What Reiki Really Is (For People Who Have Never Tried It)

by Diana Aldridge, Reiki Master Practitioner in Napier

The story often begins with one man climbing a mountain in Japan. His name was Mikao Usui, and he did not go there to invent a trend or a wellness practice. He went because he wanted to understand life itself at a level most people spend their whole lives avoiding. He fasted, meditated, and cleared his mind, opening space for insights that would eventually ripple across the world.

He returned with the understanding that the same force that animates a forest, the ocean and the breath of every living being could be directed for healing. He called this force Reiki, which means “Universal life force energy".

People may hear this and imagine something dramatic or mystical, but in truth Reiki is a very gentle, very subtle, yet very effective holistic system, spiritual, but not religious, that works on many levels and does not demand belief.

What happens in a Reiki session is not magic. It is a trained ability. The session slowly opens what we call the Reiki channels, and with them come the tools we use during the work. There are sacred symbols used by practitioners. They are not decorative. Each one shifts the frequency or intention of the session. Some deepen the healing, some balance and harmonise the energy and some work on the soul level or on emotional or mental patterns.

There are also mantras and quiet mental cues that set the direction. Before the healing session, a practitioner goes through an internal ritual, preparing their own energy field, clearing the mind, stepping out of the ego and focusing on something larger. You might not see it, but you feel it as soon as the session begins.

The practitioner becomes a channel, not a source. The energy does not come from their body, their emotions or their personal reserves. It comes through them. That is why a skilled practitioner is not exhausted after a session. They are not pouring out their own life force. They are guiding a current that already exists in the world and in you, without manipulation or addition, just by unblocking or increasing its flow.

One of the most interesting things about Reiki is how the body responds. Your body has a quiet intelligence that never switched off, even if you stopped noticing it. When Reiki flows, your body decides what to do with it. That is why a session can feel different each time, sometimes grounding, sometimes emotional, sometimes spacious and sometimes deeply physical. Reiki invites healing and your body does the rest.

If you have never experienced Reiki before, you do not need to know anything. You do not need to prepare, believe or expect. All you need is the willingness to lie down, relax, breathe and give your body the space it rarely gets in daily life.

If you would like to understand more about how the relationship with your own inner world shapes your wellbeing, you can read my blog, The Art of Living with Your Best Friend, where I explore how the body and mind quietly influence each other throughout daily life. Reiki naturally supports this process.

People often share that, even when expecting to feel nothing, they experience relief, ease, deep relaxation, and a grounded calmness.

In anticipation of a question about whether one session will be enough, it is better to say that Reiki works more like a gradual unfolding. The first session is a beginning. Deeper change usually happens over a few sessions in sequence, one or two weeks apart, when the body releases tension and, with the energy unblocked, returns to its natural energetic rhythm. After that, regular sessions, once a month or every two months, become a natural part of caring for yourself. We absorb stress and emotional weight all the time, often without noticing it. Just as we visit a hairdresser or a beautician to maintain how we look, Reiki supports how we feel on the inside.

Ongoing sessions help keep the inner space clear, steady and balanced. After three or four sessions many people also find themselves feeling energised, rejuvenated, in harmonious balance and genuinely much happier.

If you ever feel called to explore this for yourself, you are welcome to book a session with me at Theia Life here in Napier. Your Reiki experience begins when you decide to give yourself a moment of genuine care.

Disclaimer

Reiki is a gentle complementary therapy that supports the body’s natural ability to restore balance. It is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment, and it works comfortably alongside other medical or therapeutic approaches. It is widely used as a supportive practice alongside conventional medical care to enhance overall wellbeing, encourage relaxation and help ease symptoms such as pain, tension and anxiety.