Reiki is a unique system of healing that allows you to harness and transmit energy through your hands, restoring balance and harmony within the body and bringing relief to a wide range of physical and emotional problems.

This book, by renowned Reiki teacher Richard Ellis, illustrates all the hand positions used for the first level of Reiki, but it goes much further and shows them in their relation to the seven chakras. Chakras are the main energy points of the body and provide the anatomy of energy healing. These are different for everyone, and so to practise Reiki effectively you need to understand a person's chakras, which will in turn explain the type of person they are and the health problems they are vulnerable to. For example, one person may have an excessive first chakra, making them prone to obesity or digestive problems, and to pessimism, while another may be deficient, making them vulnerable to anorexia and restlessness. You would therefore approach these two people differently.

Reiki and the Seven Chakras captures the feeling of wonder that surrounds Reiki, but it is also an immensely practical guide. So many of the current books on Reiki are very dry, following a formula of detailing the history of Reiki healing and then showing you how to do it. This one breaks the mould and is written from a very personal point of view, which makes it incredibly interesting to read and also very accessible – essential if you are to understand the true nature and potential of Reiki.