When is a good time to receive Reiki treatment?

One of the things I discuss with my students is what time of day is the best time to do self Reiki treatment.  I have found for myself that it's a great way to start the day.  I'm not a morning

Reiki self treatment: a great way to start the day

person - or at least I used not to be.  Now that I start my day with a Reiki self treatment before I get up, I find I'm able to get up more easily!  Treating myself while I'm are still in bed helps to set the tone for the day: I begin in a calm and centred space instead of leaping out of bed into the maelstrom of the day unprepared and flustered!

However some people find that another time of day is better for them: to unwind after work or at the end of the day to help them sleep.  Several of my Reiki students who had sleep problems before learning Reiki  found self treatment very helpful.  It's great being able to give yourself Reiki if you are wakeful in the middle of the night.  Instead of lying there worrying about not being asleep you can relax and heal and many people find they fall asleep without trying.  In fact most of the students who do their Reiki treatment when they go to bed at the end of the day never finish the sequence of hand positions because they fall asleep after just a few positions!

The most important thing, I tell my students, is that you practice self treatment at some time during the day.

There's also the question of when is a good time to recieve a Reiki treatment from someone else.  Often people come for Reiki when there's a crisis of some kind in their life, whether it's health related or emotional.  Certainly I first recieved Reiki after the sudden death of my father and found it a very good time to receive it.  It brought great comfort and peace of mind.  So when there's an acute problem is a good time to receive Reiki.

However I continued to receive Reiki after the initial crisis had passed.   When you have a chronic problem that you want to change is another good time to receive Reiki.  Many people are very stoical and put up with things for a long time. However it's also possible that if you don't ignore it, you and Reiki can change what you are suffering with.  It can't necesarily cure a health problem, but can bring comfort, peace and a sense of acceptance that relieves the suffering. 

I'm often asked how often to receive treatment too.  Mrs Takata (who brought us Reiki from Japan) would treat people daily.  Few Reiki practitioners offer this these days, but certainly when I've received Reiki treatments daily for a period of days it has  been wonderful and often transformative.  Most people receive treatment weekly, fortnightly or monthly, which is fine.  What Takata also taught is that "a little Reiki is alway s better than none", so no matter what the frequency (or infrequency) of receiving Reiki it is beneficial. 

So in my experience any time is a good time to receive Reiki: whether it's you're daily practice or something that you receive occasionally.  The important thing is to receive Reiki sometimes!

Going for a Walk

Going for a walk

In addition to giving people Reiki treatments we are told that Hawayo Takata, the woman who brought Reiki from Japan to the West, would also give health advice to help people in their healing.  One of the suggestions she made was that people should walk for 30 minutes each day.

This is of course now also advice we are given by doctors and other health professionals.  It’s also something a lot of people struggle to do. 

A few months ago we took on a new dog.  After the death of my old dog last summer I didn’t enjoy going for a walk on my own and even before she died it was a struggle as she wanted to go out less and I was very busy.  When I decided to have another dog I made a commitment to taking her for daily walks and this has been wonderful.  I have really enjoyed getting away from my desk for a while to re-connect with Nature and have some exercise.

One of the things I like about Takata’s advice is that, like Reiki, it’s simple.  All you have to do is go out, put one foot in front of the other and keep doing that for a while.  I find that this simple practice helps my mind as well as my body.  It helps increase my fitness but also allows me to unwind mentally.

I enjoy looking at the plants, birds and animals around me, the scents of the changing seasons and feel of different weather on my skin.  Recently there’s been lots of sunshine of course which has been wonderful – and great for topping up the vitamin D in preparation for the winter!

I enjoy watching the fun my dog has running around too and this lifts my heart if I’m having a troublesome day.  I also find that walking is a good way to solve a problem.  I read recently that the word ‘problem’ comes from the Greek meaning “the rocks put in our way by the gods”.  Sitting at my desk doesn’t help get round those rocks, but going for a walk often does!  As I walk and my mind relaxes, a solution often appears in a most unexpected way.  I also find Reiki treatments have a similar effect in that they also relax my mind and allow creative solutions to come forth.

Like Reiki, and as Mrs Takata suggested, it’s also good as a daily practice.  I’ve noticed that the more I practice daily the things that help me keep healthy, the less out of balance I get, so it’s easier and quicker for equilibrium to be restored.  Like Reiki, walking encourages flow both physically and mentally, enhances living in the present moment and enlivens the senses. 

So I’m grateful for the gift brought by my dog who encourages me to go walking each day and the joy that brings.  Yesterday I discovered harebells growing in a lane where I never would have expected them.  Bliss!