Mikao Usui is the origin point of Reiki — a practice that reframed healing as the movement of universal life energy through human hands and heart. Born in Japan in the late 19th century, Usui’s search for understanding led him through Buddhist study, martial discipline, and meditation. His spiritual awakening on Mount Kurama became the seed of a system that would ripple through the world: a reminder that the body is not a closed vessel, but a conductor of life itself.

Usui taught that rei-ki — “spirit energy” — was not something to be summoned or possessed, but recognised. It flows through every living being, guided by consciousness and intention. His method was less technique than awareness: the stillness through which healing becomes possible. The laying on of hands, in his teaching, was an act of reverence rather than control — a gesture of unity between giver and receiver.