Reiki in Real Practice | Integrating Therapy, Yoga & Energy Healing with Elaine Schardien

What happens when therapy, yoga, mindfulness, and Reiki come together?

In this episode of Healing Waves Reiki, I sit down with my friend and Reiki Master, Elaine Schardien, to explore what healing looks like when we stop separating mind, body, and energy.

Elaine is a licensed professional counselor in New Jersey who works with children and families in a mental health clinic. She is also a yoga educator and mindfulness teacher who has spent years helping individuals navigate stress, anxiety, emotional challenges, and personal growth.

Together, we discuss:

• How yoga and mindfulness naturally became part of her therapeutic work
• Why healing often becomes more effective when the body is included
• How Reiki added a new layer of awareness, presence, and intention to her practice
• The connection between nervous system regulation and healing
• Supporting clients without burnout as a helping professional
• The role of energy awareness in creating safe and supportive healing spaces
• Why meaningful change often begins with small shifts rather than dramatic transformations

One of the most powerful moments of the conversation is Elaine's reflection on healing as "small ripples"—subtle actions and moments of presence that expand far beyond what we can see.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, therapist, yoga practitioner, Reiki student, or simply curious about holistic healing, this episode offers a grounded and thoughtful perspective on how different healing approaches can work together to support well-being.

Because healing isn't one system.
It's relational.
It's layered.
And often, it's the small ripples that create the biggest waves.

https://healingwaves-reiki.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:09

Welcome to the Healing Waves Reiki Podcast. I'm your host, Cathy Scarpitto, Reiki Master teacher, spiritual mentor, intuitive, and physical therapist. This is a grounded, heart-centered space where we explore Reiki and the science and spirit of healing. Reiki supports the body, opens intuition, regulates the nervous system, and helps transform the experience of healing. Reiki meets science, intuition meets practice, and healing becomes more human. If you're curious about Reiki, drawn to deeper healing, or seeking a more connective and intuitive way to care for yourself or others, you're in the right place. Let's begin. Welcome back to the Healing Waves Reiki Podcast. I am so excited for today's episode because it is really a special one. We are moving from theory into lived experience. One of the core intentions of this podcast is to explore how Reiki shows up in real life, not just as an idea or a concept, but in clinical spaces, in classrooms, in yoga studios, and in everyday healing work. And today's guest embodies that integration beautifully. Today I'm speaking with someone who brings together multiple layers of healing work in a very grounded and meaningful way. Elaine Schardien. She is my dear friend, a Reiki master that I have trained, and she is also a licensed professional counselor in the state of New Jersey, working with children and families in a mental health clinic. Elaine is also an educator in yoga teacher training programs, teaching yoga and mindfulness as tools for regulation and resilience. Throughout her career, she has worked across community college settings, supporting students with disabilities, high-achievents, and students facing academic and emotional challenges. What's powerful about Elaine's work is not just the breadth of experience, but the way she integrates all of it. Therapy, yoga, mindfulness, and now Reiki. So, Elaine, welcome. I'm so happy to have you here today. Hi, Cathy. Thanks for having me. I'm very honored. I'd love to start with your journey. You've worked in so many different environments: clinical, educational, and therapeutic. Can you share how your work evolved over time and what led you to begin integrating yoga and mindfulness into your therapy practice?

Speaker 3:20

I'm happy to share that with you, Cathy. I started out as a social worker for this state working for working with children and families and migrated over to community college with the populations that you had previously mentioned. In the meantime, I was so drawn to yoga. I had a boyfriend in my mid-20s, and he introduced me to yoga. And I happened to go on a retreat, and I was sitting at morning meditation, and the sun came up, and I opened my eyes, and I was awed. And knew it was very impactful that this was going to be a part of my journey. And so the yoga came into my life very early. Working with families, working with children, teenagers, parents has always been my path. Whatever job I've taken, it has always incorporated that. I'm attracted to that segment of the population and working in that way. I became a therapist later in life, which is very interesting. So I was teaching yoga, working at a community college, uh, doing therapeutic work, but not licensed. So it was very informal, I would call it more coaching that I was doing. And I decided I wanted to get licensed. And that's what I did. So I took that journey in my 50s, and I got on the path of a therapist, and the first job, would you know it, that was offered to me was, and I took it, loved it, and I remained there, is working with children and teens.

Speaker 1 5:28

Now, when you said that when you started with yoga and you had this aha moment, you knew it was going to be a part of your journey. Did you at that point know it was going to be part of your profession, you know, that you would integrate it, or did you know that it was going to be part of your life?

Speaker 5:50

Oh, I love this question. I love it. So I imagined, I created images of me working with yoga, and I couldn't see how specifically it would fit into my profession. And so it took me a lot of years to be able to integrate that in. So that's a great question because it I really struggled with it. At the time in our society, yoga was not seen as very professional, let's say in the 80s and 90s, late 80s, 90s. So when I started working with high school students at the community college, I realized the need for techniques to teach them how to breathe, how to still their mind. And so that became a passion and a goal for me to assist them. The students reacted so uh well and so quickly to this that I that is why I think I went back and got my licensure so I could work in the mental health setting.

Speaker 1 7:15

So that brings me to my next question. You know, what did you start noticing in your clients or students when you started this integration?

Speaker 7:24

A settling, the ability to open up and see a new possibility. That's beautiful, right?

Speaker 1 7:38

That's beautiful, yeah.

Speaker 7:39

Yeah, so there was a diffusion of tension, and then what comes when you have that diffusion of temp uh tension is opportunity.

Speaker 1 7:50

Absolutely.

Speaker 7:51

You create space, you create space, space for healing, yes. So one of the things, and we've spoken about this before, one of the things that I began to notice is not only to create space for healing, but create space for joy. So a lot of times these young adults did not have a lot of confidence, self-esteem. So telling them that was really great, or what you said was so impactful, they were not able to accept that. So being able to hold the space where they could begin to accept joy was mind-blowing.

Speaker 1 8:42

Because it's a new experience and it's a scary experience because it's not familiar. Correct, correct, and the deserving of that joy. Yeah. Now you said holding space. We talk about that, you know, on this podcast. Tell me, holding space, what does that mean to you?

Speaker 9:03

Oh gosh. Well, it means so much when you're in a therapeutic environment. It is respect, it is stillness, it is being in the moment with a person and allowing them to just sit and maybe not even speak. So if they're sitting in grief, if they're sitting in depression, if they're sitting in anxiety, allow them to be and provide a safe space for them to experience what they're experiencing experiencing. Yeah. And then we move on to the therapeutic portion. But it's almost a confirmation of oh, yeah, I get it. I get where you are. You're seeing them.

Speaker 1 9:59

Yes. Without judgment. Correct. And creating safety. Oh, absolutely creating safety. And we talk about that also on this podcast in you need to feel safe to let your guard down. Right? That is correct. You need to feel safe to unlock your fight or flight system and just shift, shift your whole system into repair, maintenance, healing.

Speaker 10:33

So it's interesting that you're saying shift because in as a therapist, I do a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy. And cognitive behavioral therapy is trying to assist someone in that 1% shift. If you can help them with that 1% shift, the other 99% or whatever shift that they need to make is so easy. It's that 1% to just see that there are other choices, that there are other perspectives, uh, that there are other paths. Sure. And it's a journey, it doesn't happen overnight. Oh my goodness, it's a constant journey. So I'm doing the journey right now doing the journey. And I think that's the exciting part about it is the imperfection of that journey. Because we are never going to be perfect. The expectation when I'm working with individuals is you're not going to be perfect, but how can you be who you want to be? That's how can you work towards that? And to know that that's going to change during your life. Your definition of self will change what you want and what you your goals are. So, how can I help support that?

Speaker 1 11:58

That's beautiful. Thank you. You know, I think so many, definitely young people, but also people of all ages, struggle with perfection. Yes. You know, they they think they need to be perfect, they compare themselves to others, and just understanding that all they need to do is be themselves, be the best version of themselves. And that may take time. It does take time. And it comes in layers like peeling an onion.

Speaker 12:28

And the journey is the journey is the most amazing part of it. It's not getting the, it's not being there, it's getting there.

Speaker 1 12:40

That's so true. So true.

Speaker 12:42

Right.

Speaker 1 12:44

Can you talk about how that integration began to shift, the way you supported anxiety, depression, and self-esteem in your clients?

Speaker 12:55

So this is a very interesting part of the journey. Before I met you, Kathy, I would have never considered becoming a Reiki practitioner. I am not a hands-on healer. My mom in the 70s was doing therapeutic touch, and I believed in it. I I just didn't see myself as being a hands-on person, practitioner. And so when I met you, I was drawn to do the Reiki one and the Reiki II. And as we began to talk and I developed my skills, and you said to me, Well, you don't have to do this hands-on. You can do this remotely. And so this light bulb went off in my head. And let me tell you how I approach Reiki with my therapy clients. So again, with the CBT anxiety, depression, their teenagers. Sometimes I have five-year-olds. So, you know, I have to bring it down to a simpler level to work with them. I always incorporate breathing. So there's yogic breathing that's always involved. Then we have discussions about um, I can't speak what's on my mind, or there's so many thoughts going through my head, or I have this pain in my chest, or I, you know, where I feel it, and I'll ask them, I'll I'll have leading questions. Well, if it's thoughts in your mind, but what are you thinking about? What thoughts are swell uh swirling, or in the throat, you know, like what what what do you feel you're holding back? Stomach is a little bit different. We get visceral with the stomach and the and the chest. And then I will say to them, okay, let's do some of the yogic breathing. I actually don't call it yoga breathing. I'll I'll call it, you know, the uh four square breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Uh, I don't want to offend anyone or a religious background because it is very scientific where we come from. So say it's in the stomach, they they feel that anxiety in the stomach, let's do the four square breathing. And while you're doing that, let's concentrate on loosening that stomach muscles, relaxing. So if the client is allowing me to do that, if they're in agreement, I feel that's consent, and I will send Reiki energy to those chakras. Um, and in my mind, I will visualize that I'm almost soothingly rubbing in a clockwise manner and those chakras while they're doing the breathing.

Speaker 1 16:00

Wow. Now, you know, it's interesting how you said a few things. Number one, you didn't know you had you didn't have to use your hands. That was another moment for you. Yes. it was huge. And part of this work is really not only doing the beaming of the energy and the sending of the energy, it's your presence, it's the energy that you bring to each client. It's emanating from you and they are receiving it from you. It also sounds when I asked the question, okay, which which modality do you use? Which way do you go? You can't plan it. You use your intuition. I do use my intuition. Reading your client's energy, so to speak, and what their needs are.

Speaker 16:56

And the permission or the consent that they give. Yeah. And how much they're willing to consent to that.

Speaker 1 17:03

Right. So it as in any Reiki session, typical Reiki session, you never know it's what it's going to be. You walk in blind and it all happens as it should. So it sounds the same in a therapy session. Yes. You can have some ideas going in, you can maybe direct yourself, but once you get in there, your client is in control of what they need. Um not that they're in control, but they're they're leading. They're leading you, you're leading them in healing, but they're leading you in telling you what they need.

Speaker 17:49

I feel I feel they're leading me in what they're prepared to take on, or what kind of growth they're prepared to have at that moment. And I have to respect those boundaries. Yes. Yeah. So I have to tell you, with the Reiki journey, I'm like, oh, I've been sending healing energy to my clients all the time since I started with as a social worker. And before that, I'm sure. However, the Reiki has given me an efficient way to in which to direct that healing energy in a manner that is most useful for the client and not just going out kind of willy-nilly. I agree. And it also allows me the opportunity to ground, surround, and shield. So I have self-preservation while I'm doing this healing energy. Where before I didn't, and that was one of the reasons that I didn't pursue becoming a therapist until later because in my life, because I was draining my energy.

Speaker 1 19:07

Yeah. And we're going to get into that in a little bit. But as far as draining your energy, yes, that is one of the big differences between Reiki as energy healing and energy healing as you were doing before. Correct. Because as a physical therapist, I did the same. You know, I was an energy healer, not a Reiki practitioner, along just because we are all energetic in nature, and our energy affects others. Yes. And when our energy is one of love and compassion and positivity, it is going to have positive effects on our clients. But the energy that we are giving to them in those cases is ours. And it's exhausting and depleting. The one thing that I learned with Reiki is this energy is coming through us, not from us. That is absolutely true. Absolutely true. So the difference is leaving that session, I feel invigorated because the energy came through me. It's a self-session, so to speak. It's true. It's true. It's healing for both. Yes. So you've talked about how you incorporate Reiki into your therapy sessions. How do you incorporate Reiki into your yoga teacher training program?

Speaker 20:49

That was a more straightforward approach or incorporation. So in the yoga teacher training program, we have students who are attracted to learning about energy and subtle energy and different bodies of energy. So the conversation is more in depth, and Reiki, of course, becomes part of that conversation. When I'm working with the students, there's a number of things that I will expose them to. And in addition, I will do a for anyone who would like it at the beginning of a session. I do this at least once a semester, and I will assess where their chakras are at that moment. And then we do a yoga class and I talk to them about it. So if there's a block, we we talk about Where the block is and what that might mean on an individual basis. And how do you do that assessment? So I have a pendulum that my friend Kathy has given me when I finished my Reiki teacher training, and I use that pendant to circle above the chakra, above the body. And so, for instance, if there is a blockage or if the pendulum is swinging counterclockwise, not spinning, or just standing still, we'll talk about a blockage, and then I'll talk in very general terms what that blockage could mean. And typically in the course of that conversation, very quickly we have a conversation. Yes, um, I feel like I'm losing my housing or whatever, you know, is going on. And so then we talk about balancing that chakra and how that can help them and make decisions. It's not going to help their housing, but it can help them make decisions about the housing if they're feeling in a more stable place.

Speaker 1 23:17

And it could also help release the energy that they're holding, the fear that they're holding. Absolutely. Um, in regards to those situations to help them make better choices. Correct.

Speaker 23:29

So again, we're looking at that shift, that 1% shift.

Speaker 1 23:33

Yeah.

Speaker 23:33

So we're making it. So in the middle of a yoga class, and my students are really great because they do know me and they know they will get their individual time with me. I will spend with that one student and then move on to the next. But I will answer any questions that they have about block chakras and will have a uh short conversation about it that's personal to them.

Speaker 1 23:58

Yeah.

Speaker 23:59

Then I will do a yoga class. And again, as you were saying earlier, Cathy, you go how you're guided. So if I feel there were a lot of people who needed heart openers or throat openers or a child's pose for protection, whatever's needed, I will do that in the yoga class. And then I will end with a guided meditation that that addresses each of the chakras as we go on. And it is the most impactful session that I do with these students in the course of the semester. So, as a matter of fact, when I teach different courses, they always ask me to do that session with them. And and I do, and it's it's very powerful. I have students crying, students hug at the end, um, students sit there for like five, 10 minutes when we're done because they need to process. So then I allow that space. So while I am doing all of the class, I am envisioning a bubble of white light that surrounds us so that while we're in the class, there is a safe space. And then I envision that each of the students has their individual bubble that they walk out with. So I feel like I am sending this healing energy that is coming through me. It's not mine, but I am just a vehicle for that energy to send that out into the world. And I am starting with these students.

Speaker 1 25:52

That is beautiful. And the beauty of this, this is an academic experience. Yeah, it's three credits, but you're making it experiential for them. Oh, absolutely. You know, they're not learning about the chakras in a book, you are bringing it to real life with them and opening up real healing for them in such a meaningful way. Thank you. Yeah, I'm I'm really it's it's very powerful. Yeah, and I can really see how Reiki and yoga go hand in hand. You know, with in Reiki sessions, I also check all the chakras with a pendulum before and after. And each chakra has to do with a different area of your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual well-being. And there's yoga poses that can help with that flow of energy correctly in each of those. Yes. Yeah. And also, you know, we don't have to have all the answers for our students, clients, patients, but just allowing them to connect with the meaning of that chakra or that repressed emotion can start them on their healing journey so that they can release that energy.

Speaker 27:15

That is so true. And I think like the younger me was always anxious about having the answer for everyone. And I as I've matured and through experience, I understand that it's recognizing that this is what you're experiencing. And I so I will I'll I'm gonna just stop for a minute and kind of regress. In my therapeutic sessions, I will say to a client, hey, we're going to try this. It's like throwing a dart. If this dart doesn't work, we're gonna try another one, see if we aim closer. So I feel like then we become a team. Absolutely. That is like, hey, we're trying to problem solve together. Yeah, let's see, let's see what the best fit for you is.

Speaker 1 28:15

Yeah. And you are assisting them in their journey, in their journey, because we cannot fix anyone, right? It's assisting them in their self-discovery of their learning, of their healing. Because at the end of the day, it's up to them.

Speaker 28:37

It is up to them. And I really I'm going to get back to this point. Assisting them in seeing the beauty within themselves. 100%. 100%. Because I can see it. It's very clear to me in a lot of in a lot of situations. And I feel this is a gift my spirit guides have given me.

Speaker 1 29:02

One thing that I have learned over the years, and I've seen it in other practitioners, how many people struggle with staying grounded while holding space for others. So can you speak to how you deal with self-care and how maybe Reiki can support that?

Speaker 29:26

So I deal with self-care by always remembering, as I said, to ground, surround, and shield. Now, am I perfect in that? Absolutely not. What trips me up, and I'm just going to be so honest here, is when I connect with someone's pain because I've experienced their pain.

unknown 29:56

Yes.

Speaker 29:57

And I have some unresolved issues in that area, and I just want to fix them.

Speaker 1 30:04

Yes. And I think this, I think this is a whole nother episode, I think, that that you're going to come back for to talk about this, right? Um, because first of all, when we are there for another person, when you start feeling their pain, that's because you are sensitive to energy. You are empathic. And when you are, it is so important to protect your energy, like you said, surround, ground, and shield. Because when you are a sponge to other people's energy and doing healing work, it can take its toll over time. So not only do we need to protect ourselves, but also cleanse. Cleanse the energy that gets stuck to us after sessions, after being with someone in grief or in turmoil or anxiety. So that is one way that Reiki can be used to cleanse, to balance, to protect.

Speaker 31:19

Absolutely. Absolutely. I feel like I rely on my spirit guides to help me cleanse quite a bit. And one of the things this uh is just something that I do when I feel like I've had a tough session or I'm connecting on a level that really isn't helpful for the client because it's hitting too close to home for me, that I will come home and I'll take a shower and do a salt scrub.

Speaker 1 31:53

That's a that's a great way.

Speaker 31:54

Right? Because that salt just clears the energy and I open up uh my chakras to as I'm doing it to just and I visualize that I'm just scrubbing that toxic energy away and perhaps the doubts that I have. Can I help this person? Because I haven't resolved this. How am I gonna help them? So all of the things that go through my head, I help that and have it drain away with the water. And then I get back to my therapeutic professional self, in which I know that I can help them, which in turn I help myself. So, so it all works out.

Speaker 1 32:40

We are all so interconnected. I know it's amazing. I know, it blows my mind. So before we finish up, there is one thing you and I have spoken before about healing, and I love the way you describe healing as small ripples. Ah, okay. Can you explain that and share that?

Speaker 33:03

Um, I definitely can. So I love to paddle board in the bay when the bay is so still. I am a Zen paddle boarder, and I love to get out in the early morning. It's so contemplative and peaceful. And when I'm on the board, I remember the first time I noticed this, and it was extremely impactful that I will be there and there's no one else around, and I put my paddle into the water, and my paddle creates a ripple that goes out into the bay. One small paddle creates a ripple. So my thoughts are imagine if we created that one small ripple in our life, if we change that one percent, what we could achieve in a lifetime and what we could achieve together.

Speaker 1 34:05

And that small ripple extends much farther than we can see.

Speaker 34:11

Then we absolutely, absolutely. So that ripple will extend. If I'm working with the client, where's that extending to? That may extend to their future children, it can extend to their siblings, to their the other students that they may be in school with, to the parents, to the grandparents, and then their ripples extend further into the universe to other people. So the importance of being intentional about what we do is the core to our existence.

Speaker 1 34:55

So, Elaine, if you could leave one thought about healing, what would it be?

Speaker 35:02

Kathy, that's a great question. Healing is a process that we are all capable of healing. Healing requires us to connect with others, and I think that's something that sometimes we need to understand and accept that that is a strength and not a weakness. When we heal ourselves again, like that ripple, we are healing much more, much bigger than an individual. We are healing a planet. It's true. I know it sounds crazy, but but honestly, I feel that that's true.

Speaker 1 35:56

Yeah, I agree. Well, well, thank you for your healing work. Now, what I really appreciate about this conversation is how clearly it shows something we come back to again and again in this podcast. Healing is not one system or one method. It is relational, it is layered, it is integrated. And when we bring awareness, presence, and intention into care, whether that's therapy, yoga, or reiki, something shifts in how people experience healing. Not because we are doing more, but because we are showing up differently. Elaine, thank you so much for sharing your experience and your perspective today. And thank you to everyone listening for being part of this conversation. I look forward to having you back where we can explore many topics together.

Speaker 37:01

Kathy, thank you so much for having me and having this discussion and bringing this type of ideas and information to other people out there. Well, it's been my honor and my pleasure.

Speaker 1 37:18

Check out the short bonus episodes where Elaine guides you through her top three breathing techniques to help regulate your nervous system. Thank you for listening to the Healing Waves Reiki podcast. This episode resonated with you. Share it with someone who may need it. Subscribe and leave a review so more people can find this work. Until next time, stay grounded, stay open, and keep healing. This podcast is intended for informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The content shared on this podcast is not medical, psychological, legal, or professional advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health care provider, mental health professional, or other licensed professional regarding your specific needs. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Listener discretion and personal responsibility are advised.