Jiva is a Sanskrit word loosely equivalent to "the soul" in the Western Greco-Abrahamic traditions. Jiva is pure, eternal consciousness. The jiva does not include our personalities, our egos, our actions, our mind, or our thoughts. Jiva is who we are in spiritual truth. We are not our bodies, our minds, or this material world however, it is easy to misidentify with our body and our mind and this is where suffering comes from. A jivaatman is an embodied soul in this material world. Realizing our true nature and experiencing our Jiva bring us eternal happiness.

Julie took extensive coursework in Hinduism at Rutgers University studying under Professor Edwin Bryant, a leading scholar of religious studies. While studying abroad at Jiva Institute in Vrindavan, India she fell in love with Bhakti yoga and decided to pursue further studies in Bhakti yoga by going back to Jiva Institute to study for six months.

Jiva Institute of Vaishnava studies is named after Jiva Gosvami who is in the Gaudiya lineage of Bhakti yoga. It was at Jiva Institute that Julie got the idea to name her Reiki school, not after Jiva Gosvami but after Jiva meaning "soul." It was then that she realized she found the name for her Reiki School. It is a constant reminder as to why we do what we do, to bring us closer to the realization of our Jiva, thus obtaining eternal happiness.