Reiki has become increasingly popular in the West as it is claimed to help cure the incurable. At one point during my one of my intense massage, I believed I touched that energy, that flow of heat and moved it around. In an attempt to clear that mystery and help people who are spiritual make an informed choice, I decided to get down to the bottom of what it is and what a session is like. Through an old student and client of mine, I got to talk to Nanette, a US- based Reiki master. She has been into this practice for 5 years. She is now qualified to train other people who are into this energy healing and wants to follow her path. She also offers chakra clearing, which is very popular for people who start meditation. Rei means higher power and ki in Japanese means the same as qi in Chinese. As the name suggests, Reiki is basically ancient Japanese healing energy that harnesses the life force from our surrounding and channel it into the body. The practitioner can either place their hands above the body or slightly touch the body. Wherever the energy goes, it will help clear the path or unblock the meridian. A typical reiki session can last from 15 minutes to about 1 hour and is priced at $85/ hour at some spas. Nanette has recently started doing distant sessions in which clients make a phone call to her and listen to her voice while sitting or lying down. She will then call on the energy or draw it out using words in Japanese. (For more information on these sessions, visit radiant-reiki.com) There is no limit to how many reiki sessions a practitioner can or should do per day and according to Nanette, the energy she harnesses for the clients also have a positive effect on her health. In her words, while healing clients, she also heals herself. As any type of massage, before a reiki session, clients are advised against alcohol and drugs. During the session, they can feel very emotional and might burst into crying; it is all normal and expected. After the sessions, clients need to drink a lot of fluid and stay relaxed for another 20 minutes or so. Anyone can learn to become a reiki practitioner but some people are more inclined than others. For some practitioners, they cannot feel or perceive the energy running through them. Others are more powerful; they could see the colors and shapes of different emotions or material presentation of energy. An intuitive reiki practitioner can feel pain and blockage on a client’s body and is drawn to it like a magnet. Reiki works the best if clients are true believers; when people have no reservations or doubt, they open themselves to welcome the energy and help speed up the healing process

I believe in energy and chemistry, but I haven’t had any reiki sessions, so I cannot vouch for it. All I am sure is that in reiki or Sheila’s Massage or Sheila’s Nuru, the ultimate purpose is to promote well-being, relaxation and relieve stress in clients.