When giving Reiki to a client last week, I was asked what I was feeling during the session and how their energy was.

It took me a minute or two to respond because I have shied away from making guesses, trying to intuit, or psychically "get" what is going on with someone's energy and interpreting a reason why I place my hands on different areas of a client's body other than being in tune with the flow of Reiki and where it wants to go.

Over my years of practice and study, I learned to feel and follow the energy and place my hands accordingly, and even though many times early on in my practice I would be uncertain if I was doing it "correctly," the conversations with clients after the sessions would confirm that I went to areas where they needed it.

Through those experiences, I gained confidence in my practice and learned to simply trust what I feel and go with it, without looking for a deeper meaning.

Trying to explain all of that to a client and describe what I feel during a session would detract from the experience of the session for both of us.

However, an explanation came to mind during that session that I can use to describe what is going on with the energy and is grounded in what is going on in the body.

I feel where the energy is congested.

Traffic Jam in Bangkok by g-hat is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

When energy is congested, similar to the traffic in the picture above, it is not in flow. The circulation of the energy is slow and unbalanced in their system.

In terms of the body, energy congestion in an area could be too much fluid (blood, lymph, etc.), tight muscles or connective tissues restricting circulation, or too much nervous system activity in that area.

By allowing the Reiki to flow to the congested area, the body can use the energy boost to help it return to balance and find homeostasis.

If energy could be congested in one area of the body, that means it could be lacking in another, and so I might also be called to place my hands on an area that hasn't been receiving enough energy because it has been caught up elsewhere.

Most of the time though I don't get caught up in determining if the area is lacking energy or congested. I just give it Reiki and let the body do what it needs to do.

If you are like I was in my early days of giving Reiki and unsure of feeling the energy or sensing where to place your hands, you might want to find a Reiki Share where you can learn from other practitioners, find a teacher that can guide you to develop the skill, or take a Jikiden Reiki class where it is taught as a part of the curriculum.

I have two Reiki Practitioner gatherings monthly, one on Zoom and one in person if you want to join us and practice Reiki together. See the details below.

If you are interested in a Jikiden Reiki class feel free to reach out and let me know. I can teach a class or point you to another teacher that has any upcoming classes.

Happy October!