Reiki: What It Is, How a Session Works and What You Feel

Sometimes you do not need to do more. You need to stop.

Reiki is a word you have heard many times. Perhaps a friend told you about a warmth under the hands, about a different kind of sleep the night after. Here I try to tell you what really happens, without inflating anything. And where you can receive it, if you are in Salento.

What it is, put simply

Reiki was born in Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century. The word joins rei, universal, and ki, life energy. In practice it is this: a trained person rests their hands, or holds them a few centimetres away, on a sequence of points on the body. Head, chest, abdomen, back, joints.

You do not have to believe in anything. Reiki is not a religion and does not ask you to change your mind about the world. You stay lying down. What happens, the body tells.

What happens in a session

A session generally lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. At the masseria it goes like this.

You arrive. A few minutes to talk: how you are, what brings you here, whether there are health conditions to know about. It is not a medical visit. It is a way of not working blind.

You lie down, clothed, in the quiet of the hall. A blanket if needed. Low light, silence or music barely there. If you prefer to stay seated, that is fine.

Valentina rests her hands. She holds them still for a few minutes in each position. There is no massage, no pressure, no manipulation. You do not have to do anything. You can simply be.

At the end, a few minutes to come back. A glass of water. A word or two about what you felt. Then the day resumes, often at a slower pace.

What you feel

The things people report most are three: warmth under the hands, a light tingling, a deep calm that sometimes slips into sleep. For some an emotion rises for no apparent reason, brief tears, laughter.

And there are those who feel nothing in particular. Then in the days after they notice they slept better, or got angry less.

There is no right feeling to have. Reiki is not an experience with a score. No one will ever tell you that you did not feel anything because you were closed off.

What Reiki is not

Here it is right to be clear, because online you read all sorts.

Reiki is not a therapy. In Italy it falls among the wellbeing disciplines practised under Italian Law 4/2013 on non-regulated professions. Those who practise it make no diagnosis, prescribe nothing, and do not interfere with ongoing care.

It does not replace medical or psychological care. If you have a health condition, the person following you remains your reference. Reiki can accompany. Never replace.

It promises no results. Research describes it as a relaxation practice with effects on perceived wellbeing. There is no evidence that it acts on any illness, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.

That said, an hour of quiet in which someone looks after you, without hurry and without judgement, has a value that needs no promises.

The levels, in two words

Traditional training has degrees. The first teaches you to work on yourself and others with your hands. The second introduces the symbols and distance work. The third and fourth are the Master levels, and come after years of practice. Valentina, fourth-level Reiki Master and astrology consultant, works with Masseria Montanari: behind her is a long path, not a weekend course.

How to recognise someone who works well

Three signs are enough. They ask how you are and whether you have health conditions, before starting. They never use words that promise a remedy or a recovery. They tell you clearly how much it costs and how long it lasts, without pushing you to buy endless packages. If even one of these is missing, change door.

Reiki at the masseria, in Salento

At Masseria Montanari, in Carpignano Salentino, Reiki sessions take place in the vaulted hall in Lecce stone: 55 m² of silence, with the countryside of the Grecìa Salentina all around. They are guided by Valentina, who also offers the integrated energy consultation, where Reiki and the natal chart work together.

The first dates are about to open. On the Energy page you can leave your contact details to be the first to know. If you are coming from far away you can stay the night. If you are taking part in a guest retreat, you can book it in the breaks of the programme. And if the breath intrigues you, Davide, breath coach and facilitator, is at the masseria too, with breathwork: the two practices sit well in the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to undress? No. You stay clothed, lying down or seated, with a blanket if you like.

What if I feel nothing? That is fine too. There is no right feeling, and often something is noticed only in the days after.

Is Reiki a therapy? No. It is a wellbeing practice and does not replace medical or psychological care.

Write to Valentina

You do not have to know where to start. Tell me how you are and what you are looking for: I will reply myself, personally. Write to me from the Energy page.

Activity carried out under Italian Law 4/2013. Reiki is not a therapy and does not replace medical or psychological care.