Could Reiki be helping or harming your massage business?
Most often, when people talk about energy in massage, it is assumed that you are talking about Reiki or other similar healing practices. Despite Reiki having no religious connotations, some clients may find the term confusing, off putting or even a conflict to their own religious practices. This can make the term energy, a difficult topic to discuss.
There is no denying that massage therapy creates energy. That energy may be viewed as Reiki, as a connection, as Quantum Physicals or simply as friction (Kinetic energy), but it definitely happens. You may notice as a practitioner, that your hands become warmer as a result of this energy, or as a client you may notice your massage therapist’s hands getting warmer. This is the most obvious physical sign of energy during massage but more often than not, it has a far bigger impact than just that.
Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt low or drained? Or been around a person or group of people and feel on top of the world by just being there?
This is what energy can mean. It is not witchcraft or spirituality or faith, it is a natural feeling or response that you can have because of other people or places.
So, should energy be a part of massage or not?
Massage is touch-based and, like a handshake or a hug, there is a natural exchange of energy from touch. It is an unavoidable effect of touch and interaction. When you pet a cat, you get an energy exchange, when someone smiles at you and you smile back, there is an energy exchange, when you experience nature and breathe in the oxygen from the trees, there is an energy exchange. When you give or get a massage, there is an energy exchange.
Energy is not just a part of your massage practice; it is the point of it.
Our job then, is to decide what this energy means to us as a practitioner. It may mean a simple and natural exchange, like the way a smile (or a yawn) is infectious. Or to you, energy may mean Reiki, it may mean something deeper, more of a connection to be explored and understood. Whatever you decide for your massage practice, it is important that you discuss it with your client, to give them more understanding about you and your intentions, and the ability to make a fully informed decision about what energy might mean to them.