Over the last couple years, as the decluttering practices of Marie Kondo, Japanese tidying expert, have become mainstream, many of us have been going through our closets, refolding clothes, and asking ourselves, "does this spark joy?" Going through our homes like this can bring up overwhelm, and all sorts of emotion, but as we go through the process, there comes to be more space available, more peace, clarity, and hopefully joy. :)

Now, I am not writing you to nudge you to go organize your closet! But, hey, if you feel inspired to, big props to you!

Instead, I invite you to imagine your body, or energy field as a house. Take a moment, and close your eyes, breathe, and tune in. What does your "house" look like, and feel like on the inside and outside? Can you move around from different areas? Does it feel chaotic, distracting, or perhaps there is peace, and comfort? Are you bumping into boxes with who-knows-what inside? Perhaps there are things that you stuffed down in the basement or the corners of your closets that you hoped never to look at again. Maybe you are hanging onto a bunch of your aunt Milda's stuff. Check the walls, have you memorialized that hurtful thing that person said to you in fifth grade, or do you have some graphic picture you are looking at day in and day out? Make a note of what your energy seems like in this moment. Trust your instincts.

Receiving Reiki is one way that we can clear, bit-by-bit, and tidy our energy. Oftentimes, it starts out by putting out that fire in the kitchen, which, in this metaphor, may translate to releasing intense physical or emotional pain you are experiencing. Once the crisis has been averted, we start to get to those things that are impeding our daily functioning, like all those dishes on the counter, or those boxes in the way of our path through the house. With our health this may look like getting better sleep, more ease in making healthy choices, or feeling less stressed. Eventually, we get to a point where life is flowing more easily, without major drama impacting our functioning. (That doesn't mean that life stops happening, but that when crisis come up, we have the reserves and attention available to tend to them without getting caught in the drama.)

Here, we need to keep up with maintaining our chores or the clutter will start to build up again. The same with our energy, if we stop once things start to feel good, and we do not continue with self-care, and incorporating the wisdom we've learned, eventually we become burdened again.

However, the beautiful thing that happens when we continue to tend to our houses and energy, we not only maintain the flow and organization that keeps things humming in life, but we start to get to those boxes that are tucked away. Those boxes that are filled with things you didn't have time to deal with when it happened. Those things you inherited from your family, but don't fit who you are. The things you've been hanging onto out of obligation or familiarity. You can finally reach that hanging on the wall with those painful words, and take sucker that down, and burn it in the most epic bonfire of your life! The energy in those "boxes", and "pictures" take up space. Once we finally have the time to sit with them and air them out, the stuff we don't want to hang onto will dissipate. In the process, we also uncover the nuggets, the gifts, and wisdom that were tucked away in there, and we can elevate the beauty in them. Of course, we don't do this all in one go, we do it bit-by-bit so we can safely honor our feelings, and experience, and integrate what we need to in a sustainable way. This whole process frees up all this space, so your innate nature, peace, ease, and joy can more readily radiate from within you.

No matter where you are in your energetic tidying, Reiki will meet you in cleansing the next layer with gentleness. Because we all know, sometimes it's hard to do these things. If it was easy, we would have done it already. We might be overwhelmed doing it all on our own, maybe we are scared to see what is hiding out in those boxes, or we've been looking at that wall hanging for so long we've come to believe it's true. Dear one, you don't have to do it alone, it can be done in a safe, gentle, manageable way, and no, that B.S. line is not true.

So where are you in your energetic tidying journey? Share with us in the comments or send me an email. If you want help in the process, reach out. I'm here for you.

Big hugs,
Sarah

Many of you are already aware of the many benefits of Reiki. Because it helps our being move towards balance, it can help us find relief from physical pain, recover from illness, or injury. It can support us in acknowledging and honoring our emotions. Receiving Reiki can bring us into greater contact with our essential essence within, a sense of peace, and clarity. These are just some of the blessings we may experience as a result of receiving Reiki.

But did you know that you don't have to be physically present with a practitioner to receive Reiki? This is one of my favorite qualities about Reiki. It makes this healing art even more versatile. Though science hasn't specifically studied the mechanism of what is happening during a distant Reiki session, principles of nonlocality and entanglement may be what is at play. I often say, distant Reiki is comparable to prayer. With your intention to receive, and my intent to hold space for you, we tap into a reality that transcends time and space. You are able to receive the Reiki directly, and instantaneously, though we may be miles apart. When receiving distant Reiki, your experience is essentially the same as it might be in person. The only difference is not feeling the physicality of my hands, nor being in my treatment room. :)

There are certain contexts when having a distant session has its advantages over an in person session.

1.  You aren't able to get to the treatment space. Perhaps, you live or are traveling in another state or country. Or, there may be inclement weather, and the roads may not be safe to travel to the clinic. Presently, I have several clients who live outside of the Madison area who receive regular distant sessions, or schedule sessions while on extended trips away, so they can keep up with their care.
2. You are sick, or injured. Many times when we aren't feeling well we need to rest at home to recover, and also make sure we aren't spreading anything that may be contagious. Receiving Reiki can actually help our body heal more quickly, and even relieve pain and discomfort. I feel it is a shame when clients feel they have to cancel for said reasons (likely because we are so used to having to cancel commitments when we are unwell) especially because Reiki is something that could really help them feel better. As there are many "bugs going around" this time of year, I've actually done a few distant sessions for sick clients in the last couple weeks.
3. You want support during surgery, or an important event. Reiki helps us move toward balance, and encourages the energy flow better. It helps our body be more receptive to our experience so we can process it in a way that will be supportive to us. It can help us be more present, and face what is at hand. The Reiki can aid us on physical or emotional levels depending on what the event is. When I've given Reiki for clients during surgery, I focus on the part of the body that is being worked on, their body as a whole, and also send it to them for before and after the surgery to prepare and assimilate the effects. I often also send Reiki to the treatment room, and offer energy to staff (who are open to it) that may be caring for the client. A few other examples of when distant Reiki may be appropriate include important meetings, or tests, job interviews, childbirth, or moving. (A quick note, when we offer Reiki, we are not trying to control the outcome, merely offer support, and balance for the highest good). 

Those are just some examples of when distant Reiki is appropriate.

Now, let's say you want to try a distant session, or keep it as a back up option for when you can't make it in person, what does that look like? You will choose your preferred way to communicate with me, either over the phone, Skype, or email. In the case of phone or Skype, you call me at the agreed upon time, we discuss your intentions, and how I can support you. Then we spend the remaining time doing Reiki. Generally, clients stay on the line, and I let them know when I have finished. We spend the last few minutes sharing what was experienced, and processing. If you choose the email option, you let me know your intentions ahead of our appointment time. Then I send the Reiki for however many minutes we agree upon, and I email you after with what I noticed. You can reply back at your convenience with your observations. Ideally, clients find it most relaxing if they are able to find a calm place to lay down while receiving so they can tune in. But this is not necessary to receive the benefits, such as cases where you have a meeting, test, etc.

Given the flexibility and accessibility that distant Reiki offers us, I find it to be a beautiful blessing. It means that in times when we may need support the most, but the limitations of our physical world would otherwise keep us from getting to the clinic and laying on the treatment table, we can still receive the healing love of Reiki.

Do you have questions about distant Reiki or how it would look in a specific situation? Post your questions in the comments or send me an email. If you think distant Reiki might be supportive for you, we can set up an appointment. Otherwise, I invite you to keep it in mind as a back up in case you need to call in sick or cancel because of snowy roads.

Warmly,
Sarah