#BeingReiki: #1000DayChallenge — Day 5: Distant Reiki anyone?

—By Nathalie J.

Distant or Absentee Reiki was not my cup of tea. In that respect, I felt like St. Thomas: I needed to see to believe. A tough one when it came to Reiki. 

Yes. Quantum Physics' references helped my brain understand that Distant Reiki was totally feasible, but a part of me resisted. What do with your hands if you can't see where to place them? What if they don't feel it? How can you charge if they don't feel it? 

The whole thing was way too Sci-Fi for me.

But life is wise and where there is resistance... well, you know, it just hits you and hits you until you face the fear that hides behind it.  

A big part of our Level 3 class was to let go of the idea that only hands can offer #Reiki. We did sessions seating next to each other or standing in a circle surrounding one of the student. The fact is: YOU FEEL THE SESSION. No hands. No nothing. But YOU FEEL IT. The way you usually feel sessions—for me it's a lot of tingling, colors as well as pressure and expansion.

And once you feel it... you start believing.

You do it across a room, then you try across the city, across the country and even across oceans. 

In these first five days of #BeingReiki "living-meditation"—sorry Tendai monks, not a lot of walking beyond usual dog walking duty—I've given quite a few distance sessions.

After today's session I felt with my whole body that Fears are not to be fought nor resisted. They are guideposts to the next stop on your journey. They indicate where you need to stop, pay attention and then let go. Not the most original lesson, but one I tend to easily forget. 

By stopping and paying attention to my fear of offering Distant Reiki, it's become one of the most precious part of my practice. Thank you fear, but now you are no more. Onwards... to the next one. 

How comfortable are you with your Distant Reiki practice? 
Here are a few tips that helped me get started: 

• I schedule distant sessions like regular ones: They start and finish at a certain time.
• I ask the recipients to lay down while listening to relaxation music and—if they feel like it lighting a candle. The music and candle help people get into the right mental space, especially people who've had less contact with complementary healing modalities.
• I find a quiet place where I can sit comfortably and play music. I personally like to keep a couple of pillows handy.
• I text the person when I'm starting.
• I prepare the same way I do for a regular sessions.
• I bring the person's name and city into my mind and start offering the session with simplicity and respect. Some people use dolls to do regular hands placements, others use their legs. I like to imagine people laying down in front of me and placing my hands in the air until it feels right. Sometimes I use pillows, especially for the "back" part of the treatment or when my arms ache. Sometimes I just sit with my palms open in offering. It's your practice: be creative—but don't go crazy, there is someone on the receiving end!
• I close the session by dry bathing and breathing deeply a few times. After a few minutes, I text the person to let him/her know the session was completed, remind him/her to drink water and opening up the (SMS) conversation in case there is any question. 

And voilá! 

Go ahead. Practice. Start with someone you know and can rely on for constructive feedback. You will be surprised with the results.

Any questions? Any suggestion? Any comment?

I'm all ears! You can leave a comment or e-mail me at natjaspar@mac.com

Namaste!

Photo Credit: Painting by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.