RWP Episode #164: Your Body Your Practice with Reiki Women Podcast

In this episode of the Reiki Women Podcast, hosts Bronwen Logan, Michaela Daystar and Carrie Varela discuss the importance of adapting Reiki practices to suit both the practitioner’s needs and the client’s requirements. 
They explore topics like managing physical discomfort, maintaining mental and emotional clarity, and using creative flexibility to modify sessions. 
The conversation includes personal anecdotes, teaching experiences, and insights into how Reiki can be integrated seamlessly into everyday life. 
Join the hosts as they share practical advice, highlight ongoing projects, and build a supportive community for Reiki practitioners.

00:00 Introduction to Reiki Women Podcast
02:14 Exploring the Flexibility of Reiki Practice
04:35 Adapting Reiki to Personal Needs
07:08 The Importance of Self-Care for Practitioners
11:39 Creative Approaches to Reiki Sessions
24:33 Current Projects and Community Engagement
29:55 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Hosts
Bronwen Logan: https://ReikiwithBronwen.com
Carrie Varela: https://www.reikihealingsociety.com
Michaela Daystar: http://HeartscapesInsight.com

We now have our own email! reikiwomenpodcasts@gmail.com
Our own RWP Group discussion: Embodying Reiki
  / 1564135767437136

Transcript

0:06

If a plumber comes to the house. The plumber needs to have all the right tools with them. They need to bring those tools with them because that's their responsibility, right? Same with us. We need to come fully to that treatment. I don't think we should come to a treatment half-baked. Energy work is not Adderall. Like, it's not just there to like, you know, make you the energizer bunny and go, go, go, go, go. Energy is life and energy moves in many different ways. And so our experience, whether we're receiving a reiki session or giving a reiki session, might include feeling energized. It might include feeling very relaxed or very tired. Welcome friends to the Reiki Women Podcast, an exploration into the profound depths of the system of Reiki. From a Japanese spiritual perspective and how that relates to our modern lives, we are keeping it real to Reikis origins, challenging the new age stereotype that things like. Crystals, chakras and angels are authentic aspects of the system. I'm Bronwyn Logan, and when I'm not writing best selling books about the Japanese system of Reiki, 75,000 readers and counting, I'm here debunking, outmoded reiki myths and coaching individuals and groups. Through my website, Reiki with Bronwyn. And I'm Mikayla de star, lead teacher and Weaver of Hardscapes Reiki connecting the dots between reiki and environmental and social justice because our individual healing cannot be extracted from healing relationship with the collective and with the land. And I'm Carrie Rela from the Reiki Healing Society here to help you transform your reiki practice into a thriving, prosperous business. 'cause while passion fuels your purpose, it's time to make it sustainable, authentic, and beautifully used. We're three women diving into the heart of Japanese Reiki. We're building a community that centers women's voices and inspires wellbeing. We're not just for women, we're for everybody. Come join the conversation. Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Reiki Women podcast. Uh, today we have an interesting topic. It's a little bit more geared towards our fellow Reiki practitioners out there, but maybe is geared towards really anybody on the journey with Reiki. And today we're gonna be talking about how Reiki is not only very accessible and flexible for our clients, like in terms of how, how to apply reiki, how to, give reiki, you know, you don't even have to be in the same room to receive Reiki, uh, from somebody. However today we're gonna be talking a little bit more of how we work with reiki in our body and, in our practice, right? So how can we modify how we give a reiki session, for example, um, to be more suitable for our own specific body, uh, our own maybe physical challenges that we might be having. Maybe we have some health challenges as well that are showing up for us inside of our reiki practice and how we, then, you know, have to work with that in terms of offering Reiki professionally or even just with friends or family. So with that little introduction, I know Bronwyn has some good examples of how she's worked with other people to encourage them to modify their practice to suit what their body needs. So would you like to share your experiences, my friend? Thank you, Carrie. Well, I liked what you just said actually. I wasn't thinking about it in terms of doing a treatment on someone else, but it is true when we do treatments on others, we are always modifying the practice, aren't we? Because that person might come to a treatment and they might say, Hmm, I don't like it if you put your hands on me, right. Or they might say, I've got a sore knee. Oh, they might be in hospital and they might have plaster over 90% of their body. We have to. Always modify our treatment according to the person that we go to. But what about our bodies? How do we do that for ourselves? Do we take that into consideration? Or do we become very structured and, strict about what we think we need and what that might do to us? How that could affect us. So for example, if I had an illness and I wasn't feeling very strong because I have been sick. So I've been sick for a couple of days, say, and then, and I wanna do reiki, but I'm not feeling very strong, should I or shouldn't I? Yeah. So if you can do, right, if you feel strong enough, do, um, you might just place your hands on your body in one place and just leave them there and fall asleep. And yet you might be the sort of person who says, no, I have to do this hand position and I have to do that hand position. I have to wait for three minutes and two seconds. so getting everything very exact, but instead leaving that and letting go of that and really leaning into the idea of being intuitive to ourselves and our own needs. Taking that time for ourselves. The last couple of days, for example, I've just been feeling a bit lazy, so I have really not been doing a lot. And it's been so nice because normally, I'm always doing things, pushing myself to, I really should do this. But when I do that, then I get a little bit of resentment and a bit of a backup against things. So instead just giving yourself a break. Saying It's okay. I don't always have to work. I don't always have to be of that in terms of, uh, the system of reiki as well. So even though, it's great to have this ongoing practice, keep in mind that your practice is there for you. So you need to be very intuitive and thoughtful about what it is that you actually need in this moment. And when we talk about practice, one other thing. I would say that, you know, sometimes we think, oh, it's just a meditation practice, or it's just a hands-on healing practice, but never forget the reiki precepts. And they're always there. Whether I'm, actually, sitting down on a meditation stool or, placing hands on the body or chanting or maybe I'm just washing up the dishes or lying in bed or watching a TV show or whatever I'm doing. I'm having in my mind, at the top of my mind, the reiki precept. So there's something that can always just sit there without too much effort, but using them as a foundation to actually live by. There's some of my thoughts. How about you, Mikayla? Yeah, I love that. That's a foundation. What, what's been coming up for me in thinking this through is that. There's so much involved in sharing a reiki session, whether it's with ourselves or another person, beyond the simple mechanics and the energetics of Reiki itself. So by that I mean if I'm doing a table treatment for someone, for example, um, there's, you know, the reiki that, uh, is the phenomenon of spiritual energy that is radiating from me as I am focusing on my practice that is radiating from the client as they are in their practice receiving, and the mingling all of that. And that brings, you know, a variety of experiences and feelings and, um, responses. There's the hand placements themselves, so there's the physicality of that touch or that close proximity, um, that. You know, goes into that. Beyond that, there's, you know, how my body has to move and to navigate the space, which can cost energy. Uh, it can, you know, put pressure on my body to hold different hand placements. There's also the social interaction of, you know, being with another person in an intimate setting. There is the concentration of our mind of, you know, making sure that we're focusing on our practice in the way that allows us to be effective in sharing Reiki with that person that allows us to stay present, uh, to stay in the practice and to track, you know, where we are in, in the process, where we are in time, and, you know, all of that we kind of just take for granted. That's just part of the experience. And all of those things contribute to how we might feel in the midst of that process. And the reason that was coming up is I was remembering back to, uh, one of the very first Reiki classes that I taught years ago, showed in Reiki one class and one of my students, after we did, you know, table treatment practices, she said, she said, I'm so tired after doing that. I thought that Reiki was supposed to energize me. It's energy, right? It's supposed to energize me. And I didn't it, you know, it was like, I knew that that was a misinterpretation, but I didn't quite know how to respond in that particular moment. So it's something that I've thought of over the years. And so, you know, when it comes to assessing, right, how we as a practitioner, you know, what we need as a practitioner, uh, what flexibility we need to give ourselves as we show up in a, in a session, whether it's for ourselves or for others. It's important to remember that there's these other dynamics at play beyond the energy itself, even with just the energy itself, right? To say that it's energy and therefore it energizes us. You know, we, we know that that's not accurate, right? Energy is life and energy moves in many different ways. And so our experience, whether we're receiving a reiki session or giving a reiki session, might include feeling energized. It might include feeling very relaxed or very tired. It might have quite a bit of fatigue that comes over us because finally we're opening ourselves to rest. We might have a lot of emotional activation that might, um, you know, make us feel. All kinds of different ways, which can include being energized. Um, there might be, you know, emotions that come through that actually de you know, bring us down. That kind of depress us a little bit. Um, there's a whole wide range of responses that are gonna happen when we pay attention to the movement of life energy in our system, which is really what's happening inside of our AP session. And then there's these other dynamics, like the physicality of doing the hand placements. It's, it's such a, it's such a still like slow calming act, uh, at least to observe it. That it, it is easy to forget that we are holding our bodies, you know, in a particular position. Many muscles engaged, having to be very careful moving at a slow pace, which can sometimes be more difficult than a, at a fast pace. You know, holding particular positions that might strain different muscle groups, you know, might strain our shoulder or back, you know. Our knees, um, doing that for long periods of time. So there is a physical strain that can happen. So, you know, when we think about what do I need as a practitioner to show up well for this session, uh, we wanna be able to assess those things and not assume that we have to do the sessions the same way each time that we do it. One of the things that's so lovely about practicing reiki from the perspective of its original form as well as we can, is that that one model of providing reiki, the 10 hands on healing practice where there's hand positions and its physical, is only one of many forms in which we can practice reiki and is not the most important, not the least important, it's just one of many. Uh, and that's one of the things that Western Reiki has really forgotten or has lost or didn't have much of, um, in the first place, is this. Kind of range of ways in which we can be in reiki practice with ourselves and with others. And when we think about being flexible for our own needs, in addition to our client's needs, it really is supportive to remember that. I was having a conversation recently with a student who was struggling with some physicality around an illness and was very frustrated that she was struggling to provide Reiki sessions in the way, you know, a, a standard 10 year session, uh, with hand placements and standing up and moving around and all of that. It was, it was a struggle for where she was at in that moment. And, you know, we talked about the way in which that actually might kind of create a creative pressure on her to think about other ways she might be with the people that she wants to share Reiki with. Um, we talked about what might it mean for you to be lying down next to them and you're simply holding hands, or your hand is simply. On them, and you're in your Josh and practice, you don't have to move your body at all. What might it be to just sit with each other, um, the way that it is told that he sat with his students and didn't have to move a muscle. What would it be like to chant with each other? What would it be like to contemplate the precepts with each other? What might it look like if you reiki practice with clients, uh, was more diverse in what you offered? Um, and that that was a way of modeling to them how responsive you're able to be in addition to theirs and what that might mean for their learning as people learning how to take care of themselves. So I think, you know, I, this, I feel like I'm going kind of all over the place with this, but I think the, the central piece of what I keep kind of coming back to is just for today, we need to be compassionate to ourselves as people who want to show up for other people in sessions and want that to be the best experiences possible. And possibly have a tendency to downplay our own needs in that. Um, and that we don't have to do that. We don't have to do that. We can be creative with this practice, and that doesn't just look like canceling a session. If we don't feel well, we can get more creative than that. And how we hold space for reiki and for others and how we respond when something inside of us changes and we need different things from our practice, um, it puts that creative pressure on us. That also includes frustration. Um, but there are many ways to work through these things and yeah, I think it's important to talk about that. Hmm. Yeah. Um, this is, um, an interesting conversation. Um, and to hear your perspective is really cool, um, as well, because I've definitely dealt with that student or that person who's receiving reiki tr trying to give Reiki for the first time. Um, like you were mentioning Mikayla, of just getting really tired right from the experience. And that can be a little bit, um, you know, frustrating working with working, you know, uh, and being like, Hey, I really wanna do something that's supposed to like, fill me up, you know? And here I am, like drag my feet, like I'm so tired. Um, you know, and I think that, uh, you know, there's sometimes a mindset too that I think what you were talking about Mikayla of, of. Understanding energy work, like it's Adderall energy work is not Adderall. Like, it's not just there to like, you know, make you the energizer bunny and go, go, go, go, go. Like, that's a wrong relationship. That's not right. Relationship with reiki and your body and your own energy, you know, capacity. So, um, uh, that, uh, you know, so a lot of times if people are feeling tired after a session or, you know, maybe you're, either you received a session and yet you're still tired or you are a practitioner and giving a session to somebody else and get really tired, I think there's a few things that you, I would wanna unpack with that kind of person is, first of all, do you have mindfulness? Practice, like, can you sit for 20 minutes without falling asleep to meditate? Um, because that's something that maybe should be a prerequisite for any practitioner, because some people can't do that kind of mindfulness that, you know, they can't be still and quiet for that time because their minds are so busy and so accustomed to doing. And as soon as you kind of turn that off for yourself, like you just wanna crash, like you're tired, you're, you know, your body needs a, a different type of rest. So, um, for me, you know, I, I, I do sometimes go into that, um, like really tired experience inside of a meditation. And I, I've just learned to trust that that's my body telling me I'm really tired today. Like, I really need to allow myself some time to rest. And, um. You know, and if you're continuously tired prior to giving a session or during a reiki session, if you're providing one, um, I think you have to really work on self practice prior to showing up, you know, and to give a session. So, or if in, in a context of maybe a reiki class is that, that person, if they went on to doing future sessions inside of like a, a, a learning paradigm or learning container, I would want them to receive first. Like I would want them on the table first. Like if you're feeling tired, if you feel like this gives you a lot of, um. Fatigue to give a session then for sure, like you receive first and to see if that shifts for you. Because I think sometimes it's just getting accustomed to having energy moving through you and letting that move through you. Um, it can be helpful to receive first if you're fatigued. And why I'm elaborating going on and on and on about this, uh, is because, oh, I have, I dealt with that and especially dealt with that when I was pregnant. Like I was so tired and I'd be in a reiki session just freaking nodding off, like, whoa. And so I really had to adapt my practice. Like I had to give myself break before I set up my sessions. I had to be mindful of how many I could do, um, in a setting. I had to be really mindful of the food, you know, that I had available to me. Uh, you know, so I wouldn't get really tired. I would take rest between sessions sometimes. Um. Uh, so that's something I've, yeah, definitely had to deal with and, um, have had moments of struggle with, uh, for sure. Um, then I think there's, the other layer that we've kind of stepped into is, is like the navigating physical discomfort. So like, holding your arms over somebody for a period of time. Like, how long can I do that before I'm just like hurting myself. Like, it hurts, you know? And I have got so much compassion for massage therapists and other body workers who really have to struggle with that, um, in a different way when they're, you know, delivering a, a wellness experience. Um. So with, uh, my trainings with Jacob and Reiki, it's really interesting how they set up like group practices, but we like prop our hands on pillows and we just like sit down. We do anything to make ourselves comfortable. Like, so if we, I wouldn't stretch my hand across somebody's body. I might just work on their right or left side, put my hands in a position where I'm really comfortable, can relax, can, you know, breathe with them, be with them, um, while I'm giving reiki and you know, then maybe being methodical about where I'm moving across the body. So, you know, if I'm only working on the right side, I'll spend, you know, an equivalent amount of time working on the left side. Um. Also, when I was pregnant, I really had to work with this height of the table, you know, like adjusting the height of the table because if I had to lean over, that was like really painful for me. So, um, yeah, I, I often had like my table, I'm like setting and I had like, like literally I had to like, have people like step up to the table sometimes, depending on how tall they are. Um, and, and I'm not always, when I'm doing sessions, sometimes I'm not working with my table. Sometimes I'm at a different location that, those kinds of things. So I do definitely have to modify, um, in those circumstances. And um, I also like what you were saying, Mikayla, about. The emotional activation, you know? So, um, taking care of oneself emotionally can be really helpful to feel like you're giving more focus to the client as well. So if there's something going on for me emotionally, and I'm gonna close my eyes, and the first thing I'm gonna think about is that conflict that I'm in, or the challenge I'm having, or the stress that I'm experiencing. Well, first of all, to be compassionate with oneself as we bring that into the circle too, right? And recognizing that us as practitioners, we're also receiving reiki as we give. And so being aware of that, um, however, I think if the emotional issue that you're going with or dealing with is so all consuming, like it might be a good idea to reschedule. You know, if you really can't like, get out of that state. Like it might be just as like, you know, if you had a cold or whatever. It might be helpful, right? Just for you and for your own sake, you know, to give yourself that time and space to, to be your most balanced and best self while you're with, um, clients. And that's my opinion. I mean, I know a lot of other people have different opinions and, and that's true too. Um, I could go either way. There's two sides of the coin with that one because sometimes really helps to just show up and hold space for somebody else. You can really set aside whatever emotional disturbances or bring it into your circle and, and it can be really helpful to, to, to, to offer a session in that state as well. But there's maybe a fine balance. Um, but I think one of the characteristics is like, am am I able to set that, that emotional disturbance aside enough so I can be really present with the client and be with them and whatever. Is going on for them. Like, can I hold that kind of more meditative, quiet space for them internally as much as I am externally? Um, I think also interestingly with the Jin training that I've done is that is an encouragement not to close your eyes while you getting a session, which is interesting too. And we actually talk, like when we're doing a practitioner circle or whatever, we'll talk, we'll have like small talk, like somebody's receiving reiki and everybody's chatting about their weekend plans or this, that it's kind of distracting and kind of obnoxious personally I find. But what's really interesting is it's a great way to get our ego out of it and to just let the reiki move the way it wants to move and, and kind of letting you know ourselves be distracted and not being so. Directive, I guess, with how the energy is moving because, you know, we can move energy with our mind. Our mind is quite powerful actually, in terms of how we're working with energy. So how do we harmonize with how the energy wants to move naturally in a session? So those are a couple of my thoughts and I'd love to turn it back to you, miss Bronwyn. Logan, what do you think, or actually this might be a good point to tell us a little bit more about what is happening inside of your Reiki practice right now. What's cooking in your reiki kitchen? I guess I'd like to talk a little bit about my Facebook group that I've got where I put up practices for the people who are there. So we have all these mini practices that we can do throughout our time together, which is really lovely. There's also chats. So because the Facebook group is linked into my regular online coaching group and radio, so things that people can come to on Zoom, they also have the opportunity to continue that then on in the Facebook group. And I really enjoy that. And also in the Facebook group, you know, if someone's not feeling well, they're welcome to ask for some healing, which is really helpful for all of us because we go through so many ups and downs in our lives. It's lovely to know that there are people, compassionate people there for you. So often the students will say things like I'm just so happy to be able to be in this environment and to know that you guys are there for me. And, I think that's really beautiful. I'd love for you to come and join me. And it's called, friends of Reiki with Bronwyn. That's the Facebook group. How about you Mikayla? What have you got going? Um, I just scheduled the next month's monthly class. It's gonna be focused on the precepts. Um, really looking at the precepts as a. Creative center of our practice. So, we'll, we'll look a little bit about kind of how they came about, what their function, um, inside of the system of reiki is from its origins. And then, you know, how we can relate to the presets as this incredibly dynamic creative, like, almost like swirling center of the practice of the system of reiki. Um, I think I still have a little bit of like, like disgruntlement from my first reiki, uh, experiences learning the system where the precepts were almost entirely disregarded. They were kind of just presented as like, this is this nice list of things that you should do. You know, this is a, you know, this, this is, this is a good list of things to, to, to, you know, be in your life or whatever. If you wanna be a good reiki, whatever, let's learn some hand positions. You know, like it was, it was really seen as, as almost an afterthought and, um. I feel like a lot of, you know, a lot of my practice since then has been really reintegrating the precepts into the rightful place as the center and the foundation of this system and their simplicity, uh, you know, what made it feel like it was okay that they were an afterthought because they're so simple is actually like at the heart of their creative power and the way in which they knit the whole rest of the system together. So anyway, we're gonna geek out on that in next month's, uh, monthly class. And, um, that is called, I'm forgetting what it's called exactly, but it's, it's got the word precepts in it, I tell you that much. Um, and that is, uh, now live on the website. How about you, Carrie? What, which cooking? Awesome. What am I cooking? Well, I just cooked something, so I just, uh, really had a last month and a half or something. Been really celebrating this workshop, uh, continuing education workshop. I call Decolonize your Reiki practice. And it is, it was really well received, uh, for, you know, the first time I've done a few continuing education courses, but it just really, people came out of the woodworks and really were excited about this. And so, um, I'm really flying high off that, that was really powerful, um, to have so many people really just so, uh, interested in. Using these decolonization principles and how they apply to reiki. Well, I, um, made the course a self-study course, so you can dive into it any time. I do have a little bit of a time deadline by April 15th. Um, if you watch it before then or purchase it before then it's at a, a little bit less of a, or a discounted rate. Um, but, uh, yeah, so that's, it's still available there. And, um, I'd love for you to experience it. And I already have some envisioning some additional continuing education workshops, um, particularly aligned towards people who want, maybe, who have trained in reiki in different lineages and different approaches. And, uh, would value having more of this understanding of the Japanese origins of reiki, reconnecting reiki to Japanese cultural and spiritual roots. Um, kind of flushing that out as its own standalone topic as opposed to going one by one again through each of the Reiki courses. So more of that is on its way and um, probably the best way to stay connected with that would be joining my Facebook group as well. So, um, it's the Reiki Healing Society Facebook group and, um, there's a subsection about mentorship and, um, training for Reiki professionals. So, um, definitely check that out. I love, have you part of that circle. So well back to our other topic, right? Yeah. So, and I was thinking about when you both spoke about teaching, early on in your reiki career if you like. I do remember that someone fainted in a class when I was teaching in the beginning and. I wasn't prepared for that. I'm there with the students. They're doing treatments on each other. And I wasn't aware that something like that could happen, right. Because it didn't happen to me. So, you know, this is how we learn sometimes. They were fine by the way, it brought to mind this realization that I wasn't making students aware. The fact that, when we begin to work with energy, especially in the beginning, I'm thinking of an electric power cord here. I dunno if that's a good analogy, but it's like putting different voltages through the thing. So we're doing more than we used to doing. And depending on who we are, that can be a bit of a shock to the system. A lot of you talked about fatigue and it can just take that fatigue to that point that you just go, oh, and I think we need to be aware of that as teachers, with our students. Obviously I needed to be aware of that. so I do now actually say to students, you know, if you're feeling tired at all, too tired, please just feel free to just stop. Step away from the table, think about yourself, in this whole experience, what is going on for me? And be aware of what is going on for me. So that's something that I think is really important. And it just continues on being important, obviously, into our practice, throughout our lives. So whether we are working on others, working on ourselves, just having that awareness of what is actually going on right now. When we work as a professional Reiki practitioner, it's definitely a responsibility for us to be there for the client. No matter what I'm going through at the moment, can I be there for the client? If I can't be there for the client, then I need to cancel that. I think, right? I think it is your responsibility. It's the same as if a plumber comes to the house. Um, the plumber needs to have all the right tools with them. They need to bring those tools with them because that's their responsibility, right? Um, same with us. So we need to come fully to that treatment. I don't think we should come to a treatment half-baked. So in whatever way, like Carrie, you said you would do a hands-on healing beforehand, or, do whatever you need to do to make sure that you are there for that person because that is, that is the contract that you have, created with that client. I don't think it's right to. Otherwise, right. I'll, I can give an example actually, which is sort of a bit of a weird one, but it was something I was thinking about when you were talking, 'cause I had, um, two hip operations last year. So they were absolutely amazing and I could walk straight away and I didn't really feel any pain and it was just amazing. After one of the operations, within a week I had a reiki treatment and I was like should I, shouldn't I do it? I didn't really know what was gonna happen. When it came around to it, I was like, actually I'm fine. And I was fine I set it up so that I was fine. I put chairs around the table so that if I didn't wanna stand, I could sit for example. So I was making it so that I was comfortable and. It helped me to be totally present for that person. I think we need to just always be fluid and considerate of what we are doing. And can we be there for, our client? You were talking about the Reiki practice group and people talking through that. Yeah, I, I don't like that. I could not do that. Um, that would be really off-putting for me. And you talked about Carrie, like, where the energy goes, where the mind goes. So if we are distracted where the frick is our energy going, right? It's all over the place. And, I don't think that's us being there for someone. Even if they're not paying clients, even if it's just friends or family, and I know that for myself as well, after I've done a treatment, I mean. I love it. Right. I love it. And I think I wouldn't love it as much if I was sitting there talking about my holiday, 'cause I wouldn't be getting the same thing out of it, that I'm getting out of it when I'm, just being a practitioner, let alone, having a treatment. As a practitioner I feel like I'm inviting that client into this space and I create this space. So we really need to be very conscious about what space this is that we are creating. I'm not saying that nothing happens if we sit in there chatting because it does, I think in every situation in our lives, things are happening. Energy's always moving, flowing. Right. But. The whole purpose of this system is that we place our focus to something. I thought there were really good points about, if we, we need to learn to focus those were really, like you're saying, maybe we should be setting it up differently. Maybe we should be first teaching meditation and learning how to be in a quiet space for an extended period of time and find out what happens in that space. How do we feel? Can we do it? Are we comfortable in that space? And learn to extend that and extend that, extend that before we actually even go near anybody. I think we would have really powerful treatments for people if, uh, if we came from that, background. It's a great idea. That's where I'm at. I love it. I love it. Um, yeah, I, you know, I appreciate this kind of perspective on self responsibility and flexibility, you know, that like, it's not a dualistic situation, right? If, if we're not at our a hundred percent best, it's not that we have to cancel a session or, or walk away from it. We can, that might be the right thing to do, as you were saying. And is there a flexible, creative option to play with here? And I think that's kind of what we're inviting folks into is to get creative and flexible with the way that you, um, interact with this practice. And I, I can't believe I had forgotten this, but when you were talking about the person, um, fainting in one of your early sessions or classes, um, I remember that a colleague of mine who's a really good friend still, and we met in those first Reiki classes, you know, so over 10 years ago now, and she had an experience where with, with just, with certain people. Not with everybody, with certain people. She would feel so overwhelmed by energy that she would get lightheaded when she was the practitioner. Um, that she would get lightheaded and like she fell, like didn't faint, but like got dizzy and felt once, uh, a a couple of times. And, um, and I was one of the people that that would happen to her with. And so, you know, originally our teacher's like, well, then you two shouldn't practice together. And we're like, no, let's figure out how to, how to do it. Right. And it became this place of creative practice. So she was one of the first people that I practiced no touch sessions with, right? So she would do the session without, like, she would keep a little bit of physical distance that seemed to help with what she was experiencing. Um, we played around with the di the length of the session. Um, you know, just kind of were experimental with changing different factors in the session to see, um. You know, how we could work, we could still work together. And that also allowed her to explore this phenomenon she was experiencing, right? That, that where she would have this kind of lightheadedness, this like rush, um, of energy that made her feel, um, a little bit off kilter. Um, ultimately she was able to kind of stabilize in herself. And I don't think that happens to her anymore. Um, but it just, yeah, it makes me appreciate that invitation to creativity, that if we run into a challenge, it is not an automatic, don't work with this person or don't, don't do a session today. Um, but it always comes back to that, that sense of, of self-assessment and discernment. Uh, I was also chuckling, Carrie, when you talked about raising your table up when you're pregnant. My table is always very, very high. And I have a friend who's a massage therapist who sometimes uses my space that he always has to put, put it back down. 'cause of course he needs it low. We can get the leverage. But for me, I'm like, I don't wanna have to hunch my shoulders or bend my back at all. Like, I don't wanna be able to stand with my back straight, you know, with my arms in whatever position they need to be, um, without having to bend at all. Uh, but I do use a variety of kind of like squats of like yoga positions and whatever to like change the height of my body depending on, you know, where I'm at. So that's another, you know, way to modify that. I, I work with, um, my students, um, on is, you know, working with your own body and, um, you know, I had a, a foot injury for a while that. Made it so that I couldn't use those same positions and that I had to get creative and find different ones. So yeah, finding, finding creativity in our practice, I think is always, um, an invitation that, that we have, uh, so that we can continue practicing and continue to feel enlivened and to feel nourished by that rather than, you know, overwhelmed or put upon or, or guilty because we have to change, um, sessions. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's where I, I landed with it. Well, that's great. Yeah. So many cool suggestions and ways to, to just be mindful of oneself, right? Inside of providing reiki with somebody else. And I think it's, it's the sad old age, old adage, you know, like, you're on a plane, put, put the, put the mask on first. Uh, shall the air mask be deployed? You know, um. So just, you know, setting yourself up for success that way. Um, I thought I'd clarified just one thing about, uh, how we do the group practice sessions with Jacob and Reiki is, um, it's not that the person receiving the reiki would be talking, it's actually the people giving. So we often do like group reiki, so maybe three or four people working on one person at a time, or a group of people. And so there's this encouragement to kind of keep this light chatter going. In the idea of trying to keep one's mind out of like, I'm doing this for a client, rather just holding space for Reiki to move through, which I think is an interesting perspective. Like I said, I also don't find it a little bit distracting and kind of like, no, no, and I don't do that with my glasses or, um, the way, you know, I work with that. But it's kind of interesting to give reiki with the eyes open, I think sometimes and just being like, especially if your mind is just spinning off and all of its different wheels and it's not feeling very centered or if you feel like too much like, oh, I'm trying to do this for somebody else. Or getting a little bit too caught up in and a, a feeling like you need to achieve a certain result with a session or something like that. So that's just nice to, I'll just look at a plan and have my hands on somebody and just be at having that more open-mindedness. Really at open feeling like I'm just here helping facilitate whatever. Healing or, you know, energy transformation wants to happen. Um, and I think it's interesting to learn directly from Reiki too. And I've, uh, I'm always learning from every session. There's always something to learn and, and, and to take in from each one. Even after doing so many of them over the years, which I feel really grateful that they are unique and special. Each one. Um, times when I'm about to give a session I I'll, or, you know, especially the first time with clients and people who are receiving reiki for the first time, I often invite them to visualize like a white light or a light surrounding their body. I'm kind of like a gentle or a, a more accessible Josh and coho practice for them. And, um, I had some sessions yesterday and I just got this really clear insight. Uh, yesterday when I woke up, or this morning actually when I woke up after the session says that I need to include myself in that light. Like I need to. I need to be inside that light too. Like it can't be the separate, like I need to be more focused on, on really being there inside that it doesn't need to be separate and I need to include myself, you know, um, in that visualization and in that, uh, experience as I'm guiding through somebody else to hold space for them to be in that as well. Um, and so yeah, there's always just these nuanced, um, awareness and things that kind of come up and that that's what makes Reiki, you know, still so interesting. Um, you know, no matter how many times we've given a session. Um, so I would, Robin, McKayla, do you have anything else you'd wanna circle back around from what we've talked about thus far? Any final comment? As we get stronger, as we do treatments, we can take on more. And I think that's what we are talking about. When we start, we need to get used to working with energy, consciously with awareness. And the more that we do that, the more that we can take on and, it makes us stronger energetically. Which I feel like it makes us stronger emotionally in our minds. it's just a really fantastic, great thing. So not to get discouraged if you feel that you might get tired or you feel that your body can't do it, or there's often a way around things and there. Take time to step back, but try again, you know, and keep at it. Keep working on yourself, getting stronger and, it's so rewarding to be able to be there for ourselves and for others. I love that. Beautifully put. All right, well thank you all so very much for listening to this conversation and of course we'd love it to be more interactive. What experiences have you had where you had to modify providing reiki in a different capacity? We didn't even talk about distance Reiki people. That's also prob, that's also way. Um, you know, to do it differently. So, um, I'm sure you have some stories to tell us, so feel free to chime in about that and the comments. Um, if you find that this, uh, you know, episode is useful, maybe share it on to other people that you think could benefit from it. And, uh, please do like, and subscribe to our channel, and so we can be in touch about future Reiki Women podcast episodes and, uh, lovely conversations. So thank you so much for being here today, and we'll see you again next time. Okay.