We’ve all been trying to take care of ourselves a bit more.
Whether it’s just meditating for a few minutes every day, putting on SPF before leaving the house or getting a facial every few months, minding ourselves is important.
And there are so many wellness treatments that it’s easy to become overwhelmed with what they are. From more traditional massages to acupuncture and now Reiki.
But what is Reiki?
We sat down with Reiki Master, Hannah O’Neill who walked us through what exactly Reiki is and what we can expect from the treatment.
Hannah, who works under her business name Realtaí Readings, started reading Tarot cards in 2020 before moving into Reiki after undergoing sessions herself.
“I got Reiki back in 2019/2020 and and I remember being like, ‘Oh that helped me’. I didn’t know how but I knew it helped me. So I got it done twice, then I got a distance one before and I was kinda dabbling, going back and forth. Until someone was like, ‘Have you ever thought about learning it?’ and I didn’t even know you could learn it. I really thought you had to be gifted with it. But when that door opened up I went off, I got my Reiki training and things really changed in my life from there.”
What is Reiki?
Simply put, Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”
Hannah says: “It’s spiritual healing. It helps with our things called PEMS which are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. So basically, you know when you hear people say like, ‘Oh I find it really hard to speak up’ there could be a block in their throat chakra, some people get really anxious so that could affect the physical body as well. I’ve had people dealing with digestion issues because of their anxiety. When you do Reiki you really learn how the body talks.”
“Reiki is a hand on treatment, it can be touching. Or some people can hover their hands over the body and help to rid any stagnant energy that the body no longer needs and put it in all new energy. So, you raise your vibration. I will often be told or asked, ‘Does reiki help you lose weight?’ because people feel lighter and that goes to show that all this weight on our shoulders and that we carry, actually lightens.
“When we give ourselves time and space to have healing. Overall with Reiki, it’s intentional. You have the intention to heal someone, the intention to hold space. Just hold space for someone where they can be heard, they can be seen. They can be grounded. Then they leave feeling a lot lighter. So, it is a healing method but it is very intentional, very loving.”
What are the benefits of Reiki?
Hannah explains: “The biggest benefit that I have found is sleep. A lot of people will tell me that they can sleep much better. People are very productive these days we don’t give ourselves just like an hour to do nothing. During Reiki you allow yourself an hour to just stop and be still. And it’s going to help with our sleep, it’s going to help with period cramps. I’ll do certain things like womb healing with castor oil packs. So it can be very targetted.
“You are getting time to connect with your body and feel your body. So anything like that you know, there’s loads and loads of benefits, like, the list really goes on. It can even help with fertility because you are taking time to relax and slow down. I’d say the biggest ones are stress, sleep, period cramps and anxiety.”
What should people expect for their first Reiki session?
There can be hands-on healing and hands hovered over body, but what exactly should some expect when they walk into their first Reiki session?
Hannah explains: “If you want to see the benefits of reiki, you should do it four times for four weeks. The first time that you receive Reiki, you may find it hard to open up. You have to think of all the crap you might be carrying. Emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually that you’ve never looked at and it’s scary to look at. You might feel closed off and want to cover yourself, but you have to realise this is a trust thing.
“Like I said I like to place my hand over various parts of my clients’ bodies, over their chakras which run down their bodies. Some people will hover their hands over them, it depends on the Reiki Master. As for the clients, a majority of people will see colours, will feel emotionally it’s really normal to cry or to laugh, to shake. Yes, some people will shake and you know that can make people feel scared like, “Am I being exorcised right now?” Your body is just going through the process.
“Reiki is a healing method and a cleansing method. It’s normal to feel emotional, tired, to get headaches for the 48 hours after your first session. It’s only 48 hours, after that it’s back to normal you know. And if it’s anything where this headache continues you can consult a doctor. But I would say the first time like absolutely get your Reiki treatments you will feel so grounded and so uplifted but give it time like trust the process. Especially if the is so much that has just been released like, inner child work or anything. So, give it time to become full circle.”
What is distance Reiki?
We’ve gotten a grasp on what a Reiki session is. But how you can do a session from afar?
“Distant Reiki is just as beneficial as normal Reiki,” Hannah assures us, although admits her preference is to do it in person.
“Energy can be sent anywhere, anytime to any place, you don’t have to be present. I send you a playlist, we can set up a Zoom if you are comfortable and then I’m going to guide you through so light meditation at the beginning, to see how we are, and what we want to work on. So you’ll lie down on a bed, you lie down on the floor, some people meditate and then I will begin to work on the chakras.
“Personally, I draw a stickman and I like to put crystals on the stickman. But many people can do it different ways. Some people work on themselves, some people work on another person, some people will just work around their bed. You treat it like the person is in front of you. But the whole time you want to connect with them energetically, so it’s nice to see their face, maybe with a picture. And then we will close up as normal. It’s the exact same stuff, it’s just not in person. That’s all.”