What I’ve Been Learning: Reiki Self-Healing
Over the last year, I’ve completed both Level 1 and 2 Reiki certification. These have given me the ability to offer Reiki healing to others—and perhaps more importantly, to myself.
I can’t say exactly what led me to Reiki. In many ways, I feel I was quietly guided toward it, piece by piece. But I do know that the instinct to help and to heal—especially when it comes to my children—has always been strong in me. When they’ve been unwell, I’ve often found myself placing my hands gently on their heads, hearts, or bellies. I didn’t have the language for it at the time, but what I was offering was comfort, connection, and the quiet wish to ease their pain.
I feel incredibly lucky to have had a gifted healer come into my life, someone who graciously became my Reiki teacher. Her presence, wisdom, and willingness to share this practice have been a true gift. I’m endlessly grateful to her.
For those unfamiliar, Reiki is a traditional Japanese form of energy healing developed by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. After World War II, much of the practice was at risk of being lost due to Western influence in Japan. Fortunately, a Japanese-American woman from Hawaii traveled to Japan before the war, learned Reiki, and brought it back to the West—modifying it slightly to suit a Western audience. Thanks to her, Reiki survived and spread across the world.
Today, Reiki is practiced globally and is increasingly recognized in mainstream settings, including hospitals, hospices, and integrative health clinics.
At its core, Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive form of healing. Practitioners act as conduits for energy, allowing it to flow where it’s needed in the body. We don’t direct the energy or control where it goes—we simply trust that it will reach the places that need attention. Reiki doesn’t replace medical care, nor is it a “cure,” but it beautifully complements the body’s natural ability to heal.
For me, learning Reiki has been a powerful part of learning how to support myself, particularly when it comes to stress and anxiety. Daily self-healing sessions help me check in with how I’m really feeling. I notice where tension lingers in my body. I feel resistance slowly give way to ease. Often, I become so relaxed that I drift into sleep.
There have also been moments during self-healing when I’ve felt distinct physical sensations: heat or cold in my hands, or energy moving through me like flowing water. I’ve felt muscles soften that had been sore and tight for days. Reiki has helped ease headaches, deep pain at the base of my skull, and aching joints. It has brought me both physical relief and a deep sense of peace.
This practice has taught me how to better recognise my stress levels—and how to gently reset my nervous system. In a world that often pulls us into constant noise and speed, Reiki brings stillness. It gives me a way to pause, to breathe deeply, and to listen to what my body is telling me.
I often think of Reiki as a kind of hands-on meditation. It helps me quiet my thoughts, calm my breath, and bring awareness back to the present moment.
Even without Reiki you might like to try a simple practice now to tune in to your body. Place your hand on your heart, or on a part of your body where you feel tension. Close your eyes for a moment, breathe slowly, and notice what you feel. Warmth, coolness, heaviness, lightness—whatever arises, simply observe. This quiet attention is powerful. It’s a way of saying, “I’m here. I’m listening.”
And if this speaks to you, consider finding a local Reiki practitioner and booking a session or drop me a line for a chat. A reiki session might just be the most relaxing hour you’ve had in ages. Or maybe look at whether you can learn to do reiki too!
Thanks for reading