Reiki is an age-old alternative healing modality that focuses on energy transfer through the practitioner, to the client. To offer an in person Reiki session, the practitioner transfers healing energy through their hands into the body of the client. This process is said to help balance the recipient’s energy, fostering relaxation, healing, and overall well-being. The recipient rests fully clothed on a massage table during a Reiki Healing session, while the practitioner positions their hands on or slightly above different areas of the body.

During a Reiki Healing session, healing energy flows from the Universe into the practitioner, and then through their hands into the client. Exactly where the practitioner places their hands is guided by their own expertise, experience and insights. Each position is held for a few minutes or longer with the intention of allowing healing energy to travel through the practitioner as a conduit and into the recipient’s body. Reiki is considered a very gentle method and is said to be safe for people of every age and with different health conditions to experience.

Many people feel sensations like warmth, tingling, or light pulsing during a Reiki Healing session. These feelings often come with a deep sense of calm and relaxation. In this way, Reiki Healing can promote overall well-being and is a holistic healing technique that anyone can learn and offer to themselves and others.

In the early 20th century, Mikao Usui developed Reiki Healing. During a meditation retreat on Mount Kurama in Japan, Usui, a dedicated Buddhist monk, experienced a profound spiritual awakening.

This experience gave him the ability to use Reiki for healing. Usui dedicated his life to practicing and teaching Reiki Healing, sharing its benefits with people everywhere.

Reiki Healing is accessible to everyone, regardless of their spiritual or intellectual background, and does not require any specific beliefs to be effective.

Giving yourself a Reiki Healing can be a simple yet powerful practice you may wish to incorporate into your daily routine. Here’s how you could conduct a Reiki session for yourself.

1. Find a Quiet Space: Choose a calm, quiet place where you can relax without interruptions. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position. Help yourself settle into a state of calm by taking a few, conscious breaths. Let your exhalation be longer than your inhale in order to encourage relaxation, which will help open you up to a deeper experience in your Reiki practice.

2. Set Your Intention: Intention matters. Before beginning your Reiki session, make sure to have clear intention, one that focuses on healing and relaxation or anything else that you feel you need, like self-love, forgiveness or self-connection. You may wish to include an affirmation for yourself here, such as “I align with the Universal Energy,” or “I allow the healing energy of the universe to flow through me. May it go where it is needed most.”

3. Start with the Head: To begin your self-healing Reiki session, place your hands gently on the top of your head and feel the energy flowing into your body. Stay here for a few minutes or longer, allowing yourself to be curious. Tune into the sensations you are experiencing without the need to control, change or modify anything.

4. Gradually Move to Other Areas: Gradually move your hands to different positions, like your forehead, throat, heart, abdomen, and lower abdomen. Let your intuition guide you. There is no “correct” way to do a Reiki healing session in terms of how and where you place your hands. Be guided by your impulses. Let the wisdom of your own being speak.

5. Finish with Gratitude: Conclude your session by placing your hands in a prayer position at your heart, or with the hands a top of each other at the heart centre. Give thanks and gratitude for the healing energy received. Take a few deep breaths as you reflect on the energy flow you focused on in each area for a few minutes.

6. Journal: You may like to keep a record of your experiences after the session, journaling what you did, what happened and any insight that you may have receieved.

Reiki is said to offer a number of benefits, such as:

Stress Reduction and Relaxation: Reiki Healing can calm the mind, relaxing the body, reducing stress and through this creating a sense of inner peace.

Pain Management: Reiki may ease physical pain from chronic conditions, injuries, or post-surgery recovery.

Emotional Healing: Reiki is said to facilitate the release of emotional blockages, leading to improved emotional well-being and a potential reduction in anxiety and depression.

Improved Sleep: Regular sessions can improve sleep quality, helping you feel more rested and rejuvenated.