Reiki: Gentle Energy Healing for Mind, Body & Spirit

If you've ever wished for a way to calm your mind, ease tension in your body, and feel more balanced — without even needing to be touched — you might want to explore Reiki.

This gentle, energy-based healing practice has been quietly transforming lives for over a century. But where did it come from? And how can it help you?

🌿 The Origins of Reiki

Reiki (pronounced RAY-kee) is a Japanese word meaning “universal life energy.” It was developed in the early 1900s by Mikao Usui, a spiritual teacher and lifelong student of healing.

According to historical accounts, Usui embarked on a 21-day meditation and fasting retreat on Mount Kurama in Japan. During this time, he is said to have received a spiritual revelation that awakened his ability to work with healing energy — and thus, the Reiki system was born.

Usui began teaching Reiki to others in Japan, emphasizing spiritual development, energy healing through the hands, and living in accordance with the Five Reiki Principles:

1. Just for today, I will not worry.

2. Just for today, I will not be angry.

3. I will do my work honestly.

4. I will be grateful for my blessings.

5. I will be kind to all living beings.

🌎 Reiki Comes to the West

Reiki found its way to the West thanks to Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American woman born in Hawaii. In the 1930s, Takata was suffering from multiple health conditions and traveled to Japan for treatment. There, she discovered Reiki — and after experiencing significant healing, she trained under Dr. Chujiro Hayashi (a direct student of Usui).

Takata later returned to Hawaii, began practicing Reiki, and eventually trained 22 Reiki Masters before her death in 1980. Thanks to her work, Reiki spread across the mainland United States and eventually the world.

Today, Reiki is practiced in over 800 hospitals and healthcare systems in the U.S. alone, including institutions like Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and UCLA Health, where it's often offered alongside conventional therapies to help reduce stress and improve recovery outcomes.

🧠 Did You Know?

A 2017 review published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine found that Reiki can significantly reduce pain, anxiety, and depression, particularly when used as a complementary treatment.

📖 Reference

✨ So, What Exactly Happens in a Reiki Session?

Reiki sessions are non-invasive, relaxing, and require no removal of clothing. You lie comfortably on a massage table while the practitioner gently places their hands either lightly on or just above specific areas of the body.

There’s no pressure, manipulation, or adjustment involved. Instead, the focus is on energetic balance — allowing the body’s natural systems to restore harmony.

Clients often report:

• A warm or tingling sensation

• A floating or meditative feeling

• Emotional release or a lightness

• Deep rest, even sleep

• A sense of grounding or peace

🔬 Short-term Reiki therapy (up to 8 sessions) has been shown to effectively reduce anxiety—including health-related and procedural anxiety—in people with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, depression, and gastrointestinal issues, as well as in the general population.

📖 Reference

💆‍♀️ How Reiki Can Help

While Reiki is not a replacement for medical care, it offers a profound support system—especially when stress, trauma, or emotional fatigue are present. Reiki can:

• Ease anxiety, depression, and overwhelm

• Help regulate the nervous system (activating the parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode)

• Improve sleep quality

• Support healing after injury, illness, or surgery

• Enhance emotional clarity and resilience

• Create space for grief, transition, or mindfulness

• Help balance energetic “stuckness” or emotional blockages

In fact, Reiki has been shown to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels, improve heart rate variability, and even support immune function (Reference).

Reiki is also safe for:

• Pregnancy (including pre- and postnatal support)

• Children and infants

• People recovering from surgery or chronic illness

• Sensitive individuals who may not tolerate deep-tissue massage

  
  

Reiki can also pair alongside other therapies like massage, lymphatic drainage, or myofascial release.

🌟 Final Thoughts

Reiki is simple, subtle, and powerful — and it’s here to help you reconnect with your natural state of calm and balance. Whether you’re navigating stress, grief, change, or just want to feel more centered, Reiki offers a quiet, comforting space to land.

You don’t have to understand energy healing to experience its benefits. Just come with an open mind — and let your energy do the rest.

Ready to Experience Reiki?

We now offer Reiki sessions at Little Wonders Wellness, either as a standalone healing or alongside massage therapy for a deeper, more integrative experience.