Reiki Meditation: What It Is, and How It Helps

What is Reiki mediation, and how does it help in wellbeing? There are several ways to answer that question, so let’s explore each.

As background, my name is Lillie, and I run Healing Touch “L” Reiki in Boston, and am fully certified in multiple forms of this gentle Japanese energy work. I am writing this article from a combination of my hands-on, personal experience, plus my years of training. I strive here to provide a useful and accurate overview of this important topic. Ready? Let’s go.

Types of Reiki Meditation

1: Reiki Sessions

When most people say “Reiki meditation,” they mean a hands-on gentle touch Reiki session with a trained energy work practitioner for chakra balancing. Let me give an example from one of my clients who came in for an appointment this week. For privacy, I will call her Lila.

Lila is a nurse, and is used to working long, intense hours, giving care to others. It’s very difficult for her to relax and let go, and over the years, stress and trauma have built up. She knows meditation would be a healthy way to address this, but has trouble focusing when she attempts it on her own. Therefore, she booked a Reiki session in order to get support in releasing and cleansing this trapped energy.

When Lila entered our Reiki session, I had soothing music playing, and guided her to remove her shoes and recline on the table. I asked her to set her intention for the session, then to focus on breathing all the way OUT for the next three breaths. This helps the body start to release pent-up energy.

I then placed my hands on Lila’s head to begin the Reiki flow. Over the course of our hour together, I did the full series of hand positions, from head (Crown Chakra and purple aura) to toes, then back up again. Both Lila and I entered a meditative, dreamlike state through paired deep breathing and energy flow.

Our breaths became in synch, and both of us began to see colors behind our closed eyes, get flashes of memories and emotions, and even start crying during meditation moments. My illustration above depicts my experience of the session. I could feel Lila’s energy begin to pulse with healthy movement.

When Lila got up from the session, she reported feeling refreshed and renewed: as if she had taken a restorative nap, gotten a massage… or done a powerful meditation. (Hence the label “Reiki meditation!”) She felt new clarity and alignment, and thanked me for the session. She remarked as she left, “Sometimes it’s a lot easier to relax and let yourself go into a meditative state when there’s someone there to help guide you!” Well put.

2: Mantras

Sometimes when people use the term “Reiki meditation,” they are not referring to a hands-on Reiki session at all, but rather to the practice of contemplating or chanting the 5 Reiki Principles as a way to relax and to re-focus on these important precepts about life. Click through that link for a full article explaining these beautiful mantras, each of which starts with, “Just for today…” and guides us to tap into our best selves through kindness, gratitude, and trust.

3: Self-Reiki

Other times, the term “Reiki meditation” refers to doing the practice of self-Reiki. To achieve this, you place some of the hand positions on yourself (such as putting one hand on the heart, seat of the green aura, and one on the belly), deepen your breathing, and visualize or trace Reiki symbols, in order to enter a meditative state for relaxation and healing.

While doing the hand placements, some people put on soft music, or listen to guided meditations. Others do a more informal version of self-Reiki meditation, just lying in bed, or taking a pause during the day, even in a seated position.

4: Audio Meditations

Finally, “Reiki mediation” might refer to audio that one listens to during Reiki, or to get into a “Reiki state of mind.” This may include meditative music that provides relaxation in the background, or a recorded (or live) person speaking in order to provide guidance for Reiki healing. For the former, I enjoy the “Reiki Radio” station on Pandora, while for the latter, I find that Insight Timer has excellent Reiki guided meditations.

Reiki Meditation, in Sum

I hope this article helped clarify that the term “Reiki meditation” means different things to different people, but that each type is a beautiful and beneficial form of energy balancing. There have been so many studies about the restorative power of meditation, and I’m thrilled that Reiki can assist people in discovering that state of relaxation!

If you’ve done Reiki meditations before, which type did you do, and how was your experience? Do share!

Curious for more about chakra colors and Reiki meditation colors? Check out my articles on the red aura meaning, orange aura meaning, yellow aura meaning, blue aura meaning, and white aura meaning.