“Reiki is the source of power of the universe, the thing Albert Einstein was looking for and hoping to identify as a mathematical equation. Reiki heals because it is unconditional pure love.”
-Raven Keyes
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese technique of energy healing that is used to promote healing, to alleviate stress, and create profound peace.
Rei - means “spiritual wisdom”. Ki - means “life force energy”.
Reiki is energy. Reiki is life force energy. Reiki is pure love.
During the practice of Reiki a practitioner is able to channel life force energy to those receiving, in order to create a healing process that restores on every level - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
This connection between practitioner and receiver sometimes uses gentle touch, and other times there is no physical connection. Reiki healing has no boundaries and distance Reiki sessions are just as effective.
There isn’t a time frame that Reiki works within and often the most dramatic effects of a session are not felt immediately.
Reiki; life force energy, is pure love which has immeasurable power to create change. It’s not usually seen (although many can and do visually see Reiki energy), and sometimes it can be felt. During some sessions I’m given words to speak to the receiver, and I usually have no idea what it means. Other times, I do NOT have words to pass along. I am always very clear when I’m sharing my words, or messages that I heard during Reiki sessions to share.
Reiki is not a religion, although there is a spiritual component to Reiki. There’s nothing you must believe in order for Reiki to work. Love moves and works as it needs to, not as we force it to.
Benefits of Reiki
Compliments other health programs to support and supplement their effects.
As an aid in stress reduction and relaxation to combat the physical effect of stress and helps promote the parasympathetic nervous system’s ability to self heal.
Creates flow and ease in the body as Reiki sessions incorporate chakra balancing work.
Helps with the processing of grief, sorrow, and negative emotions allowing the body to move towards processing and healing.
Speeds recovery time from surgeries and injuries (many medical establishments have recognized this and have brought Reiki healers into surgical rooms and recovery rooms).
My Reiki Passage
During my yoga training I was required to take a set number of hours of yoga classes and then prepare reflections and notes about the classes I would take. It was one of my favorite parts of the program because there was no room for a convenient excuse at the ready for skipping a class or two that week. I’m great with requirements and set boundaries like a champ so I could attend a maximum amount of classes. It was mandatory yoga self-care and I will always be grateful for that time in my life. I also let myself explore classes I may not have typically chosen. One of them was a restorative with Reiki class. I had absolutely no idea what Reiki was and didn’t even check with Google before I went.
I already enjoyed the instructor, as I’d taken a few of her classes and felt a trust that whatever Reiki was, she’d be a wonderful source for this class. As she was moving around the room once settling us into a restorative pose, she began gently placing her hands on students upper backs. I know it’s usually customary to close your eyes in a restorative class and turn inward, but I was immediately intrigued that she was just placing her hands on people, not adjusting, or manipulating them in any way. Was this the Reiki?
I finally stopped over thinking, and let myself sink into the restorative aspect of class when she approached me, asked if touch was ok, and with my permission, her hands cupped my upper back. I didn’t know if I was to respond in some way with breath or something else, but I had a feeling that coming into a space of receiving instead of my usual state of perpetual questioning and abundant thinking, would benefit me more.
My back muscles immediately felt like golden warm honey, melting and dripping towards gravity. The tension I had spent a decent amount of time in my life collecting between my shoulder blades was now minimal. My back felt warm like when you sit with sun behind you in the afternoon. The instructor had moved on to someone else and gotten us into a different pose and I still felt as if her hands were on my back.
I had so many questions as to what exactly happened during class and the teacher did their best to describe Reiki, but I was really stuck in a state of examining every aspect of my experience. I was drawn into Reiki that day and was craving to know more, but I was deep into my yoga training and decided to put Reiki on hold.
I let myself release the need to analyze that event and always kept myself open and ready to learn more. As always, when there’s a release and openness, the universe presents you with fortunate timing and I fully believe my passage to working with Reiki was divine and I have been preparing myself for awhile to become a Reiki practitioner.
I was able to become certified under Anita Sykes, who I have looked up to, and am forever grateful to, for being such a great support to me after receiving my yoga certification. I received my Usui Reiki level 1 and then later Usui Reiki level 2 and Master certification in 2025. This was an amazing experience for me and I love sharing about my time during this process.
Creating a space within Fig Holistic Health for Reiki Sessions has also been a illuminating path of reflection, meditating, praying, talking to friends, and getting very clear about what type of space I can possibly create within the area of wellness and social justice. There is a deep empty canyon of missed wellness opportunities for many people. The world of wellness benefits a very narrow demographic and I believe there are many more people who are losing out on health because their stress in this world is excessive, and assistance in stress relief often comes with a mountain of barriers.
I am resolved to create a system for my Reiki sessions that will help bring relief to a broader demographic. There is a base price listed for Reiki sessions, as well as an optional pricing scale. My goal is to remove the barrier of pricing that could deter people from receiving what they need. Any funds provided over the base price, will be included placed into a special fund that will allow me to offer more services and experience to a wider group of people, or they will be donated to other wellness services that directly benefit a marginalized community or individual.