Is Reiki a religion, and does it conflict with mine?
Answered by Vanessa Chugani · Updated August 2026
Reiki is not a religion. It has no doctrine, no worship and nothing you need to believe for it to work. It comes from a Japanese lineage, Usui Shiki Ryoho, but a session asks nothing of your faith. People from every religion, and none, receive Reiki without conflict.
People ask this often, and it is a fair question before booking anything spiritual-sounding in Bali. The short answer is no. Reiki is not a religion, and it does not ask you to hold any particular belief, faith or worldview for it to work.
Where the practice comes from
Vanessa practises and teaches Usui Shiki Ryoho, a Reiki lineage that travelled from Mikao Usui in Tokyo in the 1920s through Chujiro Hayashi to Hawayo Takata, who brought it west. That line, Usui to Hayashi to Takata, is the whole of it and the only one she claims. It is a lineage of hands-on practice passed from teacher to student, not a body of scripture or a set of beliefs to adopt.
What you don't need to believe
There is no god to accept, no creed to recite and no conversion involved. You do not need to believe anything for a session to be worthwhile, and you will not be asked about your faith before one starts. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and people with no religion at all come to sessions and to training without it touching what they already believe. The chakra system that sometimes comes up alongside Reiki is worth a separate word here: it is a twentieth-century addition to the practice, not an ancient teaching attached to any religion, and Vanessa teaches it as useful vocabulary rather than doctrine. More on that here, if you are curious.
If you already have a meditation practice, a prayer life or a faith community, Reiki does not compete with any of it. It does not replace prayer, and it is not meant to. Some people find it easier to settle into their own practice afterwards, simply because the nervous system is quieter, but that is a side effect of rest, not a design feature.
What actually happens in a session
A session is hands-on and quiet. Vanessa is not leading a ritual or invoking anything: she is working with a nervous system that has usually been running hot for a while, whatever the reason. People arrive stressed, exhausted, wired at 2am, grieving, carrying more than they can put down, and what she works with is the jaw that will not unclench, the shoulders up near the ears, the chest that will not open, the body that cannot settle at night. None of that requires a belief system. It requires an hour, a table, and someone trained to work with a nervous system that needs to come down.
This suits someone curious about the practice but wary of anything that asks her to sign on to a worldview, which describes most people who ask this question in the first place. If you want the fuller picture of who Vanessa is and how she trained, her background is worth a read before you book.
Related questions
Do I need to believe in energy work for Reiki to have any effect?
No. A session does not require belief, and Vanessa does not ask you to accept anything before it starts. She works with your nervous system, not with your beliefs. People who are sceptical of the whole idea still come, and what most report afterwards is simple: easier sleep, less tension in the jaw and shoulders, a steadier few days.
Is the chakra system part of a religion?
No. The chakra system used in Western Reiki is a twentieth-century addition, not an ancient religious teaching, and Vanessa is open about that. She teaches it as a way to talk about where tension sits in the body, not as doctrine you need to accept.
Can I keep practising my own religion and still train as a Reiki practitioner?
Yes. Training with Vanessa does not ask you to adopt any belief system or give up your own. She teaches the attunements and the hands-on technique itself; what you believe, or don't, is yours to keep.