Over the last few months, I’ve had the great pleasure to appear multiple times on a local news show called Mass Appeal to chat about Reiki.

The main question that popped up several times was “What is Reiki?” And what a fantastic question it is.  I thought I’d share my thoughts in case you were wondering about that too.

In my mind, Reiki is two different and yet related things.

Reiki is the universal life –force energy that resides in everything:

• It’s the energy that animates everything – from trees, to animals, to people -  particularly healing and centering energy.
• It is the energy that flows through us, also known as chi or prana. 
• It is the energy that makes each of us uniquely us.  I feel that when we are able to express the best and truest versions of ourselves, that is the Reiki energy flowing at its freest.

It's also the mind-body practice that uses light touch on or off the body to help the body release the everyday tension and stress that we carry around with us. The practice of Reiki is said to facilitate and support the body’s natural ability to heal itself. It is also a wonderful practice to help us elicit the relaxation response, whish is a physiologic response, where the heart rate slows down, the blood pressure drops, muscles relax. Basically, it activates the parasympathetic aspect of our nervous system - the rest and digest aspect

It’s believed that the practice of Reiki has been around for thousands of years, but that in the early part of the 20th century, a Japanese Buddhist Monk named Mikao Usui developed it into the system for healing as we know it today.

Traditionally Reiki has been done by using light touch on the body. The practitioner can follow a set protocol or he/she can let intuition guide them as to where healing energy needs to be awakened and distributed/sent.

Everyone experiences Reiki in their own way. Sometimes people feel heat, or a cool sensation. Sometimes people feel tinging or burning. And, sometimes people don’t feel anything. However, after a session most everyone has some kind of deeply relaxed sensation and often the effects can be felt up to several days after a session.

One thing I’ve noticed is that when I’m sharing Reiki with others, be it with those who’ve had some experience with Reiki or folks new to Reiki, there is a give and take. Even though I’m “giving” Reiki, I feel as though I’m receiving something back: the flow of energy from me to them and them back to me.I always feel very centered, quiet, calm after I share Reiki, and I’ve begun to think it’s the free- flow of energy that’s creating that feeling.

If you are interested in learning more about or experiencing Reiki, please email me, and we can set up a time to chat.

In the meantime, here is a video that includes Reiki while you are in a deeply relaxing, pose, Savasana. Enjoy!!

Click here to learn more about Reiki and to contact me about Reiki sessions