You could do a google search and find a thousand different ways to answer each of the questions below, so before I go further, I want to encourage every person to never take someone else’s word as truth. Your mind is powerful, and it’s so important to find your own authentic knowing in this world. Do your research, take everything with a grain of salt, trust yourself, and I guarantee you’ll never be lost.

WHAT IS REIKI?

In the words of Mikao Usui, the man who founded the practice of Reiki in 1922, Reiki is “The secret art of inviting happiness and the spiritual medicine for all ailments”. The Japanese word ‘Reiki’ can be roughly translated to mean “soul energy” or “universal life force energy”, and it was actually a term that existed in Japan well before Sensei Usui discovered that Reiki could be used for healing.

In modern terms, Reiki can be described as a Japanese healing art in which the practitioner utilizes Reiki energy to promote the wellness of mind and body through the use of gentle hands on touch.

I HAVE SOME DOUBTS ABOUT REIKI. DO I NEED TO BE A BELIEVER FOR IT TO WORK?

Absolutely not. I think it’s natural to assume belief would be necessary, but we now know through time and experience that reiki even works on those who are asleep or those who are staunch disbelievers, etc. As a metaphor, I like to think of giving Reiki to someone as kind of like giving someone a hug. When you hug someone, you are putting physical pressure on their parasympathetic nervous system, and the receiver’s body will respond automatically by calming down in a myriad of ways. The hug will relax the body whether or not the person believed the hug could relax the body. Reiki acts in a similar manner.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM MY REIKI SESSION?

When you arrive for your session, you and I will take a few minutes to talk about what’s going on/what you want to address. After we chat, you will lay on a massage table, fully clothed, and I will gently place my hands on the part of your body that is most relevant to the issue you want to address. I may spend 15 minutes in one spot or 45 minutes, it just depends on what I’m feeling. During the last 5 minutes of the session, I will ask you to lay on your stomach, if you are able, and I will perform a Japanese therapeutic technique called “Ketsueki Kokan Ho". The practice involves light strokes along the sides of your body and tapping motions to stimulate blood flow and promote detoxification; essentially, it's a technique to enhance circulation throughout the body.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE UNTIL I SEE RESULTS?

This completely depends on the person, the issue, and the severity of the issue. I will know if more Reiki is needed based on what I’m feeling. With Reiki, there are times when we have to stray away from logic and acknowledge the various aspects we don’t yet fully understand, and this is one of those times. You may have something chronic that will be completely addressed in one session, or it may take multiple sessions. The changes that take place in someone are made via an unspoken agreement between their body, their higher consciousness, and Reiki energy, and the practitioner has no say in how that looks.

CAN ANYONE DO REIKI?

Yes. It doesn’t matter how old you are, gender, race, belief system, etc., anyone can do Reiki. Everyone already possesses an innate ability to do Reiki because Reiki energy, or universal source energy, flows in all things. It is your birthright. However, try to think of the flow of Reiki in each person as like a water stream. Most people have just a small stream of water coming through in their everyday life. It’s during the process of receiving Reiju, or spiritual granting, by a certified teacher, when that small stream becomes a waterfall.

You could easily go take a Reiki course and learn to do all of this yourself, and I recommend anyone to do that. Reiki is wonderful for daily wellbeing or household first aid, especially with kids around. It is truly a life changing practice.

There are so many amazing Reiki teachers in the area, but if you would like a recommendation, I highly recommend taking a course with Dr. Maria Danilychev, the owner of San Diego Jikiden Reiki. There are also several teachers who work with her, and they are all amazing. I took my certification courses with her, and I still continue to learn from her.

IS REIKI USED ONLY FOR PHYSICAL AILMENTS?

No, reiki can be used for physical health as well as mental health. Reiki can address any negative mental tendency that you may want to address.

IS REIKI A REPLACEMENT FOR MODERN MEDICINE?

No, it is not. Reiki can certainly do amazing things, but it is meant only to be a complement to modern medicine and modern psychology. If you are having any kind of physical or mental health emergency, it is important to seek professional help.

DO YOU USE CRYSTALS IN YOUR REIKI PRACTICE OR WORK WITH CHAKRAS?

I do not, as using crystals and working specifically with chakras are techniques used in Western Reiki. I practice a more traditional eastern style of Reiki, referred to as Jikiden Reiki. However, I have taken Western Reiki courses as well, and I have found them to be valuable, highly expansive, and just as effective as Eastern Reiki, albeit in a slightly different way. I believe every style of Reiki has a place and has a strength. I simply jive more with the idea that less is more and have found more resonance within myself while practicing Jikiden Reiki.