(Pronounced Ray-key) Reiki means universal energy or life force. In 1922 Mikao Usui discovered and developed a method of connecting with this energy and transmitting it to others to relax and enhance well being. It can balance and harmonize the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sides of our being. It is none intrusive as the practitioners hands are placed lightly on the body or held just over the charkas{the body's energy centres) and usually gives a feeIing of peace and tranquillity to those who are receiving it.
A warm feeling is often perceived, but cold, tingling, or waves of energy can also be felt. Sometimes nothing is felt by the patient but energy is still being absorbed and will benefit the person anyway. Patients remain clothed while lying or sitting. Suitable for everyone including children.

So many of the problems we experience as adults actually happen many years prior to feeling the pain. In fact most occur in our childhood years, so it is very important to get children checked if they fall or are involved in any incident which you think may have caused damage.

Healing Usui Reiki Ryōhō does not use any medication or instruments, but uses looking, blowing, light tapping, and touching. According to Frank Arjava Petter, Usui touched the diseased parts of the body, he massaged them, tapped them lightly, stroked them, blew on them, fixed his gaze upon them for two to three minutes, and specifically gave them energy, and used a technique commonly referred to as palm healing as a form of complementary and alternative medicine. Through the use of this palm healing (sometimes referred to as "tenohira" (掌, meaning "the palm"), practitioners transfer healing energy in the form of qi through the palms.

In a typical whole-body Reiki treatment, the Reiki practitioner instructs the recipient to lie down, usually on a massage table, and relax. Loose, comfortable clothing is usually worn during the treatment. The practitioner might take a few moments to enter a calm or meditative state of mind and mentally prepare for the treatment,  that is usually carried out without any unnecessary talking.

The treatment proceeds with the practitioner placing the hands on the recipient in various positions. However, practitioners may use a non-touching technique, where the hands are held a few centimetres away from the recipient's body for some or all of the positions. The hands are usually kept in a position for three to five minutes before moving to the next position. Overall, the hand positions usually give a general coverage of the head, the front and back of the torso, the knees, and feet. Between 12 and 20 positions are used, with the whole treatment lasting anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.

Many Western practitioners use a common fixed set of 12 hand positions, while others use their intuition to guide them as to where treatment is needed as is the practise in Traditional Japanese Reiki, sometimes starting the treatment with a "scan" of the recipient to find such areas. The intuitive approach might also lead to individual positions being treated for much shorter or longer periods. A Western Reiki treatment is considered a type of large-scale treatment in comparison to the more localised-style treatment of Traditional Japanese Reiki.

The use of the 12 hand positions energise on many levels, by,

• Energising on a physical level through the warmth of the hands,
  
• Energising on the mental level through the use of the Reiki symbols,
  
• Energising on the emotional level through the love that flows with the use of the symbols,
  
• Energising on the energetic level though the presence of an initiated practitioner as well as the presence of the Reiki power itself.
  

It is reported that the recipient often feels warmth or tingling in the area being treated, even when a non-touching approach is being used. A state of deep relaxation, combined with a general feeling of well-being, is usually the most noticeable immediate effect of the treatment, although emotional releases can also occur. As the Reiki treatment is said to stimulate the body's natural healing processes, instantaneous "cures" of specific health problems are not normally observed. A series of three or more treatments, typically at intervals of one to seven days, is usually recommended if a chronic condition is being addressed, and regular treatments on an on-going basis can be used with the aim of maintaining well-being. The interval between such treatments is typically in the range of one to four weeks, except in the case of self-treatment where daily practice is common.