A Reiki Overview

What is Reiki?

In the West, Reiki (pronounced “ray -key”) is used to describe two things: the Reiki energy that is used within the Reiki system of healing.Reiki energy is present in everything within the whole universe and is similar to “Chi” of Chinese tradition and “prana” of the Indian yoga/ayurvedic traditions and is a “life-force”.  However the “feel” of Reiki is slightly different to either of these, but the concept is similar.  Reiki is normally translated as “Universal” or “Sacred Energy”The system of Reiki is a natural healing and spiritual development approach created by Usui Mikao in the early 20th Century in Japan.  It involves training (called an attunement) where an individuals ability to connect to the Reiki energy is formed and enhanced.Usui Mikao used Reiki to heal others and taught it to a number of students before he passed away and all people who have been attuned to Reiki have a direct connection (teacher to student) from Usui Mikao this is referred to as a Reiki Lineage.Usui Mikao passed on a buddhist approach to his students (as was typical in Japan at the time) with an emphasis on improving the self through various techniques of hands on healing, meditation, mantras, attunements/blessings and the Reiki Precepts: “Just for today: do not anger, do not worry, be grateful, work hard and be compassionate”.

What does Reiki do?

The reiki is channelled by the practitioner through their hands and into the recipient.  The recipient’s body then directs the energy to where it is needed to remove and clear away blocks in the energy system.  This process helps calm the mind of the recipient and aids the release of emotions that are preventing the body being “in balance”, this can often result in the recipient having a sense of greater energy, calm and peace.

So what can it treat?

The Reiki energy stimulates the clearance of emotional blockages to promote a strong sense of well-being, which allows the natural healing mechanisms to function.  It can help in times of stress (whether emotional or physical stress) and at times when a person feels run down.  Providing a period of relaxation from the stress allows the body’s own natural systems to return closer to an equilibrium, alleviating the symptoms that have been caused by the stress.