Trend watch: An increased demand for Reiki?

Could this be a trend in the making? Our first Reiki Roundup of 2009 brings in story after story about the increased demand for Reiki and other natural healing modalities in response to stressful economic times.

Here's a sampling:

Wales, United Kingdom: A Swansea complementary therapy center offering Reiki and other modalities has nearly doubled its staff in recent months and may open another location.

Birmingham, UK: An adult learning center has added extra Reiki and tai chi courses to accommodate a growing number of students.

Bangalore, India: A Reiki practitioner who operates a holistic healing center says she's seen an increase in clients seeking Reiki to help with stress due to the global recession.

Hong Kong, China: This South China Morning post article isn't available to read free online, but the  lead sentence says it all: "The future of the spa industry looks rosy despite the economic downturn. . . ." The article mentions that energy medicine, including Reiki, are the top trend for spas this year.

Tokyo, Japan: The spa industry here is one of the world's fastest growing, despite the economic crisis.

(And here in New York City, a growing number of first-time clients at The Reiki Dojo are saying they decided to try Reiki to help deal with the stress of these difficult economic times.)

In other current Reiki-related headlines, we find the best example ever of the reporter-gets-a-Reiki-session story in the Windham, New Hampshire Independent: "Rookie Reiki client sold on alternative healing technique."

On the other coast, LA Yoga Magazine has an article on Reiki by Pamela Miles.

And this one's not available online yet, but Natural Solutions magazine has an article about Reiki and grief this month.