Practicing mindfulness with animals when they are going through stressful times is a way of offering them our pure presence and can often be their greatest source of comfort and healing. With the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki, we use flexible forms of meditation (sitting, standing, walking, moving around) and animal affirmations to practice mindfulness with our animals to remind ourselves to stay grounded within our bodies so we can be fully here for our animals when they need us the most.
Mindfulness is the central teaching of the entire Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki because it the more present and tuned in to what’s happening RIGHT NOW, the better we can offer support to animals in whatever situation they are in. These meditations and affirmations keep us present and holding space for animals when they are distressed, injured or dying. It allows us to hold a calm, relaxing, healing space that animals can choose to to join with their own energy.
Because our method does not heal animals—only offers them a healing space they can join and use to heal themselves in whatever way healing looks to them—it’s extra important to remain mindful and present. That way, our minds and hearts to switch into worrying about the animal or trying to fix them. It keeps us here, in the moment, just staying calm and heart-centered while we let our animals know that we are here for them no matter what.
Many people think of Animal Reiki as a healing practice—and it is, but not in the way you might think. In our method, we don’t use our hands or touch to “send” or “beam” healing to an animal (although we do use touch if the animal initiates it. Instead, we focus on cultivating light energy (that has the power to facilitate healing) within ourselves and we stay open and hold the space for animals to choose to join. Healing looks different to everyone but we like to look at it as a journey toward wholeness and we believe animals (and people) have the means to heal themselves (whether that means physical healing, spiritual healing, or mental healing). Often animals will choose to join our healing space as they are transitioning and joining our space creates peace and relaxation instead of anxiety and distress during their final moments.
This is what practicing mindfulness with animals is all about for us. Not about sending physical healing energy to the animals we’re with, but more about offering a comforting space of peace and calm where all sorts of healing is possible. We must stay mindful and present (and steer away from focusing on what’s wrong with an animal) if we are going to bring them peace and relaxation and wholeness.
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