Hi! Jerry here. Please welcome Jennifer D., a lovely soul, as she shares her Reiki story.
My Reiki Story: Jennifer D.
A year ago I had no idea what Reiki was or that it would be a major influence in re-connecting with my spiritual side. In the past year, or perhaps the last two years, I have been a journey of immense personal and, more recently, spiritual growth.
I’m not sure what precipitated this period of seeking to understand myself, but it probably began with trying to get a handle on my depression and anxiety, which had gradually been getting worse. I’ve had some pretty big changes in my life in the past few years.
The first major change was that I moved in with my boyfriend after living on my own for most of my adult life; learning to live with someone again has been instrumental in discovering things about myself that I want to work on for my own personal growth. Secondly, I left a job that I really liked with co-workers who had become dear friends for an opportunity for professional growth and a salary that I could actually live off of, but making this change left me feeling very unmoored and vulnerable, not to mention stressed out trying to navigate a new commute, new co-workers, interoffice politics, etc.
At some point during this time I re-discovered my love of crystals and found myself reaching for my tarot cards for the first time in years for guidance. One night I found myself watching one of those relaxing YouTube videos, that was, supposedly, mimicking a Reiki session. The video mentioned the 5 principles of Reiki, which struck a chord with me, particularly the ‘do not worry’ and ‘do not be angry’ principles (my anxiety often presents as extreme worry and rumination, and I had been feeling increasingly angry and resentful with my family who refuse to see me as an autonomous adult). I immediately opened a google search for the 5 principles and kept that tab open in my browser for months as a reminder to come back to these principles when I was feeling out of sorts. I wasn’t sure that I believed in Reiki although I found relief for my chronic sinus problems and tendonitis through acupuncture, and knew that I felt some sort of energy during acupuncture treatments and have been a big proponent of smudging my apartment to clear the energy for years.
I didn’t really explore Reiki much beyond that for a few more months until I noticed a Reiki Retrograde yoga class being hosted at Sat Nam and decided to check it out (one of my former co-workers had been going to Sat Nam for awhile and encouraged me to check it out, but I had never made the time before). During shavasana the instructor went around the room giving Reiki to each of the participants and when she got to the person next to me I could feel the energy flowing off her and felt the same warmth and sort-of pulsating sensation in my palms that I usually experience during an acupuncture treatment when she gave Reiki to me. After class we gathered for tea and talked a bit about Reiki and she encouraged us to take level 1 if we felt at all intrigued by Reiki. It was as if a light went on, here were people that I could actually talk to about feeling the energy and exploring spiritual ideas that I had not given myself permission to explore for years because I feared being judged as too weird or witchy. I signed up for the next level 1 course that was being offered at Sat Nam not really knowing quite what to expect, but figuring at the very least it would be an interesting experience.
As part of the introduction to Reiki Jerry introduced us to Ho’oponopono, the Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, which I have found to be incredibly useful as a grounding mantra and reminder to be gentle with myself. During the portion of the class where we practiced giving Reiki to one another I had the most profound experience of the opening of my heart chakra, there was so much energy passing through me that I could literally feel my muscles twitching and afterwards I felt a sense of lightness that I don’t know if I have ever felt before. I realized I had let go of so much anger that I had been holding on to and felt wonderfully rejuvenated. After that first class I started exploring what I believed in more and more, seeking out podcasts and other talks that dealt with the embodied spiritual path and creating sacred space in my home with a small crystal grid. In the months between taking level 1 and level 2 I practiced Reiki intermittently, sometimes even trying to see if my cats would let me give them Reiki. I am still trying to establish a regular practice of Reiki, meditation, and yoga, I know it would greatly benefit me to have a daily practice, but it’s a work in progress. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a Reiki practitioner, but I am very grateful to have Reiki in my life, and plan on continuing my Reiki education in the future and sharing Reiki with those who are open to it.
