If you’ve never experienced Reiki before, it’s completely natural to wonder what your first session will actually be like.
What do I need to do? What will I feel? What if I don’t feel anything at all?
These are good questions, and they’re part of the reason I wanted to write about what you can expect during your first Reiki session.
The first thing I want you to know is that you don’t need to prepare for a Reiki session in any particular way, know what you want to work on, or have any expectation about what you should experience.
You simply need to come as you are.
Before We Begin
When arriving for your first Reiki session, I encourage you to take your time and signal to your nervous system that you are slowing down and preparing to receive Reiki.
We’ll begin with an opportunity to connect.
Part of my intention as a practitioner is to create a nurturing environment where you feel welcome, safe, and cared for as soon as you walk through my door.
If this is your first experience with Reiki, I encourage you to ask questions. If there is something that brought you to Reiki, whether you have been feeling stressed, overwhelmed, depleted, recovering from an injury, surgery, or a loss, or simply curious about energy work, you are welcome to share that with me if you feel comfortable.
You also don’t have to arrive with a particular concern or goal or share anything with me about the challenges you may be experiencing. There is no expectation that you already understand Reiki or know what you are supposed to do.
During this time, I will also ask about your comfort as it relates to the temperature, lighting, and music volume in the room. I will explain how and where I generally hover or place my hands above or on your body as the Reiki flows. As a rule, I do not place my hands on areas of the body that would typically be covered by a bikini bathing suit. Before every session, I will also ask whether there are any additional areas where you would prefer not to be touched.
Your preferences may vary from one session to another based on physical injury or discomfort, emotional comfort, or simply how you are feeling that day. I welcome your input throughout the session so I can help you feel safe and comfortable at all times.
Once we have finished talking and all of your questions have been answered, I will check in with you about how many blankets you would like and whether you would prefer a pillow. I will then leave the room so you can get comfortably situated.
After I knock and you let me know you are ready for me to come back in, I will take a couple of minutes to prepare for the session while you rest comfortably on the table. Just before I begin, I will let you know that I am about to place my hands lightly on or above you for the Reiki to flow.
What Happens During a Reiki Session?
During a Reiki session with me, the door is closed and you remain fully clothed while resting on a comfortable table with sheets, blankets, and a pillow. The room is gently lit, with quiet music playing in the background to support your physical and emotional relaxation.
During the session, I will not normally engage in conversation with you so that you can fully relax your mind and body while I focus on allowing the Reiki energy to flow through me.
As I have described previously, Reiki is practiced through a series of hand positions, with the practitioner’s hands placed lightly on or just above the body. I see myself as a conduit through which Reiki energy flows. Rather than directing the energy where I think it is needed, I open to the greater intelligence of Reiki, trusting it to guide the energy where it needs to go.
Your role is much simpler: to receive.
You don’t need to concentrate on anything. You don’t need to meditate. You don’t need to make your mind perfectly quiet.
For this period of time, you can simply allow yourself to rest.
What Does Reiki Feel Like?
This is one of the biggest questions people have before experiencing Reiki for the first time.
Some people experience warmth or tingling. Others notice a sense of heaviness or lightness, a release of tension, or an overall feeling of calm. Some people become deeply relaxed or even fall asleep.
There can also be an emotional component to the experience. A person may notice emotions arise or experience a sense of release, grounding, or greater connection with themselves.
And sometimes, the experience is much more subtle.
There is no particular sensation you need to feel for Reiki to be a meaningful experience. You don’t need to wonder whether you are “doing it right.” Reiki is highly individual, and your experience belongs to you.
What If My Mind Won’t Stop?
You’re human. Your mind may wander.
You might think about something you need to do later, replay a conversation from earlier in the day, or suddenly remember something completely unrelated.
That’s okay.
You don’t have to force yourself to stop thinking in order to receive Reiki. If your mind wanders, you can simply notice it and allow yourself to settle back into the experience.
One of the gifts of a Reiki session can be having a period of time when nothing is being asked of you. There is nowhere else you need to be and nothing you need to accomplish in that moment.
What Happens After Reiki?
At the end of your first session, I will gently let you know that the session is over. I will leave the room for a few minutes so you can take your time getting down from the table and settle into a nearby chair.
When I return, I will offer you fresh spring water and invite you to talk about your experience if you feel comfortable. You are welcome to share what you noticed, how you felt, or anything that came up for you during the session. I will also share what I observed.
There is no pressure on you to have something specific to share. This time is simply an opportunity for us to reflect on your experience together and for you to ask any questions you may have.
Just as every Reiki session is different, people may feel different afterward.
You may feel deeply relaxed, peaceful, grounded, restored, or simply more connected to yourself. Sometimes the effects of taking that time to slow down and receive are subtle.
There is no particular way you are expected to feel when your session ends.
I believe it is important to honor whatever your experience has been without trying to judge it or compare it with someone else’s.
Come As You Are
For many of us, particularly women, so much of life is spent doing, planning, caring, managing, and thinking about what comes next.
Your Reiki session asks something very different of you.
For a little while, you are invited to stop doing and simply receive.
If you are curious about Reiki but have been hesitant because you aren’t sure what to expect, I hope knowing a little more about the experience makes taking that first step feel easier.
You don’t need to understand everything about Reiki. You don’t need to arrive feeling a certain way. And you don’t need to have a particular experience once you are here.
Come as you are.
My intention is to offer you a nurturing space where you can feel safe, supported, and cared for, and give yourself permission to pause, receive, and gently come back home to yourself.
