World Animal Reiki Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the healing power of animal Reiki, an ancient Japanese practice that uses energy to promote well-being. Animal Reiki allows us to connect with animals, including our pets, to better understand them and provide healing energy.
When is World Animal Reiki Day?
World Animal Reiki Day is celebrated annually on February 5.
This special day was established by the Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA) and focuses on the Let Animals Lead® Method of Animal Reiki meditation, particularly for helping shelter and rescued animals. You can join in the celebration by sharing photos with the hashtag #WorldAnimalReikiDay.
The date was chosen to honor Dakota, an Australian Shepherd rescued by SARA’s founder, who served as the inspiration for the association.
What is Animal Reiki?
Animal Reiki is an alternative healing technique that fosters physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in animals, both pets and wildlife. The practice involves light touches and gentle strokes on an animal’s body to transfer healing energy from the practitioner to the animal, creating a harmonious energy flow between them. This deepens the connection between the animal and their caregiver.
Reiki practitioners aim to instill a sense of calmness, helping animals relax, reducing pain, and alleviating stress or anxiety—especially crucial in high-stress environments like animal shelters.
Celebrating World Animal Reiki Day
The Shelter Animal Reiki Association offers several ways to observe World Animal Reiki Day. You can organize an animal Reiki talk at a local shelter or pet supply store, or light a candle during meditation to honor the animals who have been your teachers. SARA also focuses on helping shelter animals and has published a handbook on the practice.
“Shelters are often an animal’s last hope and a chance at a new life,” says director Kathleen Prasad, who runs the organization with fellow directors Leah D’Ambrosio and Caly Lehrer. “But for some animals, the stress of being in a kennel is almost unbearable. With Reiki, I’ve seen amazing healing responses—imagine watching a loud kennel full of hyperactive, stressed-out dogs transform into quiet, peaceful naptime space. The Animal Reiki Handbook is one way to get more people out there helping the animals who need it most.”
Prasad has authored Reiki for Dogs: Using Spiritual Energy to Heal and Vitalize Man’s Best Friend and other books.