Rhiana Tehan of Be Reiki always felt called to teach and inspire others. As a child, she arranged her stuffed animals in a pretend classroom to play school. The process of mimicking classroom instruction to the plush menagerie—along with the family dog, her cousins and anyone else that would play along—set Tehan on the path of becoming a public school teacher and eventually a leader in reiki and energy healing arts.

After Tehan’s family moved from Florida to Raymond, Wisconsin, Tehan earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Alverno College and later a master’s degree in administrative leadership from UW-Milwaukee. For 14 years, she taught creative writing at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. She was first introduced to the concept of reiki while on a girl’s trip to Savannah, Georgia, and though mildly intrigued, she didn’t think much about it after returning from vacation.

“Then one year after I heard about reiki, almost to the day, my 2-year-old son swallowed a watch battery,” Tehan relates. “It was a hectic time, and suddenly I was in the hospital with him for five days, not knowing if he would live or die, or what kind of damage was done to his esophagus.”

The injury caused by the accident required extensive follow-up and multiple doctors’ visits, and during the ordeal, Tehan met a reiki teacher. She signed up for level one and level two classes, and started practicing reiki on herself and then later on her son. At his following doctor’s visit, x-rays showed that he was healed.

“Reiki is a testament to the body’s own power and ability to heal itself,” Tehan enthuses. “When we have that faith, and mentally get out of the way and let the body do what it’s supposed to do, energy healing really works.”

Tehan acknowledges that she had to heal herself before she could heal others. “It was a process of self-discovery, and I learned much about who I am. I feel really free,” she says. Today, she’s a reiki master teacher and Holy Fire Karuna master. She studied under Deb Karpek, one of first people to introduce Milwaukeeans to reiki over a decade ago.

“When she moved to Arizona, she gave me much of her practice, and I was honored that she chose me and referred people to me,” Tehan says. She launched Be Reiki LLC in 2012, and in 2015, she left her teaching position with Milwaukee Public Schools to practice reiki full-time.

Tehan defines reiki as the body’s natural ability to tap into its infinite supply of energy within in order to help us create our best selves. During a reiki session, one lies fully clothed on a massage table while the practitioner uses palms-on healing. The practice puts the body into a state of deep relaxation. Tehan says reiki can help with migraines and physical recovery from injury, as well as relieve depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has worked with hospice patients, and she notes that reiki is used as a complementary service in over 800 hospitals nationwide.

Since Tehan discovered reiki, she has also studied crystal work, shamanism and therapeutic breath work. “I fell down a metaphysical rabbit hole,” she laughs. She has since added a chakra workshop beginning in March, in which participants will journey through the seven chakras of the body and write about their thoughts and experiences. She also offers a reiki and chakra class package, with chakra lessons tailored to each client.

In addition to helping clients be their best selves through reiki, Tehan also teaches all levels of reiki to those interested in becoming practitioners. These days, she’s not only a teacher, but also a student, learning from her clients as much as they learn from her. “Every time I give a session, I also get a session, which elevates my own personal consciousness and awareness,” she says. “We need more love and light in this world. I find reiki as one way to do that.”

Be Reiki LLC is located inside Allure Salon & Spa, 1005 Main St., Mukwonago. For more information, call 262-498-4162 or visit BeReiki.com.

Sheila Julson is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.