What Is Reiki?

The word Reiki comes from two Japanese characters: rei (universal) and ki (vital life force energy), the same root as prana in Sanskrit, qi in Chinese medicine. It's the recognition that life is animated by an intelligent, flowing energy, and that when that energy moves freely, wellbeing follows. Reiki is a hands-on (and sometimes hands-off) healing practice in which a practitioner acts as a conduit for this universal energy, gently supporting the body's innate capacity to balance and heal itself. Sessions are quiet, deeply restful, and often described as profoundly calming. Clients frequently drift into a state somewhere between sleep and waking, emerging feeling lighter, clearer, and more at ease.

A Brief History

The story of modern Reiki begins in Japan in the early 1920s with Mikao Usui, a lifelong seeker fluent in medicine, Buddhist scripture, Taoism, and Chinese healing traditions. In March 1922, he climbed Mount Kurama, a sacred mountain near Kyoto to fast and meditate for 21 days. At the end of that retreat, he described a profound awakening: a great light entering through the crown of his head, attuning him to an energy he would call Reiki. He went on to teach over 2,000 students during his lifetime.

The practice traveled West through his student lineage, arriving in Hawaii in 1937 via Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American woman, whose own health was restored through months of Reiki treatment, and who spent 40 years teaching and practicing before training her first Reiki Masters. It's largely thanks to her devotion that Reiki became the global practice it is today.

The Sacred Symbols

Reiki carries a lineage of sacred symbols passed from teacher to student through formal attunement. These are not decorative, they are understood as keys that activate and direct specific qualities of energy, each carrying a name, a sound, and an intention.

Out of respect for the tradition, the symbols are not shared publicly here. What can be said is that they are tools for focusing presence, crossing distance, and working with the emotional, mental, and spiritual body. Learning them is part of an embodied, relational transmission, they cannot be extracted from the lineage and remain whole.

The Five Reiki Principles

Usui offered these not as rules, but as daily intentions , a gentle framework for living in alignment with the energy you are working.

***Just for today… I will not anger. I will not worry. I will be grateful. I will do my work honestly. I will be kind to every living thing.***

Simple on the surface, quietly profound in practice. These principles invite us to meet each day as its own complete thing — not carrying yesterday's tension or tomorrow's fear into the present moment.

What to Expect in a Session

You'll arrive, settle in, and simply receive, there is nothing you need to do or achieve. You'll remain fully clothed, lying comfortably. Soft music, gentle warmth, and a quiet atmosphere invite your nervous system to downshift. The practitioner places their hands lightly on or just above different areas of the body, moving through a series of positions from head to feet. Most people notice sensations of warmth, tingling, or a pleasant heaviness, or simply drift into a deeply restful state.

Sessions run 60 minutes. Afterward, you may feel calm and spacious, or you may feel a gentle wave of emotion or fatigue as the body begins to integrate. Both are normal. Drinking plenty of water and giving yourself quiet time afterward supports the process.

A few things to know going in:

Reiki does not diagnose, prescribe, or replace medical care. It works beautifully alongside it. No two sessions feel exactly the same. The effects are often subtle at first and deepen over time. It is safe for all ages, and all states of health.