reiki, week one, looking back

So, it is just a few hour shy of one week ago that I returned home after my level one reiki training. I have given reiki sessions to eight people and two more are scheduled tomorrow. Generally, people tell me they leave the table more relaxed, with a greater sense of well being and inner peace, much like after a good massage but without the soreness, and several have experienced interesting visions or dream images during their session(s).

My massage table is performing beautifully. I love the adjustable height, and it comes with its own carrying case so that I can make house calls. But I'm not done shopping. Already, I need to order a heating pad and a rolling stool and a stack of Karen Johns' new cd, Saprema.

Here's why:

People tell me they feel a pleasant but intense heat radiating from my hands but after I remove them from one spot on their body and place them somewhere else, they become chilled where my hands used to be. And one friend told me she felt like there was ice cold water rushing down her spine. So, I am getting a heating pad for the massage table, and I hope that will help.

I found a leather ottoman from the living room that is just the right height, but it is a nuisance continually to lift and very quietly place it all around the table as I move, so I am getting a rolling leather stool made expressly for this purpose.

As a matter of course, I consciously cut my connection to a person's energy immediately after working on them. But I realize that I need consciously to cleanse negative energy from my hands after working on each meridien, and I learned from my friend, Radha, that they do this in India by keeping a bowl of water nearby and washing hands in between every pair of hand positions. So, the towel bar on the stool will come in handy.

Process: Complete hand position, wash hands, towel dry, roll stool over to the next location...repeat

Most who are fortunate enough to have done yoga at Shine know Karen's chanting comes from someplace divine. Karen has had many yogis report to her of the magical things that come into their heads while lying in shavasana as she accompanies her own chanting on the harmonium. On March 12, Shine hosted a release party for her first cd, Saprema, which means "with love", and as soon as I heard it, I knew it would be the music I used for my reiki practice. Everyone compliments the music, and today I realized (thanks, Lori) that I must have some copies on hand for people to take with them.

That's it for week one, as it comes to a close. I look forward to tomorrow's reiki sessions with Jennifer and with Laura and to working with all of you who come for treatment. I am delighted with what a good match for me this system of healing seems to be, and I just wish I could share it with everyone.

People watching me paint have marvelled at the steadiness of my hand, observing that straight lines seem to flow from my brush effortlessly. I've always said that's the surgeon gene I inherited from my father. Now, as clients consistently remark on my exreme stillness, I'm realizing that my steady hands are a tremendous boon to me in reiki. It is truly effortless for me, just as it is in painting; al I need do is form the intention and it happens. When seated in the right place, I find I can easily hold a pose for five minutes without pain or discomfort. And while it is true that this ability would have been an asset to me as an artist's model, I am much happier using it to do reiki than I would have been sitting naked in the center of a circle of scrutinizing gazes, thankyouverymuch.

See you on the table!