Reiki is a gentle energy healing method that promotes physical, psychological, and emotional wellbeing. Everything is comprised of energy – reiki simply channels the benevolent energy that courses through all living matter, sometimes known as life force energy. A reiki practitioner acts as a conduit for this energy, and administers healing through the gentle laying or hovering of hands.
Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920s, and has since spread globally. Although spiritual in nature, reiki is not associated with any particular religious tradition. I consider reiki to be just one modality of energy work, a practice that exists across time and cultures. Reiki is analogous to working with prana in the yogic tradition, balancing one’s chi in traditional Chinese medicine, and the laying on of hands in some Christian traditions.