Guest blog post by member Elisa Kosarin
There is a scene in the first episode of the first season of the hit show, The White Lotus, where Jennifer Coolidge’s stressed-out character, Tanya, goes to the resort spa to book a treatment.
“I’m not picky,” she says. “…I don’t have to have deep tissue or anything. I’d take anything at this point. Anything.”
“Anything but Reiki, of course.”
Even though I practice Reiki, I laughed along with that line. Its humor comes from Reiki’s lowly place in the hierarchy of healing arts. We tend to think that a practice that involves nothing more than a light touch – or even no touch, just a hovering of hands ̶ couldn’t possibly offer relief.
That’s the irony of Reiki. It seems like nothing much is happening, and yet the effects are profound. A Reiki session balances our energy and provides a deep sense of calm. It centers us. It clears out the clutter in our heads and relaxes any tightness in our hearts.
I’ve experienced the positive effects from Reiki as a recipient and as a practitioner. As a recipient, Reiki elevates my mood and keeps me focused. It helps me release difficult emotions such as anger or anxiety, so that I feel lighter, more energetic, and more productive.
As the healer, one of the most satisfying moments comes at the end of a session, when a client opens their eyes and smiles, realizing that they feel so much better than they had at the less than an hour ago. One recipient described her Reiki experience as “deeply restorative.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Reiki, here’s a quick explanation:
Reiki is a safe and gentle form of energy healing that restores us to our natural state of repose. It’s also incredibly accessible. Reiki may be performed almost anywhere at any time – seated, on a table, or even remotely. The client remains fully clothed and has the choice of receiving direct or indirect touch from the practitioner.
The practice of Reiki originated in Japan in the 1920’s as a spiritual practice. The Reiki practitioner, or Master, focuses on their client’s energy field to clear the energy blocks that inevitably form as we go through life. Blocked energy prevents us from resolving issues such as chronic pain, and from releasing the emotional baggage that affects our decision-making and general quality of life.
There is research to back up Reiki’s beneficial effects. In fact, Reiki has been accepted within the medical community and ranks among the top three modes of complementary alternative therapies for health care. It is used in the top 20 US hospitals and at Veterans centers around the country.
Relaxation. Clarity. Centering. As business owners, we depend on these qualities to get our work done and succeed in our ventures. And yet we often “power through” the day, feeling drained when we want to feel fully ourselves. Less than an hour of Reiki can return you to a happier place where you accomplish more with ease.
Elisa Kosarin a Certified Reiki Third Degree Practitioner in the Usui Shiki Ryoho System of Natural Healing. After eight years as the owner of a nonprofit consulting practice, she is very familiar with the needs of women business owners. Her practice is based in Northern Virginia.
