by Aude Camus
Ever heard about Reiki? I’ve had, quite a few times already, but didn’t knew much about it except that 1. It is quite trendy at the moment 2. It is a form of alternative medicine.
If I am being 100% honest, my rising interest for alternative medicines is pretty new. I used to not think much about it. I even use to be quite reluctant to it, having for example convince myself that meditation wasn’t for me. But that was a few years ago. Does growing older also have me becoming wiser? Maybe, but it’s more than that.
It’s now been two years since I found the right workout for me. The one which makes me wanna wake-up every morning knowing that I will be happy to workout at some point during the day. Because yes, I do hit the gym on a daily basis. The one also which is not only good for my body but also for my mind. I seriously don’t think I have ever been that free of stress. That feeling of being able to put my mind on hold for an hour and not think about anything is just amazing. I’m addicted to it. Following this revelation, I have been looking for other ways to experience deeper peace of mind and take good care of both my body and my mind. And have realized that yes, there were some types of meditation I could enjoy very much, such as breathwork meditation or singing bowls one. My last awakening experience was in March, when I was lucky enough to enjoy a 1 on 1 bones setting session with Imperial therapist Zhang Hong Guo at the Four Seasons Beijing. Amazing! I could not believe the energy flowing off his palms and the results on my super tense and arched back. I wish I could do such sessions every week here in Hong Kong!
So, when Bruce Taylor (one of the only two practitioners in Hong Kong to hold a grandmaster Certification in the Usui form of Reiki) offered me to enjoy an initiation to Reiki, I knew I had to give it a go!
Ever heard about Reiki? I’ve had, quite a few times already, but didn’t knew much about it except that 1. It is quite trendy at the moment 2. It is a form of alternative medicine.
If I am being 100% honest, my rising interest for alternative medicines is pretty new. I used to not think much about it. I even use to be quite reluctant to it, having for example convince myself that meditation wasn’t for me. But that was a few years ago. Does growing older also have me becoming wiser? Maybe, but it’s more than that.
It’s now been two years since I found the right workout for me. The one which makes me wanna wake-up every morning knowing that I will be happy to workout at some point during the day. Because yes, I do hit the gym on a daily basis. The one also which is not only good for my body but also for my mind. I seriously don’t think I have ever been that free of stress. That feeling of being able to put my mind on hold for an hour and not think about anything is just amazing. I’m addicted to it. Following this revelation, I have been looking for other ways to experience deeper peace of mind and take good care of both my body and my mind. And have realized that yes, there were some types of meditation I could enjoy very much, such as breathwork meditation or singing bowls one. My last awakening experience was in March, when I was lucky enough to enjoy a 1 on 1 bones setting session with Imperial therapist Zhang Hong Guo at the Four Seasons Beijing. Amazing! I could not believe the energy flowing off his palms and the results on my super tense and arched back. I wish I could do such sessions every week here in Hong Kong!
So, when Bruce Taylor (one of the only two practitioners in Hong Kong to hold a grandmaster Certification in the Usui form of Reiki) offered me to enjoy an initiation to Reiki, I knew I had to give it a go!
(c) : Sophie Bonnin-Rocher
But back to where I started this article, what is Reiki?
Reiki is a practice originating from Japan (in the early 1900’s) and facilitating emotional and physical healing by gently moving the flow of Chi (universal energy) within your body. Reiki practitioners use palm healing to have the Chi flowing through your body.
My session was around 45 min, lying on my back in a quiet room. My first thought? “45 min lying on my back with someone applying its hand on my forehead then heart then tummy then lower legs … that’s going to be long”. Guess what? Those 45 min actually went in the blink of an eye. It felt like I’ve spent 15 min lying on this bed rather than 45. It would be lying to say I was immediately able to switch-off my mind, it’s actually more of the opposite. For the first maybe like 10 min (but I couldn’t exactly tell as I lost track of time) my mind was all over, thinking about all the things I had to do on that day. Which happened to be a crazy busy day. I decided to start focusing on my breath allowing me to finally let go of all those invading thoughts. My body then felt very heavy and I started to travel with my mind: it was as if I was falling asleep for a couple of second then waking-up and falling asleep again and every time I was falling asleep, I was visiting a place I know very well (my vacation house in the West of France, Goteborg in Sweden where I lived as a student for a couple of months, my parent’s home in France …). What an interesting thing to experience.
The one sensation which I think was the most interesting and surprising for me was to actually feel Bruce’s heart beating through his palms. A quite comforting sensation which I believe helped me relax a lot as I decided to focus on synchronizing my heartbeats with his allowing me to let go of all my other thoughts and totally quiet my mind.
“Waking-up” at the end of those 45 min almost felt like waking-up from an entire night of sleep. I first felt a bit dizzy but was then left with a feel of deep relaxation and energy to cope with my crazy day.
Also took this opportunity to ask Bruce a few questions about Reiki so that I could enlightened my personal experience with his professional insights.
Reiki is a practice originating from Japan (in the early 1900’s) and facilitating emotional and physical healing by gently moving the flow of Chi (universal energy) within your body. Reiki practitioners use palm healing to have the Chi flowing through your body.
My session was around 45 min, lying on my back in a quiet room. My first thought? “45 min lying on my back with someone applying its hand on my forehead then heart then tummy then lower legs … that’s going to be long”. Guess what? Those 45 min actually went in the blink of an eye. It felt like I’ve spent 15 min lying on this bed rather than 45. It would be lying to say I was immediately able to switch-off my mind, it’s actually more of the opposite. For the first maybe like 10 min (but I couldn’t exactly tell as I lost track of time) my mind was all over, thinking about all the things I had to do on that day. Which happened to be a crazy busy day. I decided to start focusing on my breath allowing me to finally let go of all those invading thoughts. My body then felt very heavy and I started to travel with my mind: it was as if I was falling asleep for a couple of second then waking-up and falling asleep again and every time I was falling asleep, I was visiting a place I know very well (my vacation house in the West of France, Goteborg in Sweden where I lived as a student for a couple of months, my parent’s home in France …). What an interesting thing to experience.
The one sensation which I think was the most interesting and surprising for me was to actually feel Bruce’s heart beating through his palms. A quite comforting sensation which I believe helped me relax a lot as I decided to focus on synchronizing my heartbeats with his allowing me to let go of all my other thoughts and totally quiet my mind.
“Waking-up” at the end of those 45 min almost felt like waking-up from an entire night of sleep. I first felt a bit dizzy but was then left with a feel of deep relaxation and energy to cope with my crazy day.
Also took this opportunity to ask Bruce a few questions about Reiki so that I could enlightened my personal experience with his professional insights.
What can I expect from Reiki if I don't have any specific physical or emotional "pain" to heal?
Bruce: All clients can expect to leave feeling deeply relaxed, restored and balances. Often, it's described as the feeling after a deep night's sleep, or that the individual has shed a layer of themselves and feel clean and light.
Many clients begin to feel subtle experiences rising to the surface after subsequent sessions, so old emotions or traumas and so on, but it's important to stress that Reiki can never bring up too much, it is a very gentle way to release and find renewed balance.
How would you describe your role as a Reiki practitioner? What is your mission during a Reiki session?
Bruce: My role as a practitioner is to be completely focused on the wellbeing and the experience of the client during the session. After the sessions, I am here to provide guidance and help individuals interpret their experience. So, for instance, many may feel changes in the body, see colors for the first time, remember old thought patterns that are then released and freed and so on. It is my role to help them see the positive change and growth that they are undertaking via the sessions. It is important to note that Reiki is a journey of healing, balance and discovery for the individual, and I am a facilitator for that journey. The healing and experiences all come from the individuals themselves.
As the practitioner, what do you experience during the session?
Bruce: As a practitioner, during the session I am performing a Reiki meditation to allow my own chi to flow which, in turn, then entices the chi to flow through the client.
On a personal level, I always experience rushes of heat, goosebumps and electric sensations traveling over my body, see colors and so on, but this is all just the energy moving. I am often asked what I feel from individuals or one may ask me where I felt their blockages and so on. My role as a Reiki practitioner is to be as neutral in the session as possible so that the energy can flow between myself and the client with no ego, guidance or force.
Can people "resist" you during a Reiki session? Have you ever some clients who couldn't let go at all?
Bruce: There are five guiding principles for Reiki which help to shed light on these points:
Bruce: All clients can expect to leave feeling deeply relaxed, restored and balances. Often, it's described as the feeling after a deep night's sleep, or that the individual has shed a layer of themselves and feel clean and light.
Many clients begin to feel subtle experiences rising to the surface after subsequent sessions, so old emotions or traumas and so on, but it's important to stress that Reiki can never bring up too much, it is a very gentle way to release and find renewed balance.
How would you describe your role as a Reiki practitioner? What is your mission during a Reiki session?
Bruce: My role as a practitioner is to be completely focused on the wellbeing and the experience of the client during the session. After the sessions, I am here to provide guidance and help individuals interpret their experience. So, for instance, many may feel changes in the body, see colors for the first time, remember old thought patterns that are then released and freed and so on. It is my role to help them see the positive change and growth that they are undertaking via the sessions. It is important to note that Reiki is a journey of healing, balance and discovery for the individual, and I am a facilitator for that journey. The healing and experiences all come from the individuals themselves.
As the practitioner, what do you experience during the session?
Bruce: As a practitioner, during the session I am performing a Reiki meditation to allow my own chi to flow which, in turn, then entices the chi to flow through the client.
On a personal level, I always experience rushes of heat, goosebumps and electric sensations traveling over my body, see colors and so on, but this is all just the energy moving. I am often asked what I feel from individuals or one may ask me where I felt their blockages and so on. My role as a Reiki practitioner is to be as neutral in the session as possible so that the energy can flow between myself and the client with no ego, guidance or force.
Can people "resist" you during a Reiki session? Have you ever some clients who couldn't let go at all?
Bruce: There are five guiding principles for Reiki which help to shed light on these points:
1. Just for today I will not worry
2. Just for today I will not anger
3. Just for today I will do my work honestly
4. Just for today I will be kind to all living beings
5. Just for today I will be grateful
So, keeping these points in mind, one's own ego may try to resist, but the energy still flows. Think of it like receiving a super warm hug from a loved one when you are angry...resist as you may, anger as you may the comfort of the hug will still flow and eventually the resistance is gone. Some clients do take a longer time to release and go deep, of course, but change is noted after every session and the beauty of Reiki is that the change and growth is compounded and visible from session to session.
To have more info and/or contact Bruce you can visit his website and Instagram account
This write-up is based on a complimentary Reiki session with no monetary compensation.