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

This coming Monday marks a significant day for me. It is my last day working at a part-time job I've had for the last three and a half years as a nanny for a little boy, now almost four. I started this position when Embrace Your Essence was still a fledgling, and wasn't quite able to support itself on its own yet. Leaning into my background in early education, and spending a couple afternoons a week with this little kiddo has provided great fulfillment and joy, and also given Embrace Your Essence the breathing room it needed to grow without unnecessary demands.

Of course, over this time, both the business and the child have grown and both have different needs now. Embrace Your Essence is now in a place where it is sustaining itself, but also requiring more time and space to flourish as it continues to grow. A few months ago this became undeniably clear to me, and after a conversation with the family, I've been making the transition out of nannying and into Embrace Your Essence even more fully.

Over the course of the last several months as this has been evolving, I have been doing my best to honor the process of this transition. As the precipice of change is so close, these ways of integrating and moving through have been very poignant on my mind.

As many of you may be in transition times yourself, I would like to share some of the key pieces I've been reminded of for moving through with grace.

Get yourself plenty of space. Times to be still or allow yourself to not actively be doing something gives room to integrate all the energetic shifts that are happening under the surface. Breathe. Meditate. Sleep. Gaze out the window, or lay on the grass. Though I did mention stillness, conscious, present movement can be supportive too (such as yoga or an easy walk with the intent to be with yourself and your experience). There may be many facets of your experience that need to be witnessed so they can fully move through and out of you. If we rush around, or are constantly engaged in activity, it delays the processing of these pieces. There is nothing wrong with this, just know that they will peak their head up later to receive the attention they need. You have permission to slow down, and to say no to certain things if that feels like it will give you the room you need to process.

Get support. We all need others to help buoy us up, especially when things are in flux. Turn to people you trust who can listen, who are willing to offer nourishment in the ways you need it. Eat good food. Lean into community. Ask for what you need. Look for the ways you are provided it. Allow yourself to receive from those with whom you feel safe.

Accept and allow discomfort. Transitions bring up a whole slew of emotions. Excitement, fear, grief, hope, and everything in between. All of it is valid. All of it needs to be seen. Some of it you may be more comfortable with than others. Witness and breathe into it, and cradle it. If you can, catch ways your mind may be trying to protect yourself from fully feeling everything that is there. For instance, I noticed myself continually contemplating the appropriate goodbye gift for the family and little boy. Even though I had landed on something, for at least a month, my mind kept returning to it thinking it wasn't enough. I held this though pattern with open curiosity, knowing there was something more to this, and wanting to see how it might relate to my healing. Finally, it occurred to me. A part of me felt that if I found the perfect gift to encompass all the beautiful, rich experiences we've had together over the last three years, that it would have been a gateway for all my emotions. No such object exists. I had to trust that the unfolding of each experience we shared together in that particular moment was enough. My responsibility instead, was to sit with the full range of emotions that were present for me.

Honor where you have been. In the space and cradle of support, reflect on what has unfolded within you as a result of the experience that is ending or beginning. How has/is your soul growing and unfolding? What do you have access to now, that you didn't have before? Clarity, compassion, freedom, love, awareness, truth.... Connect with gratitude within your heart for what you have received and learned that you are taking with you.

Nourish hope. With most, if not all, transitions, something is ending, so something new can begin. The presence of the unknown makes itself unavoidably clear. At various points within the transition, fear can rear its head at the mere thought of the unknown. Sit with this discomfort, and as you do, also listen for the inklings of love and support that may drop themselves like breadcrumbs along your trail. Note them, cherish them, and put them in your pocket. Remind yourself of them when fear or doubt shows up. Move slowly if you need to to trust that you are truly safe to move forward. Course correct if needed.

Transitions can be big on the surface like a job change, moving, birth, death, or shifting through different phases of life (this includes our own phases, but also when our children, parents, and significant others move through them too). But sometimes, they show up more subtly, like letting go of a habit or belief. No matter where you may find yourself if your in transition, I encourage you to explore the processes shared above and see if they feel beneficial for you. If you feel inclined to share, comment on our blog or send me an email, and let us know what transition you are in and how you are supporting yourself.

With grace and compassion,

Sarah