What Exactly Is Reiki?
The facts and how Reiki saved my life
When I first started talking about Reiki and my experiences leading up to becoming a Reiki Teacher, circa 2008, nobody had heard of it.
“I’m a Reiki practitioner.”
Blank stare.
These interactions triggered my insecurities. Describing Reiki was new to me at the time, and it seemed very ethereal and mysterious. So, rather than stumble my way through explaining what it was, I assumed that nobody understood me or they were judging me, so I stopped talking about it (except to my clients and students of course!).
Fast forward to 2026:
“I’m a Reiki teacher.”
“Cool! I love Reiki.”
Or even better:
“So am I!”
How times have changed!
However, I have to be careful not to swing too far the other way and assume everybody knows what Reiki is. And since a lovely subscriber told me they don’t know about Reiki and would like to know more about it, here I am.
WHAT IS REIKI?
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique using energy, also known as Universal Life Force (the literal translation of the Japanese word Reiki).
This life force runs through every living thing from plants, to animals to people. When someone wants to become a Reiki practitioner they must learn from a Reiki Teacher. This is not elitism or gatekeeping. Becoming certified in Reiki levels gives you the ability to channel this life force energy through your hands in different capacities; this process is called an attunement. Only a Reiki teacher has been given the physical ability to do an attunement for another person.
Traditionally, there are three levels in Reiki. Level three is called Reiki Master (sometimes Reiki Master/Teacher combined). However, some teachers require students to take a separate fourth level to become a teacher and be able to attune others (this is what I did with my Reiki teacher).
If you want to call yourself a Reiki practitioner and conduct Reiki treatments for clients you can do so starting with level one. At level one you are capable of channeling Reiki. To be able to channel greater and greater amounts of energy, you must continue with level two and three attunements.
Some people take their Reiki levels purely for personal healing and/or for family members. That is also totally fine. Again, as soon as you take Reiki level one you have the capability to channel energy and there is no need to go further, except if you want to.
So, if you’re curious about Reiki energy and the healing it provides you can go to a Reiki Practitioner, Master or Teacher and receive a Reiki treatment. This means that the practitioner will channel the life force energy through their hands and you will receive the energy into your body.
If you want to be able to channel the energy through your hands, and into your own body or into someone else’s body as a Reiki practitioner, you must receive an attunement.
WHAT DOES REIKI DO FOR YOU?
Reiki energy will fill up low energy areas and balance energy imbalances. If you have low energy in any chakra (there are seven main chakras, aka energy centres), Reiki will rejuvenate you. If you have a build up of energy (a block or stagnation) the Reiki will flow through you and get the energy moving again to regain balance.
I was taught that Reiki is the only modality that adds life force energy to your system. Other modalities such as acupuncture will release stuck energy and help the body balance, but will not add or fill up low energy centres (I love acupuncture, so no shade here!).
When I received my attunement and completed Reiki Level One, my life changed completely. The deep emotional trauma, pain and overwhelm from my past started to release from my body for the first time (I was 34 years old). I let go of layers of stress I didn’t know I was holding for so long. I connected to a deep level of joy and love of life that was totally foreign to me.
I felt lighter. I felt more calm. I started to discover who I truly am.
I’m not saying it was easy; the three weeks of emotional, energetic and physical balancing after the level one attunement was rough to say the least. I felt the emotional gunk that I dissociated from. I came face to face with my wounded inner child. At times it felt excruciating. But there were moments of feeling pure unconditional love that made me weep with joy (I didn’t know this was a thing, aside from reading about it in Anne of Green Gables).
When I began to share Reiki energy with my students and clients, my life was forever changed. I don’t think there is anything more miraculous than watching someone heal and become their true self.
I hope this gives you a taste of what Reiki is all about. This article barely scratches the surface, but even a glimpse of a wonderful thing can be enough sometimes.
Have you had a Reiki treatment? Are you a Reiki practitioner/teacher? I would love to hear about it in the comments! :)
Side note: there are always debates about Reiki and I’ve had many people over the years claim that they just spontaneously started flowing energy through their hands from a young age. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen, but it is rare. Most of the time you need to get an attunement from a Reiki teacher to have the ability to channel the life force through your hands. And there are other modalities that teach people to be various kinds of energy healers.