Reiki is a stress reducing, relaxation technique that originated from Japan. Reiki is a spiritual belief that can be used to improve a person’s mind, body, and soul. From the word Rei which means “God’s wisdom” and Ki which means “life force,” the work Reiki means a spiritually guided life.” Reiki is thought to promote healing through the “laying on of hands” in order to massage the invisible “life force energy” that lies within all living creatures. The Japanese believe that this energy affects every aspect of our lives from physical health to emotional wellbeing. When our life force is weak we become sick, develop stress, or become depressed. When our life force is strong we feel healthy, relaxed, and happy with our lives.

While Reiki therapy is considered a form of touch therapy, a Reiki therapist will usually not even touch you, except in a couple of instances. The Reiki therapist positions his or her hands just above the client’s body and manipulates the life force energy from there. Reiki is the art of channeling the body’s life force through energy healing vibrations in order to restore imbalances, remove energy blockers, and realign a person’s physical, emotional, or spiritual harmony within. Many people report feeling more relaxed, happier, energetic, and aligned after a Reiki session, almost as if they had given their inner batteries a jump-start.

Reiki is performed by bringing energy to the body using a series of different hand positions. Therapy to the head area is said to help in relieving problems such as sinusitis, allergies, asthma, fatigue, hearing loss, and general unhappiness. The laying on of hands to the chest and abdomen area might help in improving the immune system, heart and lung troubles, indigestion, nausea, sexual dysfunctions, anxiety, and depression. Reiki therapy that focuses on the back may help with headaches, muscular tension, and kidney functions. It is important to note that Reiki is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and treatments that many people find can create positive results in the balancing of a person’s mind, body, and spirit. Even if you don’t believe it will work, Reiki practitioners would challenge you to give it a try before you decide if it does or does not.

Shiatsu is a healing and massage technique that was originally developed in China, but was then improved upon and popularized by the Japanese. Shiatsu uses a series of finger pressure points and stretching techniques to stimulate circulation of the blood and lymphatic fluids, relieve tension and reduce stress, increase stamina, lower blood pressure, and release harmful toxins from the body. Again, the principles of Shiatsu are rooted in the idea that there is an eternal energy that flows through the body and keeps us happy and healthy or depressed and sick. Along with that, however, is the actual physical manipulation of pressure points that can affect the body in a variety of positive ways.

Much like acupuncture, Shiatsu is based on the belief that there are certain points of the body that connect to other parts of the body through an intricate maze of internal pathways. In Shiatsu, these pathways are called Meridians. The pathways are thought to connect the organs, skin, muscles, and bones together in a pattern similar to the branches of a tree or interconnecting rivers and streams. There are twelve meridians that flow through the organs and each branch of the meridian always starts or ends in the head, chest, hands, or feet. For example, the lung meridian travels from the front of the chest wall to the thumb; the bladder meridian travels from the inside corner of the eye to the little toe; and the kidney meridian travels from the sole of the foot to the top of the chest. If any of these pathways become blocked, the body requires Shiatsu treatment to return flow back to the meridians. Applying pressure along certain points of the meridian is thought to repair flow to the meridians.

Unlike Reiki, Shiatsu does require the touching of the body. The fingers and palms of the Shiatsu practitioner are used to apply varying levels of pressure to specific parts of the body in order to treat a variety of ailments. Shiatsu therapy is thought to successfully treat headaches, insomnia, back pain, constipation, anxiety, stress, and mental imbalances. Most practitioners believe that Shiatsu alone will not effectively cure illnesses, but should instead be used with other techniques, such as Reiki or other therapies, to properly treat serious physical problems.

Other forms of touch therapy include Acupressure, the Chinese method of finger pressure therapy; Thai Massage, the Buddhist Thai method of muscle massage; Reflexology, the method of massaging the feet, hands, and ears for body healing; and Lomilomi, the Hawaiian method of medical massage. The art of touch therapy is much more than massage, but a belief that there are energies that connect our bodies to ourselves, others, and the universe itself. Knowing how to connect with these energies and realign them properly is what makes touch therapy so unique and interesting. So, why not give them a try and decide for yourself the next time you make a day spa appointment?

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