Reiki

Reiki (pronounced ray-key) comes from Japan and loosely translated means ‘Universal life force energy’; an energy that is all around.  It’s a technique aimed at reducing stress, promoting relaxation and helping the body to heal itself.  It’s a potential therapy for those who don’t like to be touched, or can’t cope with pressure on their skin.

The principle behind Reiki is that unseen life force energy flows through our bodies and is the reason why we are alive.  If your own life force energy is low then you are more likely to have health problems or get stressed, whereas if it’s high then you are more likely to be happy and healthy.

During a Reiki session energy is transferred into your body by a Reiki Healer.  You remain fully clothed and the Reiki practitioner will place his/her hands very gently on or over the body in a sequence of positions to channel energy.  It’s all about the “laying on of hands” as opposed to a massage technique.  There is little or no pressure from the practitioner but you may feel the warmth permeating through your skin, or a tingling sensation.  A treatment will generally last for approximately one hour.

Reiki is intended to treat the whole body at all levels both physically and mentally, as well as balancing emotions, mind and spirit, aiming to induce feelings of wellbeing and serenity.  It is a very natural and safe method of treatment and is believed to be effective in helping virtually all known illnesses.  Acute injuries can be helped to heal relatively quickly whereas chronic illnesses can take longer.  Reiki is spiritual by nature, but is not based on any religious beliefs so it is available to anyone.

A Reiki practitioner is effectively a channel through which energy is drawn from the Universe and into your body.  It’s a bit like recharging a battery – through illness your body becomes run down and lacks energy so Reiki can build you back up again and increase the natural flow of energy thereby facilitating your body’s own healing powers.