Experience It Yourself
Everything up to this point has been words. This lesson is different.
What follows is a simple, step-by-step practice you can do right now, wherever you are. You do not need to be attuned to Reiki to feel energy. You only need a few minutes, a quiet space, and a willingness to pay attention.
Prepare Your Space
Find a place where you will not be disturbed for the next ten to fifteen minutes. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, or lie down if you prefer. Loosen any tight clothing. Remove your shoes if you can. Let your hands rest open in your lap.
Take three slow, deep breaths. With each exhale, allow your body to soften a little more. There is nothing you need to do right now except be here.
Gassho: The Prayer Position
Bring your palms together at the center of your chest, fingertips pointing upward. This position is called Gassho, and it is how Mikao Usui began every Reiki session and meditation. It is a gesture of intention, of gathering yourself, of arriving.
Close your eyes. Breathe naturally. Rest your awareness at the point where your two hands meet. Stay here for one to two minutes, simply noticing.
You may feel warmth between your palms. You may feel a subtle pressure or tingling. You may feel nothing at all right now, and that is equally fine. The practice is the noticing, not the result.
Sensing the Energy Field
Slowly separate your palms until they are about two inches apart. Keep your eyes closed.
Notice the space between your hands. Some people feel a warmth or a subtle resistance here, as though there is something between the palms even though they are not touching. Others feel a gentle pulsing or a magnetic quality.
Very slowly, move your hands apart to about six inches, then gently bring them back toward each other. Do this several times. Pay attention to any sensation that arises in your palms, your fingers, or the space between them.
You are feeling your own energy field. This is the same life force energy that Reiki works with.
A Simple Self-Treatment
Place both hands gently over your heart center, one on top of the other. Close your eyes and breathe slowly.
Set a quiet intention. It does not need to be elaborate. Something as simple as: I am open to healing. I am open to receiving.
Rest your hands here for three to five minutes. Simply breathe. If your mind wanders, that is natural. Gently bring your attention back to the warmth of your own hands resting on your chest.
Notice whatever arises without judgment. Warmth. Heaviness. Emotion. Stillness. All of it is information. All of it is welcome.
Closing
When you are ready, take three slow breaths. Bring your hands back to Gassho at your heart. Offer a quiet moment of gratitude, for your body, for the energy that moves through you, for the time you just gave yourself.
Open your eyes slowly. Drink a glass of water. Be gentle with yourself for the rest of the day.
What You Just Did
What you practiced just now is the foundation of every Reiki session. The awareness of energy, the intention to receive, the quiet presence, these are not preparations for the real thing. They are the real thing.
If you felt something during this practice, however subtle, that was energy. If you felt nothing, know that the practice still reached you in ways that may not be immediately apparent. Reiki works whether we feel it or not.
The next step, if you feel called to it, is to receive a full session or to seek an attunement. Both are available to you through Warho Healing whenever you are ready.