not a substitute for qualified medical or traditional care.

Reiki is a spiritual healing art. It is not massage nor is it based on belief or suggestion. A Reiki session usually is between 60 and 90 minutes in length. The session is performed by a Reiki Practitioner (RP or RMT) using specific Reiki hand positions. During a Reiki session, the client is fully clothed while comfortably reclining on a massage table or seated in a chair. A Reiki session aids in stress reduction and it is almost always a very relaxing experience. Reiki sessions or classes are a great investment in yourself.

Reiki is:

- A subtle and effective form of energy healing using spiritually guided life force energy (Rei-ki)

- Practiced in every country of the world

- Being used in many setting including hospitals, hospice, as well as in private practice

and in self-care

- A wonderful complementary modality in a personal wellness or healing program

Reiki is not:

- Affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice

- New. Reiki energy itself is thousands of years old (at least)

Defining qualities of Reiki:

- A practice of transmitting healing energy through the hands

- Passed on through the attunement process

- The energy is not guided by the practitioner, but the energy has it’s own innate wisdom

to guide itself.

- Reiki energy is not based on belief, faith or suggestion.

A Reiki session may help ease tension and stress and may help support the body to facilitate healing on all levels – physical, emotional and spiritual. A session is pleasant and relaxing and is most often utilized for one’s own personal wellness, not just illness. A Reiki I class is a great gift to give to yourself. To find a Reiki Practitioner or Reiki Master Teacher in your area of the world please see Find a Reiki Practitioner or Teacher.

Please Note: Reiki is meant to be used as a complement to traditional care or as a personal relaxation or stress reducing tool. It is not a substitute for qualified medical or traditional care.

By Kathie Lipinski

As a Reiki Master-Teacher, I have been working with Reiki energy for nine years and am always amazed at the questions people ask about Reiki, their perceptions and misconceptions of what it is, what it does, and how it works. In this article I would like to share with you what I believe about Reiki.

I believe that there is an invisible life force that surrounds and permeates all living things. This universal life force energy animates all living things, gives order to our world, and is the underlying creative intelligence of the universe. The Japanese know it as Ki, the Chinese refer to it as Chi, in Sanskrit it is referred to as Prana, and in Hawaiian is called Ti or Ki. It has also been called bioplasma, orgone and odic force.

Reiki (pronounced RAY-key) is a high vibrational form of this universal life force energy similar to light energy. It is also a precise method for connecting to the universal life force energy for healing as well as managing every day life.

Reiki is spiritually guided life force energy. This means that it has a higher intelligence, knows what the person needs, and is guided by the Higher power or Higher self of the person. A person receiving a Reiki treatment gets what they need at the time. It brings the highest healing for all concerned and this is where many people get confused about Reiki.

Reiki is a balancing energy. What is in excess, Reiki lessens (like pain). What is lacking, Reiki increases and fills. So one can say that Reiki restores and balances one’s physical, mental, and emotional energies. It puts one’s physical body in the best condition to promote healing. When people are anxious, Reiki relaxes them. When they are in pain, Reiki can reduce or eliminate it. When people are emotionally upset, Reiki can calm them and balance their emotions so that they can see their situation and problems more clearly.

One of the misconceptions about Reiki is that many people think that one session will cure their disease, eliminate their problems, or calm anxieties forever. In reality, Reiki is not a one shot deal. People don’t get the way they are in one day. There has been a lifetime of bad habits, fearful or anxious thoughts, poor eating habits, etc. Like any chronic disease or condition, it takes time and many treatments to bring the body back to balance. And this is the major reason that Reiki practitioners encourage their clients to take Reiki training so that they can give themselves (as well as friends and family) every day.

(Note: I have seen cases where one treatment was enough to unblock the blockage; change the person’s life; heal the unhealable, etc. I believe that these people had a spontaneous healing because they were ready, had the right frame of mind, and were willing to do the work necessary for their own healing.)

The other misconception is that a Reiki practitioner will “fix” me. A Reiki practitioner acts only as a channel to bring this universal energy to a person. It is the person who is responsible for their own healing. A skilled Reiki practitioner can facilitate healing and guide you through the process, but if you don’t do your human homework (get counseling, change eating behaviors, change negative thinking, change the way you treat people, get out of a relationship, etc.) you may not see the changes you desire.

The reason that Reiki works is that it connects the universal life force energy with the body’s innate (inborn) powers of healing. Reiki also induces the relaxation response and puts the body in the best condition for healing. And we know that it is the body that eventually heals itself. The body’s innate intelligence regulates the amount of Reiki that one receives and where it goes so one cannot give or receive too much Reiki.

Reiki speeds up the process of healing and can be used in conjunction with many medical technologies, and therapies, as well as psychological counseling, to bring about healing. It is not a substitute for medical care. Reiki is not a religion; it is a way to focus energy as well as an energy source that one may tap into. Reiki energy can be used for physical problems, mental or emotional conditions, and for sending healing to those at a distance (this is taught in Second degree Reiki.) Reiki is much like prayer. You focus on the person that you want to send healing to, bring in Reiki energy, and “send” it across time and space.

The best part of Reiki is that it is not just about healing others; it is about healing yourself. And we all know that we need to take care of ourselves and heal ourselves before we can truly help others. A person can use Reiki every day (or several times a day) to help heal situations, physical problems, emotional problems, calm anxiety, send blessings, give thanks, etc.

Reiki is for real people. You don’t have to be spiritually evolved or the most intelligent person. Anyone can go through the training and work with the energy of Reiki. My children have had Reiki since they were four and seven years of age (children are pure channels and work easily with Reiki energy.) My husband is also a Reiki practitioner and we give each other Reiki whenever we can.

Reiki is a wonderful gift that families can learn. Those that are taking care of loved ones who have cancer, AIDS, or any serious or terminal condition can bring the healing energy of Reiki to them every day. They can also bring it to themselves to keep up their strength during this difficult time. Reiki has been known to make the transition to spirit easier for all concerned. Reiki can also be used to treat burns, headaches, clean out a person’s body before and after surgery, chemotherapy treatment, and help heal any aspect of their lives.

Reiki is a natural hands on healing art and is our birthright as human beings. We are all like houses wired for electricity. The Reiki training is the light switch that turns on the ability to channel this energy for ourselves or others. And it doesn’t take years of training. Once you are “initiated” or “empowered” by the Reiki Master Teacher, you can begin working with the Reiki energy immediately. The teacher provides you with basic information about Reiki, “turns on” the switch (ability) and teaches you the basic hand positions; but it is working with the energy that teaches you the most about Reiki.

Reiki is usually taught in three or four degrees (levels). Each degree builds upon the other and increases one’s ability to hold and channel this life force energy. Reiki has been known to change people’s lives, increase creativity, and put one on their true path. It gives each person exactly what they need at the time.

And that is what Reiki is all about: trusting in divine order; trusting in the process of healing and trusting that you will receive exactly what you need at just the right time. Reiki is a hands on healing system as well as an energy source that restores balance and promotes healing on all levels; physical, mental and emotional. It always bring you your highest good.

Why not contact a Reiki practitioner in your area for a Reiki session and find out what its all about for yourself. Then you can experience what Reiki really is.