What is Reiki? (and why everyone’s talking about it)
Reiki…. The weird and intangible “energy treatment” that you may have heard of but don’t quite get.
Well, you’re not alone. It can be tough to understand. It’s not super-mainstream yet and it falls into the realm of meta, or beyond the ordinary physical experience. It’s all about energy and so can be perceived as a little “woo-woo.”
Reiki deals with energy — not the touch-it-with-your-hands kind, but the invisible flow that moves within us all – including animals and even plants. Essentially, where there is life, there is reiki. It flows through what many call the “subtle body,” meaning the energy field that is within and around every living thing.
The word reiki is a Japanese word derived from “rei,” which translates into “universal” or “ spiritual,” and “ki, “which means “life energy.” We also see that concept in the Chinese “chi,” or “prana” in Sanskrit.
So, combined, we get universal life energy.
Reiki works beyond the body to help realign our energetic centres, aka chakras in Sanskrit, and allow our universal life energy to flow more smoothing. It clears any blocks to our overall well-being. These blocks develop from stressors in our lives, insecurities, traumas, or sickness. Clearing those blocks can allow for our energy to, in a sense, flush the energetic toxins from our subtle bodies. When those toxins are flushed, our bodies can then do what they know how to do best: heal. When we care for our energy, we care for our well-being; when our well-being is being attended to, our bodies then have the space they need to work toward healing and flushing out more physical toxins.
Now, it’s important here that I clarify what I mean by “healing.”
I do not want to mislead people into thinking that reiki is meant to be a miracle cure that will take away illness and disease. Reiki helps smooth out our natural life energy, which allows the body to focus on the physical rather than trying to fight of the stress hormones associated with worry and fear. When the body’s energy is freed up from the influence of those chemical reactions, it can then send that energy toward greater wellbeing. So, it’s not that reiki heals, per se; it clears a path for the body to focus on healing itself.
What does that mean in practical terms?
It means relaxation and a sense of rejuvenation. Sometimes people have visions while lying on the reiki table, sometimes people feel old locked-up emotions that they don’t even know the source of, and they feel nothing until later they realize that they feel a gentle shift within.
It doesn’t hurt and you don’t have to believe in or even understand what’s going on. All you have to do is lie down on the table, close your eyes, and receive the guided energy flow that the practitioner focuses in the direction of your energy centres.
Reiki is basically a deep reset for your mind, body, and soul. Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or full-on obsessed with all things holistic, it’s one of those things you kind of have to experience to get. Worst case? You walk away feeling super relaxed. Best case? You discover a new way to take care of yourself.
