Finding Calm by the Sea: How Learning Reiki Is Shaping My Creative Journey

Over the past few years, life has taken our family on a winding, unexpected, and ultimately beautiful journey. After five years of living and creating in Scotland, we made the move to South Shields — a return to family, to the coastline, and to a slower, more grounded way of living. What I didn’t expect was how this move, combined with my recent training in Reiki, would quietly reshape the way I think, create, and connect with the world around me.

This blog post isn’t an announcement or a launch of anything new. Rather, it’s a reflection: a glimpse into the gentle shifts happening behind the scenes — in my mindset, in my creative process, and in the way I understand wellness and intention.

A New Chapter by the Coast

Moving to South Shields felt like stepping into a breath of fresh air. There’s something deeply soothing about living so close to the sea — the rhythmic crash of the waves, the salt on the wind, the way the light changes across the sky. It has a way of clearing the mind and opening a space inside you that you didn’t realise had become cluttered.

Being nearer to family has grounded us in a way we didn’t know we needed. Our two dogs, our children, our routines — everything has settled more gently into place. And with that grounding came an unexpected pull toward something I’ve quietly been curious about for years: Reiki.

Why Reiki, and Why Now?

Reiki has crossed my path many times, always softly. A conversation here, a book someone recommended, a moment where I felt drawn to read more about energy and mindful living. But it wasn’t until this recent season of slowing down — of being closer to nature and giving myself permission to breathe — that I felt the nudge to learn more.

I completed Usui Reiki Level 1 & 2, followed by Angelic Reiki Level 1 & 2, not with any formal plan in mind, but out of a sense of curiosity and personal growth. I wanted to understand energy in a gentle, grounded way. I wanted to learn how to support my own wellbeing, and how to bring a little more peace into our home.

What surprised me most was how naturally Reiki wove itself into my daily life — not as a practice done for a specific purpose, but as a lens to see things through.

Understanding Reiki in Simple Terms

One of the things that initially drew me to Reiki was its simplicity. At its heart, Reiki is about creating space for calm, allowing the body and mind to settle, and connecting with a sense of natural balance. It isn’t dramatic or mystical in the way some people imagine; it’s a quiet, gentle form of energy awareness.

Reiki encourages slowing down, becoming present, and noticing how you feel — something many of us rarely do in our busy lives. It’s less about “fixing” anything and more about recognising what we already hold inside us.

As someone who works with botanicals, scent, texture, and creativity, this idea resonated with me deeply. Nature, after all, is its own form of energy — cycles, rhythms, and quiet shifts happening in the background.

How Reiki Is Influencing My Creative Process

Although I’m not offering Reiki sessions right now, learning it has quietly changed the way I create.

1. More Mindful Making

Instead of rushing through tasks or thinking ten steps ahead, I’ve found myself slowing down, paying attention to each stage of the process — whether I’m blending botanicals, pouring soap, designing packaging, or choosing scents. There is something incredibly grounding about treating each step as part of a ritual rather than a task.

2. Intention Matters More

Reiki emphasises the importance of intention, and this idea found its way straight into my craft. When I’m creating products, I think more about the feeling behind them:

• What kind of energy do I want this scent to carry?

• What story does this botanical blend tell?

• How do I want people to feel when they use this product?

These thoughts guide the process more now than ever before.

3. A Deeper Connection to Nature

Reiki training strengthened something I already knew in my heart: nature is incredibly healing. Living by the sea has amplified that. The botanicals I choose, the colours I use, the textures and scents — all feel more connected to the environment around me.

I’ve become more aware of the calm I feel during a morning walk along the shoreline or while tending the plants in our new home. These moments now shape my creative choices more intentionally.

4. Creativity as Self-Care

I’ve always loved making things, but I hadn’t realised how much creativity had become tangled with deadlines, to-do lists, and pressures. Reiki helped me rediscover creativity as a form of self-care — something soothing, something nourishing, something just for me before it becomes something for someone else.

Living a More Holistic Life

Reiki hasn’t transformed my life in a dramatic way — no lightning bolts or overnight awakenings. Instead, it has brought a softening. A reminder to slow down. Permission to rest. Awareness of small things that bring joy or calm.

It has also helped me navigate stress, parenting, and everyday life with a little more gentleness. I’ve become more aware of moments when I need grounding or clarity, and more able to create space for stillness, even in tiny ways.

What This Means Moving Forward

For now, Reiki remains something I practice personally — for my own wellbeing, for my family, and as a source of inspiration. I’m not offering it as a service yet, and I’m in no rush to. This journey feels like something that needs to unfold slowly, naturally, and in its own time.

My focus continues to be on creating beautiful, mindful, botanical products — but now with a deeper sense of calm, purpose, and connection behind them. The move to South Shields, the sea air, the grounding influence of family, and the gentle guidance of Reiki have all woven together into a season of quiet growth.

If nothing else, this journey has reminded me that healing doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s the simple act of listening to yourself. Sometimes it’s the quiet pull toward something new. And sometimes, it’s the soft, steady rhythm of waves reminding you to breathe.

Closing Thoughts

I’m grateful for where this path is leading, even if I can’t see all the steps yet. Every day here by the coast feels like a small invitation — to create, to grow, to breathe, and to notice the calm in ordinary moments.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me.

Here’s to the small shifts, the quiet transformations, and the beauty of learning something new — one step, or one wave, at a time.