It’s Reiki Awareness Week and what better time to talk about what Reiki is? When I tell people I’m a Reiki practitioner, I often get puzzled looks and it’s actually not that easy to explain what it is and how it works.

Reiki is a simple, non-intrusive method of energy healing which allows positive energy to flow through the practitioner’s hands, encouraging the body to balance and heal itself. The word ‘Reiki’ comes from the Japanese words ‘Rei’ meaning universal and ‘Ki’ meaning life force energy.

Some people are a little nervous about exploring alternative therapies. Reiki (pronounced 'ray-kee') comes from the Japanese words, 'rei' (meaning 'universal') and 'ki' (meaning 'energy). It is an ancient Japanese relaxation technique which was developed by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. Reiki is a completely harmless, non-invasive, holistic treatment which is gentle but powerful. The Reiki practitioner uses a series of hand positions to channel energy to the body's energy centres (chakras) enabling the body to rebalance and revitalise itself. The client remains fully clothed throughout the treatment which can be carried out either hands-off or hands-on, depending on your preference. Reiki works on every level, not just the physical.

So what has been a dream of mine for the last two years has now become a reality. My lovely Reiki room is ready, my logo and postcards are done and Forest Reiki is on Facebook and Twitter (thanks to the very talented Emily Jagger at Jagger Design). I've had my first clients and they've booked to come back! I'm really looking forward to helping people relax, de-stress, rebalance, rejuvenate, recharge and revitalise.