How Do Animals Ask for Reiki? Understanding The Reiki Space as Presence Meeting Presence
- Kathleen Prasad
- 7 hours ago
- 8 min read
One of the most common questions people ask me is, “How do animals ask for Reiki?” To answer this question, I often shape my responses around signs of relaxation and connection. For example, I might tell a story about how a fearful animal climbed into my lap during a Reiki session. Or the way a horse grazed near me, occasionally reaching out and touching my hands with his muzzle.
Other animals may not come close, but relax nearby, their breathing becoming slow and easy. Or, one of my favorite examples, a crocodile at an exotic animal rescue came out of the pond and rested calmly with me next to the fence, as close as possible to where I stood. Animals show us that they are open to and receptive of Reiki in unique ways. They also reflect their appreciation at our presence, their feeling of being safe, and the regulation of their nervous system.
When I first set out to write this blog, I had planned on simply sharing lots of examples of how animals have asked me for Reiki over the years (including the ones I’ve already shared).
However, as I began to write, I realized that another important question isn’t just how animals ask for Reiki, but also whether we are listening and observant of their responses. Even more, we need to ask ourselves whether we have created the kind of energetic environment where they would feel safe enough to ask in the first place.
So, the deeper topic I want to explore with you today, the topic that affects the ifs, whens and hows of animals asking for Reiki, is presence.
Presence Is the Deeper Question
Presence in Animal Reiki is co-created. One half of this presence is the way we show up for animals. The other half of presence in Animal Reiki is how the animals show up for us. So because animals are so sensitive to everything going on inside and outside of us, let’s explore our own presence in three important and conscious ways: through our body, mind and heart.
Presence of Body
We create presence of body in Animal Reiki sessions in the way we place ourselves physically when we’re with animals, for example not forcing physical contact, and choosing a posture and distance that is comfortable for them.
If I’m working with a fearful cat, I might sit low and close to the ground, facing sideways or away from them, and choosing a distance that feels safe to them. If I’m working with an anxious horse, I might stand outside the fence, but, if they are comfortable enough, close enough that they can approach me if they choose to.
Or even if I’m working with a friendly dog, I might sit on the ground close to them and let them sniff me and get used to my presence, however I always make sure they can move away or leave the space if they wish. The comfort animals feel in our physical presence can change at any time, so we need to be able to respond quickly and sensitively in a way that helps animals always feel safe.
No matter what kind of animal or what environment I’m offering the Animal Reiki session in, I try as much as possible to show up in the animal’s space in a way that physically creates trust throughout my entire time with them. This includes letting go of the need to touch animals during Animal Reiki sessions.
Presence of Mind
We create presence of mind in Animal Reiki sessions by calming our thoughts and emotions, as well as letting go of judgements, expectations and agenda, so that we are not causing discomfort to animals, who are so sensitive to the energy (positive or negative) even of something as subtle as thoughts and emotions.
The first part of creating mind/emotional presence begins with awareness. We must notice what is going on in our thoughts and emotions first. The second part of this practice is about shifting into more harmony and calm in our thoughts and emotions. This is where our meditation practice is key.
Animal Reiki meditation practices that focus on hara breathing and the Reiki Precepts, for example, are a great way to harness the busyness of the mind and emotions that may feel chaotic. These practices help us gather our energy, ground ourselves with the breath and focus our minds on balance and positivity so we can embrace peace.
Presence of Heart
And finally, we create presence of heart by tapping into that deep energetic well of compassion, harmony and wisdom within the essence of our spiritual being. Heart presence is the energy of Oneness and connection with the divine.
One of the ways I like to do this is by seeing the animal with my “Reiki eyes,” in other words, seeing them with my heart. If the animal is, for example, sick or ailing, I can acknowledge this but then look deeper.
If I can expand my vision and see through the illness into the heart of the animal, I will see that they are so much more than their illness. They are a beautiful light, a wise spirit, and when I allow myself to see them from this vantage point, my heart opens and my worries about their physical condition can lessen.
Another way to do this is to acknowledge that not everything is in my control, and that there is a higher purpose and divine wisdom beyond my understanding that I can rest in. If you feel called to learn more, read our blog about The Challenges and Gifts of Spiritual Surrender.
Presence in Animal Reiki Is Co-Created
Our own presence – all 3 levels of it -- absolutely shapes the way animals ask for Reiki, as well as how (or if) we recognize their invitations for connection. What happens when we show up with presence, and an animal says yes to this and meets us there?
This is presence meeting presence, a magical co-created field of healing that I call compassionate resonance. For me, this compassionate resonance is the frequency of Reiki, and the place where all healing possibility exists (what I call “The Reiki Space”). When we show up for animals with stillness, awareness, and no agenda, and they feel safe and free to choose connection, healing unfolds naturally and with ease.
Animals are deeply affected by our presence because they are so sensitive to energy – that is why they may be drawn to some people, and wary of others. In the context of Animal Reiki, it’s important to remember that our presence is often the deciding factor in whether compassionate resonance, and Reiki healing, can happen.
For example, our own dog may be asking for Reiki through subtle body language, proximity, or shifts in attention, yet we may miss these invitations if we are distracted, preoccupied, or not fully present. Or we may enter a shelter or sanctuary where animals are highly stressed and inwardly guarded, and while they may be open to support, they will only recognize and meet us if our presence feels grounded, calm, open, and genuinely inviting.
It’s important to also remember that compassionate resonance does not arise from our own efforts or intentions alone. It’s a co-creation of vibrational alignment with animals – created through compassion and partnership, not projection. It arises through the choice and agency we give to animals, not by energetically dominating the space with our will (even if we mean well). Our presence of body, mind and heart allows us to protect animal agency, rather than override it.
Interestingly, research from the HeartMath Institute suggests that states of calm, appreciation, and compassion create measurable heart coherence, a regulated and harmonious physiological state that others can synchronize with, offering scientific language for what we experience as presence in Reiki practice.
Collective Presence Amplifies Healing
I’ve also found that in The Reiki Space, compassionate resonance has a magnetic and amplifying effect when even more beings step into connection. The larger the group of animals, for example sharing Animal Reiki with a whole kennel of dogs or a herd of horses, the stronger the feeling of energetic connection and healing.
Bringing together multiple practitioners together also amplifies the space. Once when teaching a class on equine Reiki, a horse from the pasture walked into a large group of Reiki students (15 or so) and invited all of these students to share Reiki with him at the same time. The balancing resonance invoked through this Animal Reiki session created a deep feeling of peace and connection for all of us, so much so that some of the students were moved to tears, as the horse went into a deep sleep while standing amongst us.
The beautiful connections created in this moment were made possible by collective presence, many humans and one horse choosing stillness, humility, and listening at the same time.
Sometimes when I share Reiki with animals they show healing responses, and sometimes I feel a deep personal healing shift myself. Everyone is part of the shared space, and so healing is possible for all. Studies on physiological synchrony and emotional co-regulation show that when beings are calmly attentive together, their heart rates, breathing patterns, and nervous systems can align, supporting regulation and well-being in all participants.
As human beings, we are not used to the powerful effect of our energy, intention, radiance and receptivity, and so most of us are indifferent or unconscious of the possibilities. But Animal Reiki gives us a tried and true method to bring conscious awareness, listening, receptivity, compassion, deep honoring and respect to every interaction we have with other beings.
When people and animals connect through Animal Reiki, I’ve seen healing arrive in so many ways: from deepening bonds between people and animals, to lessening pain from illness, to bringing deep calm to an anxious animal, to supporting an animal’s transition into death with grace and peace.
I believe that the compassionate resonance created by presence meeting presence in Animal Reiki sessions brings our energetic vibration into harmony with the underlying vibration of universal harmony in the universe and that is why it is so beneficial for all beings and all kinds of healing. Connecting with others in this deep way speaks a powerful message to our soul that “All is well and all healing possibility exists.”
How to shift into a vibration that invites animals to ask for Reiki:
Bring awareness to your own energy: Your thoughts, feelings, emotions, intentions, judgments, and more. How are you showing up in this moment? It’s important to do this with self-compassion. Mindfulness is the key here!
Spend time balancing and healing your energy with meditation. Our Animal Reiki practices are great for this!
Take time for self-care and making healthy choices.
How to offer Animal Reiki in a way that honors animal agency:
Focus inward on your meditation, NOT outward “Sending” to the animal
Let go of what’s wrong with them, focus on seeing their inner wholeness and beautiful essence of “light” energy
Set your intention to “invite” the animal into the energetic space you are creating
Let go of your expectations and agenda about how the animal “should” get better, or how they “need” the healing. Let them choose if, when and how to connect.
Our Presence is Powerful in Sharing Animal Reiki
As we deepen our Animal Reiki practice, the question of how animals ask for Reiki begins to soften and widen. Animals are always in relationship with the energy around them, yet whether their invitations arise, and whether we recognize them, depends on the quality of presence we bring.
When we meet animals with stillness, humility, and genuine listening, without agenda or expectation, we create a space that feels safe, respectful, and alive. In this shared field of compassionate resonance, presence meets presence.
Animals are free to choose connection in their own way and in their own time, and it is within that freedom, not effort or intention alone, that the deepest healing possibilities unfold.
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