Daily Reiki

Our days were very full during the retreat, starting at 7.30 am and going through to 9.30 pm (and on one evening 10 pm), with a long break in the middle of the day.  As a docent this break was not as long, because we had a meeting at 4 pm each afternoon to discuss what the next question for the group should be.

One thing that kept me going through this was the daily Reiki treatments.  These took place between 12 noon and 2 pm, after which lunch was served.  We shared Reiki in groups of four,

Some of the lovely people I shared Reiki with

each receiving twenty minutes Reiki (equivalent therefore to an hour of Reiki).  What you may find surprising is that as there were not enough Reiki tables, we used desks!  Each was covered with a blanket and sheet, with a pillow and fleece blanket.  Amazingly there were just long enough to lie on and I found them surprisingly comfortable to lie on.  What was less comfortable was when giving Reiki to the head positions it was not possible to get my knees under the desk, so I had to sit with my knees jammed up against the end of the desk and lean forwards, sit sideways or have my knees either side of the edge of the desk, none of which were particularly comfortable (especially as I have quite short arms).  However with the grace of Reiki to support me I found that I did manage each treatment without too much discomfort.  When it was my turn to treat the body positions I was either able to get my knees under the desk or to stand, making it much easier to reach.


I think I fell asleep in all the treatments I received!  It didn't matter that it was the middle of the day, or 7 am UK time.  The treatments were all wonderful, with the practitioners being really good at being still and staying focused on the person being treated.  We were asked to arrange our groups of four before coming to the room to start the share and I don't think I ever had to look for others to work with because I was asked to join several groups over the days.  I enjoyed sharing Reiki with people if different nationalities and cultures, recognizing that we have the culture of Reiki in common.  I loved the way we could understand each other on a human level and share Reiki even though we could not understand each other's language.  I didn't feel at all in an alien culture, because the Reiki culture is so familiar to me and I found it to be the same even in Kazakhstan!

During the treatments (if I was awake!) my mind would often be working on the question we were currently discussing.  I believe this was also true for other members of the group, whether that 'work' was going on consciously or unconsciously.  For example I spent most of one treatment session thinking about our British culture in the context of Japanese culture and Reiki. 

So the daily treatments were an important part of the retreat and I missed them when I came home.