Animal Aches

The energy of Reiki can be used in both directed and non-directed ways. Using it to assist animals (particularly horses) with sports conditioning involves directing Reiki towards systems that are most relevant to the conditioning process, such as:

• The splenic reserve of red blood cells. Unlike people, horses store red blood cells in the spleen, which acts as a sort of reservoir for red blood cells until they are needed. The ability of the horse spleen to release red blood cells is a significant factor in the horse's exceptional ability to increase oxygen consumption during exercise. The increased circulation of red blood cells enhances the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
• The bone marrow production of white blood cells. Strenuous exercise is associated with a short-term reduction of white blood cells, and any such decrease makes a horse more susceptible to infection.
• The cardiovascular system as a whole. Heart health is central to the fitness level of any animal, especially in the transport of oxygen and energy substrates to the muscle fibers, and removal of waste products from them. I especially focus on the small arteries and arterioles, which increase the blood flow through the muscles, and the capillarization of the muscles themselves, which greatly improves the efficiency of oxygen delivery and utilization.
• Muscles involved in respiration. The intake of oxygen is of central importance to maximizing energy availability, so I use Reiki to reinforce the wellness of the muscles that hold the upper airways of the horse open during exercise, such as the muscles of the nostrils, pharynx, and larynx. A good conditioning program will also focus on improving these muscles, because the respiratory system is the weak link in the oxygen-supply pathway.
• The glycogen repletion systems in the muscle fibers and liver. In the aerobic metabolic pathway, energy in the form of carbohydrates are stored in the muscle fibers as glycogen, where it is readily available for use. Smaller amounts are also stored in the liver and transported by the bloodstream to the muscles. Fatigue occurs when the muscular stores of glycogen are depleted, after which the horse is dependent on stored fats as a source of energy, forcing the horse to reduce the intensity or speed of exercise.

Those are just some examples of how I use Reiki to support athletic conditioning in animals.

You might wonder whether this has been researched for effectiveness in any detail. The answer is no, because to my knowledge nobody has thought to use Reiki in these particular kinds of ways, much less researched it, beyond myself.

So, you should consider Reiki for sports conditioning to be experimental. But I do believe this is a reasonable and effective extension of the practice of Reiki, given the wide variety of ways it used by doctors and in so many hospitals today.