What Is Reiki Healing? A Beginner’s Guide to Energy, Balance, and Transformation

Mar 23

I remember the first time I laid down for a Reiki session.

I was traveling through Bali at the time, years into my own healing journey, carrying the weight of old heartbreak and the exhaustion of moving too fast in life. The practitioner barely placed her hands on me, and yet — something shifted. My whole body exhaled in a way it hadn’t in years. Reiki cracked me open to a level of stillness, energy, and truth that I didn’t know I was missing.

So, what is Reiki, really?

At its core, Reiki is a Japanese energy healing practice that channels what we often call universal life force energy. This energy is the same subtle current that animates all of us — the breath of life, the spark of creation, the pulse that connects nature, humanity, and spirit. Reiki practitioners act as conduits for this energy, allowing it to flow through their hands to bring balance, release, and healing to the recipient.

How Does Reiki Work?

Most Reiki sessions look simple from the outside: you lie fully clothed on a massage table (or sometimes a yoga mat), while the practitioner places their hands lightly on or just above your body. But beneath that simplicity is an entire energetic world. Reiki helps unblock stagnant energy, balance the chakras, and restore harmony to the nervous system. Many people describe sensations of warmth, tingling, waves of emotion, or deep peace — all signs that energy is moving.

What I’ve come to understand after traveling and teaching Reiki across continents — from Mexico to Bali to Peru — is that while the methods are universal, the experience is deeply personal. Each body, each story, each soul receives the energy in the exact way it’s needed.

Benefits of Reiki Healing

If you’ve been curious about Reiki, here’s what people often experience after just one session:

Profound relaxation — like the deepest exhale you didn’t know you needed.
Emotional release — tears, laughter, or just a lightness you carry out the door.
Physical relief — from tension, headaches, or chronic pain.
Improved sleep and energy — waking up with more vitality.
Spiritual connection — a sense of being rooted yet expanded, aligned with something bigger.

Reiki doesn’t just treat symptoms. It works on the whole self: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. That’s why so many of us return to it, not only for healing but for clarity, for grounding, and for remembering who we are beneath the noise.

Hands On Energy Healing. Soul School Yoga Retreat

What to Expect in a Reiki Session

If it’s your first time, know this: you don’t need to do anything. There’s no effort, no striving. Just bring yourself, and allow. Some people feel energy immediately, others feel subtle shifts later — maybe in dreams, in sudden clarity, or in the gentle release of long-held patterns.

A standard session usually lasts 45 to 60 minutes. Many practitioners will open with a short conversation, guide you through breathwork or grounding, and then begin the flow of Reiki. You might feel hands lightly resting on your head, shoulders, stomach, or feet — always respectful, always safe.

Reiki as a Path of Transformation

Reiki has been one of the great teachers in my life. It’s more than a healing technique — it’s a pathway back to presence, to trust, to remembering that you are already whole. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, physical healing, or spiritual awakening, Reiki offers a gentle yet powerful doorway.

And maybe, like me, one session will open you to a lifetime of exploring your own energy, intuition, and light.

That’s why many people go beyond receiving sessions and step into deeper study through Reiki certification — whether that’s attending an immersive Reiki retreat in a beautiful destination or receiving online Reiki attunements from the comfort of home. Learning Reiki empowers you to give healing to yourself and others, opening doors to both personal growth and professional practice.

Reiki isn’t something that only happens to you. It’s something you can learn, embody, and share. It’s a way of living in deeper connection with yourself, others, and the world.

Adayna Janelle