Horses & Reiki

What is Reiki? For those unfamiliar with Reiki, a brief definition is: “Reiki” (pronounced ray-key) is a simple, yet powerful relaxation and stress management technique. It is Japanese in origin, founded in early 1900s by Mikao Usui. Reiki is not a religion, but a belief system.

Why is Reiki Ideal for Animals?

Because animals are extremely sensitive to energy, Reiki is a natural healing method that treats the entire animal, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels simultaneously. It is safe, gentle, stress-free, non-invasive and painless in nature. While there is no need for physical contact, some animals love “hands on” and are accepting of Reiki’s healing energy.

Reiki has been known to assist animals with issues such as:

  • Abandonment
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Distrust
  • Grief
  • Illness
  • Injury
  • Pain
  • Stress
  • Trauma
  • Medication Side Effects
  • End of Life Transitioning

Offering Reiki to Horses:

As I begin offering an animal Reiki, I make sure that the space around me is calm and peaceful. I always put my animal clients first, and by that I mean, I do not force anything on an animal. I give them an “out” so when an animal feels they have had enough, they can walk away from Reiki’s healing energy (it usually looks like they are walking away from me, but it is Reiki’s healing energy that they move away from).

Some animals give off signs if they are accepting Reiki. For example,

  • dogs may yawn or lick their lips;
  • a cat may move in/out of the energy until they find a place they are comfortable;
  • horses may move closer to me and move in/out of energy, turning their body into a position where the energy will flow where they want it to go.

Examples of Offering Reiki to Horses:  

Purple was a horse that had never experienced a Reiki session before.

I was standing just outside of Purple’s stall as I began offering Reiki to Purple as he was standing in the back. Purple looked at me, or rather felt something (Reiki healing energy I was sending him) and he walked up to the front of the stall, stayed there a few minutes, then walked away and moved to the back of his stall. A few minutes later, Purple circled up to the front, stayed for another minute, then circled to the back. Purple continued this little dance a few more times, moving into and out of the Reiki healing energy.

Finally, Purple moved up to the front, turned his body so his backside was closest to the front. Purple remained there for the next 20 minutes.

Why, you wonder, did he turn his backside towards me? Purple had a urinary tract infection and I believe, that once he felt Reiki’s healing energy moving through his body, he turned his body into a position where he felt Reiki flow into his urinary tract and let the healing energy of Reiki work.

Sedona:

On another occasion, I offered Reiki to horse by the name of Sedona who had received Reiki before. Sedona had a left back hoof injury. As I began offering Sedona Reiki, she walked up to the front of her stall, turned her body so her backside was facing me. Sedona lifted her injured back left leg, resting her weight on her hoof. The best example to explain this position is that it looked like she positioned that leg on her “tip toes.” Since I knew that is where she hurt, I focused the Reiki healing energy in that area.

Examples Offering Reiki to Dogs:

I have had dogs come up and head-butt me, which I take to mean they want my hands on them and I usually put my hands on their heart and chest. Another example is if I put my hands on a dog before they are ready, they may growl and or leave the room. (My dog Jake is a good example of that. He enjoys Reiki, but only from a distance.)

Offering Reiki to animals can be an amazing experience. It is important to remember to put no expectations on the animal and their response to Reiki. But, I am always fascinated by their responses. Sometimes, you may not notice anything, but know that the energy is flowing and will continue to flow as long as the animal wants and needs it. If it is their first experience, they may shy away (as Purple did initially), but upon my return visits and they know what to expect, they welcome me.

Diego: 

I am including a short video of Diego. While Diego had no medical issues, watch how Diego moves in/out of the Reiki energy.  (The session was about 40 minutes but this video was cut to less than a minute.)

Jean Brusavich

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