The Benefits of Self-Reiki
My Experience with Self-Reiki
You may have seen that in addition to being an LCSW, I’m also a level II Reiki practitioner. I have personally seen how much self-Reiki can help clients in their self-care in addition to their spiritual development. I also love self-Reiki for how versatile and intuitive it is.
I originally became interested in Reiki because I was going through a difficult job transition and wasn’t feeling very stable. After my first Reiki session, I felt so much more in tune with my body and its needs. I felt grounded and more connected to myself and my environment. A random thing that I remember is that I had a desire to drink tea, practice some yoga and have a healthy meal after the session! These were not things that I would naturally gravitate to at the time.
Why Should I Practice Self-Reiki?
I would encourage anyone that constantly feels like they’re “buzzing” or like they’re crawling out of their skin often to give self-Reiki a try. Self-Reiki can be especially beneficial for the highly sensitive as it can help us protect and replenish our energy.
While getting a Reiki service is awesome and relaxing, the real benefits of Reiki can come from incorporating it into a daily practice of your own. For clients that are interested, I teach them self-Reiki that they can use for their own self-care.
Setting the Intention For Your self-Reiki session
One of the first things to keep in mind when starting a self-Reiki session is your intention. What is your intention for the session? Are you looking for more clarity or more guidance? Are you looking for some type of pain relief? Going in with an intention helps you stay focused and will help you feel more of the benefits from the session.
After you set an intention, you can put your hands in a prayer position over your heart to further your intention and to say a prayer. Then, you can put your hands up to your third eye (parallel to your forehead) and ask the universal energy to go where it needs to go.
Hands on or Hands Off During A Self-Reiki Session?
Typically, people place their hands on different parts of their body from their head to their feet. You don’t have to do the hand movements if they’re too distracting. The energy will go where it needs to go because it’s an intuitive process. You can place your hands where they’re most comfortable. You can sit in a chair or lay on a bed.
If you decide to do the different hand positions, it may be helpful to think about how the hand positions correspond to the different chakras in the body. This helps me to focus on the needs of those specific areas. For instance, the third eye is all about intuition, connection with the divine, your higher self and just feeling connected to the universe in general. When my hands are over my eyes (literal eyes), I’m focusing on my third eye and what my needs may be for that chakra.
Your Breath During A Self-Reiki Session
Just a quick word about your breath. It can be helpful to focus on your breathing during a self-Reiki session as this can help you get into a more relaxed state to ensure you’re reaping the benefits. Try belly breathing. Breathe in through your nose and fill up your belly. Engaging in belly breathing will help get your body into the parasympathetic zone, which is one of the goals of self-Reiki. Try not to breathe into your chest. Hold your breath for 2 seconds and let it out through your mouth. One way to practice this is to put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. If you are breathing correctly, your belly should be expanding while your chest stays relatively still in comparison.
Using Visualizations During A Self-Reiki Session
As you go through the practice, you can use some visualization to help deepen your experience and feel more absorbed in the session. I visualize pulling bright white light from the sky and directing it towards me with my hands during the session. For me, this results in a warm feeling in that area. You can also imagine the color of the specific chakra that you’re working on and visualize the color getting brighter and brighter. I’ve also associated colors that occur naturally in nature with the chakras, so for example since the third eye is indigo, I think of the night sky. As you practice self-Reiki more, you will develop a personal connection with the practice.
Experiment With Your Preferences
Like I was talking about before, you can choose whether you sit up during your self- Reiki session or lay down and whether you use the hand positions or not. You can also decide if you want to have music on or not. There are so many options when it comes to music. You may want to listen to nature sounds, drumming, Binaural beats or solfeggio frequencies to name a few. You may also want to think about whether you want to use essential oils or burn incense during your self-Reiki session to help engage more of your senses. Some people also use crystals during their practice. None of these things are necessary to benefit from your self-Reiki practice but can be fun to experiment.
I Wish you a happy self-Reiki session!
Written By: Robin Suzanne LCSW
Disclaimer: This website, turquoiseowltherapy.com and this blog should not be used to replace mental health or medical care. . If you have a medical or mental health condition please contact your physician or a mental health professional.