When I first learnt Reiki in 2001, I realised pretty early on that I had to build the Reiki self treatment in my daily routine otherwise it just would not happen on some days. As a mother with young children, the only time that I could manage was either first thing in the morning before I got out of bed or the last thing at night after putting the children to bed. Over the years, my daily self treatment has settled down to first thing in the morning. I love not having to get out of bed as soon as I am awake, continuing to lie in bed, self treating and waking up slowly.

Reiki self treatment

When I read the following words, it felt like a reaffirmation of my daily practice of starting the day with a Reiki self treatment. It was wonderful to see what I had felt over the years expressed so beautifully:

“How do you start off each day? Try to start the day with inner peace and contentment by taking time to be still and allowing that peace to infill and enfold you. Do not rush into the day unprepared and out of harmony. If you do, it is easy to take that state of mind into the day, allowing it to affect the whole day and all those souls you contact.”

(I am so grateful for having found this book ‘Opening Doors Within’ by Eileen Caddy. It is full of inspiring gems like these.)

I cannot imagine a better or easier way to start my day with peace and contentment, feeling in harmony with life. I believe that when we self treat – i.e. give ourselves a Reiki treatment – we are connected to Reiki, the Universal life energy, or the Universe, the source, the creator – you can use whatever word sits well with your belief system. As we practise the self treatment daily, we continue to deepen our connection with Reiki. My belief is that most suffering happens when we are feeling disconnected. If we have a strong, deep connection with Reiki, we can call on it more easily when we are suffering.

Over the years, since learning Reiki, when people around me first started to comment on how calm I was I found it difficult to believe, as I never used to think of myself as a calm person. I feel very grateful to have Reiki in my life.

I have benefitted tremendously from having the discipline of doing daily Reiki self treatments over the years. I would also love to hear from you about your Reiki practice. If you self treat regularly, what benefits have you been experiencing? If you struggle to self treat regularly, and are based in London, you might like to come along to the Reiki share that I offer. People attending my Reiki shares often feel that it inspires them to self treat regularly.

Thank you to Phil Slade for the lovely photograph.