What Is Reiki And How Does It Work?
29 May 2026
By Ken Breen — Intuitive Reiki Master, Infinite Energy Source, Footscray Melbourne
There is a question I am asked more than any other — by curious first-timers, by sceptics who arrive with folded arms and open hearts, and by people who have been quietly carrying something heavy for years and are finally ready to put it down.
"What is Reiki, really?"
It's a fair question. And it deserves an honest, complete answer — not the mystical hand-waving that can sometimes surround this work, but a real explanation of what Reiki is, where it comes from, how it works in the body, and why so many people — from Melbourne to Minnesota, from Footscray to Costa Rica — describe their first session as the beginning of something they didn't know they were missing.
The Energy That Gives You Life
Let's start at the beginning.
Every living thing on this planet carries an invisible, non-physical energy — a life force that animates the body, drives every cell, and connects the physical with the emotional, spiritual, and mental dimensions of who you are.
Different cultures have named this energy differently. In Japan it is called Ki. The Chinese know it as Chi. In Sanskrit and yogic tradition it is Prana. The ancient Greeks called it Pneuma. The Hebrew tradition knows it as Ruach. In Polynesian wisdom, it is Mana. Western spiritual traditions have long recognised it as the Holy Spirit.
The words are different. The truth they point to is the same: there is a living intelligence coursing through you, right now, that science has begun to measure, photograph (through Kirlian imaging), and explore. This energy is not metaphor. It is not wishful thinking. It is the substrate of life itself.
Reiki — from the Japanese Rei (universal wisdom or higher power) and Ki (life force energy) — is a practice of working with this energy to support healing, restore balance, and return the body to its natural state of flow.
Different cultures have named this energy differently. In Japan it is called Ki. The Chinese know it as Chi. In Sanskrit and yogic tradition it is Prana. The ancient Greeks called it Pneuma. The Hebrew tradition knows it as Ruach. In Polynesian wisdom, it is Mana. Western spiritual traditions have long recognised it as the Holy Spirit.
The words are different. The truth they point to is the same: there is a living intelligence coursing through you, right now, that science has begun to measure, photograph (through Kirlian imaging), and explore. This energy is not metaphor. It is not wishful thinking. It is the substrate of life itself.
Reiki — from the Japanese Rei (universal wisdom or higher power) and Ki (life force energy) — is a practice of working with this energy to support healing, restore balance, and return the body to its natural state of flow.
When Energy Gets Blocked
Here is something most people sense but can't quite name: the way stress lives in your body. The tightness in your chest before a difficult conversation. The heaviness in your limbs after an emotional loss. The foggy disconnection that settles in when life has been relentless for too long.
These aren't just feelings. They are energy.When we experience stress, trauma, grief, chronic tension, or prolonged emotional suppression, the natural flow of Ki through our energy pathways becomes blocked or stagnant.
And when energy stops moving freely, the effects ripple outward — into the physical body, the emotional field, the mental landscape, and the spiritual sense of self.
This is not a new idea. Traditional Chinese Medicine has mapped the body's energy pathways (meridians) for thousands of years. Yogic traditions have described the chakra system — the body's energy centres — in extraordinary detail. And modern research continues to affirm what these ancient wisdom traditions always knew: the body is not just a physical machine.
It is a living field of energy, intelligence, and possibility.Reiki works with this understanding.
And when energy stops moving freely, the effects ripple outward — into the physical body, the emotional field, the mental landscape, and the spiritual sense of self.
This is not a new idea. Traditional Chinese Medicine has mapped the body's energy pathways (meridians) for thousands of years. Yogic traditions have described the chakra system — the body's energy centres — in extraordinary detail. And modern research continues to affirm what these ancient wisdom traditions always knew: the body is not just a physical machine.
It is a living field of energy, intelligence, and possibility.Reiki works with this understanding.
How Reiki Works — The Simple Truth
A Reiki session does not involve manipulation, pressure, or any kind of physical intervention. It is a gentle, non-invasive practice in which the practitioner acts as an open, clear channel for universal life force energy — allowing that energy to flow where the body most needs it. Think of it this way. A Reiki practitioner does not send energy to you, force anything to happen, or direct the session from their own will. Instead, they create the conditions — the intention, the presence, the open channel — through which your body's own intelligence can draw in what it needs, release what no longer serves it, and return to its natural state of balance. The body already knows how to heal. Reiki simply reminds it. During a session, you may feel:Deep warmth or coolness moving through areas of your bodyTingling or subtle pulsing sensationsSpontaneous emotional release — a feeling of lightness, or tears that carry something old with themVivid inner imagery or a dreamlike stateOr simply the most profound relaxation you have experienced in a long time
Every body responds differently. Every session is unique. But what clients consistently describe, across cultures and continents, is this: they arrive one way, and they leave feeling more like themselves.
The Origins — Dr. Mikao Usui and the Reiki Lineage
Modern Reiki as we practice it today traces its rediscovery to Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese scholar born in the mid-1800s who spent decades researching the healing traditions of the East and West — studying the healing ministries of Buddha, Jesus, and other great teachers.
After years of deep scholarship, meditation, and a twenty-one day fast and meditation retreat on Mount Kurama, Usui experienced a profound spiritual awakening in which the symbols and knowledge of Reiki were transmitted to him directly. He spent the rest of his life refining and teaching this system, establishing the first Reiki clinic in Kyoto.
The tradition was passed from master to student — through Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, then to Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the Western world in the 1930s. Today, Usui Reiki is practised in hospitals, clinics, healing centres, and private studios worldwide — including here at Infinite Energy Source in Footscray, Melbourne.
The tradition was passed from master to student — through Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, then to Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the Western world in the 1930s. Today, Usui Reiki is practised in hospitals, clinics, healing centres, and private studios worldwide — including here at Infinite Energy Source in Footscray, Melbourne.
Usui left five simple principles at the heart of his teaching:
Just for today, I will not be angry.Just for today, I will not worry.Just for today, I will be grateful.Just for today, I will do my work honestly.Just for today, I will be kind to every living being.
These principles are not just philosophical. They are energetic instructions for living in alignment — and they remain as relevant today as they were in nineteenth century Japan.
Reiki and the Physical Body — What the Research Shows
The question of whether Reiki "works" is increasingly answered not just by ancient tradition, but by modern research. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals have documented Reiki's measurable effects on:
Stress and cortisol levels — multiple studies have shown significant reduction in markers ofphysiological stress following Reiki sessions Heart rate and blood pressure — Reiki activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the body's "rest and digest" state), reducing heart rate and promoting cardiovascular calmPain management — research in clinical settings has found Reiki to be effective in reducing pain scores, including post-surgical and chronic pain Anxiety and depression — studies in oncology, palliative care, and mental health settings consistently report reduced anxiety and improved mood following Reiki sessionsSleep quality — clients regularly report deeper, more restful sleep in the days following a session
This is not a claim that Reiki replaces medical care. It does not. Reiki is a complementary practice — one that works beautifully alongside medical treatment, therapy, and every other tool you use to care for yourself. But it is also, increasingly, a practice that science is beginning to understand and affirm.
Stress and cortisol levels — multiple studies have shown significant reduction in markers ofphysiological stress following Reiki sessions Heart rate and blood pressure — Reiki activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the body's "rest and digest" state), reducing heart rate and promoting cardiovascular calmPain management — research in clinical settings has found Reiki to be effective in reducing pain scores, including post-surgical and chronic pain Anxiety and depression — studies in oncology, palliative care, and mental health settings consistently report reduced anxiety and improved mood following Reiki sessionsSleep quality — clients regularly report deeper, more restful sleep in the days following a session
This is not a claim that Reiki replaces medical care. It does not. Reiki is a complementary practice — one that works beautifully alongside medical treatment, therapy, and every other tool you use to care for yourself. But it is also, increasingly, a practice that science is beginning to understand and affirm.
Why Reiki Is Not All the Same
Not all Reiki experiences are created equal. The depth of a session depends entirely on the practitioner — their level of training, their sensitivity, their ability to hold clear and open space, and the breadth of what they bring to the work.
The sessions I offer at Infinite Energy Source are not standard Reiki treatments. They are Reiki Synergy Sessions — a deeply layered, intuitively guided experience that draws on Reiki Usui Mastery alongside Chakra Balancing, Crystal Bowl and Sound Healing, DNA Activations, Breath Coaching, Scalar Healing, Shamanic Visions, and more.Each session is channelled in real time for the specific person in front of me — or connecting with me remotely from anywhere in the world. No two sessions are the same. Because no two people are the same.
I have lived everything I offer. My journey into this work began through my own experience of chronic pain, emotional collapse, and disconnection — and the profound, undeniable healing that Reiki and these combined modalities made possible in my own life. I don't teach from theory. I teach from direct experience.
The sessions I offer at Infinite Energy Source are not standard Reiki treatments. They are Reiki Synergy Sessions — a deeply layered, intuitively guided experience that draws on Reiki Usui Mastery alongside Chakra Balancing, Crystal Bowl and Sound Healing, DNA Activations, Breath Coaching, Scalar Healing, Shamanic Visions, and more.Each session is channelled in real time for the specific person in front of me — or connecting with me remotely from anywhere in the world. No two sessions are the same. Because no two people are the same.
I have lived everything I offer. My journey into this work began through my own experience of chronic pain, emotional collapse, and disconnection — and the profound, undeniable healing that Reiki and these combined modalities made possible in my own life. I don't teach from theory. I teach from direct experience.
Is Reiki Right for You?
Reiki is for anyone who feels that something isn't quite right — even when they can't name exactly what that something is. It is for people carrying weight they can't seem to put down. For those who sense a version of themselves that's just slightly out of reach. For those who are tired of pushing through,and ready to be met somewhere gentler.
You do not need to believe in Reiki for it to work. You do not need to be spiritual, or open-minded in any particular way. You simply need to be willing to lie down, close your eyes, and let your bodydo what it already knows how to do.
If you're curious, the best place to start is a conversation. I offer a free 30-minute discovery call — no obligation, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about where you are, what you're carrying, and whether a Reiki Synergy Session might be the right next step for you.
If you're ready to book directly, you can book your first Reiki Synergy Session here.In person at Studio 3, 124 Whitehall Street, Footscray Melbourne — or remotely,from wherever you are in the world. Ken Breen is Melbourne's Intuitive Reiki Master and founder of Infinite Energy Source.He offers in-person Reiki Synergy Sessions at Studio 3, Footscray and remote sessions worldwide via Zoom.
Monday–Friday 10am–7pm · Saturday 8am–3pm · Sunday by appointment.
You do not need to believe in Reiki for it to work. You do not need to be spiritual, or open-minded in any particular way. You simply need to be willing to lie down, close your eyes, and let your bodydo what it already knows how to do.
If you're curious, the best place to start is a conversation. I offer a free 30-minute discovery call — no obligation, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about where you are, what you're carrying, and whether a Reiki Synergy Session might be the right next step for you.
If you're ready to book directly, you can book your first Reiki Synergy Session here.In person at Studio 3, 124 Whitehall Street, Footscray Melbourne — or remotely,from wherever you are in the world. Ken Breen is Melbourne's Intuitive Reiki Master and founder of Infinite Energy Source.He offers in-person Reiki Synergy Sessions at Studio 3, Footscray and remote sessions worldwide via Zoom.
Monday–Friday 10am–7pm · Saturday 8am–3pm · Sunday by appointment.