BLOG 67: HOW TO DO REIKI ON YOURSELF TO HELP MIND, BODY AND FACE

One of the intentions I set for the beginning of this year was to add to my training in healing and incorporate it into my Face Yoga practice and teachings. I’ve recently completed Reiki 1 training via Kelsey Patel, and I’m excited to continue the journey with Reiki 2 training, which I am booked in for very soon.

I’m fascinated by how energy healing systems, like Reiki, can be used alongside Face Yoga to smooth and heal the face. So, I was thrilled to welcome Reiki Master, Heather Martin, onto my podcast at the beginning of May.

As well as being an experienced Reiki Master and Meditation Guide, Heather leads the training I’ve been doing. We talked about the benefits of Reiki for the face, body, and mind. We also shared some tips for how beginners can use Reiki energy on themselves.

You can catch up with the full podcast episode here. I’m also going to share some of what we talked about in this post to give you a few ideas of how you might start using Reiki yourself at home.

WHAT IS REIKI?

Before we go too much further, you might be wondering what Reiki is. Essentially, it is an alternative form of healing that uses life force energy.

It involves connecting with your higher source, whatever that might be. It could be God, the universe, nature, the ocean – whatever represents that higher power and connects you with your highest self. You must choose what resonates best with you, there is no right or wrong here and no judgement. 

You call the energy from your higher source down into your body and channel it through your palm chakras. Experienced practitioners can transfer the energy into others for healing. But today, we are just going to focus on how you can channel the energy into yourself.

MY JOURNEY WITH REIKI

This year has been my deepest experience with Reiki, and it has been transformative on a personal level.

Part of the Reiki 1 training is to complete thirty days of self-practice with Reiki. And I must admit that I struggled at the start. For the first few days, I’d remember that I had to do my Reiki practice, sit down, place my hands in the correct positions, and expect to feel the Reiki energy.

It felt rigid and unnatural. But then I went back to the journal where I had written my intentions for the year. As well as doing more training in healing, one of my intentions was to find a nourishing morning routine.

Ever since becoming a parent, almost nine years ago now, I’ve struggled to incorporate wellness practices into my mornings. My essential daily habits, like Yoga, meditation, walking, and Face Yoga happen during the day or in the evening, not first thing.

It was a lightbulb moment – why not try doing Reiki in the mornings? And that’s exactly what I now do. Before I speak to anyone or even open my eyes, I take 10-15 minutes to connect with my higher sources and call in Reiki energy.

I’m enjoying it so much. It has become an essential part of my mornings and feels wonderful. I work very intuitively with it, depending on what I sense I need that day. And I’ve also been using it in my Face Yoga practice because I’m finding it very healing for the face and skin.

HOW TO DO REIKI ON YOURSELF

Reiki energy is there whether you have had any training or not. Even if you’ve never worked with a practitioner or done a Reiki course, you can learn to connect with your higher source and call in Reiki energy.

Heather shared this suggestion for an exercise that beginners can use. Start by holding your hands out in front of you and imagine that you are holding a ball between them. It doesn’t matter what size the ball is – make it whatever you would like.

Close your eyes and start to call on and talk to your higher source. You’ll begin to feel the energy between your palms.

I do something similar in my morning practice. I reach out to my higher source to ask for the Reiki energy. I visualise it as a stream of white light entering my body through my head and flowing down my arms to the palms of my hands.

I then start to place my hands on my body, beginning with the top of my head and working my way down. I work very intuitively with it.

Sometimes I might just hold my hands there. Sometimes I feel a warmth. Other times I feel called to visualise a certain colour or find a mantra or affirmation coming into my mind.

And, to be honest, sometimes I find my mind wandering off. I might start thinking about what I’m going to have for breakfast or what time I need to get the girls up for school. When that happens, I try to notice and bring my attention back to what I am doing.

The trick with Reiki is not to overthink it. Just allow it to be. Although it is a challenge, if you can take yourself out of the space and let the Reiki energy be with you, extraordinary things can happen. There’s a vulnerability to it, turning off your analytical brain and allowing the energy to come in.

HOW CAN REIKI HELP YOUR FACE?

I’ve been incorporating some energy work into my face yoga teacher training courses for a while. I’m now increasingly using Reiki in my own Face Yoga practice.

I find the energy very healing for the face. We know that we hold a lot of stress and tension in our faces. But we’re also prone to stagnant and blocked energy in this area.

Reiki helps us to release the stagnant energy and let go of the tension in our faces. I like to visualise areas of my face being bathed in light as my skin becomes healthier, firmer, and smoother.

Because tension and areas of blocked energy can cause wrinkles, releasing them with Reiki helps lift and smooth our skin.

TIP FOR INNER PEACE

Before we finished our chat, I asked Heather for her top tip for finding inner peace. She says she reminds herself that her higher source is always on her side. Surrender to it, and things will work out.

I hope you’ve found this introduction to using Reiki helpful. Let me know if you give it a try.

If you’d like to learn more about incorporating face yoga and other wellness practices into your daily routine, both my apps and my book have plenty of tips and ideas you can use. I also share short routines on Instagram and via my YouTube channel.