Reiki, the Chakras, and the Human Aura — What They Are and How They Work Together

A plain-spoken guide to the energetic system Reiki works with — and why understanding it changes everything

By Joseph · Unum Reiki & Wellness · unumreikiandwellness.com

Reiki is a gentle, hands-on energy healing practice that promotes balance, relaxation, and emotional wellbeing. But what exactly is it working with?

When I give a Reiki session, I am not working with muscles or bones or organs in the way a massage therapist works. I am working with the body's energetic system — the field of energy that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body, and the network of energy centers that regulate how that energy flows.

Understanding this system does not require you to take anything on faith. You may already have experienced it directly — the way a room can feel heavy after an argument, the way certain people leave you feeling drained and others leave you feeling alive, the way grief can settle into your chest as a physical weight. These are not metaphors. They are experiences of the energetic body.

In this post I want to explain, in plain language, what chakras are, what the human aura is, and how Reiki works with both.

What Is Reiki Actually?

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing practice developed in the early twentieth century by Mikao Usui. The word Reiki comes from two Japanese words — rei, meaning universal or spiritual wisdom, and ki, meaning life force energy.

The foundational principle of Reiki is that a trained practitioner can act as a conduit for this life force energy, directing it through their hands to support the recipient's body in returning to its natural state of balance and flow.

Reiki does not diagnose. It does not treat specific conditions in the medical sense. What it does is support the body's own innate healing intelligence by providing it with more energy, clearing blockages that interrupt flow, and creating the conditions of deep relaxation in which healing naturally accelerates.

Reiki does not heal you. It gives your body the conditions and the energy to heal itself.

What Are Chakras?

The word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means wheel. This is an accurate description of what chakras are experienced as energetically — spinning centers of energy within the body, each one regulating the flow of life force through a particular dimension of our physical, emotional, and spiritual experience.

The chakra system originated in ancient Hindu and yogic traditions and has been used across many healing traditions for thousands of years. In Reiki practice, the seven primary chakras are understood as the main centers through which the practitioner works.

Each chakra is associated with a location in the body, a set of physical organs and systems, an emotional and psychological domain, and a quality of consciousness. When a chakra is open, balanced, and flowing freely, the areas of life it governs tend to feel alive and clear. When it is blocked or stagnant, the corresponding areas of life tend to feel stuck or overwhelming.

The Seven Primary Chakras:

Root Chakra (Muladhara) · Base of the spine · Safety, stability, belonging, physical security

Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) · Lower abdomen · Creativity, pleasure, emotion, sensuality, flow

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) · Upper abdomen · Personal power, confidence, will, self-worth

Heart Chakra (Anahata) · Center of the chest · Love, compassion, connection, grief, forgiveness

Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) · Throat · Communication, truth, authentic expression

Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) · Between the eyebrows · Intuition, perception, clarity, inner knowing

Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) · Top of the head · Spiritual connection, consciousness, unity

When I work with a client in a Reiki session, I am paying attention to the energy in and around each of these centers — noticing where the flow feels open and abundant, where it feels contracted or stuck, where there is heat or cold or stillness.

What Is the Human Aura?

The aura is the energetic field that surrounds the physical body. It extends outward from the body in all directions — some sensitive practitioners perceive it as extending several feet, others experience it as closer and more intimate.

Most people have had experiences of the aura without naming it that way. When someone stands just a little too close and it feels uncomfortable even though they have not touched you — you are sensing the boundary of your energetic field. When you walk into a room full of people and immediately sense the mood without anyone speaking — you are reading the collective field.

You have felt the aura your whole life. You simply may not have had a name for it.

What can affect the aura?

The aura is continuously responding to our inner state, our environment, and the people and energies we encounter. Things that can weaken or cloud the auric field include:

— Chronic stress, anxiety, or emotional pain

— Prolonged illness or physical depletion

— Traumatic experiences that have not been fully processed

— Extended time in environments with heavy or negative energy

— Absorbing the emotional energy of others

— particularly common in empaths

— Unresolved grief, anger, or fear held over long periods

When the aura is depleted in these ways, people often feel it — exposed, drained, anxious without clear cause, or unable to contain themselves. One of the most powerful things Reiki does is restore and strengthen the auric field — bringing it back into coherence and helping it function again as the natural protective boundary it is designed to be.

How Does Reiki Work with the Chakras and the Aura?

A Reiki session works simultaneously with the chakra system and the auric field — they are not separate domains but interconnected aspects of the same energetic body.

At the level of the chakras, Reiki energy moves toward areas of blockage or imbalance and supports the natural process of clearing and rebalancing. This does not mean forcing a chakra open or imposing a particular state. It means offering the energy system what it needs to return to its own natural equilibrium.

At the level of the aura, Reiki strengthens the field as a whole, addresses areas of depletion or disruption, and supports the restoration of coherence and boundary.

After a Reiki session, many clients describe feeling more like themselves — as though something scattered has been gathered back in.

What Will I Notice During and After a Session?

During a session you might notice:

— Warmth, tingling, or a gentle pulsing sensation in different parts of the body

— A feeling of heaviness giving way to lightness

— Emotions arising and releasing quietly

— sometimes tears, sometimes a sense of letting go

— A deep sense of peace that is difficult to access in ordinary waking life

— Specific areas of the body that seem to draw more attention or energy

After a session you might notice:

— Deeper and more restorative sleep

— A sense of being more grounded and less reactive

— Emotional clarity

— things that felt overwhelming feeling more navigable

— Physical relief in areas that had been holding tension

— A quieter inner world

— less noise, more spaciousness

Over a series of regular sessions, these effects tend to deepen and become more lasting.

What Is Aura Cleansing — and When Do You Need It?

Aura cleansing is a specific aspect of energy healing work that focuses on clearing the auric field of accumulated energetic debris — the residue of stress, emotional difficulty, and absorbed energy that builds up over time.

You may benefit from focused aura cleansing work if you:

— Feel energetically heavy, foggy, or depleted despite adequate rest

— Have recently been through a significant emotional experience

— Spend a lot of time in environments with heavy energy

— Are highly empathic and absorb the emotions of people around you

— Have a sense of carrying something that does not belong to you

At Unum, aura cleansing is integrated into our Reiki Tier 3 as part of the whole-person energetic support we provide.

You Are More Than Your Physical Body

This is not a spiritual claim that requires any particular belief. It is a description of what you already experience every day when you sense the mood of a room, feel the weight of grief in your chest, or notice the way certain people restore you and others deplete you.

You are an energetic being living in an energetic world. The chakra system and the human aura are the map that healing traditions have used for thousands of years to understand and work with that reality. Reiki is one of the most gentle, effective, and accessible ways to support the health and balance of your energetic body.

If anything in this post has resonated — I would love to work with you.

Book a Reiki session → unumreikiandwellness.com/contact

Unum offers Reiki sessions, chakra balancing, and aura cleansing in person in Metro Atlanta and remotely to clients worldwide, in English and Spanish.

Unum Reiki & Wellness · unumreikiandwellness.com · McDonough, GA