I often find myself explaining what Reiki is, because even though it’s been around for nearly 100 years (it was discovered in 1922) and is popular in the spiritual/wellness community, it’s still relatively unknown to the general population. Reiki is one of the most popular energy healing forms to date.
Between my private practice and my weekly “Relax with Reiki” classes (group Reiki & Meditation), I regularly get a lot of first-timers. When I explain what Reiki is in its more traditional and more spiritual form, I tend to see a few terrified faces (which are admitted a little amusing to myself and other Reiki regulars) including raised eyebrows, eyes widening so much that eyeballs are practically popping out and jaw-dropping mouths. But by the end of every class, every single person I’ve worked with so far leaves feeling completely relaxed and laugh at themselves for having been worried at all. And I don’t blame them. Between super spiritual lingo and some let’s say, interesting YouTube videos, it can seem like a load of crap. So I’m going to attempt to explain Reiki more in layman’s terms.
Reiki is a Japanese word that means “universal life force’” which is essentially energy from the universe. Think of a giant well of pure, untouched, energy being guarded by the stars in the sky. And though invisible, this beautiful and radiant energy can be tapped from the well and delivered to you to provide healing and balance (i.e if you’re feeling sluggish, it can give you a boost of energy without drinking Red Bull, if you’re feeling insecure, it can help you heal your fears and feel empowered again.) There isn’t a magic pill (that we know of yet anyway) but there is Reiki.
Another way to look at it is with bottled water. Instead of bottling water from the purest source, the stream of fresh, clean water is not packaged at all. In fact, it’s so pure that it is naturally free of any harmful chemicals and does not require any filtration at all, thus it’s not touched by any machinery. This free form of water flows straight from the stream and into your mouth with a long, invisible tube, leaving you to feel completely hydrated and nourished. The same water can shower the rest of your body, removing waste, cleaning you completely so that you feel practically brand new.
So Reiki, is the process of delivering pure energetic goodness via this invisible tube to you. Certified Reiki practitioners are trained to act as this invisible tube so to speak. Our job during a Reiki treatment, is to connect to the source (the divine well of Universal energy) and distribute it to you, a process which we call “channeling”. A good Reiki practitioner will be able to channel this energy to specific areas of your body where it is needed, so that you can that your energetic levels are even again, ultimately helping you feel holistically balanced and whole.
If you were watering a lawn, you would move a water hose around to make sure the entire field of grass is evenly hydrated, otherwise you’ll end up with yellow patches of dry grass here or there, right? The drier areas, the more water and TLC needed. And like after watering the grass, the water will stay in soil for days, continuing to nourish your garden. Reiki lasts up to 48 hours after a treatment.
Now unlike seeing dry yellow grass, it’s not so easy to see energetic imbalances as they aren’t tangible, which is why proper training and intuition are both required.
Reiki treatments can be done in-person and also from a distance. Why? Because it’s ultimately it’s all about working in an energetic field. Just like a digital nomad needs is connection to the Internet to do his/her job, all we Reiki practitioners need is connection to Universal Energy.
Reiki treatments start with a conversation, as a diagnostic, and after we assess the problem and trace the root(s), we work on healing the specific area(s). After the energy healing treatment, we reflect upon the client’s experience, share any insights and talk about next steps. We are humans, with many layers of emotions and it typically takes a few sessions to work on healing something specific.
The ability to channel Reiki is passed from Master Teacher to student, from one generation to the next.
More about finding the “right” Reiki practitioners and teacher for you and how Reiki can benefit you in future articles!
Curious to try out Reiki? Learn more about my one-on-one Reiki Energy Healing sessions in Hong Kong HERE and current Hong Kong Reiki group classes HERE.
You can also read about Reiki in our recent posts:
