Reiki · 27 September 2026 · 6 min read
Reiki for People Living Abroad: Staying Grounded
Long winters, a small flat, a life split across two countries. Reiki for NRIs is usually about rest and steadiness rather than anything dramatic — here is how it fits into a life abroad.
By Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar, Vastu consultant, Andheri East, Mumbai
01
Why do Indians abroad look for Reiki?
Usually because something has become quietly heavy. Not a crisis — a long winter, a demanding job, a flat that never fills up with people, a year of being the one who copes. Rest stops being restful, and sleep stops doing its work.
Reiki is asked for in that situation because it requires nothing of you. You do not have to explain yourself for an hour, perform wellness, or take up a new practice you will abandon in three weeks. You lie down and let the body be still for a while.
Reiki is a gentle relaxation practice. It complements medical and psychological care and never replaces it, and it is not a treatment for any condition.
02
What does living abroad ask of you?
Several things at once, which is why it wears people down slowly rather than suddenly. Recognising the particular load helps you say what you actually need support with.
01
Being the strong one
Family in India often hear the edited version of your life. Holding the unedited one alone is tiring in a way that is hard to name.
02
Distance from ageing parents
The guilt of being far away during an illness or a hospital stay is one of the most common things people bring to a session.
03
Long dark months
In northern countries, winter takes a real toll on mood and sleep. If it is severe or recurring every year, speak to a doctor — this is a medical matter, not only a mood.
04
Two clocks, two lives
Late-night calls home, festivals watched on a screen, a permanent sense of being half-present in both places.
05
Small, borrowed spaces
Rented flats you cannot alter, shared walls, and no corner that is unambiguously yours.
06
Moving again
Many NRI lives involve several countries. Each move resets your routines, your doctor, your friendships and your sleep.
03
How is a session arranged from another country?
As a distance session at an agreed hour. You speak with the practitioner beforehand, you rest quietly wherever you are at the time you have chosen, and you share what you noticed afterwards.
Distance work is a standard part of Reiki practice rather than a compromise for people who live far away — the training at the second level is specifically about working when the two people are not in the same room.
Your time zone drives the scheduling. Evenings and weekend afternoons usually suit well, because you want to be able to lie down afterwards rather than get straight into a car. Sessions can be held in English, Hindi, Marathi or Gujarati, and the arrangements are settled on the first call, which is free.
04
What can you do between sessions?
More than you might think, and none of it costs anything. These are small acts of grounding that suit rented flats and short leases.
01
One corner that is yours
A shelf or a small table with a diya, a photograph and something from home. Even in a shared flat, one defined corner helps.
02
Morning daylight
Get outside within an hour of waking where you can. In northern winters this matters more than any other single habit.
03
Five minutes of stillness
Sit, breathe, do nothing. A short daily practice of प्राणायाम (pranayama, breath regulation) steadies the nervous system better than an occasional long one.
04
Sound from home
A familiar mantra, a raga, or simply your mother's voice on a call. Sound resets a room faster than décor does.
05
Declutter one surface
Not the whole house. One surface, fully clear. The effect on a small flat is out of proportion to the effort.
06
Keep the routines you moved with
The small Indian rituals you grew up with — Sunday cooking, a weekly call, a lamp at dusk — are continuity, and continuity is grounding.
05
Where does the home come into it?
Often quite directly. If you feel unsettled in one particular flat, and slept better in the last one, it is worth looking at the space rather than assuming it is only you.
Vastu principles that translate anywhere are the ones about light, air, orientation and order — where you sleep with your head, whether the entrance is clear, whether the centre of the home is cluttered, whether daylight reaches the rooms you use most. These need no construction work at all.
A remote Vastu consultation works from a floor plan and photographs, and the remedies are non-structural — no demolition — which is what makes them usable in a rented flat abroad. Crystals, colour, light and placement do the work instead.
06
When is Reiki not the right answer?
When the problem is medical or psychological, Reiki is not the first call. Persistent low mood, panic, insomnia that will not shift, drinking that has crept up, or grief that is not moving all need a professional. See a doctor or a therapist where you live; most countries have services in English, and many universities and employers offer counselling free.
If you are in real distress or having thoughts of harming yourself, contact emergency services in your country. If you are in India, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is available 24×7 on 14416 (or 1-800-891-4416).
Reiki may sit alongside that care as a source of rest. It is not an alternative to it, and nobody should delay treatment in the hope that a session will be enough.
07
When to book a distance session
A reasonable time to book is during a transition — a move, a new job, a stretch of caregiving from a distance, or the weeks after a difficult trip home — when you need rest more than you need advice.
Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar offers Reiki healing and Reiki Vastu at VastuKimaya, Andheri East, Mumbai, and as distance sessions for clients living outside India. Write to stayblessed@vastukimaya.com or message +91 70391 07512 with your city and time zone.
The first consultation call is free, and the timing, the way the session runs and the arrangements are agreed on it. If a home question comes up, crystal guidance and distant Vastu work can be discussed in the same conversation.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can I have Reiki if I live outside India?
Yes. Distance sessions are a standard part of Reiki practice, arranged at a time that suits your country. You rest quietly wherever you are while the practitioner works.
What time of day suits a distance session abroad?
Usually your evening or a weekend afternoon, so you can lie down afterwards rather than rushing out. The slot is fixed to your time zone on the first call.
Is Reiki a treatment for depression or anxiety?
No. It is a relaxation practice that complements professional care. Persistent low mood or anxiety needs a doctor or therapist, and Reiki should never delay that.
I live in a rented flat. Can Vastu remedies still help?
Yes. Remedies used here are non-structural — placement, light, colour, crystals and simple rituals — so they suit rented homes and can be reversed when you move.
Which languages are sessions held in?
English, Hindi, Marathi or Gujarati. Many people find it easier to describe what is going on in the language they grew up speaking, so mention your preference when booking.
How often should I book?
There is no fixed schedule. A short series while something is acute, then a review of whether it is still adding anything, is a sensible and honest pattern.
Want this applied to your own home or office?
Book free consultation