About Rika Tanaka
My name is Rika Tanaka. I have been practising Reiki since 2004 and work full time as a Reiki practitioner and teacher based in London.
I was born and raised in Japan and trained directly with Tadao Yamaguchi, the head of the Jikiden Reiki Institute. My work is rooted in a direct Japanese lineage and shaped by many years of dedicated practice, teaching, and experience supporting clients through Reiki treatments.
Alongside offering Reiki sessions, I teach Jikiden Reiki to students who wish to learn Reiki in its traditional Japanese form. I welcome students from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who travel from within the UK and overseas to study this system. My teaching is careful, structured, and respectful of the original curriculum, and is informed by years of working closely with both students and clients.
Experience & Teaching Role
I have been one of a small number of senior teachers (Dai-Shihan) authorised to teach Jikiden Reiki to advanced levels since 2012. This includes guiding students through Shoden and Okuden training and, when appropriate, offering Shihankaku (assistant teacher) training.
In addition to my teaching role, I have worked extensively as a Reiki practitioner in private practice and within high-end professional wellbeing settings, including luxury spa environments. Alongside my Reiki practice, my background includes training and experience in a wide range of holistic therapies, including clinical aromatherapy, reflexology, colonic hydrotherapy, and manual lymph drainage. This broader foundation supports my ability to offer Reiki in a way that is thoughtful, well balanced, and attentive to each individual, while always working within the simplicity and integrity of the Reiki tradition.
I have also supported the wider Jikiden Reiki community through teaching events, translation and interpretation support, and organisational roles. I serve as a director of the International Jikiden Reiki Association and as Chair of the Jikiden Reiki UK Association, supporting practitioners and teachers across the UK. I am also a member of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) Reiki Register.
My Approach
My intention is to offer Reiki in a way that is authentic, respectful, and accessible. I work with clarity, simplicity, and safety in mind, and within clear professional boundaries.
Whether working with clients in sessions or supporting students in training, I aim to create a warm and welcoming space where people feel at ease, well supported, and confident that they are in experienced hands.
I am deeply influenced by values rooted in Japanese ways of living — a quiet respect for nature, living in harmony rather than control, and allowing awareness to arise naturally as part of everyday life.
These values are not something to be asserted or imposed, but something to be lived, and they continue to shape how I practise and teach Reiki.