Ray-key

My yoga teacher, Rosemary, is also a Reiki Master and this week I tried it for the very first time. All I knew about it was that is a type of healing. I am very open to new ideas and new experiences and I was excited to see what it was all about. After welcoming me and having a chat, Rosemary told me about Reiki. I started wondering what I was doing there. I am a realist and am thankfully very healthy so I highly doubted that Reiki was going to do anything at all for me.

I lay on a massage table, fully clothed on my back, and Rosemary tucked a blanket over me. She put an eye mask over my eyes and rubbed lavender oil on her hands. She started going through a normal yoga relaxation with me. But I have trouble becoming truly calm. My thoughts were going something like this:

“I must relax, come on, relax, peaceful thoughts, hmmm – I wonder if the lavender I smell is really a drug smelling of lavender, I bet Rosemary is actually drugging me, I bet Reiki is all a farce – come on, I’m being truly ridiculous now, peaceful thoughts, peaceful thoughts, trust Rosemary and enjoy this, oh my legs are too tense I must relax them, relax legs, relax. Uuurrrgggh, they’re not relaxing, come on stop tensing. Why won’t my muscles work with me? Oh gosh, I’ve forgotten to keep my breathing slow, deep, slow, deep…. Relax … I’m no good at this”

I think you get the picture.

Somehow I began to relax. Rosemary slowly and very gently placed her hands on different places on my head and body. She would hold each position for a while and in a lot of the places she touched I felt real, pulsing, localized heat. I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t want to believe it! But it was definitely happening! It was incredible. A couple of times instead of the heat I felt localized cold. When the treatment was over, I slowly sat up. I felt great and so incredibly calm. Yesterday I felt absolutely fantastic and I’ve slept like a baby for the past 2 nights since the treatment. Is it the Reiki? Or is it me believing the Reiki worked? I’ve no idea, but actually I don’t care. It was a most special experience.

Have any of you had a Reiki treatment before and, if so, what did you think?

PS If you look closely you'll see my new most tremendous necklace.