Reiki is a Japanese energy-healing practice developed by Mikao Usui in the early 1900s. The word means 'universal life force'. A practitioner rests their hands on or just above the body to help you relax deeply and support the body's natural capacity to settle and heal.

What happens in a Reiki session?

You lie fully clothed on a treatment couch for 60–90 minutes. The practitioner moves through a sequence of gentle hand positions on or above the body. You may feel warmth, coolness, a soft tingle, or simply drift into a deep rest. There is nothing you need to do.

Yes. Reiki is non-invasive and considered safe at any stage of life, including during pregnancy and alongside medical treatment. It is a complement to conventional care, not a replacement for it.

What are the benefits of Reiki?

People commonly report deeper sleep, reduced anxiety, softer aches and clearer thinking after a session. Reiki is often used to support recovery, ease stress, and create space for emotional processing.

How should I prepare for my first Reiki session?

Wear something comfortable and drink water beforehand. You don't need to fast or avoid anything. Come with whatever you'd like to soften — or come with no agenda at all.

— Guide

What is Reiki?

Name: Kerenza Jinks Holistic Therapist
Address: GB
Price range: ££

Reiki is a Japanese energy-healing practice developed by Mikao Usui in the early 1900s. The word joins two ideas — rei, the universal, and ki, life force. Put simply: a way of settling the body and mind by working with the energy that already moves through you.

Practitioner's hands resting gently above a client during a Reiki session

A short history

Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist, developed the Usui system after a period of study and retreat on Mount Kurama. He taught it as a practical discipline — a way of laying hands with intention. From Japan it moved through Hawaii in the mid-20th century, and from there quietly around the world.

The lineage matters. A Reiki Master is someone who has been attuned in this direct chain of teachers. I attained my Usui Reiki Master level in 2014 and, in 2016, co-developed Ogham Reiki — a Celtic thread of the same practice, drawn from the sacred trees and Ogham runes.

What happens in a session

You lie fully clothed on a treatment couch. Sessions last around sixty to ninety minutes. I move through a sequence of hand positions, either resting my hands lightly on the body or holding them just above it — whichever feels right for you.

You might feel warmth, coolness, a soft tingle, waves of emotion, or nothing at all beyond a very deep rest. All of that is normal. Many people drift in and out of sleep. The energy locates itself where it's most needed; you don't have to direct it.

What Reiki can help with

— Anxiety, low mood, and the residue of stress
— Physical tension, aches and long-standing pain
— Sleep that has become shallow or broken
— Recovery — after illness, surgery or heavy medication
— Grief, transitions, and emotional processing
— A sense of feeling scattered, ungrounded, or overwhelmed

Reiki is a complement to medical care, not a substitute for it. It sits alongside whatever else you are doing to look after yourself.

After the session

Drink water. Move gently for the rest of the day if you can. Effects often unfold over the following two or three days — deeper sleep, softer edges, clearer thinking, sometimes vivid dreams. You may want to keep a small notebook to hand.

Ready to try a session?

I offer Usui Reiki, Ogham Reiki, Crystal Healing and Herbalism sessions. Everything is tailored on the day — come as you are.

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