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

Reiki is one of those words everyone has heard and few can explain. Those who have tried it talk about warmth, calm, a different kind of sleep. Those who have not swing between curiosity and suspicion. This guide tries to say things as they are: what reiki is, what happens in a session, what you feel, what it does not promise. And where to do it, if you happen to be in Salento.

What reiki is, in simple words

Reiki was born in Japan in the early twentieth century with Mikao Usui. The word joins rei (universal, spiritual) and ki (life energy, the same concept as the Chinese qi). In practice it is a method of rebalancing in which the practitioner rests her hands, or holds them a few centimetres away, on a sequence of points on the body: head, chest, abdomen, back, joints.

You do not need to believe in anything. Reiki is not a religion and asks for no allegiance: the person receiving it simply lies down, and what happens is told by the body. This is why very different people receive it, from the stressed manager to the curious grandmother, without anyone having to change their mind about how the world works.

How a session unfolds

A session usually lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. Here is the typical script, which we follow almost identically at the masseria.

1. The welcome. A few minutes of conversation: how are you, what brings you here, whether there are any medical conditions to be aware of. It is not a medical visit, it is a way of not working blind.
2. The position. You lie down on a couch, fully clothed, with a blanket if needed. Those who prefer can stay seated. Low light, silence or music barely there.
3. The hands-on part. The practitioner rests her hands following a sequence of positions, holding each one still for a few minutes. There is no massage, no pressure, no manipulation.
4. The closing. A few minutes to come back, a glass of water, a couple of words about what you felt. Then you return to your day, often at a slower pace.

What you feel (and what it is normal not to feel)

The three sensations people describe most are warmth under the practitioner's hands, a light tingling, and a deep calm that sometimes slips into sleep. Some feel emotions rising for no apparent reason, a brief cry or a laugh. Others, and this is important to say, feel nothing in particular during the session and only notice afterwards, in the days that follow, that they have slept better or lost their temper less.

None of these responses is more right than the others. Reiki is not an experience with a score, and a serious practitioner will never tell you that "you felt nothing because you were closed off".

What reiki is not

Here it is worth being blunt, because online you can read anything.

• It is a wellbeing practice, not a therapy. In Italy reiki is one of the wellbeing disciplines practised under Italian Law 4/2013 on non-regulated professions. The practitioner makes no diagnosis, prescribes nothing and does not interfere with any medical care you are receiving.
• It does not replace medical or psychological care. Anyone living with a medical condition carries on with their own specialists. Reiki can accompany, never stand in for.
• It promises no results. The available research describes reiki as a relaxation practice with effects on perceived wellbeing; there is no evidence whatsoever that it makes illness go away, and anyone who claims it does 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.

Reiki levels and what they mean

Traditional training is organised in degrees: the first level teaches you to work on yourself and on others with your hands; the second introduces the symbols and distance work; the third and fourth are the Master levels, which qualify you to teach and require years of practice. Knowing that your practitioner is a fourth-level Reiki Master, as is Valentina, the practitioner we work with at the masseria, tells you there is a long path behind her, not a weekend course.

How to choose a serious practitioner

Three signs are enough. She asks how you are and whether you have any medical conditions, before starting. She never uses the language of illness and recovery, and never claims medical results. She tells you clearly what it costs and how long it lasts, and does not push you into buying endless packages. If even one of these three is missing, try another 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 led by Valentina, fourth-level Reiki Master and astrology consultant we work with, who also offers the integrated energy consultation, where reiki and natal chart work together. The first dates open in the coming months: on the Energy page you will find the form to be told first. Those coming from far away can sleep at the masseria and turn a session into a weekend, and those taking part in a guest retreat can book one in the breaks of the programme. If instead you are curious about working with the breath, at the masseria there is also Davide with breathwork: the two practices combine well on the same day.