I was putting my 3 year old daughter to bed tonight and as I was tucking her in, she kept pointing to her lower back and asked for Tai Chi. I thought that was a little odd, since as far as I knew, she didn’t even know what Tai Chi was. It soon dawned on me that she was asking for Reiki! That just made my day! I have been giving her Reiki since she was in-utero, and she has indicated before that she liked it but this is the first time she has actually asked for me to do Reiki on her. I don’t do anything complicated: I just place my hand on her low back, near her sacrum. She likes the warmth that radiates from my hand when Reiki starts flowing and it helps relax her. It was very effective when she was an infant and had difficulty settling down if she was overstimulated or was gassy.  It also has helped me connect to and bond with her in a really special way.  There’s nothing quite like holding your baby (or sitting with your toddler) and feeling this loving energy flow between you.

I enjoy sharing Reiki with children. In fact, the first person (other than my teacher) that I faciliated Reiki with was my stepson. I had just gotten home from Reiki training and he was curled up in bed with terrible stomach pains. I asked him to close his eyes and focus his attention on what I was doing. I felt a very strong sensation of energy moving through me and within several minutes, his body relaxed completely and he fell asleep. I have also given him Reiki when he has had migraines. It’s terrible watching a child suffer with a migraine. If we are out and about and a headache starts to come on, Reiki helps ease the pain until we can get home and he can rest. If we are at home, Reiki helps him relax so he can sleep off the symptoms of the migraine.

One of my favorite times administering Reiki was with a boy of about two years old with a blood disorder. I would go to his house and his mom would put a cartoon on or have some toys out for him to play with, since it can be difficult to get a toddler to sit still very long to receive Reiki. I would sit next to him while he was watching TV or playing and gently place a hand at different places along his body. When the Reiki started flowing, he would suddenly sit very still and get the sweetest smile on his face – he could definitely feel it! When he had enough, he would gently push my hand away. Children always instinctively know what they need.

I also did some Reiki on a infant of about 8 or 9 months old who had taken quite a tumble and hit her head. Her parents felt Reiki would help her recover from the trauma of the fall, but one of the things they noticed was that the days they brought her in to receive Reiki were the days where she fell asleep easily – and stayed asleep for most of the night. After one of the sessions, they sent me a text on my phone with a photo of their daughter sound asleep with the message “Thank You!”

Children generally do not require long Reiki sessions. Their bodies naturally respond to Reiki and easily take in the energy in a short period of time. They are sensitive to what they are experiencing and will let you know when they have received all they need. If you think your child might benefit from receiving Reiki, or you are a parent and would like to learn Reiki to help soothe your little ones’ bumps, bruises and bellyaches, please contact me for more information.