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Shelter Animal Reiki Association

Shelter Animal Reiki Association

Healing Animals with Meditation

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SARA Teacher Articles

Major Takes Charge

April 8, 2022

a brown and tan horse named major standing in the snow by a white fence

Meet Major. He is one of the beautiful therapy equines in a herd of six that I have the honor to offer Reiki to each week. I have been offering Reiki to animals for two decades now and each and every time I am in awe when they are able to help themselves. When they are able to ask for help, to trust, to be still and quiet to connect with the Reiki energy and me, and to let go of whatever they need to.

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The 3 Reiki Rookie Mistakes

April 7, 2022

a tiger with their cub in a snowy forest

Aren’t there all those things we learn not to do in an Animal Reiki class? Been there, done all those things I was told not to do! And weirdly in some ways, these are memorable and often entertaining lessons that I will not be forgetting any time soon.

The cats have been my toughest disciplinarians when it came to practicing Animal Reiki. I could have sworn that they have a secret book – “How to teach Reiki to Humans”. And if I dare stray again, they are there to remind me what Animal Reiki truly is about.

And of all the wayward stuff I have done, these three remain on the top of my list:

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The Let Animals Lead® Method: The Shining Essence of Animal Reiki

March 21, 2022

lions, giraffes, and other animals in namibia, africa

The Let Animals Lead® method is a transformative way to offer Reiki to non-human animals while fully manifesting interspecies respect. Because this method refrains from using touch unless the non-human animal initiates, it assists in eliminating challenging aspects of the human ego—pressures, expectations, agendas—and recognizes the perfection of the empowered animal.

We are all animals, and non-human animals do not need human “help” in the realm of energy. They elevate our energy and we learn from them. This method always supports the animal to move freely about so their physicality is never restricted. They can communicate their preferences in any way, and these preferences are always honored. They can engage with the energy or reject it completely. We listen to the animal and ask for nothing in return—the Reiki is an offering, not a requirement. The animal is in charge. As such, the Let Animals Lead® method not only epitomizes Animal Reiki in and of itself, but also inherently advances human to non-human animal relationships.

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5 Distinct Traits of Animal Reiki

January 24, 2022

a cat touching a flower

Have you wondered what the distinct traits of Animal Reiki are and what exactly is the need for specialization? Is Animal Reiki different from traditional Reiki? The elementary answer is that Animal Reiki is also Reiki. The universal energy is the same – there is simply one universal energy. And at the same time, Animal Reiki is about the animals and is practiced honouring the unique sensitivities of the animal kingdom.

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Our Dogs Show Us the Way When the Worst News Comes

January 13, 2022

a dog named chili

Just before Christmas we received some bad news about Chili.

The diagnosis is bone cancer, with only one option of curative treatment which is amputation. We decided we did not want to put her through that, so palliative care and pain relief became real. But oddly I already sort of knew. I saw it in the vet when she referred us for the scan. And certain things were adding up. I knew.

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The Offer of a Paw – The Ultimate Show of Trust

March 3, 2021

a human hand reaching out and holding a brown dog paw

It was our final Reiki meditation of the day and a storm was brewing. Gretchen and I settled in, offering Reiki to both her dogs. Bindi wandered around a bit, stopped, and offered Gretchen her front paw. It was beautiful to see Bindi stand there with her paw in Gretchen’s hand…so beautiful I could not interrupt the moment to snap a picture though I wanted to. The love between them radiated. Bindi sat back and put both paws in Gretchen’s hands. Gretchen sat teary eyed, holding her best friend’s paws.

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The Year End Gift of the Bison

December 30, 2020

a buffalo behind the sunset

As 2020 comes to an end, I have been reflecting on the good that came to me during the difficult past months. What we focus on grows stronger so I have been choosing to turn my attention to my blessings instead of what I always felt that I lacked.

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From Growls to Belly Rubs – Reiki to the Rescue

December 23, 2020

a brown and white dog named Bruno sitting in a car

Bruno is loving walks and belly rubs these days. And he took his freedom ride to his foster home this past weekend! For months, Bruno cowered in the back of his kennel at the shelter, growling at staff. He had been there almost six months, surrendered for killing a chicken and a goat. Terrified, he would not let anyone touch him and it was difficult to clean his run. Leah, a shelter worker, knew they couldn’t keep him much longer if he couldn’t be handled, cleaned up and vetted. In a last-ditch effort, she reached out to me to share Reiki with him. I also asked Animal Reiki Source’s Animal Reiki Healing Circle to share Reiki with Bruno.

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Deaf and Food Aggressive – Romanian Rescue Dog Finds Peace and Safety

December 2, 2020

ali carrington sharing reiki with pebbles the dog at a shelter

This beautiful deaf boxer girl had come over to the UK from Romania at approximately 6 months old, her history not clear, and was first fostered by a couple with a handful of other dogs. It quickly became very obvious and worrying that she was a very anxious girl around dinner times, guarding her food and showing aggression towards the other dogs and the humans in her foster home. It became so severe that the couple had to take the heart breaking decision of handing her back to the rehoming organisation and, due to her aggressive behaviour, sadly she had to be looked after at a rescue boarding kennel while the organisation began the responsible and stressful task of finding the next right home for her. Prospects were unclear… who would take on a deaf dog who literally might bite the hand that feeds her?

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Kitten & Fawn; Love & Compassion

November 3, 2020

a fawn licking a kitten

Hermione is a premature fawn left by her mother. Mulan was a sickly, newborn kitten dumped at the animal shelter. Both are being loved and rehabbed at Forevermore Farm, a peaceful, quaint little farm where I teach Reiki & Kathleen Prasad’s Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki.

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Reiki Meditation While Horse Riding

September 7, 2020

Sharing Reiki with an animal doesn’t have to mean sitting in mediation with them. Experience the wonder of moving meditation with your animals. Here I am in the Lolo Forest in Montana with peaceful horses and dogs. A true Zen moment!

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How to Support a Shelter Dog

September 7, 2020

The Let Animals Lead® Method of Animal Reiki created by Kathleen Prasad is ideal for working with recent rescues-I work mostly with recently rescued canines.

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Buffalo Energy

July 1, 2020

I meditate with animals. That’s right. Every opportunity I get. Whenever I know I will be in the presence of animals, wild or domestic, I commit myself to being open to whatever experience arises and I set an intention that Reiki flows for the good of all.

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Letting Go of Control to Find Peace

June 6, 2020

Letting Go of Control to Find Peace

When we are peaceful, we can let go of the need to control.

As my county in Pennsylvania began to relax the Shelter In Place orders from COVID-19, we moved into the yellow phase. However, pet groomers are still not allowed to open. It has been several months since I was able to get my two cats groomed. One is part Persian and one is part Angora. I do the best that I can with brushing but they are both timid and anxious rescues. I am not embarrassed to say that my skills are lacking and I appreciate my groomers even more. My attempts to care for my cats have left me with cuts from their claws and teeth as they let me know when they have had enough of my tugging on them with a brush. As expected, my one cat Lulu developed a large mat on her back. This added to my stress over caring for them knowing that it would still be many weeks or months before I can have a grooming appointment. I decided to try reiki.

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Calming the Stress of Coronavirus

March 14, 2020

Need peace and balance during this chaotic time?

SARA Co-Founder Leah D’Ambrosio leads a beautiful meditation using the 5 Reiki Precepts to relieve stress and bring you strength!

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Mandy’s Reiki Session…Her Way

January 27, 2020

Mandy

Meet Mandy. She is an elder canine. She was recently welcomed into her forever home. Today was her Reiki session.

With Mandy, I practiced the Let Animals Lead® approach created by Kathleen Prasad of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA).

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Recognizing Differences Between Animal Communication and Animal Reiki

October 16, 2019

Many animal communicators are trained in the system of Reiki and find the two go hand-in-hand, but too often the lines get blurred. What is the difference between an Animal Communication (AC) session and an Animal Reiki (AR) session, and why does this matter in a professional context?

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My Year of Discovery after Becoming a SARA Teacher

October 9, 2019

Hannah Setu

September 2019 is here and I’m ready to put down my thoughts, feelings and examples of personal growth I experienced attending Kathleen’s Reiki Level III and Animal Reiki Teachers Certification course in Sacramento, CA, in October 2018 and want to share my insights with you. It was a profound experience, and like a homecoming has been hard to articulate up to now. My reiki awareness has continued to evolve over time but now after many months it feels like it is bursting out of me!

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That Chicken Is Choking!

October 7, 2019

Robert the Chicken

Distraction can make us miss beautiful moments. We find peace and feel grounded when we take time to listen to animals and the sounds of nature. If we don’t devote quiet time with ourselves and animals, we won’t hear their lessons of loyalty, acceptance, or love. By being too busy, we may also miss their pleas for help.

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Animal Reiki with the Teacher’s Pet

September 11, 2019

From the time I was a toddler, I’ve been horse-crazy. I started riding when I was six and was blessed to have a pony in my backyard when I was nine-years-old. Being around horses, especially sharing Reiki with them, opens my heart and heals my soul.

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But That’s Not Reiki! Oh Yes, It Is!

July 18, 2019

But that’s not Reiki!  A colleague recently mentioned someone said this about the Let Animals Lead® method of Animal Reiki by Kathleen Prasad that we practice. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the conversation has nagged me since.

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A Cat Named ‘Cart’

July 17, 2019

Reiki pronounced as ‘ray key’ is a complementary holistic therapy which can be used alongside conventional veterinary medicine.  Reiki is an ancient Japanese system of healing, not cure.  Rei meaning ‘spirit’ and Ki meaning ‘energy’.  As quantum physics tells us, all matter is energy.  This energy flows through all living beings.

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Welcome to Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary, SARA’s first South Carolina member organization!

June 10, 2019

Big Guy

I would like to welcome Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary to the SARA family!  Cotton Branch has whole heartedly embraced the SARA way to support and heal their animal family.  Cotton Branch is a safe haven for farm animals in South Carolina.  Founded in 2004, the sanctuary is currently home to around 350 rescued farm animals.

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Reiki & Pet Sitting: The Perfect Combination

June 6, 2019

As pet sitters, we often encounter animals who are afraid, timid, confused or stressed because they are alone with a stranger in their home. We face emergencies with sick or injured animals when their people are away.  We sometimes care for animals who are transitioning while their family is gone.  These things are stressful for the animal and for us as pet sitters.  There is an amazing balm for these situations:  Animal Reiki – specifically the Let Animals Lead® method developed by Kathleen Prasad.  This practice has made my job as a pet sitter easier and has decreased stress and anxiety in my animal clients.

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A Precept Lesson from Butte

May 27, 2019

A friend of mine owns a small guest ranch here in Montana and, in the spring when their horses are brought in from winter pasture, she has asked me to help evaluate them prior to the season beginning. A couple of years ago she had a new horse that she named Butte (after her hometown here in Montana).  She asked me to work with him as he had a habit of tossing his head and not being attentive. So I undertook the task.

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