Teaching the healing of Reiki

By Codi Yeager
Sun contributor
It was still in the room—warm and dark and safe. There was soft music playing in the background and the faint, mixed aroma of essential oils bottled in their glass vials. Plants cozied up to the walls. Trees stood silent outside the windows. On the massage table, I lay looking at the swirled ceiling, not sure of what was to come. Though my mission was to fix a muscle injury earned from running cross-country, an hour later I would leave the studio of Maple City resident Kiersten DeKorne with much more than a simple sports massage. Instead, I departed with a clear mind, a rested body, and a greater sense of connection to the world around me. The key to my peace? Reiki.
Reiki, says DeKorne, “would be very difficult to ever completely define in words.” In general, however, it is a healing system meant to relax a person both physically and mentally by increasing the body’s energy flow. “The flow of the universal life force helps to rejuvenate and regenerate the body, allowing people to move into a deep state of relaxation,” she continues, “it is an ancient system of laying on of hands.”

Brought to the United States in the late 1800s by a Japanese Christian monk, Reiki is a skill that is passed down from master to student. DeKourne was first taught 15 years ago at level one, and has been teaching it to others for 13 years. Before that, she went to a massage school in California—closely related to her initial interest in physical therapy. During her time at school, however, DeKourne says she became interested in “holistic healing modalities and alternative therapies. So I chose that path.”
Now, she offers her clients “an eclectic massage,” including Swedish massage, shiatsu massage, sports massage and deep tissue. To supplement, she uses Reiki. “The goal of Reiki is to help release traumas. If there is an area that is really tight, I’ll use Reiki to relax people, get them to breathe, and then return to the massage … with the increased flow of life force, circulation and deep relaxation that Reiki brings, mental and physical traumas held in the muscle tissue memory of the body are often more easily and gently released.” Many times she will also implement vibrational therapy — the use of essential oils and calming music—in order to help people let go of past trauma. “Certain aromas are innately special for relaxation, such as bergamot. They stimulate the central nervous system and help release memories,” she says.
In fact, the first thing DeKourne had me do during my massage session was walk over to the rows of essential oils. Instead of picking out certain oils for me, she instructed me how to choose them myself. It was simple, really. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths, then let my hand reach out and select whichever oils it found. DeKourne assured me calmly that my body would know what it needed. There was no visible science to it, just a trust in my intuition. Afterward, she helped me mix the oils to make my own, personal blend that I could keep to help me relax at home.
Yet, what was truly relaxing was the Reiki. After explaining its history and the long tradition it carries, DeKourne allowed me to experience its beauty firsthand. The room drifted out of view as I once more closed my eyes. All was silent but for her voice, guiding me to a place of peace and energy. As she spoke the words narrating my journey, I could feel something—the life force?—reaching up from the earth, through the floor, through the chair, and into my very core. It came slowly, like a shaft of warm sunlight, poured into my arms and legs, and trickled down into my very fingertips until I felt drenched in natural energy. When DeKourne told me I could open my eyes once again, nothing appeared to have changed, but I felt a heightened awareness of my surroundings. My mind was orderly, no longer in a frenzied clutter, and I had the sense that I was connected to everything by millions of invisible energy strings. Every time I moved, I felt the tug of millions of different living things. And even when I left DeKourne’s woodland abode, I could feel my fingertips tingling with the memory of that connection.
Since my short time with her, Kiersten DeKourne has continued to help others with her knowledge and use of Reiki. With her busy schedule, filled with coaching soccer, teaching dance to kids, and, of course, massage, she also frequently practices Reiki on herself for her own relaxation. “I am amazed by the depth of beauty and love that has come into my life as a result of practicing Reiki,” she smiles. Though every individual has a different experience with this ancient form of healing, it is an experience that is both powerful and memorable.