At the Horse Protection League, our residents come from many backgrounds and each has their own story. What they share in common, however, is their love of Reiki! For those not familiar with this alternative therapy, Reiki is an energetic healing modality that is made available to the recipients (animal or human) by a Reiki practitioner, via a meditative practice.
I received Reiki training at HPL in the fall of 2015, and I was skeptical that meditating with horses and seeing a concrete result was possible…and then it happened. I watched several of our HPL horses fully lie down and enjoy what is referred to as a “Reiki nap”. I was astounded. In essence, Reiki can provoke a deep relaxation response, which in turn assists the animal or human to internally reset and rebalance, enhancing their own ability to heal and renew.
For the last year, I have been sharing this soothing energy with the HPL residents monthly. It is different every session, with some horses fully accepting the energy the energy one month, and different horses the next. Participants are always free to accept the energy or not, sometimes coming in to the "Reiki space” and then leaving after they are done. The photos show Raja and Princess enjoying their sessions, others who have been enthusiastic participants were Starlight and Mocha.
Being an intelligent energy, Reiki will always go where it needs to go, and it can never harm. It has been gratifying to be able to share this healing therapy with our horses, and witness their relaxation and peacefulness after our sessions. Please feel free to reach out to me at
hezachary@4edisp.net with any questions you might have, or if you wish to join me at HPL on the first Sunday of the month, from 1-3pm. It has been a remarkable journey, and I thank the horses and HPL for this opportunity to serve our equine residents.
-Ellen Z.
