Reiki Tea Ceremony

Lately I've been offering what I call Reiki Tea Ceremony, viturally, to my students and also members of HealHaus, a global wellness community based in Brooklyn, NY. It's been a real pleasure to be asked to offer it to this amazing community and I'm delighted that it can now be offered on its own as a magical space for participants to relax, slowdown, and heal.

The birth of Reiki Tea Ceremony happened as its very own phenonemnon as I opened my very first Reiki 1 class in a student's home in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. It was a wonderful moment as everyone was gathered in the living room each with a cup of freshly brewed tea in little golden paper cups nestled in their hands. And as I welcomed everyone to the class, we proceeded to sip our tea together exchanging a range of slurping sounds that seemed to reveal aspects of our personalities too! We were all giggling and slurping comfortably held in a field of emotional warmth and heart opening, it distinctly felt like we were sharing so much more than tea. It was like that togetherness was healing for each of us in its own unique way. And the memory is so clear in my mind now, after so many years and after offering this opening-tea to many classes and ceremonies in NYC and Japan.

So as I transitioned all my class and ceremony offerings from in-person to virtual offerings, I thought it more important than ever to keep incorporating this warmth, and to also continue improving it.

Before moving to Japan, I would spend my time in between clients getting some tea or going out for a quick snack in the East Village neighborhood my office was nestled within. And wouldn't you know it there was a small but mighty Japanese business collective right at my doorstep. There were a few absolutely lovely Japanese tea houses nearby and everytime I would go for tea it felt like I was drinking so much more than tea - there was also intention and care in every drop. I became so curious about this, and spent a lot of time observing tea masters and the way they held themselves and how they treated their tea, and customers. It was beyond fascinating. And slowly I would incorporate aspects of this Japanese chado, or way of tea, into my own healing offerings. Some aspects of chado which I adore are: Reverence to nature, coming into presence, connecting with community, opening of all the senses, and my most favorite, ichigo-ichi-e.

Ichi-go-ichi-e is a Japanese word that means treasuring each moment as if it were a once in a lifetime experience never to be repeated again. I find this to be so true in daily life but difficult to remember or appreciate if not constantly reminded. So I incorporate this primary concept of chado into every Reiki Tea Ceremony offering as a way to help remind participants the intoxicating feeling that comes over us when we remember to treasure the beauty in our everyday moments and experiences. In this way, no two Reiki Tea Ceremonies are every the same. The participants are always different which means the chemistry created and shared between everyone is different, and I've observed, the number of people affects the type of healing that occurs. Larger groups hold an expansive space that seem to burst the heart right open, even for the most closed off and lonesome. And smaller groups hold an intimate space that's so personal and safe for even the most vulnerable to share without fear of judgement or criticism.

I've held these Reiki Tea Ceremonies before every Reiki class and group shamanic healing ceremony, or Song Bath, to open the space and allow everyone to get acquainted and connect in a way that's filled with warmth (from the tea, but also from the heart). And it has always been the perfect way to support everyone's body to relax and center to better receive all the healing that follows. And on its own, the Reiki Tea Ceremony incorporates the offering of Reiki to each participant, to everyone's unique physical space, to our tea, to our ceremony space, and to our togetherness.

There are 7 elements to a Reiki Tea Ceremony that transforms or expands the qualities of the tea into an alchemical elixir for healing and nourishing what I call the heart-body. The 7 elements are: (1) The welcoming/opening, (2) sending Reiki, (3) honoring the vessel, (4) creating the elixir, (5) alchemically structuring our medicine through imagination and breath, (6) nourishing the heart, (7) and closing/ sealing in our ceremony of healing.

I've heard from a participant that the Reiki Tea Ceremony is a lovely complement to their meditation practice, and from another who has shared it in their own way with their community, and also how it's so simple and fun that even kids can do it! And mostly particpants have expressed, in the middle of the ceremony no less, how they can't wait for the next one! I've shared it with my family members as a unique and unforgettable birthday gift, with my Reiki students to bring us closer into community, and with groups like the members of HealHaus who want to deepen connection and receive healing in a safe space filled with warmth.

It's a pure delight and pleasure to be able to offer this Reiki Tea Ceremony (that's been growing and developing since it's birth in NYC (see the Song Bath image above in my East Village healing space), and now being offered on its own virtually from Okinawa, Japan) to the general public now! If you're interested in knowing more about this 1 hour offering for a group of 3 or more people please contact me for more information. Participants do not need to be attuned to Reiki in order to particpate. All that's required is making a fresh cup of your favorite tea and arriving in a seated position so your beautiful face can be seen! Like I mentioned above, it's a wonderful gift for family and friends, and even work groups who would like to become better connected. Kindly email me at info@reikiwitholivea if interested. I look forward to welcoming you into the warmth and heartbody healing of Reiki Tea Ceremony!