Article by Angie Webster
Grounding is important to do before starting and after you finish a healing session. You will likely need to remind yourself to ground several times during the course of a healing session, particularly if you tend to be sensitive to other people’s energy. We are electro-magnetic beings and we need to intentionally connect to the Earth. This helps us to both draw energy up and to release excesses of energy that have built up. In essence, it continues the circuit so that there is no overload nor an energy drainage.
You can ground in several ways, but the easiest and fastest is probably to envision energetic tree roots coming down your legs from your pelvis and hips, through the bottoms of your feet and deep into the core of the Earth. Imagine them flowing with energy between you and the Earth, enriching you and releasing anything that may be too much for your system.
Cleansing our energy field’s is also very important before and after a session, as well as any other time we have picked up other people’s energy. This is good energetic hygiene to do at the beginning and end of each day. The simplest way to do this is to perform “dry bathing.” In Japanese, this process is called Kenyoku.
Image by Son of Groucho
To do Kenyoku, or “dry bathing”, perform each sweep of the hands listed below on an out breath, as if you are both sweeping and blowing away stagnant or unclean energies from your energy field.
- Breathe in and bring your hands up to the prayer, or Gassho, position. Breathe out as you lower them to your heart center.
- Sweep your right hand from you left shoulder, down and across to your right hip as you breathe out.
- Sweep your left hand from your right shoulder, down and across to your left hip as you breathe out.
- Again, sweep your right hand from your left shoulder, down and across to your right hip, as you breathe out.
- Hold your left arm next to your side, elbow close to you. Sweep your right arm down your extended left arm from shoulder to fingertips as you breathe out, flinging any negative energy off of the right hand as you reach the end of the left fingertips.
- Hold the right arm next to your side, elbow close to you. Sweep your left arm down your extended right arm from shoulder to fingertips as you breathe out, flinging the negative energy off of the left hand as you reach the end of the right fingertips.
- Repeat the process on the left arm once more.
- Breathe in and bring your hands back to the prayer, or Gassho, position. Breathe out as you lower them to your heart center. You have finished the Kenyoku technique.
Grounding and clearing your energy before and after a session will be enough for most people, but some people are highly sensitive to other people’s energy, easily sensing and sometimes registering their emotions and illnesses in their own bodies. If this is the case with you, you may find that you feel most comfortable if you also add a technique such as visualizing a sphere of gold, silver or white light encompassing you after you finish the Kenyoku technique. Any color that feels soothing and comforting to you is what is appropriate for you.
Repeated grounding practice is very useful for highly sensitive or empathic people. Many find they benefit from salt water baths or the use of certain crystals or stones, as well. Find what works best for you to feel comfortable. It doesn’t matter what works or doesn’t work for others.
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Angie Webster made a significant contribution to the Reiki community, with a particular focus on Animal Reiki, which she had a deep affection for. As a knowledgeable Reiki Master Teacher and Author, she conducted online courses on energy healing, herbalism, flower essences, and personal growth.
She is the author of “Animal Reiki: How it Heals, Teaches & Reconnects Us with Nature” and “Reiki from A to Z”. Currently, Angie has decided to retire from her professional life to devote more time to her health, family, and the little joys of life.
Great article which I really needed! I am highly sensitive to other energies and following a session I can feel really run down and tired. I will try these techniques, Thank you. Any other suggestions that have worked for others similar to me? X
Aisling, I am constantly working to improve how aware I am of when I am picking up other people’s energy and I and always trying to improve how I deal with this. I have come a long way, and I still have a lot of room for improvement. I often use a technique from Donna Eden energy medicine, called the zip up prior to going out. You can easily find a You Tube video that shows you how to do that. I have also been using the practice of focusing my attention on my dantien for several minutes, after I finish self Reiki each morning or after I finish Kenyoku, and directing Reiki to that area to recharge it, sort of storing it up for the day. This is the center where we store our energy and if it is depleted, we will feel drained, weaker and more vulnerable. I feel less susceptible to other people’s energy when I am well charged. I also make sure I get plenty of time to let myself rest and recharge when I have been out and about or doing lots of activity, whether it is physical or mental, or social. Even if it is enjoyable. I need to let all of that energy settle down and drain off, sort itself out. Meditating is a great way to do that for me. So are salt baths. Anything calming and quiet. There are books with tips on how to cope with being an empath, a quiet person, a highly sensitive person or an introvert and they can be very helpful. You may not really identify as being any or all of those things, but you may find the tips in those books useful if you pick up other people’s energy.
Very useful article. I know how it feels. I am Reiki Master/Teacher myself and I am very empathetic, sensitive person. I keep looking for the best methods for myself as big social gathering are sometimes too much for me from energetic point of few. I also have psychic abilities therefore I feel, smell, see and hear everything. It is sometimes hard to distinguish what is mine and what is someones. Being this way is a beautiful gift but sometimes it may be very hard to keep up with.
Good Luck to you and everyone who is looking for the best way to protect themselves.
Love and Light xxx
I love the perspective held in this article. All too often it’s about clearing “negative energy” when really, a lot of the time, it’s just all sorts of energy that gets stuck on us like Velcro. This energy can be all sorts of frequencies, not just lower ones. Thanks so much for your key phrase: energetic hygiene. That really resonated with me, along with the entire article.