Reiki and Sound Baths in London
December 5, 2025

The Synergies Between Yoga and Reiki: How Yogic Practices Like Nadi Shodhana Complement Usui Reiki and Why the Two Work So Powerfully Together

Holistic healing has many beautiful pathways, and two of the most influential traditions in the world of mind–body–spirit wellness are yoga and Usui Reiki. Although they arise from different lineages, yoga from ancient Vedic and Tantric philosophies, Reiki from early 20th-century Japan, the philosophy, intention, and energetic understanding behind both are astonishingly aligned which is why I do use the together in my practices to maximise benefits for you.

In my work at I AM BEING, where I offer Reiki, yoga-informed practices, and sound healing, I see first-hand how these disciplines blend to create something deeper, more grounded, and more transformational for clients. People often feel intuitively that yoga and Reiki complement each other, but they don’t always know why. Here is my top ten reasons why I feel the are a match made in heaven.

And, please know that I see this as a celebration of how these ancient and modern modalities speak the same energetic language. The universe never stops giving us choice.

1. Understanding the Foundations: Yoga and Usui Reiki

Before exploring the overlap, it’s important to understand the frameworks of both systems.

What Yoga Teaches Us About Energy

Yoga is far more than postures. At its core, it is a complete spiritual science designed to harmonise mind, body, breath, and consciousness. Central to yogic philosophy is the subtle body which is the energetic blueprint that holds:

  • Nadis (energy channels)
  • Prana (life-force energy)
  • Chakras (energy centres)
  • Koshas (layers of being)
  • Bandhas (energy locks)
  • Pranayama (breath control and energy directing)

Practices like Nadi Shodhana help us regulate and channel prana more consciously, promoting balance and healing.

What Usui Reiki Teaches Us About Energy

Reiki, founded by Mikao Usui, is a Japanese method of working with universal life-force energy (Rei = universal, Ki = energy). Its foundation rests on:

  • Hands-on or hands-off energy healing
  • The flow of universal energy through the practitioner
  • Balancing the client’s energetic system
  • Releasing stagnation and promoting natural healing
  • Intuitive connection and spiritual presence

Reiki also works with chakras, meridians, and the subtle body, though usually through intuition rather than structured techniques like pranayama.

The Core Shared Principle

Both yoga and Reiki operate on one fundamental truth:
Energy is the foundation of wellbeing and when we support its natural flow, healing happens.

2. The Philosophical Synergy: Same Energetic Language, Different Dialects

Yoga is thousands of years old, while Reiki is relatively modern, but both traditions:

  • View life-force energy as essential for health
  • Believe this energy can be directed, harmonised, and increased
  • Understand the impact of mind, breath, and emotion on energy flow
  • Recognise that the body stores blocked energy
  • Honour intuition and inner wisdom
  • Value presence, meditation, and compassionate awareness

Their philosophies don’t compete; they complete each other.

Why the Similarities Exist

Both traditions ultimately emerge from humanity’s intuitive relationship with energy, breath, and consciousness. Even though yoga was shaped in India and Reiki in Japan, both cultures deeply value:

  • Subtle energy work
  • Mind–body harmony
  • Inner balance
  • Service
  • Compassion
  • Spiritual growth

Different lineages—same truth. We are all looking for truth and that comes in so many forms.

3. Nadi Shodhana: The Yogic Practice That Perfectly Complements Reiki

One of the most powerful yogic tools that supports Reiki is Nadi Shodhana, also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing.

What Is Nadi Shodhana?

It is a pranayama practice specifically designed to:

  • Balance the Ida (feminine, lunar, calming) and Pingala (masculine, solar, activating) nadis
  • Bring both hemispheres of the brain into harmony
  • Regulate the nervous system
  • Clear stagnation in the energy channels
  • Improve focus, intuition, and inner presence

Why Nadi Shodhana Works So Well Before Reiki

Reiki requires:

  • A receptive body
  • A calm nervous system
  • An open energetic field
  • A mind ready to settle into stillness

Nadi Shodhana supports all of these.

For clients at I AM BEING, I often weave Nadi Shodhana into sessions when helpful because it:

  1. Clears the subtle channels, making Reiki more effective
  2. Shifts the body into parasympathetic mode, where healing happens
  3. Balances emotional states, helping clients feel grounded
  4. Heightens inner awareness, which enhances energetic sensitivity
  5. Opens the third eye and heart centres, naturally deepening Reiki’s flow

It is one of the most potent bridges between yoga and Reiki.

4. The Energetic Structures: Nadis, Meridians, and Chakras

Although yoga and Reiki use different terminology, the energetic structures they work with overlap more than people realise.

Yoga’s Energetic Map

  • 72,000 nadis, including Ida, Pingala, Sushumna
  • 7 major chakras and numerous minor chakras
  • Prana flowing through these channels

Reiki’s Energetic Map

  • Chakras (used widely in modern Reiki)
  • Meridians and hara line (more prominent in Japanese-style Reiki)
  • Ki flowing through these pathways

The Similarity

Whether we call it prana or ki, nadis or meridians, the truth is the same:
Energy flows. It can get blocked. And both yoga and Reiki help it move again.

The Main Difference

Yoga teaches structured practice to influence energy.
Reiki channels universal energy effortlessly, no technique needed.

Yoga = practitioner manipulates energy intentionally
Reiki = practitioner becomes a conduit for universal energy

Both are powerful; they simply approach the same goal differently.

5. Techniques Compared: Structure vs. Intuition

Yoga Techniques

Yoga provides structured, repeatable methods:

  • Asana
  • Pranayama
  • Meditation
  • Mantra
  • Mudra
  • Bandha

Students learn specific sequences and techniques to cultivate awareness and prana.

Reiki Techniques

Reiki is mostly intuitive. While the Usui lineage teaches:

  • Hand placements
  • Symbols
  • Attunements
  • Breathwork (e.g., Joshin Kokyu Ho)
  • Meditations

The core of Reiki is trusting intuition, not technique.

Why This Matters

When you combine the structure of yoga with the intuitive flow of Reiki, you get:

  • Clearer energy
  • More grounded intuition
  • Faster relaxation
  • Sharper awareness
  • Deeper connection

This is why I often integrate yogic elements into my Reiki and sound sessions at I AM BEING—they amplify and support one another.

6. Breath as the Bridge: Why Pranayama Enhances Reiki

Breath is the meeting point between these two systems.

In yoga:
Breath = guide + tool + teacher

In Reiki:
Breath = presence + clearing + grounding

Both systems understand that breath influences:

  • Mind
  • Nervous system
  • Energy
  • Emotional state
  • Intuition

Why Breath Enhances Reiki Sessions

When clients perform gentle breathwork before Reiki:

  • Their aura softens
  • Their mind slows
  • Their body opens
  • Their energy becomes more receptive
  • Their heart space expands

This is why practices like:

  • Nadi Shodhana
  • Ujjayi
  • Sama Vritti
  • Soft belly breathing

…all enrich a Reiki session beautifully.

7. The Nervous System Harmonisation: The True Magic of Combining Yoga and Reiki

Both yoga and Reiki profoundly influence the nervous system, each in its own way.

Yoga Regulates the Nervous System Through:

  • Movement
  • Stretching
  • Breath
  • Mindfulness
  • Meditation

These help shift the body out of sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and into parasympathetic (“rest and digest”).

Reiki Regulates the Nervous System Through:

  • Calming energy
  • Presence
  • Soothing touch
  • Energetic alignment
  • Chakra balancing

Reiki has the unique ability to bring people into deep relaxation quickly—even those who struggle to meditate.

Why They Work So Well Together

Yoga prepares the body.
Reiki deepens the process.
Sound healing amplifies both.

This is where the work I do at I AM BEING becomes especially potent: by integrating Reiki with sound and yoga-informed tools, clients experience transformation across multiple layers of the self.

8. Sound as the Third Element: The Triad of Yoga, Reiki & Sound Healing

Although the focus of this blog is yoga and Reiki, sound healing plays an important role in bridging the two.

In sessions at I AM BEING, sound helps to:

  • Move stagnant energy
  • Deepen the parasympathetic response
  • Harmonise brainwaves
  • Expand awareness
  • Bring coherence to the auric field

Yoga moves energy.
Reiki channels energy.
Sound vibrates energy.

Together, they create a complete healing ecosystem.

9. The Differences Between Yoga and Reiki and Why They Matter

1. Origin

  • Yoga: India, 2,000–4,000 years old
  • Reiki: Japan, early 1900s

2. Method

  • Yoga: structured practice
  • Reiki: intuitive flow

3. Practitioner Role

  • Yoga: actively using breath, body, intention
  • Reiki: passively channelling universal energy

4. Physicality

  • Yoga: includes physical movement
  • Reiki: mostly stillness

5. Attunement

  • Yoga: no attunement required
  • Reiki: requires energetic initiation

6. Philosophy

Both spiritual, but different frameworks (Vedic vs. Japanese spiritualist).

Why the Differences Don’t Conflict

They complement each other perfectly because they approach healing from different angles:

Yoga = inside-out regulation
Reiki = outside-in channelling

Together, they create balance, symmetry, and harmony.

10. Why Yoga and Reiki Together Support Deeper Healing at I AM BEING

Clients at I AM BEING often experience:

  • Faster relaxation
  • More emotional release
  • Stronger grounding
  • Greater clarity
  • Deeper meditation
  • Heightened intuition
  • More energetic balance
  • Stronger connection to inner truth

Yoga softens.
Reiki nourishes.
Sound clears and amplifies.

Together, they support every layer of the self: physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual.

A Unified Path of Awareness and Healing

Yoga teaches us to cultivate energy.
Reiki teaches us to receive energy.
Sound teaches us to vibrate energy.

The synergies between these ancient and modern practices are profound because they speak the same universal language:
Life-force, presence, love, and awareness.

As a practitioner of Reiki, sound healing, and yoga-informed mindfulness at I AM BEING, I witness daily how these systems help people reconnect with themselves, release what they no longer need, and step into deeper harmony.

If you’re looking for a practice that supports your whole being, exploring the blend of yoga and Reiki may be one of the most transformative steps you can take.

Being

Gizelle Renee x