Being a total newbie to Reiki, and any other energy healing for that matter, I was completely open-minded about the experience. As a self-proclaimed wellness junkie, it has always been something on my list of things to try out and I’m so glad that my first experience was with the wonderful Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner, Shaylini, founder of The Sacred Self.

What is Reiki?
If you’ve never heard of Reiki before or your knowledge isn’t up to scratch, let us fill you in. Reiki is a spiritual healing art originating from Japan. Rei is the Japanese word for “Universal Life” and Ki means “Energy”, but together “Reiki” translates to “soul energy”, “mysterious spirit”, or even “spiritually guided life force energy”; Japanese characters can be interpreted in different ways, on different levels. Essentially, Reiki is the life energy that flows through all living things and with the help of a Reiki Practitioner, in my case Shaylini, the energy is transmitted and the vibrations can be physically felt. The energy flows to activate the body’s natural healing process and restore mental, physical, emotional and spiritual equilibrium. The holistic therapy simultaneously works to balance the chakras in the body, enabling the body to heal itself. 

Like other forms of energy therapy, including Prana or Qi Yoga and acupuncture, Reiki is believed to stimulate the clearance of energy blocks, which can bring up a lot of emotions. Whether you’re aware of these feelings or they’ve been buried, the experience can be extremely thought-provoking and bring around mental clarity to allow the natural healing mechanisms to work. On a more physical level, Reiki is known to help alleviate pain, the therapy has even been known to be beneficial for cancer patients who are experiencing long term pain. 

Reiki is a very individualised experience that works on many different levels and dimensions. Every session is completely unique but ultimately it works to reconnect us to our true selves through aligning the body on all levels, which in turn impacts both our physical and overall well-being, enhancing every aspect of our lives.

After just a few minutes in the presence of Shaylini I felt an instant sense of openness and trustworthiness that I hadn’t before. As I entered this safe space both physically and emotionally, I found myself opening up about many of the things that had been on my mind plus a whole load of things that I had buried deep down and hadn’t yet addressed with myself. I felt vulnerable to completely let my guard down and discuss things with Shaylini that I haven’t with anybody else but something just felt very right about doing so. I truly believe this is down to Shaylini’s spiritual aura which I very much felt in her company, hence why she is in this field and why she is so successful! I shouldn’t be surprised really but I’d never met anybody so spiritually connected before. 

We just spoke for the first 10 minutes which got me in the mindset for the physical part of the guided energy healing which we were about to embark on. As mentioned before, Reiki is a completely individualised process so my experience may differ from others but this is my insight into Reiki…

I started by lying on my back with closed eyes, we began with a few deep healing breaths and Shaylini said a spiritual prayer for healing in Sanskrit which called upon divine love and light. The energy healing then became and I instantly began to feel the sensation as we worked on my head and upper body. The sensation is a tingling feeling, it is hard to describe but put into words it feels like a vibrational energy running through your body. The feeling was very strong around my ears and it almost made me feel a bit disoriented but in a good way, like I was floating up off the bed. The therapy is relaxing so my memory of the encounter is not the most vivid but what I do remember thinking is how I’d never fallen into such a deep state of tranquillity so quickly. My body felt heavy yet light in unison which I’d never experienced before. 

As Shaylini travelled the energy down my body I felt more and more peaceful which is when my memory becomes a bit foggy, like I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I then turned over onto my front and the vibrations felt more intense again, Shaylini recalled a very strong energy when I was lying face down and also on my feet which she later told me. During the therapy there was no talking, even if I wanted to I don’t think I would have been able to due to how calm my whole body was. To finish the therapy I turned back onto my back and the most surreal thing happened, just as we were ending I physically felt a weight being lifted off my chest. It was not a small feeling at all, it was really as if a weighted object lying across my upper body that been lifted off and I felt an instant sense of release. 

As you can imagine, I was quite overwhelmed by this ending and shared it with Shaylini as soon as we began our post-therapy conversation. Of course, she already knew this and she felt all the sensations I was experiencing as the channel of this Divinely guided healing light/energy. It is hard to fathom that somebody can transmit healing energy through your body without physically touching you, and often you have to experience it to believe it but as soon as you do, it really does open up your mind to the realms of existence. We exist on so much more than just a physical level and Reiki is one of the incredible energy led processes that connects you with your spiritual existence.

My takeaway from the session with the wonderful Shaylini was that I should listen to my intuition more, which is something I think we can all take on board. In our busy lives, we often don’t take time to tune in with our bodies. ‘Time off’ is filled with socialising, watching TV, eating, exercising, reading, etc and while these things are great and also important to schedule time for, there is nothing more beneficial than simply doing nothing. There is a lot to be said for just sitting with our thoughts and figuring out how we really feel about our current situations and relationships, trusting your intuition and let it guide you with decision making that will ultimately result in happiness, joy and fulfilment. 

As I said my goodbyes and thanks to Shaylini and step back into the busy streets of London, I felt a bubble of protection around me, like nobody could intervene with the euphoric energy I was experiencing. I also felt a new sense of mental clarity which provoked some long-overdue issues I needed to address. Shaylini recommended not to do any strenuous activity afterwards and honestly, I don’t think I would have been able to even if I tried and that is saying something for me! The calm, peaceful state of mind stayed with me for days after the initial therapy which is all part of the magic of Reiki. 

words by Isabelle Shury

About Shaylini…Shaylini is a Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner, Visiting Practitioner for a number of 5* Resorts Worldwide including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Huffington Post Blogger, Columnist and Feature Writer and the inspiring creator of The Sacred Self. She provides deeply healing treatments ranging from Reiki healing, Chakra balancing, Guided healing meditations and an array of healing energy therapies to help experience freedom from emotional, mental and physical imbalances. Through her heart-centred approach, Shaylini provides a unique experience of deep healing which will enable you to let go of what doesn’t serve you, align you to your true potential and help you achieve ultimate inner peace and abundant self-love. The Sacred Self has been created to help you feel nurtured, inspired, balanced, free and most importantly happy. Through these techniques you will naturally experience an alchemical shift in energy leading to peace, joy and freedom. Shaylini leads her healing with a compassionate and heart-centred approach to bring clarity of mind, balance of body, healing of the soul, and nurturing of our Sacred Self. To find out more please visit: www.thesacredself.co.uk or Instagram: @thesacredself.shaylini