Your First Reiki Session

Most people arrive at their first Reiki session not quite knowing what they've signed up for.

They've heard it's relaxing. Someone recommended it. They're curious but a little sceptical. They're not sure if they need to believe in it for it to work, whether they'll have to talk about their feelings, or what exactly they're supposed to do while they're lying there.

The answer to that last one: nothing. You don't have to do anything at all.

But if you'd like to know what to expect, here it is - all of it, from the moment you arrive to what you might feel in the days that follow.

There's no real preparation required. You don't need to meditate beforehand, fast, or clear your schedule. Wear something comfortable - that's genuinely the only instruction.

We'll have a brief chat first. I'll ask what's brought you in - not in a clinical intake form way, but just to get a sense of where you're at. Sometimes people have something specific going on. Sometimes they just know they need to rest. Both are completely fine starting points.

If you're doing a distance session online, we connect via video first for that same conversation, and then you lie down somewhere comfortable at home while the session runs.

You lie down fully clothed. That's it. No needles, no pressure, nothing invasive.

Reiki works with your body's energy field. I place my hands lightly on or just above different areas of the body, holding each position for a few minutes at a time. It's quiet. It's slow. Most people find it deeply settling almost immediately.

What you feel will be unique to you. Some common experiences:

Some people feel very little during the session itself and notice the effects later. Some feel a lot. There's no right response - your body does exactly what it needs to with the energy.

I bring a background in myotherapy to every session, which means I'm also tracking the physical body throughout - where tension is held, where the breath is shallow, where the nervous system is bracing. It adds a layer that often surprises people.

Most people feel noticeably lighter when they get up. Not in a dramatic, everything-is-different way - just genuinely different from when they arrived. Calmer. Clearer. Like something that was taking up space has been put down.

A few things that commonly happen in the 24-48 hours after a first session:

All of this is normal. The session doesn't end when you leave - your system keeps processing for a day or two afterward. Give yourself space for that if you can. A gentle evening. A bit of quiet.

No. Some of the most profound sessions I've facilitated have been with people who arrived sceptical. Reiki works with your nervous system and energy field regardless of what you think about it. An open mind is enough - you don't need to understand it for it to do something.

What I notice is that people who arrive with a lot of mental resistance - bracing against it - sometimes have a harder time dropping in. But even then, something usually shifts. The body is often more willing than the mind.

A lot of people who come for a session as a client end up curious about learning to practice it. That's a completely natural progression - once you've felt what it does, wanting to bring it into your own hands makes a lot of sense.

Reiki Level 1 is two days, covers the foundations and your first attunement, and gives you a practice you can use on yourself and your family straight away. No background in energy work needed.

But if you've never had a session - start there. Book one. See what it does. That experience is the best foundation for anything that comes after.