Do the Reiki Aura Sweep!
Do you practice Reiki? Do you finish (and begin) your Reiki sessions with Aura Sweeping? Well if not, you’ve got to try it! (If you already do, then yay! And tell me about your experiences in the comments below.)
You can do it both before a Reiki session and after. When you do it before a session, it’s sort of comparable to wetting your hair before you wash it. And when you do it at the end of a Reiki session, It’s sort of akin to rinsing your hair after shampooing. And you know from experience that these things give you way better results and fluffier hair!
Well, who wouldn’t want way better results from their Reiki sessions? And way fluffier clients! Wait, that last part doesn’t’ sound right…
Sweeping Your Client’s Aura Before a Reiki Session
Before you start to give Reiki, you’re going to want to prep your client’s aura for the energy healing that is about to occur. You can do this with Aura Sweeping, which is exactly what it sounds like. It involves you sweeping your hands through your client’s aura or energy field. It takes about a minute to do and can make a world of difference in the effectiveness of your Reiki treatments.
When to Sweep Your Client’s Aura
I do this after setting my intention and right before the laying on of hands. I also do this at the beginning of distance Reiki sessions in which I use a surrogate for sending the healing.
What Does Aura Sweeping Do?
- This process removes any superficial energy build-ups.
- These are bits of negative energy that are just sort of hanging out in your client’s energy field.
- By removing them now, you stop them from adhering to your client’s energy field and causing problems down the line.
- And by getting rid of them before you begin the session, you don’t waste any of your session time or Reiki’s focus dealing with them.
- These are bits of negative energy that are just sort of hanging out in your client’s energy field.
- It also brings harmony to your client’s aura, starting to bring in a lovely soothing and balancing energy.
- Important: It helps to form a positive rapport between your client and you.
- In does this in three ways:
- By getting both of you energetically in sync.
- By getting you tapped into their energy field.
- And by helping your client to feel more at ease with you, their practitioner.
- In does this in three ways:
Preparing your client’s aura with aura sweeping also gives you an extra opportunity to feel their energy field and start to discover any spots that are going to need a little extra Reiki. So pay attention to your hands when you’re doing the preliminary aura sweep. Use your intuition and sense for any possible blockages or hot spots to that you’re going to want to focus on during the Reiki session.
Sweeping the aura is just one of those things that I love so much that it feels incomplete to do a treatment without it.
How to Sweep Your Client’s Aura Before a Session
- Run your hands in your client’s aura about six inches above their body.
- I prefer to keep my hands in the standard Reiki pose, i.e. ever so gently cupped with finger held together. But I have seen people do this with their fingers spread wide, kind of like they’re raking their client’s aura.
- Move from their head right down to their feet in a slow, smooth motion.
- Repeat this process at least three times. You can do it more if you feel that it’s needed. Use your Reiki-senses (sort of like spidey-senses, but way better) to determine this.
Now you would go forward with doing whatever your version of a full Reiki-treatment is, whether that’s standard hand positions, intuitively guided or a combo.
Finishing Up the Reiki Session with a Final Aura Sweep
I always complete the treatment by sweeping my client’s aura. I don’t generally like the word “always.” While I like to provide clear steps here as a great Reiki practice foundation for my readers, I don’t actually like rules. I think it’s great to learn the rules, because then you gain the knowledge, and ideally the wisdom and intuition, that you need to let you know when it’s okay to just throw the rules out the window. Sweeping the aura is one of those things that I have learned that I love so much that it feels incomplete to do a treatment without it.
Why Sweep Your Client’s Aura?
And what’s not to love? Finishing up with aura sweeping removes energetic debris that may have been released during the session. It’s like you’re giving the client an energetic clean slate. Doing the Reiki session loosened all sorts of un-harmonious “junk” and now you get to fling it away from your client. What a gift!
How to Sweep Your Client’s Aura
- Sweep your client’s aura with your hands held a few inches above their body.
- Move from over their crown chakra to down to their feet.
- Make sure continue past their feet.
- Now flick the energy away from both of you.
- You can either use one long motion or series of smaller strokes to sweep the aura.
- Repeat this sweeping process a total of three times.
Be sure to add some intention for some extra oomph:
- While you’re doing this, visualize any negativity that you are removing being transmuted into light.
- If you’d like to, you can visualize a violet flame on the floor just past the end of the Reiki table.
- You can send the energetic debris that you are sweeping off of your client and right into the flame.
- Know that as you do so, it is instantly transmuted.
- Can also speak the following intention (silently to yourself): “I ask that any energetic debris that I remove be sent to the light, for the good of All. And so it is. Thank you.”
That’s it! Now you’d move on to sealing the session and giving thanks.
Thanks so much for reading. I hope you’ve found some useful tips here. If you haven’t been sweeping your clients’ auras be sure to try it out and see if you feel a difference. Come back and tell me all about it in the comments below.
Have you already tried out these methods? How’d it go? I’d love to hear about it!
So Reiki ON, my dear Reiki friends!
Wishing you successful Reiki sessions and many Reiki blessings,
Tarin Rataic, The Reiki Guide

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Why we need to charge the aura after each reiki session?
Hi Zahra,
You actually don’t need to charge the aura after each Reiki session. It can be a good idea to sweep your client’s aura before a session to prep it and then after to remove any energetic debris. I hope that helps!
Reiki blessings,
Tarin
Hi Tarin,
Would using black kyanite help with aura sweeping?
Hi Nick!
Yes, using black kyanite when doing the aura sweeping is a great idea! As you probably know, kyanite helps to align the chakras and the layers of the aura, as well as clear the many energy pathways of the body. Plus, black kyanite is very grounding – which is perfect after a Reiki session.
If you wanted to do this, I would hold a piece of the black kyanite in one of my palms, aiming it at my client’s aura, and dragging the stone through their aura while doing the aura sweep. I would still sweep normally with my empty hand. While doing this, I would also hold the intention of the kyanite helping to clear any negativity while also grounding my client (for the sweeping at the end of the session). But you can just follow your intuition and do what feels best to you and for your client!
And despite popular opinion about kyanite, I would still be sure to clear it after using it in this way. I always want to make sure that I have good energetic hygiene for my clients’ benefit – and myself, too.
As a side note, selenite and tourmaline would also be great used in this way. For any of these stones, I’d be tempted to use a rod/wand/blade type version of them for ease of holding them horizontally in my hand. But any shape you have will work just fine!
Thanks so much for the great question, Nick!
Reiki blessings to you,
Tarin
Hi Tarin,
Thank you so much for such a concise and detailed answer! I will certainly refer and take note for any future sessions I have with clients.
Selenite and black tourmaline are two of my favourites. I was wondering whether it would be beneficial either to the client or therapist to place a piece of selenite near the crown chakra and a piece of tourmaline at the earth chakra during a session. Would this be too much do you think?
I’m not an expert by any means and I could do with any advice.
Blessings,
Nick
You’re quite welcome, Nick!
That’s a great idea. And no, I don’t think it would be too much by any means. It really can be helpful to place a nice big grounding stone right at that Earth Star chakra, right between your client’s feet, as close to the end of the Reiki table as you can manage. I leave it in place a good five minutes after the session is complete to make sure that my client is fully grounded before they get up from their healing, and to help anchor in all those healing energies.
And the selenite at the crown is a nice touch. By doing that, you’re actively supporting the connection between the spiritual and physical realms, further helping to support your client (or yourself) in integrating the healing quite nicely. Of course, this approach fits in quite nicely with the practice of Reiki which brings healing on all levels of being, so it can only enhance your practice.
When in doubt. check in with Reiki and let it guide you. You’ll know when something feels like it’s just too much or not right for a particular client – or yourself. The most valuable skill you can develop is your ability to listen to and follow your own intuition.
And in my opinion, you’re doing better than you might think. What great and insightful questions! It’s really great connecting with you!
Please let me know if you have any further thoughts or questions, Nick.
Many Reiki blessings to you,
Tarin
Why do practitioners sweep the client’s pea THREE times!
Hi Russelle,
I think you’re asking why the practitioner sweep’s the client’s aura three times. 😉
The reason for sweeping three times is mainly for thoroughness. It’s the difference between washing your hands for two seconds versus 15 seconds. The two second wash will definitely do something, but you can be sure that the fifteen second wash was truly effective in cleaning your hands.
The three sweeps give you time you need to get both superficial energetic debris, as well as deeper energetic debris. Plus, I feel it’s the minimum amount of time needed to properly establish an energetic connection at the beginning of the session. While the aura sweep isn’t required to do this, it’s definitely helpful.
And once again, three is just the minimum that I suggest sweeping. Really just sweep until it feels complete, including if it feels complete with just two sweeps. There are no rules, only suggestions. In the end, let Reiki guide you.
I hope that helps.
Wishing you many Reiki blessings and much love!
Tarin
Hi I have a question, when you start a Reiki Session, I do a aura sweeping, the times and a sweeping three times at the end. Can you then sip up from the feet to the Aura three times? Thanks
Hi Susie!
I think what you’re asking is can you do the aura sweep moving from the feet to the head, as opposed from the head to the feet.
I’ll be honest, it wouldn’t be my first choice. It’s kind of akin to petting a cat backwards. Most people will experience it as an uncomfortable sensation.
The purpose of the aura sweep is to clear away energetic debris, smooth and seal the client’s aura, as well as ground the healing energy and the client’s energy. Sweeping upwards would drag the debris over the person’s head and crown chakra as well as leave them less grounded. So that’s also why I wouldn’t suggest it.
That being said, if you’re feeling guided to sweep up, please follow your intuition. It’s the best teacher of all! There may be a reason that your client or client’s will benefit from an upwards aura sweep. And it may be a reason that I hadn’t thought of.
So try it out. If it feels “wrong” to you or your client, then just sweep from the head down to “fix” it and there will be no harm done.
Thank you so much for your question. If I misunderstood it and therefore didn’t answer it, please let me know!
Many Reiki blessings to you, Susie!
Tarin