Author Archive: andy

Lucky city, lucky reviews

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Rocks, Tasmania

I feel that Sydney is such a lucky city in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to so many other cities in the world, our rates of infection are so low, and the restrictions have been much fewer than elsewhere. It feels like a lucky country and a lucky place to be hiding out!

I also feel lucky that so many of my clients have agreed to leave reviews about their experiences. It makes me feel good about my work to see how a treatment helps a client, and the reviews definitely help bring people to Reiki Surry Hills.

Here are the latest from my Google listing. Thanks to those who wrote them!

🌟 Reuben said: Had my first Reiki experience with Andy and found it to be both relaxing and powerful. He’s calm, welcoming and its a nice space. At many times during the session I felt strong energies wash over me. Recommended.

🌟 Polina said: Just had an incredible experience receiving reiki from Andy. He is clearly very talented at what he does! The energetic movements within my body were undeniable during the treatment and it was like nothing I have ever felt before. Andy made me feel very comfortable and offered me some tea before the treatment began. If you’re looking for quality reiki healing then look no further as I suspect you will get everything you are looking for from Andy 🙂

🌟 David said: I wanted to try Reiki as during Covid lockdown I was meditating daily and was curious of becoming a little more spiritual. I also had the hopes of being more calm mentally, with the possibility of healing from past breakups, along with trauma growing up. After the treatment, I was surprised at how much I felt. During the treatment I was experiencing:
– Andy’s hands feeling very hot and soothing, along with pins and needles around my body.
– Felt a vibration at my third eye.
– Thoughts and happy memories of my life which almost made me cry.
– The most relaxed I have ever felt – deepest state of meditation I’ve been in.
I 100% recommend Andy if you’re feeling even the slightest bit constrained mentally or emotionally, it feels as if there’s been weight taken away. Will definitely be seeing Andy again in the future.

🌟 Ximena said: Amazing experience. This was my second time doing reiki and I found it very relaxing and revealing. Andy sets up a harmonious ambience perfect to relax and reconnect with yourself.

🌟 Jose left me five stars!

🌟 Advait said: I had an excellent experience whilst I was processing some difficult emotions that I felt physically manifest. Some chronic tension had built up in my chest and head that had become unbearable and vanished after the session. I would highly recommend anyone try it out. I tried Reiki for the first time without any expectations.

🌟 Rebecca said: Really beautiful and calm energy with a very pleasant experience today with my reiki session with Andy. I highly recommend and have already told friends about his fantastic service.

🌟 Dan said: The space is comfortable and safe, Andy is calm and professional. This is a small oasis in the middle of Surry Hills. Not sure what to expect, I am glad I had the opportunity to experience Reiki for the first time in such a positive manner. I was quite exhausted after the session and tired the next day but put this down to my mind allowing my body to rest finally. Thank you Andy, I will happily recommend you to my friends and family.

Such great reviews. I’m grateful for them. And feel lucky!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given over 1,700 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Reiki during COVID-19

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What a strange time for the world. I’ve never experienced or witnessed anything like it in my lifetime, where friends and family around the world are all living through the same crisis: affected in different ways, certainly, but most people are directly affected in some way, whether they are being asked to wear a mask, exercise social distancing, or are even on the frontlines, as some of my friends are who are healthcare workers. I feel very grateful to be living in Australia, this island nation, relatively protected from infections. Though Melbourne is in a harsh lockdown that is continuing at the moment, our numbers are really so small compared to the rest of the world.

They were also strange days at the beginning of the epidemic, trying to find out what was happening and what I should do in terms of my reiki practice. I closed down a few days before we were officially required to do so, and then cancelled any appointments that had come in for the lockdown period. My online booking service, Bookwell, put everything on hold. I still got enquiries occasionally, as well as notes from clients who said to contact them as soon as I opened up. It was the longest period that I’d not given reiki treatments since starting Reiki Surry Hills, but it was not something to worry about, in the grand scheme of things.

I was surprised, when I was allowed to open, after three months of being closed, that it took a while for clients to return, and none were in a rush to come back. It felt like we were all cautious about how to reengage with the world, and how much time to spend outside our homes. I think the biggest change that I noticed, which has continued, is that people are not planning far into the future. I have a much higher share of clients than before who book just the day before, or even the day of an appointment. When the news about COVID has been bad, with a higher number of cases, I have noticed that clients have been staying home. I’ve also had a higher number of clients who have requested the student or concession rate, and I’ve been more proactive about offering this price if I find out a client might be struggling financially.

Overall, I’m impressed with how clients are coping with these strange days. There have definitely been clients who have come in because they are dealing with COVID-related change and stress, moving back to Australia from overseas, living in circumstances that may not be ideal (such as unexpectedly living with family members), and stress about keeping, changing or losing a job. I gave treatments to at least two clients who had just come out of hotel quarantine. I think the biggest hardships have been for clients who are from overseas, and unsure of whether to ride out the epidemic here in Australia (with uncertain employment) or go back home (and cut short their plans of being in Australia for a period, and then be unlikely to be able to return to Australia to work on the same visa). Other clients have been separated from their loved ones, or unable to travel home for a celebration or a funeral, which is heartbreaking.

And yet, what can we do in these unpredictable times? Generally, I see clients living more in the present moment and accepting the uncertainty. Recognising when they are feeling stress or facing difficulties, and being proactive about seeking support, like a reiki treatment. Perhaps because we are so lucky in Sydney with a limited number of cases of COVID, I think it is generally possible for all of us to try not to worry about what we can’t control, but then be proactive about what we can do: take care of our mental health and be compassionate to ourselves and others.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given over 1,700 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney. A recent client told me she found me by googling ‘Best Reiki Sydney’. Come see for yourself. 

I’m not sure your energy is blocked

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If you type into Google ‘energy blocked’, depending on the day, it comes up with between 350 and 499 million results. Seriously.

A typical website, as from Integral Psychology, will tell you that people suffer trauma and the trauma gets stuck in the body. It comes from the field of Somatic Therapy, which ‘looks at the connection of mind and body and uses both psychotherapy and physical therapies for holistic healing’.

Many more websites will tell you how to find out why your chakras are blocked. How can you tell? A typical answer:

You may feel more tired or lacking energy, you may feel unmotivated or experiencing more anxiety 
and stress, dealing with digestive issues and just not feeling like your true self mentally, 
physically and spiritually.

I have to admit that when I first put up this website, and was trying to explain reiki, I explained reiki in this way too. I said that that we gather stress or blockages with time, and so reiki works to get rid of those blocks and help our energy move more freely.

I don’t know where I got that explanation from because I don’t believe it anymore!

I think my doubt started with so many of my clients coming for treatments for energy blockages and blocks in their chakras. But when asked how they were, the answers were much more simple. Rather than their heart chakra being blocked, preventing them from finding a good relationship or because they were hurt, it felt more true to me that they had been through a bad relationship, and that finding good relationships is difficult and needs work! Or that they were hurt, in a romantic or family relationship. When people said they are tired, it was likely that they live a busy life, or have young children to look after, or aren’t getting enough sleep. And the idea of ‘not feeling like oneself’? The older that I’ve gotten, the more I realise that we have many selves, and that it is a mistake to create a story about how we are always the same.

I feel a great fault of the new age movement and new age language is convincing so many people (and so many of my clients) that something is wrong with them: their chakras are blocked or not aligned; they have accumulated negative energy and they need a clearing. A few clients say they have negative energy and need it cleared, but this is a lesson, not necessarily easy, that we can learn for ourselves. If someone is angry at us, we can both see if there are valid reasons for it, and if there are not, to see that their anger is their issue, it is about them, not us, and try to not be affected by it.

What I also take issue with is the story that the older we get, that we accumulate pain and trauma and blocks: life is dangerous and we need to be healed from it. What if we told ourselves a different story, a more positive story? What if the older we are, and the more wise, the more we learn to be less stressed, less blocked and less troubled? I think that’s as good a theory as any. As my reiki teacher, Frans Stiene, says, if the energy in our body was truly blocked, we’d be … dead.

I should clarify what I’m saying. I don’t discount the idea that we can suffer trauma and that it can affect our bodies, and therefore our energy. But I don’t think it’s useful for most people to believe that we have suffered trauma and that it has affected our bodies. If you think this might be the case for you, DO see a somatic therapist or a psychotherapist or another counsellor, and uncover and define what trauma you might have suffered and address the issue directly. But don’t self-diagnose yourself and believe without questioning that you have something blocked in your body, which is the reason for not feeling great.

It’s just not healthy to walk around believing that there’s something wrong with us. There are a lot of good reasons why we might not feel great in our lives. Convincing people that our mysterious energy system is malfunctioning, I believe, takes away the power from people to address why we might not feel great. Many of the websites that tell people their chakras are blocked advise buying crystals or visiting someone who can clear their chakras. Has this all been invented as a commercial scam? I think it’s a terrible thing to convince people they are walking around with their chakras blocked and trauma stuck in their body. If you believe this, ask yourself why. How did you come to believe this?

If you know that work and life is busy, too busy for you, then you can consider finding ways of carving out time for yourself, of treating yourself well, and finding ways to slow down. If you feel tired, would taking time to yourself, or going for a walk, or doing some exercise, help you? It could be a physical issue that you should chat with a doctor or nutritionist about. If your heart is broken, perhaps talking to friends, or a counsellor, or treating yourself nicely, and also recognising that you are hurt and that there are good reasons for it, will probably help more than a rose quartz crystal for your heart. I believe that looking to ourselves to understand why we might be feeling low (or happy) is a way to give the power and responsibility back to ourselves to be able to do something about it.

A reiki treatment could be part of this. But rather than seeing a reiki practitioner to clear your blocks and align your chakras, I think the real healing comes in being proactive about wanting to feel better, gathering tools for your toolbox so you know what works for you in feeling better, and seeing your issues as something that, while they might not be easy to heal, can be healed with you taking an active part in making it happen.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given nearly 1,700 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney. A recent client told me she found me by googling ‘Best Reiki Sydney’. Come see for yourself. 

The Goop Lab episode on energy healing

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I had at least three clients come to me after they saw the show ‘Heal’ on Netflix (which I wrote about here) and not that long ago, I had a client come because they’d seen the episode on energy healing on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Lab series on Netflix. So, I thought I better watch it and see what it was about.

The premise of the show is pretty simple. Some of Gwyneth’s staff, a guest actor, Julianne Hough, and Gwyneth herself all have treatments with one John Amaral, a chiropractor who has developed a ‘somatic energy healing practice’ which he calls the ‘Energy Flow Formula’. He also tries to show one of his friends how to do it.

In one scene, Julianne and three of the Goop team are invited to lie face down on a treatment table (if you come for reiki, you’ll know I do treatments with you face up). He begins the treatment, with his hands swooping above the body and down towards it, a magician of sorts. Julianne immediately contorts her body into various positions that perhaps only a dancer or actor could do (she is a regular client of John’s I believe). And she shudders and it looks like she’s possessed.

One of the other clients seems to get quite emotional, and she lifts her torso up during the treatment, although John is sort of telling her to do so, so it’s hard to tell what’s happening.

On the other hand, another of the clients, the staff member who admitted being most cynical, is not shown to have any particular reaction to the treatment.

After the treatment, they mainly talk about having emotional releases, and they also interview some of John’s clients who find the treatments really helped them. The cynical staff member said he felt a release.

But the narrative is really short on details or a simple explanation of what the healing practice involves. They use, at one point, an appeal to science and quantum physics to explain it (which doesn’t make any sense) and John sort of goes into a verbal la-la land about the magical process. He also explains why people need it, something about accumulating stress in our bodies so we’re in a constant fight or flight state.

I looked up John Amaral on Google after the show, and I found an article in People magazine, where they paid for one of their reporters to have a VIP treatment of 90 minutes that cost $2,500 (this is US dollars) and described it in the headline as ‘exorcism-like’. The journalist describes feeling deeply relaxed, and then emotional, and then uncontrollable writhing and jerking around. The result: she felt lighter and less tense, though ‘not a drastic difference’.

As a reiki practitioner, the episode does no service to us, as it doesn’t mention reiki specifically at all, and because of that, Amaral, on his website, has to explain under his frequently asked questions that he doesn’t do reiki!

I also have real problems with the elite nature of his work. While he says that ‘anyone’ can benefit from his healings, the truth is that a one-on-one session is far more expensive than mostly everyone can afford. While he offers some free or low-cost online classes or tasters, the fact is still that his treatments cost a huge amount.

The episode would be of far more value to people in explaining that affordable healing is available to anyone, like reiki, meditation, acupuncture, qi gong, yoga, kinesiology: whatever works for you. Exploring accessible treatments would really have been a great service to people rather than an episode on an energy healer to the stars.

The other problem I have is that there is a strong underlying message that there is something wrong with everyone (and thus, everyone can benefit from a healing). I used to also believe that we get blocks in our energy, but I no longer believe this: I’m going to write a separate blog post on it. But I think it’s a dangerous thing to tell people that life is dangerous and unhealthy and you need healing because it.

Goop’s message does seem to be that we can feel better and feel healthy and that we should explore different ways to do this. And their web page on energy healing does describe reiki in a positive way. But this episode of the Goop Lab seems to really be what the opening warning says, to be taken as entertainment rather than medical advice, and that by focusing on a healer so dramatic and showy, I think it makes viewers wonder if something is wrong with them and wish they were as rich as Gwyneth Paltrow to be able to afford such treatments.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given nearly 1,700 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney. A recent client told me she found me by googling ‘Best Reiki Sydney’. Come see for yourself. 

Music for reiki healing

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I first put up this blog post in Oct 2017, and then did a little update in May 2019. So, it’s time to repost it!

In the meantime, I’ve created another playlist, which I’m calling ‘Reiki Best’ and it’s on heavy rotation! So, if you’ve had a treatment with me in the last year, then you’re likely to have been hearing music from this list. I think once you get into Spotify than you can bookmark it! In the meantime, below is the previous post with the other three playlists!

Here’s a different than usual blog post! I’m also a musician as well as a reiki practitioner and I’ve played piano and written songs for many years. So I consider the music that I play during my treatments very important. I want it to be beautiful and restful, calming and relaxing, and maybe even a way to transport the mind to another beautiful place (and block out the ever-present street noise of Surry Hills and other random sounds).

Occasionally I’ll find a song that I like that has an unfortunate huge dramatic swell in the middle of it. I really like the music of Sigur Rós and Jónsi but found a few of the tracks have samples that could be a bit disturbing during a treatment (like the sound of a ship cracking, or children’s voices). I also don’t generally like the music that some people associate with massage treatments and new age therapies: too many sounds of bells and suspended, floating notes that don’t seem to resolve, or else the resolution is too simple and the music sounds too major key, too much like children’s songs.

In any case, if you happen to be on Spotify, you can find the music that I play during treatments. I’ve got three playlists at the moment. Find them here:

 

You can see that their names are ‘Reiki Spotify’, ‘Reiki 88 keys’ and ‘Reiki Third’.

It would be my pleasure if this beautiful music helps you meditate or feel calm or remind you of your reiki treatment.

Finally, a few of my favourite artists to give reiki treatments to: Olafur Arnalds, Max Richter, Nils Frahm and George Winston. Probably my favourite songs to give reiki treatments to: Bobby McFerrin’s Common Threads; Max Richter’s On The Nature of Daylight; Olafur Arnald’s Undan Hulu (though it’s hard to pick just one from Olafur); William Mathieu’s To the Well (with Bobby McFerrin as guest vocalist) and I love Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s piano songs from the Finding Neverland soundtrack.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment.
Clients come from all over Sydney to see me, and I’ve also had clients who are visiting Sydney from Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast come and see me while they’re here for business, conferences or meeting families. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Reviews from Google

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I always like sharing my reviews! It’s a way for potential clients to understand what a reiki experience might be like, and decide whether they want to come visit me. I think when my clients started leaving Google reviews (and later on Bookwell and Facebook) was when my practice really took off! As always, THANK YOU to my clients for these reviews.

Here are reviews from Google that I haven’t posted here on my website:

🌟 Niamh left me five stars!

🌟 Rafael said: Very comfortable environment, pleasant conversation with tea before and after, and most importantly, Andy is great at what he does. I had a strong sensation on my solar plexus that successfully disappeared after the session.

🌟 Haydn said: I instantly felt comfortable in Andy’s presence, the moment I stepped through the door. He has create a beautiful and calm space for his clients. The treatment with Andy was more than I expected, I left feeling calm with an incredible sense of clarity! I can’t thank him enough for the experience and hope to return again very soon. Thank you Andy!!

🌟 Céline said: J’ai eu ma première expérience de Reiki avec Andy, je me suis sentie très calme, en paix et relaxée, et l’environnement est très agréable également. Merci encore!

🌟 Zoe said: I highly recommend seeing Andy for Reiki, and I will definitely be booking in for more sessions myself. I was amazed at what I felt during the session, his attentiveness to what I was asking for, and for what followed after the session. Thank you Andy.

🌟 Cailin said: I am very satisfied with my reiki treatment with Andy. He has a very calm energy about him and creates a very comfortable environment. I left the treatment feeling very light and relaxed for several days. Would definitely recommend him and will definitely go back!

🌟 Kirsty said: I had an amazing reiki session with Andy. He was very professional and carried a very calm energy, which put me at ease instantly.

🌟 Lisa said: My experience with Andy was very pleasent. His calm and attentive nature helped guide me through experiencing something new. And after my session, I felt extremely calm and at peace. Thank you for the beautiful session.

🌟 Will said: Had a fantastic reiki experience with Andy. He is a master with his work, I have felt so much lighter since the treatment. Highly recommend!

🌟 Norah left me five stars!

🌟 Sanjan said: I wish I could give Andy’s practice 10 stars. Absolutely love the approach and how Andy guides you through the journey. I feel a minimum of 3 sessions are needed to understand the actual power of reiki on your lifestyle – you can point changes immediately after each session too but 3 helped cement it to me that it just absolutely does wonders. I’d highly recommend trying it. Andy is very down to earth, humble and an overall great person. He’s very experienced, knowledgeable and an amazing reiki master. Andy always checks in after each session too, despite his busy schedule. The 1st and 3rd sessions were similar in terms of giving me a massive load of energy, I was motoring thru work and felt really good in general. The 2nd session was quite interesting as well and brought out a lot of insights that have massively helped me manage close relationships, work/life balance etc.

🌟 Fatima said: Amazing experience. I went there not really knowing what to expect. My goal was to work on my ability to relax and switch off. Andy has an amazing aura and he really helped me with going into a deeper meditation state. I never felt so relaxed and light. Definitely recommend it

🌟 Hannah said: Highly recommend Andy, great reiki practitioner and a truly wonderful experience. I’m just booking my third session and will definitely continue going back!

🌟 Danielle said: I felt lighter and more relaxed after my appointment with Andy – he truly has a gift. I will be returning!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given over 1,600 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

Home sweet home

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If you’ve come for a treatment with me, you’ll know that Reiki Surry Hills operates from a room in our apartment, where I live with my husband and two cats!

Some people are surprised. They think that the treatment will be in a clinic or office, perhaps shared with other practitioners.

But I don’t think there are many therapists that can afford to have their own offices and therapy spaces. Some practices like chiropractry, osteopathy and acupuncture would be busy enough to run as full-time businesses from a clinic. I know a lot of masseurs work from home, and some from clinics and studios. For reiki, I think there are a few shared spaces in Sydney where you can find reiki practitioners on certain days, but I’m not sure that anyone can afford to rent a clinic from which to operate on a full-time basis.

A reiki treatment from my home has its advantages and disadvantages. I know that occasionally, clients don’t feel comfortable coming to a stranger’s home, and that of a male practitioner. I hope that through my reviews, and the personal voice of my website, that clients will be able to feel that they know me enough to decide whether to come for a treatment.

As this is my home, in a central part of Sydney, there can sometimes be noise from construction in the neighbourhood (there has been a lot over the last years in Surry Hills), and noise from garbage and recycling trucks, and from traffic. There is a small park nearby which at certain times of days you can hear dogs playing. During the summer months, at the end of a day, our neighbours downstairs sometimes like to chat with each other or have drinks.

Also, I might need to answer the door for deliveries if my husband isn’t home, or you might hear the washing machine when you come in, or the sounds of my husband giving counselling sessions by Zoom, or other sounds of daily activity. One client was disappointed that I couldn’t replicate the experience of her receiving a reiki treatment at a spa in Bali, in a perfectly quiet and dark room. Also, because there are stairs to the apartment, there have been one or two clients that I have not been able to accommodate because a lack of accessibility in the building.

On the other hand, most of the time, the room is very quiet, and clients don’t have problems relaxing, even if there is some background noise. It is a useful challenge, I think, to have a treatment and know you can benefit from one that is a part of your regular life rather than only having a treatment while on holidays or at a spa or clinic. During a particularly noisy treatment once, one client felt that the construction actually felt like it was chipping away at things she didn’t need in her life. And another client said she liked hearing a bit of noise on the street from the neighbours, because it felt like real life, like a community.

Giving treatments from home means that I don’t have to cover the expenses of renting a studio in my charges, which I’ve been told are very reasonable. I also think that there’s a pretty great vibration in the room, from giving over 1,600 treatments. And, you might get to meet my cats, which most clients think is a bonus! Home sweet home: if you come for a treatment, I will welcome you here.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given more than 1,600 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

The latest reviews

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What a strange period in the world, which none of us expected.

I had to close down Reiki Surry Hills for three months, and when I opened again, I could see that we’re all taking it slowly and cautiously in the ways we re-engage with the world. Even though I had a list of people who said to contact them to tell them when I reopened, most of them haven’t come back yet.

On the other hand, I sent out a newsletter around that time, and so it was nice to see clients from a long time ago, who were reminded of reiki by the newsletter, and decided it was time for another treatment.

It’s been a long time since I’ve shared my latest reviews with you. I’m always grateful when clients leave me reviews. I believe it helps others to understand what a reiki experience might be like, and I know people can feel from the reviews that they are honest and authentic (unlike some other reviews up on the internet).

So, as before, THANK YOU, to my clients for these reviews. Here are some from Facebook:

In February, Ila shared:

🌟 Andy is very professional and makes you feel totally at ease. The treatment was amazing, very healing and is highly recommended!

And Basel said:

🌟 I have done Reiki before many times around the world with different Reiki practitioners and my session with Andy was the most powerful session I had ever experienced. I look forward to my next session and seeing how the next few days unfold. Thank you Andy, I am grateful for our session.

Akshata, in July (actually, she posted this on my birthday, which was a nice gift!), wrote:

🌟 Andy is very professional, thorough in communications and very calm composed during the session. He advises well and also follows up after the session. The place has a nice soothing positive aura. The treatment/session and music was very relaxing. Thank you SO much, Andy! Definitely Recommended!

On Bookwell, my booking service, clients shared the following:

Samantha Visited July 2020

What a beautiful experience. This was my first time for Reiki and I now understand why I was drawn to Andy. The beautiful and pure energy I experienced was something out of this world. I felt so safe and finally surrendered to the present moment, and was able to succumb to such a deep meditation with an array of feelings and new sensations. The deep internal peace, serenity and calm I feel after my session, I simply cannot put into words because I have never experienced such oneness with myself. Thank You Andy for sharing your gifts with the world and guiding me within. I truly look forward to returning to your divine space.

Madeleine Visited July 2020

Andy is wonderful. His space is lovely, calming and very soothing. I look forward to coming again 🙂

Beatriz Visited February 2020

Amazing! I feel really good after the treatment, simply recommended

Tim Visited February 2020

My reiki session with Andy was my first ever reiki experience and it was truly wonderful. I became so relaxed during the session that afterwards I felt as though I had sunken into the table. I had a profound experience midway through the session where I felt as though my body had dissolved and merged with all of the other energy in the room – the furniture, the music, the ceiling fan, even Andy himself. It was an incredible feeling of oneness. I was overwhelmed by feelings of peace and gratitude. In the hours following the session, I felt a bit physically/emotionally drained, however that night I slept incredibly well and in the days following my session I felt a renewed sense of balance, inner peace, and joy. I believe reiki has incredible healing potential and I highly recommend it to anyone considering giving it a try. Andy’s reiki treatment in Surry Hills is the perfect way to start (or continue) your healing journey.

Ibtissem Visited January 2020

After this Reiki session, I am feeling so good and centres with myself 😊 I went to help with sleeping issues and I have been sleeping deeply, and feeling fresh when waking up since. Andy is really nice and answered all my questions about Reiki. I recommended him to my friend, as I think he is a great Reiki Master.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given over 1,600 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

This is my front door

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This is the front door to my apartment building.

If you’re trying to find me for an appointment, this photo might help! You see, the complicated issue is that the building’s address is on Ann Street, but the entrance to the building is all the way around at the back, so it’s actually in a small street (I think of it more as a lane) called Mackey Street.

The other problem is that while the building entrance is near the intersection of Little Riley Street and Mackey Street, there are two parts of Little Riley Street. It stops at the park, the Frog Hollow Reserve, and continues on the OTHER side of Albion Street. And Mackey Street has two parts. There’s the part between Smith Street and Little Riley, and then it completely stops, interrupted by a large apartment building complex, and then it continues for a short stretch above Riley Street.

So I certainly understand why clients get lost, especially if they are unfamiliar with Surry Hills, with its warren of small streets and lanes.

It’s been an adventure to discover how to direct new clients to find me. Every time someone got lost, I’d try to refine the instructions a little more. This is what I currently say:

‘It’s easiest to find me by using Google Maps. Find 36 Mackey Street in Surry Hills and the entrance to my building is right ACROSS from it in the grey, concrete building marked 50-54 Ann Street. Ring up to apartment 10. Call if you get lost or need more instructions.’

Quite a few clients get intimidated by those instructions and worry about finding me. In fact, at least two clients have done reconnaisance missions the day before a treatment, or earlier in the day, to make sure they can find it!

Some clients are not comfortable using Google Maps.

The most common issue is that clients will only read the first part of the instructions, and end up standing outside of 36 Mackey Street and not turning around to find the entrance. So far, I think no one has actually rung their bell, which is good!

The ones who really get lost are those who decide they can figure out how to find me without maps or the instructions and a few whose phones have run out of charge as they were arriving to they couldn’t use the map or find the instructions.

But in the end, my clients find me. While it’s sometimes taken a while, I don’t think anyone’s had to completely give up!

In any case, if you’re coming for a treatment, look for the entrance to the building that matches the photo above. Hope to see you soon.

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given more than 1,600 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.

 

A brief shutdown: COVID-19

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A forest in Abruzzo, Italy.

What a strange world. I’ve never lived through a global pandemic where access to information is immediate. So, we’re living in a health crisis where our friends and family, around the world, are being simultaneously affected. Workplaces and schools are being shut down. Events, flights and holidays are being cancelled. New developments are happening not only a weekly or daily basis, but every few hours.

So, it’s been interesting for me to observe what’s happening and think about how to apply it to Reiki Surry Hills. While I’m hoping that with 300 cases currently, Australia has some control over COVID-19, this is not for certain. Friends on Facebook, many of them health professionals and those who work on social and economic policy, are coming together in consensus that as much social distancing as possible is needed, and non-essential social contacts should be avoided.

This is in the face of unknown risk, that even if incidence of COVID-19 may be minimal, it is best practice and shows community responsibility for us all to do our part right now.

So, for now:

  • As reiki treatments involve prolonged contact in close quarters between myself and a client
  • I don’t have the expertise or desire to interrogate clients that I don’t know about whether they have been at risk of COVID-19
  • While I like to think Reiki is essential, in the bigger picture, it is not.

… I think it’s a wise decision for now, for me, for you and for the community, for Reiki Surry Hills to go on a little break, hopefully only temporarily. Right now, I’ve blocked off appointments until the end of March but I’ll keep monitoring the situation and make decisions according to the information that I have.

So, apologies if you’re trying to get an appointment. I hope to give you a treatment on the other side of this!

Discover the gifts and benefits of a session of Japanese reiki therapy, healing energy from an experienced practitioner. Visit my website or Facebook page for more information and SMS, email, call me or book online if you’d like to make an appointment. Since 2011, I’ve given more than 1,500 reiki treatments.
Clients come to relieve stress, anxiety and for many other issues, or to just give reiki a try to see what it does for them. Folks come from all over Sydney and elsewhere to see me. While it’s easiest to get to me from the CBD, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Redfern and Potts Point, I’m pretty easy to get to from anywhere in Sydney.