By: Lydia Lazzara

I had been trying to write about Raindrop TechniqueⓇ for the last four days and I was coming up with some of the worst writer’s block I’ve had recently. Normally, when I sit to write the blog and newsletter, it just flows out of me.

After getting nowhere again today, and an invitation to eat some brunch with my hubby, I took a break. I thought, maybe I just need some food and I’ll be able to write about Raindrop.

Well, it worked; but not because of the food. The break worked because it gave me the distance to see that I was coming about this blog post all wrong. I kept trying to write about the history and creation of Raindrop by D. Gary Young, Young Living Essential Oil’s founder. Then, I would feel the need to write about how Young culturally appropriated some of the reasons for and techniques used in the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ. I kept finding myself falling down this analytical rabbit hole, wondering if I’d ever find my way back out.

That’s why I kept running into writer’s block. I was making this a mental exercise rather than sharing how Raindrop TechniqueⓇ makes me, and my clients, feel. How does the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ make me feel? How does it make you, the client, feel? How do I perform Raindrop TechniqueⓇ? What makes this offering at Harmony Wellness and Yoga Center unique, and how does it align with our mission?

So, that’s what I’m going to share with you in this blog post. You are welcome to search Raindrop TechniqueⓇ on your favorite search engine and read more into the history, the benefits, the risks, the controversies, and more. Here is where you’ll learn about its unique application at HWYC and how I, Lydia, approach this offering and the clients who receive it.

How I Approach Raindrop TechniqueⓇ
For me, the smell of essential oils evokes a deep feeling of peace, calm, safety, and even nostalgia. I grew up in a home that used just as many natural remedies and essential oils as Western medicine and remedies. I have been using essential oils every day, in some manner or another, for over a decade now. I believe in the power of plant medicine to support our bodies’ natural abilities to heal, regenerate, and thrive. The more we are able to live in harmony with our own bodies and the earth, the better I believe we will feel and heal.

Raindrop TechniqueⓇ is a method of essential oils application to the feet and back with the intent to provide a relaxing, aromatic, and nurturing environment in which the body can begin to heal and realign itself to health.

Learning how to provide the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ, what is essentially an essential oil massage, meshed seamlessly with my other offerings at HWYC. In addition to the physical application of 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils to the bottoms of the feet and to the back and spine, Raindrop TechniqueⓇ works within the energetic fields of our bodies to align us to the highest frequency we are ready to accept and live within.

Raindrop TechniqueⓇ invites me, as I am preparing the space for the client, to create a sacred space and energy to allow for healing to occur. When I accept this invitation, I bring myself into a higher frequency and alignment, allowing me to hold that space for the client when they arrive. As the practitioner, I do not do the healing for the client–but I provide the safe and elevated environment that allows the client to heal to the level of their readiness. This is the same principle that guides our Reiki sessions at HWYC.

While I follow the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ steps laid out by Young Living pretty closely, I allow for the client’s needs and my intuition to guide the session, altering the oils used or how I approach a certain part of the session to best suit the individual client. After all, we are all on our own unique journeys and what one person might need is likely different, even in one small way, from another person.

At HWYC, we believe in supporting your personal journey with services, products, and more that helps you align your mind to your body and soul. Everything we offer, including Raindrop TechniqueⓇ, extends the invitation to you, our client and community, to connect more fully and deeply with your body and soul.

For those who have received Raindrop TechniqueⓇ from me thus far, I have seen the deep relaxation in their bodies, the relief on their face afterwards, and I have felt their energetic bodies relax and realign to their highest potential. They have told me how relaxed they feel, how at ease; some have shared they feel energized, too; many have experienced an emotional release with the session.

As the practitioner, I feel more relaxed and aligned after completing the session, too. The aroma, the small sense of ritual in the way that I apply the essential oils, the beautiful energetic soup I get to swim in all combine to provide an amazing experience not just for the client but for me, as well. I love that we get to heal together in our shared time.

As I continue to grow in my practice as a holistic wellness practitioner and Raindrop TechniqueⓇ provider, I will continue to evolve how I offer Raindrop and how I can customize it to what a client’s particular needs might be at the time. What do you need support with? Book your session and let me know. I can customize to meet many different physical and energetic/spiritual needs to support you in your healing journey.

What to Expect in a Raindrop TechniqueⓇ Session
The appointment runs 75 minutes. This 75 minutes is from the time you walk in the door and start filling out forms until you are dressed again and have had a few minutes to debrief with me post-session.

The first time you come in for a session, you’ll complete a couple of forms; future sessions will start with a short review of what you had completed in case of any changes. We also chat briefly about anything you may want specifically addressed in the session so that I can customize it appropriately if needed.

Then, I show you into the treatment room and ask that you disrobe from the waist up and take socks and shoes off, lying face up, covered, on the table. I leave the room then so you can prepare, coming back once you are ready and covered.

I start each session inviting in the Reiki energy, inhaling deeply a special blend of essential oils to center myself and you, the client, before moving to your feet. I gently pull on and shake your legs, grasping your heels, to lengthen you out on the table and set the stage for relaxation. After rubbing another essential oil blend on the bottoms of your feet, I hold your feet with a comforting pressure for about 5 minutes. During this time, I work energetically, sending Reiki energy to you–which, if you are open to receiving it (I cannot do anything to you without your consent), starts to align your body to the healing frequency created.

Once that is complete, I apply several single essential oils to the bottom of each foot in a technique called Vitaflex. Then, I ask you to turn over, putting your face in the face cradle, exposing your back.

From about 6 inches above your back, I drop 2-6 drops of each essential oil onto your back, feathering and fanning them out along your back, one at a time. For some, I use different techniques to work the oils into the muscles on your back or along your spine. I end the essential oils application with a few minutes of light massage on your back, neck, and shoulders, before asking you to once again turn over to face up.

When you have turned face up again, I sit at your head and perform a gentle occiput pull, continuing to relax your entire body and spine. We finish the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ with deep inhalations of the essential oils used during your session, my hands cupped just above your face. While you then relax and allow the essential oils to continue to work, I finish with some more energy work, doing a brief scan for any areas that might still want support to come into alignment. This portion of the session can include some light touch as I lay hands on the part of the body I am working on.

With 5-10 minutes left in your 75-minute session, I leave you in the room to take your time getting up and redressing. I meet you outside with a glass of water and to check in with you–a mini debrief post-session. For those of you who have had a Reiki session with me, the debrief is similar, though my focus in the Raindrop TechniqueⓇ session is more on general wellness and alignment so I typically do not have some of the deeper insights that can come with a full Reiki session. Mostly, I want to know how you feel at the end, share some tips for self-care post-Raindrop, and address anything that may have come up for you in the session. I often find that I am sharing other techniques clients can use on their own to help them become more stress-resilient.

Potential Side Effects of Raindrop TechniqueⓇ
Congratulations for making it this far! Since you’ve stayed with me all the way to the end, I want to take just a few more sentences to cover typical risks or side effects that you may experience with a Raindrop TechniqueⓇ session.

Some skin redness may occur at the site of essential oils application, but typically disappears within a few minutes to hours. Occasionally, but thankfully rarely, skin irritation or reaction can occur. If this happens during the treatment, let me know and I will apply more carrier oil–an oil or oil blend that will dilute the essential oils on the skin. I’ll also work with you to assess if I continue with the application of essential oils, or if we need to stop.

After a Raindrop TechniqueⓇ session, please drink plenty of water for the remainder of the day, and into the next day. With the application of essential oils to the bottoms of your feet, where the largest pores in your body are, you may experience a detox effect, making the need to hydrate and rest that much more important.

Everybody will have a different experience and taking care of yourself to allow for integration of the work done in the session will be important. You may also have a different experience each time you receive a Raindrop TechniqueⓇ session as your body is constantly changing and evolving.

There are many accounts of amazing, miraculous results from Raindrop TechniqueⓇ sessions that you can find online, as well as cautionary tales. I encourage you to make the choice that most aligns with your own personal needs and desires, rather than relying on others’ potentially conflated stories posted online. Always do your own research and trust your own body’s experiences.

We at HWYC want to honor your own autonomy and journey, offering different options to support your unique needs. We are excited to serve you and work with you in a way that honors both your uniqueness and our desire to help you connect to your body and soul. You can learn more about what we offer at www.harmonywellnessandyoga.com or by reaching out to us via phone, email, or stopping by the studio and chatting with us.