Reiki is the universal, supremely intelligent, divine life force that powers us & everything around us; in short, all life, in every form, & expression. Since the practice of Reiki is the channeling of this divine life force in all its infinite abundance to flow to someone for their highest well being, it is natural to assume that this practice is absolutely same, whether for humans or for animals.
However, though the core principal is same, not everything else is. Though I’ve been into Reiki for long, I realized how different Animal Reiki is from human Reiki, during the course of my Animal Reiki Certification. Yes, Reiki is often practiced by many on animals in the same way it is on humans. Nothing really wrong in that, one could say, as long as it flows from a place of love, & purity. Technically nothing wrong or right about it. However, the effectiveness of connection & healing potential accessible through the Animal Reiki principles & practice as pioneered by Kathleen Prasad with her ‘Let Animals Lead’ ™ approach is truly based on understanding, acknowledging, & honoring the energetic difference between animals & humans, & their needs, of healing ’s perfect if one is a Reiki practitioner or Master of course, because your Reiki placements, symbols, your bond with Reiki, & the length of your relationship your will determine the quality of energy you’ll be able to channel. However, a lot else differs in application. To begin with, while the core of Reiki healing remains the same, the approach towards that healing differs.
Animals being the hugely, & predominantly energy sensitive, & intuitive beings that they are, do not always need or feel comfortable with the kind of Reiki healing contact or even physical proximity that is often common in human Reiki, unless of course it is a Distance Reiki session.
They also often react differently to Reiki.
But, one of the most interesting parts is the way an animal registers its ‘consent’ for receiving Reiki. Is consent really even required? After all, no one really takes an animal’s consent to take it to the groomers, or even to put it through a medical procedure. Why is it’s consent needed for a beautifully peaceful, absolutely harmless, often deeply healing process of Reiki? That is just where Animal Reiki starts to differ, right at the beginning, from most other wellness modalities used for animals. The authentic Animal Reiki approach acknowledges the inherent intuitive wisdom of animals, in their own healing, completely honors it, & harnesses it. Now, it is obvious the animal won’t speak out its consent, or sign a form, or come prepared with the understanding of a Reiki appointment! The animal Reiki practitioner tunes in to the animal through a meditative Reiki space, & instinctively understands whether the Animal is open & welcoming to receive Reiki at that moment, or not. The process flows forward only if it is willing, & in the manner it is willing to receive Reiki. Whether the process will be from a distance or hands on is also determined by an animal, depending on an individual animal’s history, personality, need, & how acutely energy sensitive it is. For example, an animal just rescued from death row might be too overwhelmed by touch, & an aggressive animal is in the best position to receive Reiki from inside its crate.
The beautiful underlying approach adopted by Animal Reiki works from even across the distance, from across barriers of crates or cages, yards. It has therefore proven to be a wonderfully effective way to send Reiki to not just a single intended animal but also to multiple animals in the vicinity who might want to tune in to that healing energy. An entire animal shelter can also benefit in the Reiki vibes. A magnificent, often observed fact is that when Reiki is offered regularly at a shelter, or animal hospital, vet clinic, etc., caretaking staff, vets, nurses, pet owners are also seen to benefit in the overall vibes of calm, & relaxation it subtly creates in the environment of the facility, or home.
More people are slowly starting to become aware of this practice of Animal Reiki, as the practice starts creating its space across various shelters, farms, & vet clinics, thanks to the dedicated work of many practitioners. Animal Reiki is wonderful, especially as an integrative approach, that seeks to work well beyond just the symptoms in an ill or recovering animal. It is often proven to be great when used with standard medical procedures to boost up rate & speed of healing. Quite a few vets have been long incorporating Reiki in their vet practices, coming to swear by its invaluable support.
“I personally would absolutely encourage all members of the animal health care team to learn Reiki.” Dr. Patricia Jordon, Vet & Reiki Practitioner, in ‘Vets on Animal Reiki’
Animal Reiki can be a great way to soothe animals in a high stress environment; also animals that are abandoned, rescued, are being fostered or have been recently adopted. I find amazing changes in one of the little female dogs who I am currently fostering. We got her home spontaneously from No Kill Los Angeles event that my family was volunteering at, for one of our favorite local animal rescue NGO.
From the specifically & uncommonly scared, untrusting, listless, & nervous little creature who didn’t eat or drink for almost 3 days, would have to be picked up throughout her ‘walk’ outside, within a week she became this tail wagging, almost playful pup, following me around! This is something which might happen with most animals given love & patience, yet, I almost sensed the calming, right from the 1st moment I gently encircled my hands around her head, every time she sat visibly trembling in my lap, especially for the first 2 days. It so resonates with this quote from Kathleen Prasad, founder of SAARA, in her book ‘Reiki for Dogs’
“Yes, there has been suffering. Yes, the dog has many hurdles to jump over in order to be healed. But, most importantly, we must recognize that despite all this, the dog really wants to heal… and move beyond the past into a bright and loving future.”
Animal Reiki is one of the most beautiful gifts any one can offer to their furry buddies- dogs, cats, cows, horses, goats & more! It is so much more than doing Reiki. It is rather, as Kathleen Prasad, founder of SAARA says, “Being Reiki” with them