By the end of the yoga class, the Tibetan singing bowls are sweetly ringing as the roomful of bodies are soothed deeper into the corpse pose.

The smell of lavender, bergamot and citrus is welcomed by so many nostrils breathing easily, the teacher’s hands carrying the scent through the group, cradling each head in turn.

A moment of sublime tranquility lingers in the room before it’s time to stand up and go.

The hands belong to yoga teacher and Reiki healer Andrea Binder.

Binder owns Reiki Healing, located in Ken’s Korner mall in Clinton, where she will offer an evening of “FreeFlow” yoga, meditation and Reiki from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.

Reiki (ray-kee) is a Japanese word meaning “spiritually guided life force energy” and is based on the teachings of an early 20th century healer named Mikao Usui.

Binder uses the technique to promote healing and relaxation, stress reduction and to combat the effects of S.A.D., or Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The technique is based on the idea that the energy will flow through the practitioner’s hands whenever the hands are placed on the recipient. The effectiveness of Reiki relies on the practitioner’s intention or presence during this process.

Binder is thoroughly present.

She is the kind of person who exudes a certain capacity to make you feel better. Her aura is soothing, and she is someone who takes a genuine interest in one’s well-being, making it clear that she asks how you are doing because she really wants to know.

“With Reiki, yoga and meditation people learn that they have a light and a core of warmth within their bodies that can help them become friends with the seasons, even in the grayest winters,” Binder said.

Winter seems far away once you enter Reiki Healing.

After the yoga class, which is held in one of Island Dance’s studios in the mall, Binder opens her healing space and it’s like walking into a warm, dark, exotic cocoon.

Lying fully clothed on the massage table, the sounds of some distant rainforest with its tuneful birds and insects and its occasional gentle fall of rain, eases the mind as the bustle of Ken’s Korner dissolves into memory.

Binder places her hands on various areas of the head, neck and chest, holding them there for what becomes an indiscernible amount of time.

Time loses meaning and the mind falls to that place that dwells on the verge of sleep without totally succumbing to it. The sounds of birds and the rain continue the serenade, while heat from Binder’s hands cause a trail of sensation through the limbs.

The idea that Reiki relies heavily on the ability of one’s “life force energy” to flow gracefully through the rivers of the body, and that the healer’s hands be the conduit for that energy to flow without impediment, makes it the perfect practice for someone of Binder’s nature.

Having had a long career as a professional dancer and one who still regularly teaches the art to the members of the Whidbey Island Dance Theater, Binder is thoroughly tuned to her own body.

At one point in her career as a dancer, she had some bad injuries and sought the regular avenues of medicine and massage therapy. But it was not until Binder discovered Reiki that she was able to heal her injuries completely. Her therapist opened her eyes to Reiki and other forms of energetics, and Binder found herself dancing down a new career path.

“I always felt a sense of people’s essence, even as a child. I know now it was an instinctual ability to recognize the anger, grief or sadness people were holding,” Binder said.

Now, after 10 years in practice, Binder is certain this is what she was meant to do.

“Each person who comes in is different from the next,” Binder said.

“I notice what they say, how they sit, what kind of mood they are in and how their body is at rest.”

People who come may have sleep disorders, depression, unmanageable stress levels or just simple winter blues, Binder said.

She usually recommends combining the Reiki sessions with her Vinyasa yoga classes and simple meditation exercises.

Clients see results almost immediately, she said, and usually choose to continue the regular weekly yoga and meditation exercises, while perhaps reducing the Reiki sessions to once or twice per month.

An evening of yoga, meditation and Reiki is really a chance, she said, for people to meet her, get a taste of her style of healing and see if they are comfortable there.

She will conduct a series of exercises including various meditations and yoga, and answer questions about Reiki.

“I’d like to make it all a little less mysterious,” she said.

Twenty five percent of the evening’s $20 ticket price will go to Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation.

Tea and snacks will be provided.

Pre-registration is recommended by calling Binder at 206-388-9830 or e-mail dancing_drea@yahoo.com.