Have you ever heard of Reiki?
It’s a Japanese type of energy healing that has been practiced for about 2500 years. Reiki practitioners believe that by improving the flow of energy around your body, you can actually become more relaxed, help relieve pain, help speed healing, and reduce some symptoms of illness.
[You can read more about it here.]
It’s something we’ve heard about and seen practiced before, but never had the opportunity to participate in it.
What we’re about to tell you about though, is a completely new concept to us and is really interesting.
Have you ever heard of Animal Reiki?
We hadn’t before, but we’re about to take you through one of the most fascinating blog posts to this date.
I’ve always believed that the world is made up of different energies. The energy you choose to give off is the same type of energy that’s reciprocated back to you. It’s called The Law of Attraction and it’s been a topic of discussion amongst people and is considered one of life’s biggest mysteries.
Interestingly enough, we can use this same energy to help heal the ones we love.
I spent an evening speaking with Ms. Jamie Lee of Animal Bonds. Jamie is an animal relationship specialist, shelter animal reiki association teacher and founder of Animal Bonds.
Jamie taught me all about Animal Reiki and how we can use its practices in a non-invasive form to learn lessons from animals. If we are still, and honor them as our teachers…they will help guide us and keep us balanced and centered.
During our discussion, Jamie walked me through the 6 pillars of the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki. Without giving away too much of her insider knowledge, the pillars focus on traditional Japanese Reiki and honor animals as healers and teachers. Being in the present moment with them will help us develop mindfulness and helps teach us the way of compassion.
It’s important to remember that while practicing, the animals (my girls in my case) are the ones who are responsible for participating. Our job is to create a safe and inviting space for them, to join if they choose to. If our intentions are pure, they will join the space if/when they are ready to.
And at the end of our fascinating discussion, Jamie walked me though a guided meditation using visualization and breathing techniques.
After working with Jamie, I was determined to see results with my girls. I’ve always said they teach me lessons, but I was ready to try a new forum for them to do so.
I followed Jamie’s guided meditation and here’s what happened.
Attempt 1:
Didn’t notice anything – the girls were sound asleep and choose to remain that way.
Attempt 2:
Ivy brushed by me and Addie stayed sleeping…nothing notable really happened, but Ivy was at least respecting the space I created.
Attempt 3:
This time I decided to keep my eyes open, but focus on a particular area of the room so I could see if I noticed any changes. Addie seemed to keep synching her breaths with mine, which I found interesting due to how the guided meditation works. Some breaths are meant to be normal, while others are meant to be deeper. I’d notice that Addie would breathe at the same pace as me and when it came time for the deeper breaths, she would either speed her last breath up or slow it down until she was back in sync with where I was. A squirrel also came right to the door, and if you know my girls – you know they can sense a squirrel in any situation. They could be eating a giant steak and still think they need to ward off the squirrel if it came near them. I believe they were in a comfortable space and didn’t want to leave it…I knew I was getting better.
Attempt 4:
I was trying in a different room that Addie and Ivy are used to, not only so I could monitor any differences but also so they felt comfortable.
Ivy was unsure…this time, as soon as I began the guided meditation, she left and stayed in a completely separate room…which is very unlike her for our normal routine. I felt that she was sensing something, but unsure of what to make of it.
While meditating, I heard this strange noise – it was so loud the dogs began to bark, as if there was an unfamiliar presence that they didn’t appreciate.
I thought it was something wrong with the A/C fan, so I got up and turned it off…it was a loud, banging like noise.
I sat back down and regained my focus…as I continued, so did the banging. I went upstairs to see what it was…the girls followed and began to watch out the window and bark.
It sounded like it was coming from the roof.
I stepped outside to check and there it was. A very large dove…banging at the skylight on the roof.
Our house used to be a log cabin, and we would often get woodpeckers on bright sunny days…hitting the sides of the house looking for bugs. But this day was rainy and gloomy…and we no longer have logs on our house.
There is no explanation for this dove, standing on my roof and pecking at my window…but it’s a small sign that makes me recognize that practice does make perfect. I was getting better at focusing and channeling my energy into the right space with the right intentions.
Although this is just a short representation of how this meditation style works, it gives you some perspective on how creating an open space with the right intentions can provide all types animals with means to communicate with you.
This definitely takes practice, and as you can see…the more I tried, the more progress I saw. There is no limit on how many times you can try this, and no time limit for how long you need to do so.
You can follow a guided meditation, or do so on your own…for me, the guided meditation was the most comfortable way to follow and focus.
Want to try it out? Check this out:
Jamie offers a variety of classes at Animal Bonds for personal use as well as how to teach Animal Reiki to help others. You can check out all of her courses here to pick which one best fits your needs.
Check her out here for all the info:
- Website: https://animal-bonds.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieLeeAnimalBonds/
Thank you Jamie Lee at Animal Bonds for taking the time to share all of your teachings and information with us!
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