To the uninitiated, Reiki can seem kind of weird. It deals with energy states that you don’t often see, and that you might not realise you have.

Let’s take a deeper look at Reiki’s hidden power.

Reiki (pronounced ray-KEE) is an ancient form of energy healing that has been practiced in Japan for centuries. The goal of Reiki energy healing is to balance and relax the body. It’s a simple, natural, and safe form of energetic therapy that promotes spiritual healing and self-improvement.

Reiki serves as a great complement to your yoga routine. Like yoga, Reiki brings the body, mind and spirit into harmony and promotes overall wellness.

At first, the deeply spiritual component of Reiki might sound a little too complex to understand. But if you approach Reiki with a “beginner’s mind,” you’ll see it has tremendous healing power and relaxation techniques that are hard to compete with.

Reiki philosophy

Reiki practitioners believe there’s a universal energy source that can be transferred to individuals through a Reiki energy healer. Reiki energy is a very subtle energy. Reiki has its own spiritual belief system that says energy comes from the Higher Power, which exists on a higher dimension than the physical world we are familiar with. The Reiki energy appears to come down from above and to enter the top of the practitioner’s head, after which it flows through their body and out their hands towards the client’s body.

When people train to be Reiki energy healers, they learn how to be a conduit for healing energy to pass from this universal Higher power to the individual receiving treatment. By channeling this energy into a person, Reiki helps unite the mind, body, and spirit into a healing and therapeutic balance. The body’s natural energy levels are restored, and as a result the body can heal itself naturally.

The healing power of Reiki

Reiki is known to have a positive effect and be good for all forms of illness and negative conditions. This includes minor things like head or stomach aches, bee stings, colds, flu, tension and anxiety, as well as serious illnesses like heart disease, cancer and leukemia. If it’s used in tandem with traditional medicine, Reiki can truly heal you from the inside out. When people are undergoing medical treatment, Reiki helps relieve side effects and promote recovery.

Reiki has also been shown to reduce stress and relieve pain. This includes the negative effects of chemotherapy, post operative pain and depression, as well as improving healing rates and reducing the time a patient needs to stay in the hospital.

However, while some people have experienced these miraculous effects, they cannot be guaranteed. Stress reduction with some improvement in one’s physical and psychological condition are what most people experience.

A session with a Reiki energy healer

So now that you know what Reiki is, what is it really like to visit a Reiki energy healer?

First of all, unlike other massage therapies, during a Reiki session you are fully clothed and fully aware of what’s happening.  During a session you may talk, ask questions, express feelings or rest quietly.

In a standard treatment Reiki energy flows from the practitioners hands into the client. The client will be lying down comfortably on a massage table while the practitioner’s hands rest for several minutes in a series of designated positions around the head, shoulders, stomach, feet and back.

Reiki can also be performed with the client sitting down, or even standing up.

If the client has other specific needs, the energy practitioner may tune the energy into those specific positions. Unlike other massage techniques, each position is held for three to ten minutes, depending on how much Reiki the client needs at each position. The whole treatment usually lasts between 45 to 90 minutes.

The session begins and ends with a consultation between the practitioner and the client. A standard Reiki session will vary, depending on the circumstances. The effects of a session will vary from individual to individual, but will usually continue to work for hours or even days following a session.

What you experience during a Reiki treatment varies somewhat from person to person. The feelings of deep relaxation are usually felt by all. You’ll most likely feel a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and surrounds you.

Reiki energy healing encourages you to let go of all tension, anxiety, fear, or other negative feelings. A state of peace and well-being is experienced. Some drift off to sleep, others report floating outside their bodies or having visions and other mystical experiences. At the end of the treatment, you’ll feel refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.

This overview of Reiki should empower you to sign up for your own Reiki session. Many yoga teachers are also certified in Reiki, which makes your local yoga studio a great place to start searching for a practitioner. There are also many diverse programs on wellness retreats that include reiki sessions or master training in their programs.

Increased relaxation and reduced stress will help you feel younger and more balanced – who doesn’t want that? This is truly what Reiki is good for.