As a woman who is endlessly curious about wellness and lives in the health-centric frontier that is California—I find myself willing to try anything once.
I have sung the praises of EFT tapping, yoga Nidra, mindfulness meditation, salt caves, tarot, Human Design, sound baths, crystals and essential oils.
My introduction to alternative medicine began when I was in grade school. While my classmates were playing hide-and-go-seek, I was visiting a Mexican medicine woman known as a Curandera to cleanse me of negative energy. She’d sweep me with a broom and used an egg to represent a rebirth of purity.
For those of you reading this that think I’m crazy, stick with me here. I have personally found alternative treatments to be very effective, even though they aren't always accepted by the scientific community—which doesn't mean a lack of efficacy of those treatments. Instead, it sometimes has to do with a lack of research to begin with due to the stigma from the society.
For me, Reiki is a great example: the energy healing technique from Japan works with our subtle energetic body by releasing blockages that result from stuck stress. Bottom line, I have always been curious about Reiki so I reached out to a friend of mine who’s a master practitioner to try it out for the first time.
Here's how it went: I met with my practitioner at her beautiful wellness studio. Instrumental music was playing in the background. Candles were lit. Palo Santo was burning. The lighting was warm and inviting. There was a massage table covered with cozy blankets and cotton sheets. It had a bohemian vibe—which is totally my style. A warm cup of ginger & lavender tea was handed to me. I sipped on it while I sat in a brown leather chair, directly across from my practitioner.
The beginning: we began with a brief consultation. My practitioner asked if there was anything I would like to invite into our session to be released. I shared how I was struggling with post COVID-19 symptoms that left me feeling sick and tired all the time. She finished by asking me to give the thing I wanted to release a color, shape and name. I decided on a black circular hole and held the vision of white light plugging up that hole.
The middle: I got on top of the massage bed. Covered myself with the cozy blankets and sheets. Closed my eyes. My practitioner asked if I was comfortable using essential oils. As an essential oil junkie, I emphatically said yes. Raw crystals were placed strategically along my body from head to toe. I was asked to take 3 deep breaths in and out of my nose. I began to feel her index fingers in the space between my eyes, also known as the third eye (our center of intuition). As I continued to breath mindfully in and out of my nose, she moved her palms to key areas along my body. I could tell she was focusing on my Chakras (if you don't know what these are, go back and read my blog post about them). I immediately felt tears welling up in my eyes. As she moved the stuck energy down my body, I felt a deep sense of calm and inner peace wash over me. I knew I had let go of what needed to be released.
The End: My practitioner and I talked about my experience. She asked if anything else came up for me. We discussed aftercare, drinking plenty of water and getting a good nights rest.
The next day I felt more energetic than I had in the past six weeks. My mood and energy had completely shifted. That said, if you’re still curious about Reiki then try it for yourself. Word of caution: be sure to find a practitioner that is knowledgable, kind and patient. I can say from personal experience that it wasn't what I expected, it was better.
Want to learn more about Reiki? Follow me on Instagram @thezenlyshop where I share my adventures in all things alternative medicine. Until next time, be well my friend.
— XX, Nikki
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