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Mark and Katy Rogers outside Harmony House

It's a long way from a rugby scrum but one former player has found a much gentler way of life off the pitch by becoming a practitioner of reiki.

Mark Rogers, who has played for clubs around the world, has swapped the maul and the tackle of the pitch for the Japanese form of healing and relaxation.

And although there might seem to be quite a contrast between the ultra tough sport and the alternative treatment it was rugby which led him to reiki.

Mark, 46, grew up in Horsforth and played rugby for the town's secondary school before going on to play for clubs in England and Canada and to captain the Munich Rugby Club.

But his amateur career was brought to an end when he developed arthritis in his left hip as a result of playing.

And the condition opened up a whole new way of life for him when his own search for treatment led him to pursue a career as a holistic practitioner offering treatments including sports massage, reiki, and reflexology.

Now he and his wife, Katy, also a holistic practitioner and tutor have opened the Harmony House therapy centre and holistic training academy in Glossop offering a whole range of complementary therapies.

Mark gave up his job as a software engineer in order to pursue his dream of helping people with complementary therapy. And Katy, too, had given up her job as a manager at Sainsburys in order to become a holistic practitioner.

Katy treats a patient.

"Her father died of cancer when she was 30 and that made her reassess her life - that is when she first did reiki," he said.

"I wanted to have a career change from software into something where I could actually help people," Mark said. "So I retrained and then decided to take the plunge about three years ago - and I have never looked back."

And although it might not seem quite a contrast to playing rugby the combination is not as unusual as it might first appear.

"My dad played rugby league for Leeds, Castleford and Beeston - playing professionally - and he was a reiki master as well."

He added: "I have never had a treatment from him but I just knew it existed."

Mark uses reiki as well when he does sports massage, and he is convinced it helps.

"I have noticed that if I am treating someone their inflamation will go down - it does seem to speed the healing process.

"Some people are sceptical but if someone is wanting to play they are willing to try it."

But reiki tends to be used more for problems such as stress, anxiety or insomnia. And its calming effects were noticeable on Mark when he was still working in the software industry, and his colleagues were amazed at how calm he was whilst coping with impossible deadlines.

A sceptical colleague was also impressed when Mark demonstrated reiki on his injured ankle.

"When I was working in the software industry one lad came in and had just twisted his ankle playing football and I said I will do a bit of reiki on that if you like.

"I put my hands about an inch away from his ankle and after two minutes he looked amazed and said 'I can't believe it - it's just like sonic treatment.'"

Mark explained the belief behind the healing system that we all have an energy body as well as a physical body, but that energy can becoming blocked.

"Reiki is a bit like a universal drain cleaner - it comes in and clears the blockages," he said."When you are having it done it is very, very relaxing. You may feel hot spots on the body or a tingling sensation a bit like pins and needles."

The therapy in which the practitioner places his hands above the body can also feel like a pulsing sensation.

With sceptics arguing it's all in the mind Mark points out it's not just humans who appreciate it.

"My cats love it, he said. And animals don't have to believe in anything. Cats and dogs love it.

"When I am doing self-treatment one of my cats knows and will sneak in and get a sly treatment."

But although he firmly believes in the benefits of reiki and that many people can find relief or even a cure in the world of complementary therapies, he stressed that reiki could not be seen as a substitute for conventional medicine. There are cases - such as back injury - where he will refer patients on.

"I tend to do reiki more for stress and anxiety because it is so calming," he said. "I would suggest people do a reiki workshop so that they can treat themselves rather than come to me for treatment all the time.

"The fact that patients can self treat makes it particularly useful in helping with insomnia.

"From a sleep point of view an hours reiki is worth about four hours sleep," he said.

And however surprising the move from rugby to reiki might seem to the outsider Mark has no regrets.

"It is really great and you can really help people. It's fantastic," he said. "You know you are doing something which can make a difference to someone's life - and that is a fantastic feeling to have."

The Harmony House therapy centre and holistic training academy is based at 191 High Street West, Glossop, Derbyshire, SK13 8EX. Tel: 01457 860008. www.harmony-house.org

11:50am Thursday 27th March 2008

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