The awareness that an unseen energy flows through all living things and directly affects the quality of a person's health has been part of the wisdom of many cultures since ancient times. This life energy goes by many names: qui in China, ki in Japan, and prana in India. The ancient Hawaiians called it ti or ki. It has also been called orgone energy and 'elan vital, and science refers to it as biofield energy. When your life energy is low, it is more difficult to deal with stress; you may not sleep well, and you're more susceptible to illness. When your life energy is strong, you feel strong, can more easily deal with stress, and are less likely to get sick. Reiki is a technique that increases a person's supply of life energy. Reiki was developed in Japan in 1922 by Mikao Usui and was brought to the West in 1937 by Hawayo Takata. The popularity of Reiki has grown exponentially in hte past few decades. Reiki is becoming increasingly popular with the medical community, with over 800 hospitals across the U.S. offering Reiki as a standard part of hospital care. A research study at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut indicates that Reiki improved patient sleep by 86%, reduced pain by 78%, anxiety during pregnancy by 94%. In addition, nurses report that Reiki helps patients heal faster with less pain, reduces stress and imporoves mental attitude, improves appetite, and reduces the negative side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and other medical procedures. Reiki energy allows muscles to relax and increases blood flow to treated areas, which in turn quickens the healing process.
