Many have asked, “What is Reiki?”

Since starting my Reiki practice, many have asked, “What is Reiki?”. As a Reiki Master Teacher, I’m going to break the answer in 2 pieces – what it means for me, the official definition – and why it works.

What is Reiki? My Definition

To me, in a single word, it’s love, being delivered to yourself or another person through a specific process. Through my training as a Reiki Master and Teacher, I’ve learned to sense energy in the body and around the body. As part of the reiki session, I work to smooth out any irregularities in the flow of energy by lightly resting my hands on the body or just above it. I’m channeling energy, asking for guidance for where to place my hands, and listening to my intuition to hear where the person may be having difficulties. My hands become attuned to the way energy is flowing in and around the person, and my palms can sense where there are areas that are not as energetic as they could be, or that are over-charged. By resting in those areas and sending reiki energy (love), I can bring them to a consistent flow. My hands have been described as ‘hot as hot stones in a hot stone massage’, as they heat up with the energy being delivered to help the person heal themselves.

Importantly, Reiki Healers are not doing the heavy lifting of healing anyone, they merely open channels in the energy flow to make it easier for the body to heal itself. Therefore it is not exhausting to give Reiki, it’s actually energizing and very rewarding. It’s also not possible to do harm with Reiki. I believe our bodies want to be healthy, and our spirits or souls want the same. We all want to experience the joys of life with an abundance of energy and optimism. Reiki works with the body and mind to open areas that may be blocking us from that experience.

Anyone can give Reiki to themselves or others with training and the proper intentions. I will cover what training entails in another post. For today, let’s stay focused on what Reiki is and why you should try it.

Official Description

Reiki is a healing technique that originated in Japan in the early 20th century. It involves a practitioner placing their hands lightly on or just above a person to facilitate healing. Though it has spiritual roots, Reiki is used by people from all backgrounds and faiths as a way to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and ease pain and anxiety. This beginner’s guide covers the basics of what it is, its history, and how it works.

A brief history:

Reiki was developed in 1922 by a Japanese Buddhist named Mikao Usui. Usui spent several weeks fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama in Japan, hoping to gain insight into healing. At the end of this retreat, Usui claimed he had a spiritual experience and gained the ability to heal through touch. Usui began teaching his system, Usui Reiki Ryoho to others, and one of his students brought it to Western cultures, including the United States, in the mid-20th century. Although Mikao Usui is credited with Reiki, there is some evidence to support that Reiki had been in use by others in Japan prior to this.

If you decide to experience a Reiki session, here’s what you can expect:

The practitioner will have you lie down or sit comfortably, fully clothed, with optional pillows and blankets as needed for your comfort. The practitioner will ask permission whether they can place their hands on your body in the common hand positions (top, sides and back of the head, throat, heart, arms, stomach/abdomen, legs and feet). If hands-on is uncomfortable, the practitioner will hover just over the areas instead. 

You may feel warmth or tingling in the areas touched. Some feel nothing at all physically but enter a very relaxed state of mind and even nap, others will see colors and lights. Each session may be different for you.

The sessions are generally quiet experiences, but the practitioner may speak briefly to explain what they are doing or ask if you feel any sensations, and may play soothing music.

Afterward, you should feel calm and restored. Many describe it as feeling to having had a massage. Take it easy the rest of the day if possible, and be sure to drink water.

Why it Works

When I first heard about how Reiki works, it sounded too good to be true. I mean, someone just stands there with their hands on you and your body can then heal itself?? For me, the argument for trying it ultimately came based in part on scientific facts and partly on spirituality.

First the Science:

As someone who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and central nervous system causing disruption in the messages between various parts of the body and the brain), I did my homework on how the brain and nervous system transmit messages. Some nerve cells use chemical modes of communication and others use electrical channels (here’s a quick lesson on these concepts). Energetic impulses keep a heart beating, and when a heart stops, a paramedic can restart it with a jolt from a defibrillator. If your heart is out of rhythm (a-fib), you may get a pacemaker installed. In other words, if it takes electrical impulses to stay alive. But we still don’t know how to create the spark that begins life, so why would it be hard to believe that there are pathways of energy in and around the body that we don’t fully understand from a scientific point of view.

There are many forms of eastern medicine that have been in use for thousands of years that leverage the use and movement of energy/life energy in the body. Just because I don’t fully understand how acupuncture can relieve hormone imbalances doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Likewise, research actually shows Qigong and Tai Chi can alleviate many medical conditions but they are generally considered ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ therapies by western medicine. We need to be our own best advocates for our health, and that means using what works.

From a Spiritual Perspective

I believe in the power of prayer with positive intention, and have seen the results personally. We are meant to love and care for one another, and many of us don’t hesitate to ask others to pray for us because we know that that intent and request to God is effective. Reiki is an excellent way to offer positive intention and focused love to care for ones self or another.

We all can feel energy.
Do this exercise to see for yourself.

Sit quietly and in a relaxing space. Hold your hands in front of you with palms facing one another but separated by 4-6 inches. Feel the space between your palms. Hold you attention there for 3 minutes. Just focus your attention to the sensations in the palms of your hands, and if other thoughts arise, let them go. Whether you feel anything in particular or not right away, bear with me. After 3 minutes, take one hand and move your fingers so that you are now pointing your index finger at your opposite palm, leaving 2 inches or so space in-between your index finger and your other palm. Now move your index finger so that you’re drawing circles around your opposite palm. Do you feel the circle moving in your palm even though your finger is not touching it? That’s energy. Your energy. And you’re moving it.

Reiki Healing: My Experience

As a Reiki healer, I can say that my own personal experiences working with people over the past several years support that Reiki helps, and in no way hinders, healing. But more than that, I’ve seen amazing improvements across a variety of areas including anxiousness, emotional pain, physical pain, digestive issues, and so much more.

In closing, the upside is tremendous, and there is no risk to trying Reiki. if you feel the need for healing or have lingering questions about what it involves, reach out. I’d be grateful to share the gift of Reiki healing with you.