May '25 • 🪷 Reiki
Strengthening your vagus nerve in your Reiki session - Part 4
In my previous three posts, I talked about the vagus nerve and how you can strengthen it using various practical techniques like breathing, cold therapy, and laughter. In this post, I’ll show you how to integrate these techniques into your Reiki sessions to help both yourself and your clients relax, reduce stress, and allow energy to flow more freely.
Reiki on its own already has a deeply relaxing effect on the nervous system, but by consciously adding techniques that activate the vagus nerve, you can amplify the impact of your sessions and deepen the healing energy.
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🫁 1. Deep belly breathing in your Reiki session (before the Session)
💙 Great for: Calming the client's nervous system, encouraging deep relaxation during the session, and opening the body and mind to receive Reiki energy more effectively. Before you begin the Reiki treatment, you can ask your client to breathe deeply for a few minutes. This helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the part responsible for rest and recovery) and stimulate the vagus nerve. You can also adjust your own breathing while transmitting energy, by making your breath calm and deep. This creates a soothing atmosphere that helps the client drop into a deeper state of relaxation.
📋 How to do this in your session:
✅ Ask your client to sit or lie down comfortably and close their eyes.
✅ Guide them through a few deep breaths: inhale through the nose, allowing the belly to rise, and slowly exhale through the mouth.
✅ Breathe together in a calm, slow rhythm.
✅ Extend the breath (e.g., 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out) and bring awareness to the present moment.
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💦 2. Cold therapy - Dorsal vagus (before or after the session)
💙 Great for: Strengthening the mind-body connection, calming the nervous system, and encouraging deep relaxation after the Reiki session. It helps clients get out of their heads and into their bodies, making them more receptive to Reiki energy. Cold therapy is a powerful way to activate the vagus nerve (a major nerve involved in rest, recovery, and connection). Before the session, you can suggest that the client briefly splash their face with cold water. This immediately calms the nervous system and prepares them both energetically and physically for the session. After the session, you can recommend the same technique to help the body integrate the energy received, maintain a sense of calm, and support the healing process.
📋 How to do this in your session:
✅ Ask your client to briefly splash their face with cold water before the session, or dip their hands into cold water as a simple form of cold stimulation.
✅ At the end of the session, suggest letting cold water run over their wrists or face for 30 seconds. This helps ground the body and deepens the effects of the Reiki session.
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🎤 3. Humming, singing, and OM chanting - Ventral vagus
💙 Great for: Boosting life energy, promoting deep relaxation, stimulating the chakras, and activating the ventral vagus nerve (associated with social connection, calm, and presence). During a Reiki session, you can use the power of sound to support deeper healing. Humming, singing, or chanting "OM" creates vibrations in the body that not only enhance energy flow but also help release blockages. Sound resonates physically through the body and directly influences both the nervous system and the chakras.
📋 How to do this in your session:
✅ Begin humming softly or chanting “OM” while placing your hands on or above the client. Let the sound flow naturally through you.
✅ The resonance of your voice activates the ventral vagus nerve, bringing deep relaxation and harmony, for both you and your client.
✅ You can also invite your client to make a gentle sound themselves (like humming or a tone that feels pleasant), to activate their own energy and deepen the shared experience of the session.
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💆♀️ 4. Vagus massage (neck and ear massage)
💙 Great for: Stimulating the vagus nerve, encouraging deep relaxation, supporting the body's self-healing ability, and restoring energetic balance. As a Reiki practitioner, you work with subtle energy, and sometimes a light physical touch can be a beautiful addition to help the body relax even more. A gentle massage of the neck and the area behind the ears activates the vagus nerve (especially in areas where it lies close to the skin), which creates an immediate calming effect on body and mind. This extra attention helps the client release tension and allows Reiki energy to sink in more deeply.
📋 How to do this in your session:
✅ While transmitting Reiki energy, gently glide your hands along the client’s neck. Use light, slow movements to massage the neck muscles.
✅ Give extra attention to the area behind the ears, where many vagal nerve endings are located. Use soft touches and stay in tune with the client’s breath.
✅ Ask beforehand if the client is open to gentle physical touch and always respect their boundaries. This touch can be calming, connecting, and reinforcing when combined with energetic transmission.
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☺️ 5. Social connection and laughter - Ventral vagus
💙 Great for: Activating the ventral vagus nerve (linked to social connection, safety, and calm), strengthening the energetic bond between you and your client, and creating an open, relaxed atmosphere where healing can occur more deeply. The power of a Reiki session lies not only in the energy you share but also in the quality of connection between you and your client. Social cues like eye contact, a warm smile, soft voice, and shared laughter activate the ventral vagus nerve and bring the body and mind into a state of safety. From that place of safety, energy flows more freely and tension is more easily released.
📋 How to do this in your session:
✅ Start with an open posture, a warm smile, and gentle eye contact. This immediately puts the client at ease.
✅ Use positive affirmations and reassuring words to help your client feel strong, safe, and supported.
✅ Laughter – even very soft – can break energetic blockages and lighten the atmosphere. If something unexpected happens, respond with gentleness or a smile instead of tension, so your client feels safe to let go.
✅ Trust your intuition: you’ll naturally sense when silence is needed and when a touch of lightness is actually healing.
By incorporating these simple techniques into your Reiki sessions, you can activate the vagus nerve, which promotes both physical and emotional relaxation. It enhances the energy in your sessions and helps your client dive deeper into their healing journey. ✨
Have you already tried using these techniques in your Reiki sessions? Share your experience or let me know which ones you'd like to try!
More about the Vagus Nerve:
Post 4: This is Post 4
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Strengthening your vagus nerve in your Reiki session - Part 4
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