What is Reiki anyway?

So, you've heard of Reiki... but are not sure what it is, what it does, what it means, or even how to pronounce it. Well, let's talk about it.

First off, what IS it? Reiki is a healing technique, and a type of body work, that can be applied either with a gentle, non-massaging, hands-on approach or can be applied with energy manipulation to the recipient from a distance. What do you mean, body work? Well, it is not completely unlike other forms of body work that you may have heard of or experienced, to include massage therapy, acupuncture, rolfing, and even yoga, qigong, or tai chi.

Next, what does Reiki DO? Reiki helps clients by focusing on healing your body, but not directly or necessarily only your physical body. Reiki concentrates on your subtle body as well, to include your mental, emotional, etheric, and spiritual bodies. These encompass both your physical energy chakras (we have 7 that are attached to our body itself along our spinal cord) and your 'aura' that encapsulates all of your subtle bodies. You see, when one aspect of our self is out of balance, it can disrupt the balance of our entire being, and that's when we get sick or get dis-ease. Each body is affected by the other, and when we can bring our subtle bodies into balance, often our physical body can become into balance as well. For example, mental stress can manifest in many ways physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Unresolved emotional trauma can literally get 'stuck' in our emotional body, and when left to stagnate or build, can also create unbalance and illness in our physical body.

Finally, what does Reiki mean and how is it pronounced? Reiki means Universal Life Force energy and is pronounced Ray-key. Imagine a beautiful ray of light opening your heart with a key of light. Rei means Universal, Transcendent, Spirit, or Essense. Ki means life force energy (similar to Chi in Chinese and Prana in Sanskrit).

The gentle power of Reiki works to release stuck energy in our physical and subtle body systems, and also works to restore and balance it. Remember, we are all made up of energy! Reiki essentially healing on every aspect of our bodies by flowing Divine Source energy through the practitioner to the recipient, with the goal of releasing and balancing energy that is non-beneficial or with low-vibrations.