What Reiki Means to Me

People often ask me, "What is Reiki?"

For many, Reiki is described as energy healing. But for me, Reiki first felt like something much simpler — a remembering that the body already knows how to heal.

My connection with healing and energy started long before I formally learned Reiki. I was always sensitive to subtle shifts in people, spaces, and emotions. Sometimes I would walk into a room and immediately feel whether the energy was calm, tense, joyful, or heavy.

At that time, I didn't have language or concepts for it. I just thought I was being overly sensitive.

Interestingly, one of my earliest experiences happened when I was working in a psychiatric hospital in Punjab as an intern psychologist. During that time, I often felt that something was missing in the approach used in many psychiatric settings. Of course medication and therapy are important, but I always sensed there was another dimension of healing that was not being addressed.

One day, very intuitively, I placed my hand gently on the head of one of the mental health patients. I wasn't trying to do anything special. It was just a spontaneous human gesture of support and presence.

But something surprising happened.

The patient began to relax and went into calmness.

At that time I had no idea that what I was doing resembled Reiki. I hadn't studied it yet. Looking back now, I feel that moment may have been my first unconscious experience of Reiki, long before I even knew the word.

Later in life, when Reiki formally came into my life, something suddenly made sense.

How Reiki Works

Reiki works on a simple principle: the body is constantly trying to return to balance. When stress, emotional experiences, or physical tension accumulate, our nervous system can remain in a state of overactivity. Reiki supports the body in moving back toward a parasympathetic state — the state where restoration and healing naturally happen.

In a Reiki session, the practitioner gently places hands on or above the body. Through presence, meditation and intention the body begins to relax. Many people report warmth, tingling, deep calm, or sometimes emotional release.

From a scientific perspective, this relaxation response is very important. When the nervous system shifts into rest-and-repair mode, heart rate slows, breathing deepens, and the body can begin its natural processes of recovery.

For me, Reiki is not about "fixing" anyone.

It is about holding a calm, safe space where the body remembers its own intelligence.

When I first began practicing Reiki, I noticed something interesting. The more I worked with it, the more it felt like a practice of presence rather than doing. The hands become quiet, the mind slows down, and the person receiving Reiki gradually drops into a very peaceful state.

Reiki in Rishikesh

Today I share Reiki sessions in Rishikesh, in Tapovan, where many people come seeking rest, healing, and clarity. Sometimes people come with stress, sometimes with emotional heaviness, and sometimes they simply want to reconnect with themselves and take blessings from Maa Ganga.

And very often, after a session, they say the same thing:

"I feel lighter… calmer… like my body has taken a deep breath."

To me, that is the beauty of Reiki.

It reminds us that healing does not always have to be complicated. Sometimes it begins with stillness, safe touch, and a space where the nervous system finally feels safe enough to relax.

And in a place like Rishikesh, surrounded by the Ganga, mountains, and the power of spiritual practice, that process often feels even more natural.

"Reiki, for me, is simply the art of allowing the body to remember its own balance. I feel deeply grateful and in reverence to Maa Ganga for allowing me to be a small instrument of healing and service in the world."

Interested in experiencing a Reiki session at Aavya? Explore our private sessions or browse upcoming retreats. You can also reach out to us to book a session during your visit.