Everything is Energy and That’s All There is to It: Attune Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese technique said to bring physical, mental, and spiritual healing through energy realignment. Maria Kammerer is a local Reiki Master who works with individuals through her company, Attune.
The day after my bachelorette weekend, a weekend filled with copious amounts of wine and late nights, I was feeling rough. Tried. Sluggish. Off. I laid in bed that morning, opened up my google calendar (color-coded and overlapping with Molly’s), and saw, “Reiki 9 AM.” High-five, self. At that moment, the thought of laying in peaceful silence for an hour receiving energetic healing sounded just about perfect.
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese technique said to bring physical, mental, and spiritual healing through energy realignment. It is based in the principle that a reiki master (or practitioner) can channel or move energy in a patient or client by means of touch, activating the natural healing processes of the patient’s body. I love Albert Einstein’s famous quote about energy.
“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”
How does it work?
Sometimes we need to bathe in the energy frequency of others to adjust our own energetic frequency. That’s where an energy healer can be of use. Just as energy can become stagnant and stale in our homes(see my recent post on saging), it can also get stuck in various parts of our bodies. Reiki is an alternative healing modality, one type of energy healing, that can help shift the body’s subtle energy.
After college, while living in Columbus I was feeling particularly anxious and unsettled in life. I started doing yoga teacher training and I found this woman on a Starbucks flier offering Reiki. I went to her house, a few times a month, to bask in her energy and get on her frequency. I knew it felt good, but that’s pretty much all I knew. I recently met with, and received Reiki from, Cincinnatian Maria Kammerer, a reiki master, to learn more about this technique. Maria owns her own Reiki company called Attune.
Maria Kammerer, Reiki Master
As she corrected my pronunciation of the word Reiki (correct pronunciation: ray, key) Maria explained the origin and meaning of the Japanese word. “Rei” refers to a higher intelligence (call it what you’d like–the universe, innate wisdom, God) that exists in all living and nonliving entities. “Ki” refers to the energy that flows through all living things, plants, animals, and human beings. Reiki is also referred to as the universal life force energy. Maria explains Reiki as a system that helps us cultivate our own spirit, own inner light, and healing. It took me 3 years to convince my husband Ryan to try a massage for the first time, so I understand trying new things can be a bit unnerving but believe me when I say receiving Reiki is pretty simple
What to Expect
Maria’s office is in what once was a house near Pleasant Ridge. There is parking on the side of the building, and inside it’s peaceful and Zen. Come as you are. You can wear whatever you’d like as you’ll stay fully clothed. I prefer to wear comfy clothes because it’s more relaxing. You’ll lay on a massage table on your back. You can close your eyes or keep them open, whatever is most comfortable for you. I close mine and usually pass out. The Reiki practitioner will either hover their hands above various parts of your body or apply light, non-invasive touch.
Maria says, “it’s like putting my hands in a river. I can feel where my hands need to move, where the energy is needed.”
Sometimes, like me, you may fall asleep. You might feel relaxed. You might feel warm. You might feel super energized after or you may feel exhausted as your body readjusts. Maria likes to explain it like a cell phone charging. Our cell phones have a battery, and so do we. A lot of times we know our battery is getting low, but we just keep going, charging for just a little bit at a time, getting that quick bump. Reiki can help you plug in, fully recharge, and start new. Maria names it as a great way to recover from the stresses of everyday life. She also says it is helpful if you’re trying to let go of something you’re holding onto like anger or pain.
For me, it was the perfect way to reset after a fun, and busy weekend. I felt chill and clam afterward. If you’d like to learn more about Maria and Attune check out her website here. Maria also started offering free guided meditations on her website for at home use.
