What is Reiki?

Reiki is a form of energy healing that works with the body’s own remarkable restorative capabilities. Reiki originated from Japan in the early 1900s and now supports millions of people globally restore health and balance on all levels, physical, mental and emotional.

Reiki helps soothe and regulate our internal systems through a simple practice of placing your hands on your body, or the body of the person you are treating. It is very accessible and easy to learn, usually taking only a few days of practice and education.

Reiki at a Glance

Founder

Mikao Usui, Japan in the early 1900s, founding his Tokyo Reiki school in 1922.

Learnable

Yes! Anyone can learn Reiki for their own self-healing and to help others.

Meaning

Universal Life force or energy, the potential "chi" in us all, naturally.

Practice

Self-treatment and treating others. Complementary to all other practices.

Purpose

Relaxation, balance, wellbeing, personal growth and healing.

Used in

Homes, complementary therapy, some healthcare settings, hospices.

Why People Learn Reiki

Self-Help

To support their own wellbeing and improve their health. To feel empowered that they can do something for themselves.

Restoring Health

There are many reported cases of Reiki's ability to support improvement of illness, disease working in complement with appropriate medical advice.

Support Personal Growth

To help develop themselves and their mental health. To improve resilience, mental robustness, focus and self-understanding.

Help Others and Pets

When family, loved ones and pets struggle with illness or injury, it's wonderful to have something that can help ease the pain.

Deepen Mindfulness

Reiki mirrors the impact of meditation by calming busy thoughts and promoting a sense of calm in the body.

Develop Professionally

Reiki complements any other therapeutic services including massage, talk therapy, yoga, sound healing to name a few.

FAQs

1 / Does Reiki Really Work?

Reiki is practiced by millions of people around the world and is the most popular and recognised form of energy healing by far. But the easiest way of answering that question is to try it for yourself and make up your own mind! Our founder, Elaine, was a total skeptic but after just one treatment, she had to admit that something undeniable had occurred. Then after two weeks when her insomnia improved, she was a lifelong advocate!

2 / Is Reiki a Religion?

Absolutely not! It does not require any belief or philosophy to practice or receive Reiki. Look at Reiki as fuel for your human body, much like petrol is used by your car. In our hectic world, we are often running on empty. At the Reiki Centre we teach with no dogma or strong belief systems.

3 / Do I need Special Gifts or Abilities?

No, anyone can learn Reiki, including children. Think of your hands as channels that are opened during a Reiki class. The channels naturally allow Reiki to flow wherever you direct your hands - onto yourself, or others. You don't need to mentally direct Reiki or turn it on or off.

4 / Is Reiki Safe?

Yes, there are no contraindications to using Reiki on yourself or others. Think of it as a balancing effect. We are providing the fuel for the body to do its own healing and you cannot 'over do' it. When the body is full, the Reiki will simply stop flowing, much like if you pour water into a cup, it will simply overflow once it has reached the top.

5 / Is Reiki Scientifically Proven?

Unfortunately the complementary therapy field is woefully underfunded so there are not many clinical studies testing Reiki. However, systematic reviews of available Reiki clinical trials finds that Reiki outperforms placebo. We also recommend you look at our Reiki Centre study of over 1,000 Reiki practitioners. The fact that Reiki is commonly available in medical institutions, hospital out-patient services and hospices also points to its efficacy.

What Happens During a Reiki Treatment?

Many people like to try Reiki for themselves first before committing to a class, so what is a Reiki treatment like?

Clients are fully clothed and you lie on a massage bed. The environment will be relaxing, usually with gentle calming music in the background. The practitioner will place their hands lightly on your body or hovering above. There is no movement like in massage, but every 5 minutes or so, the hands will be placed on different areas of the body depending on what the practitioner feels.

Treatments usually last 45 to 60 minutes and in general produce a very relaxing almost meditative feeling, many people fall asleep as the mind quietens down. Every experience is different and varies significantly from person to person but also from treatment to treatment depending on what is going on for you on that particular day. It is possible to experience emotional releases, tears, or discomfort, but these feelings usually pass quickly as the energy releases.

Depending on what you are going to the practitioner for, they may recommend a series of treatments, but usually one or two treatments are enough for you to know if Reiki is something that would be beneficial for you.

Continue Exploring Reiki

Ready to dive into learning Reiki for yourself? We provide different avenues for your learning. Alternatively, take a look at our comprehensive resources

LEARN REIKI

Take a look at how we teach at The Reiki Centre, both in-person and online

MORE ABOUT REIKI 1

Dive deeper into the Reiki 1 beginners class and what to expect

REIKI HEALING

Interested in booking a Reiki healing session to try it out for yourself?

Take a Deeper Dive into Reiki

Reiki History

Find out more about the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui and the different lineages

HISTORY

Reiki Research

Dive into our big Reiki Survey, over 1,000 Reiki practitioners and their experience of the benefits of Reiki

RESEARCH

Reiki Philosophy

Find out more about the 5 Principles and the non-secular nature of Reiki

PHILOSOPHY

More Info For Beginners

"Wow" Stories with Reiki

The most powerful proof that Reiki works is reading true stories from people who practice Reiki. These wonderful case studies come from the Global Reiki Survey We asked respondents for any "wow" stories they had experienced with Reiki. We got over 1,000 amazing stories, we have tried to fit as many in here as we can...enjoy! A client who had known me for many years before Reiki, had a stroke and was told she needed a serious operation to assure she would not have another, de

The Unique Qualities of Reiki

How does Reiki differ from other natural therapies and energy healing modalities? There are five things that set Reiki apart and makes Reiki the easiest and safest introduction to energy healing. Reiki’s five main qualities: Reiki energy flows through your hands from areas of high energy to low energy Reiki is all-encompassing and treats physical, mental and emotional issues Reiki energy flows automatically and does not require any special skill or practice Reiki is complemen

How to Choose the ‘Right’ Reiki Master

Choosing the right Reiki Master and class would probably top the list of considerations for many people when deciding to embark on their Reiki journey. Often, those new to Reiki find themselves attracted to a post or a free talk, or feeling an urge to enroll for a class right away, when for years they have been thinking about learning Reiki, but not acting on it for some reason or other. These strange urges are simply your intuition’s way of telling you the time is now! To he

Can I Learn Reiki for Self-healing?

Reiki's key benefit is self-help, so what to look out for when choosing a class, a teacher and what basics should be covered? For starters, make sure they have your healing and self-empowerment front and centre of their curriculum. Sadly many people, including in their internet searches and AI responses, are told that Reiki is a complementary therapy that you have to pay a practitioner to do for you. This could not be further from the truth. Reiki is first and foremost a self

Common Reiki Questions

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing practice where you can channel universal life energy through your own hands to support relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional balance. It is a self-healing modality although over the years, particularly in western Reiki, it has turned into a complementary therapy where people think they need to go to a Reiki therapist - this is not true, you can and should learn Reiki for yourself to heal yourself. Let's take a look at some common quest

How Reiki Attunements Work

An Attunement is what activates Reiki in your hands and is best summed up as frequency ‘resonance’. Most people will go to a Reiki class in order to receive an attunement from a Reiki Master, this is someone who has been trained to give attunements to others. The best way to understand it is to think of it in terms of resonance. If we place two tuning forks in a room of the same note and hit one of the forks with a mallet, the corresponding fork will vibrate in resonance. If

Emma Y, Singapore
Online Reiki 1 Course

“I finished my Reiki level 1 course today. It was a wonderful experience.

It was helpful for me that there were videos to watch.

I got panic attacks about 7 years ago. I still get it sometimes when I'm under stress or have the feeling that I can't escape. (heavy traffic in tunnel or in a crowded bus/subway etc.)

2 weeks ago, I was in a subway. I couldn't move left or right. I thought I might get a panic attack, my body started to shake and felt like my blood flows upside down. I couldn't do anything, so I put my hand on my chest. Honestly, I didn't believe Reiki would help in that situation even though I was doing Reiki every night since the attunement.

The result was like a miracle. The panic attack feeling disappeared immediately. I couldn't believe it.

Since this experience I put my hand on my heart area when I'm in a crowded subway, elevator or even in hospitals.

This is a special experience for me, I can control my feelings better and am calmer. I would like to say thank you and I'm excited to learn the next step."

Paul G, USA
Online Reiki 1 and 2 Courses

"I wanted to express my gratitude for your teaching which has benefited my life immeasurably.

I am 77 years old and currently homebound due to extreme arthritis in hips and knees. Reiki has become my main spiritual practice as well as Zen meditation and prayer. Although the Reiki does not seem to have done much to alleviate the arthritis, it has been amazingly beneficial for my overall health and sense of wellbeing.

Reiki has been a tremendous blessing my life. Your courses are excellent, particularly the revised edition of Reiki II which is brilliant. And I really appreciate your insightful blog posts as well.

Thank you so much for all of it."

M.A., Singapore

Online Reiki 1 Course

"I wanted to share my experience with the 1-hour self-treatment practice that I’ve been doing in the evenings before bed.

What amazes me is how each part of my body reacts differently, depending on the day.

The calmness this brings me is profound. My sleep, which has always been fairly good, has become even more restful. I wake up in the morning feeling restored and centred. It’s not just a practice for rest—it’s also helping me recover from my physical training, which is an important part of my life right now. I train a lot, and this evening treatment grounds me, calms my nervous system, and allows my body to settle fully before sleep.

Thank you again for guiding us into these practices. They’re becoming more than a routine—they’re slowly weaving into the rhythm of my life."