A Brief History

Reiki was developed by a Japanese Buddhist monk name Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 1900’s. Dr. Usui had grown up practicing ‘Kiko’ (a Japanese version of Qi Gong), which he used in his treatments but found to be depleting of his own personal energy. It wasn’t until a spiritual retreat many years later that he discovered Reiki through a satori experience. This new form of energy, which he later went on to call ‘universal life force energy,’ no longer left him depleted. The energy flowed through him with a source and intelligence all its own. He would later develop a protocol that used the laying on of hands as the focus for the energy. As Reiki grew in popularity throughout Japan it remained virtually unknown to the western world until the late 1930s when Ms. Hawayo Takata brought it over to Hawaii. Ms. Takata had been taught by Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, who had been one of Dr. Usui’s first students. Together, Ms. Takata and Dr. Hayashi lectured and gave treatments throughout Hawaii, introducing Reiki to a whole new population.

There are three basic tenets that set Reiki apart from other forms of energy work. Firstly, the ability to perform Reiki is passed down from teacher to student through a series of attunements. These attunements serve to ‘awaken’ the student to this new form of healing. There is a lineage to the symbols and techniques used in Reiki which must be passed down to new practitioners. Secondly, Reiki does not require that we guide the energy with our mind. Reiki energy has its own intelligence and knows exactly where to go and what to do. All that is required is the holding of space. And finally, Reiki can do no harm. Reiki energy is only distinguished  by the people who practice it. In its purest form the energy is universal and ultimately the essence of who we are.

Everyone has their own unique energy field which typically extends out from the body anywhere from a few inches to a few feet. Contained within this field – or aura as it’s commonly called – are all the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that make us who we are. In a normal, healthy body the energy flows freely and unencumbered. However, when trauma occurs, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional, a kink can develop and impede this free flow of energy. This can manifest as pain, illness, depression, or myriad of other symptoms. Reiki can help dissolve these kinks by introducing a new energetic pattern and re-establishing harmony within the body.

Areas of disrepair within the body will often emit an energetic field that is discordant and out of sync with the rest of the body. Reiki practitioners can often pick up on these subtle differences either by way of intuition or sense perception.  For example, the energetic quality can be akin to a feeling of weakness and depletion in areas where trauma is chronic, or erratic and intense when it’s acute. The body has enormous potential to heal itself. Reiki merely facilitates your body’s natural healing ability by reminding it of what its natural, healthy state feels like.