What happens when you combine a 100-year-old Japanese healing technique with the 5,000-year-old art of yoga? You get reiki yoga, the latest hybrid class to take the yoga scene by storm.
Reiki yoga merges two ancient modalities into one powerful duo for students looking to dive deeper into their own spirituality. This potent combo allows yogis to access their own healing energy through restorative yoga combined with basic reiki principles. Classes are currently popping up in yoga studios across the country.
“I’m not surprised that reiki yoga is on the rise,” Alison Christiansen, LCSW, a reiki yoga teacher in California and New York, tells DailyOM. “I feel like collectively, as a society, there’s just been so much pain and suffering these past few years. People are turning more to mindfulness practices to find some comfort. They’re trying to find some meaning about what’s been going on in the world. Part of that is doing some self-reflection.”
For some, that inward, soul-searching journey also includes meditation, yoga, and reiki.
DailyOM turned to the experts to help you decide whether reiki yoga is right for you, and exactly what to expect from your first class, regardless of whether you’ve been practicing yoga for two weeks or 20 years. Here’s what they had to say.
What Is Reiki Yoga?
There is currently no formal teacher training course available for reiki yoga, so classes vary from studio to studio. However, they typically include 45 to 60 minutes of gentle or restorative yoga with elements of reiki — ancient Japanese energy healing intended to calm the parasympathetic nervous system — sprinkled throughout the class or added at the end during the Savasana pose. Some instructors, like Christiansen, are trained in reiki themselves and use energy healing throughout the class. Others bring in reiki practitioners as an addition to their own yoga expertise for special classes.
“Reiki can be a bit challenging to explain and is much easier to understand once you have experienced it,” says Hawaii-based fitness expert and Yoga Alliance–trained instructor Desi Bartlett. “When a qualified reiki master lays hands on you, there is an inner knowing that something is happening. Highly sensitive individuals might experience a subtle shift in energy. For others, reiki might feel almost imperceivable, like the light touch of a butterfly. Combining these two modalities — yoga and reiki — is incredibly healing for anyone who has been in a constant state of stress.”
She adds, “Healing practices that can help move the nervous system from fight-or-flight to relax and restore are needed now more than ever, and can appeal to anyone who would like to remove some of the effects of stress from their body and mind, and invite in mindfulness and gratitude.”
Interested in learning more? Check out Reiki Healing for Beginners
What Are the Benefits of Reiki Yoga?
Reiki yoga offers many benefits. Reiki, an ancient form of Japanese energy healing, has long been known for its ability to help the body heal from trauma, stress, and anxiety, while yoga has been used for thousands of years to strengthen the body, both inside and out.
“Combining these two modalities does not take anything away from either practice,” says Bartlett, who is not a reiki practitioner herself. “If anything, when combining yoga and reiki, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts — meaning that the physical, mental, and emotional benefits that can come about as the result of a dedicated yoga practice can be amplified by combining the practice with reiki. I have invited in a reiki master during Savasana in my own classes, and students have shared that they love the feeling of being cared for.”
How Do You Practice Reiki Yoga?
Although Christiansen says it’s possible to do energy work on yourself, she advises that it is best left to reiki masters in a live class setting, or even on Zoom. In her live workshops, she gives a brief overview of the history of reiki to students before teaching a restorative yoga class, where she walks around the room offering reiki healing as students hold poses, using bolsters, blocks, and blankets to assist them. She also plays healing music like “Koyosan: Reiki Sound Healing” by Dueter and “Healing Sounds: Frequencies II” by Jonathan Goldman to help students unwind.
But if you’re not working with a reiki energy healer in person or online, you can still rest and restore in a posture and imagine a loving light or energy. “We all have access to the energy around us,” she adds.
5 At-Home Reiki Yoga–Inspired Poses
Here, Christiansen shares a reiki yoga–inspired, five-pose sequence you can do to help cultivate a sense of calm in the privacy of your own home.
Props: You’ll need three blankets or towels; a yoga mat or towel to lie on; two yoga blocks; and one bolster or couch cushion. You can also add an eye pillow or essential oils, if you have them on hand.
1. Restorative Bridge
Restorative bridge pose inspires an inner sense of stability and openness as your heart softly opens.
Lie down on your back. Bend your knees, placing the soles of your feet on the floor, and rest your arms alongside you with your palms facing down. Firmly press your feet down into the ground to lift your hips up toward the sky. Slide your bolster or cushion underneath your lower back. Rest your lower back on the bolster while keeping your knees bent and feet on the floor. You should feel a slight release in the lower back now that your hips are elevated and a nice stretch in the chest and shoulders.
With your feet firmly planted on the floor, close your eyes, if that’s comfortable, and let your breath flow naturally. Picture yourself surrounded by a golden sphere of light, a light of nourishment and loving energy. Imagine any distractions or negativity bouncing off of the sphere, knowing that as you rest here, you are protected. Remain here for about five minutes.
Transition out: Slowly, and with care, lift your hips toward the ceiling and remove the bolster from underneath you. Lower your spine one vertebrae at a time to the floor. Take three slow breaths. Taking your time, gently roll to one side and press yourself up to a comfortable seated position.
2. Restorative Twist
Gentle twists aid with digestion, optimize the health of the spine, and improve energy.
Place your bolster or cushion lengthwise in the center of your mat. Lying down, bring your right hip two inches away from the bolster and bend your knees, letting them both fall to the right side. Place your hands on either side of the bolster and slowly lower your torso onto the bolster. Place your right cheek on the bolster. Let your arms relax in any way that is comfortable for you.
This is intended to provide a gentle twist, but if your lower back feels strained, place a blanket between your knees. You may also find it supportive to place a block under the bolster, lining up under your cheek.
Close your eyes, if that’s comfortable. Imagine a river of energy entering the crown of your head, flowing down your body, and then out of the soles of your feet. Imagine this flowing river of energy clearing away stress, tension, and stagnant energy, revealing inner clarity and ease. Rest here for about five minutes.
When you’re ready, slowly switch sides: Press your hands into the floor and mindfully lift yourself up. Position the bolster on your left side. Lying down, bring your left hip two inches away from the bolster and bend your knees, letting them both fall to the left side. Place your hands on either side of the bolster and slowly lower your torso onto the bolster. Place your left cheek on the bolster. Let your arms relax.
Once again, close your eyes, if comfortable, and imagine the river of energy flowing through your body and clearing away all tension. Remain on this side for five minutes.
Transition out: Press your hands into the floor and carefully lift yourself up. Gradually make your way to a comfortable seated position and take three steady breaths. Lastly, move your bolster off your mat.
3. Restorative Heart Opener
This is a wonderful posture for the health of your shoulders as well as opening you up to self-compassion and inner trust.
Create an “L” with your blocks: One block lies flat and the other stands tall. Let the bolster or cushion recline onto the blocks diagonally. Position yourself up against the low end of the bolster and slowly recline your back onto the bolster. Extend your legs long, placing a rolled-up blanket under your knees. If desired, place a blanket under your head for support. Another option is to settle into this posture without the blocks, simply placing your bolster flat on the floor. Once situated, rest your arms with your palms facing up; feel free to place a blanket underneath each elbow to prevent strain in your shoulders. Notice the gentle opening in your heart and shoulders as the tension softens.
Close your eyes, if that’s comfortable, and allow yourself to soften into this posture.
Bring your awareness to your heart. Imagine white light surrounding your heart center — a light infused with joy, love, calm, and self-acceptance. Rest here for five minutes.
Transition out: When you’re ready, gently roll to one side and press up to a comfortable seated position. Take three slow breaths and then mindfully clear the props to the side.
4. Reclined Bound Angle: Supta Baddha Konasana
Hip openers can help you process and release emotions.
Lie down with a block on either side of you. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall away from one another. Bring yoga blocks or blankets underneath each thigh so that your hips are not strained in this open shape. Feel free to place a blanket over your belly and legs for comfort and grounding. You may also choose to bring a blanket or pillow underneath your head for support.
Close your eyes and allow yourself to melt toward the floor. Imagine yourself resting in a serene forest, feeling the support of Mother Earth holding you. Picture wise, ancient trees surrounding you as you gaze upward to their branches overhead. Sense sunlight streaming through the branches and leaves, showering you with abundance, rejuvenation, and peace. Stay here for five minutes.
Transition out: Slowly, and with care, draw your knees back together and extend your legs long. Take three soothing breaths.
5. Supported Savasana
Seal in your practice in final resting pose.
Remain lying on your back and slide the bolster or cushion under your knees. This helps to release and support your lower back. Allow your arms to rest alongside you with your palms facing up in a gesture to receive. Return to the imagery of a nourishing, golden sphere of light surrounding you. Know that as you rest here, all the fruits of your yoga practice and energetic imagery are being integrated and absorbed into your body and spirit.
Rest here for five to ten minutes, sealing in your practice.
Transition out: Slowly open your eyes and begin to gently move your body in a way that feels right to you as you prepare to rise carefully.
