I first learned Reiki healing back in 2000 and fell in love with this technique – for its simplicity and its effectiveness. Back then I used to joke that I would “Reiki” (i.e. give Reiki healing to) anything that didn’t move fast enough; including my pets, my pot plants, even my printer when it “misbehaved”! My cats, especially, loved it when I was using Reiki and they would come in close.
Later, I moved onto other healing methods that I also love, and they moved into the forefront of my work.
But lately more and more people are asking me about Reiki. What is it? How does it work? How will I feel after a session? I’m noticing how Reiki is now gradually moving into the consciousness of the wider community, and that can only be of greater benefit to everyone.
So let's take a closer look at Reiki and how it works
Reiki is based on an ancient healing practice that was rediscovered in the 19th century by Dr Mikao Usui of Japan.
Dr Usui began a ten-year quest to find out the method by which Jesus Christ was able to heal by his laying on of hands.
Counterintuitively, however, Dr Usui found the answer through ancient Buddhist healing practices.
Reiki is a healing method in which life force energy is directed through the practitioner’s hands into the client’s energy field, charging the field with positive energy.
This energy then flows through the client’s physical and energy bodies, bringing them back into that state of balance and harmony that we recognise as health. Reiki also raises the vibration of our thoughts and emotions, bringing greater mental clarity, and emotional ease and calm.
Reiki is a Japanese word which literally means “universal life energy”. This life force or “life energy” is known in many cultures; most commonly in the East as Chi, Ki or Prana. Life force energy is what gives us and all living organisms vitality, and it is essential for life.
Benefits of Reiki
Reiki is very gentle. A client receiving Reiki usually feels calm and peaceful during and after a session. Sometimes healing of physical ailments can be very fast; other times they may require further treatment. The body has its own timeline for healing. But Reiki always moves us towards greater vitality, balance and health on all levels.
Reiki is especially good if you want relief from stress, increased energy and wellbeing, or to speed up healing after injury or surgery. It can also relieve pain, promote better sleep, and help lift depression or anxiety. In fact, there are very few instances in which Reiki is not able to help!
Reiki is generally performed with the client lying on a massage table, but it can be done while sitting – or even standing if the situation requires it. There is no need for any special props; the practitioner’s hands are the instrument delivering the healing, although the chi comes from the universal life force energy.
Reiki can also be performed on someone who is at a considerable distance from the practitioner. There is no limit to how far this energy can be sent; plus it can have an instantaneous effect over very long distances.
The gift for me as a Reiki practitioner is that Reiki’s healing benefits also flow to me, and I become more peaceful and open-hearted as a result of this amazing work.
If you want to know more about me or my energy healing work, click here.