Five Things You Might Not Know About Learning Reiki

When people first encounter Reiki, it is often through receiving a treatment. They may have experienced the quiet relaxation of lying on a treatment couch while a practitioner places their hands gently on the body.

So, when someone thinks about learning Reiki, it is understandable that they might imagine they are simply learning how to give that treatment to somebody else.

But there is much more to it than that.

Reiki is a practice that can become part of everyday life — something we continue to learn from and develop throughout our lives.

Here are five things you might not know about learning Reiki.

1. Reiki is more than hands-on healing

Hands-on treatment is an important part of Reiki, but traditionally it is only one part of the practice.

In Jikiden Reiki, we learn a system that includes five elements:

• Receiving Reiju

• Practising Hands-On Reiki

• Living the Gokai — the Five Principles

• Meditation

• The Use of Symbols & Mantras

Each has its own purpose, but they are not really separate things. Together they form a complete system of practice that supports our physical and emotional wellbeing and our personal development.

The more we practise, the more Reiki can become something we live, rather than simply something we do.

2. Anyone can learn Reiki

One of the misconceptions about Reiki is that you need a special gift or ability to practise it.

You don't.

Think about what we instinctively do when we hurt ourselves. We put a hand on the painful place. A parent will often do the same when a child bumps a knee or has a tummy ache.

Touch is one of the most natural responses we have.

Our bodies are also continually working to repair and rebalance themselves. Reiki works with this natural healing capacity.

Learning Reiki doesn't require you to be able to see auras or have any particular spiritual belief. You don't have to become somebody different.

You simply need a willingness to learn and to practise.

Anyone can learn Reiki simply because they want to.

3. Reiki has its roots in Japan

Reiki was founded in Japan by Mikao Usui in the early 1920s, and understanding something of its Japanese origins helps us understand the practice itself.

This is particularly important to me as a teacher of Jikiden Reiki.

Jikiden means directly taught, and the Reiki I teach has been passed down through a Japanese lineage without adaptation. It gives us an opportunity to understand Reiki within the culture in which it developed.

There is a lovely simplicity to that.

It is not possible to learn everything at once — where would be the joy in that! When we receive a certificate at the end of a course, we have taken our first step.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by adding to its beauty, reminds us that our experiences become part of who we are.

We start today and practise for a lifetime.

4. There isn't just one style of Reiki

Over the years, Reiki has travelled far beyond Japan and many different styles have developed.

I sometimes think of it rather like coffee.

The coffee may begin with the same bean, but what eventually arrives in the cup can be very different. An espresso, cappuccino, latte and Americano all have the same origins, yet each has developed its own character.

Reiki is rather like that.

Some Western styles have incorporated other philosophies and practices. Jikiden Reiki teaches us to practise Reiki as it has been handed down to us — retaining its original flavour.

That doesn't mean Reiki cannot sit happily alongside other forms of care — it can. It simply means that when we practise Jikiden Reiki, we preserve the integrity of the practice we have been taught.

For someone thinking about learning Reiki, it is worth knowing that different courses may therefore look quite different.

Ask questions. Find out what is being taught. And choose the approach that feels right for you.

5. Learning Reiki is also about shining your own light

Perhaps this is the part of learning Reiki that is hardest to describe on a course leaflet.

We begin by learning techniques. We practise. We give Reiki to ourselves and to others. We work with the Gokai:

Just for today,

Do not be angry.

Do not be worried.

Be grateful.

Do your duties fully.

Be kind to Others

They are simple words. Living them is a lifelong practice.

Gradually, Reiki can begin to influence the way we respond to difficulties, how we treat other people and how we treat ourselves.

Ultimately, Reiki is not about healing others. Our own path is the one we must walk. Through our practice, and by bringing the Gokai into our daily lives, we continue to work on ourselves — allowing our own light to shine a little more brightly.

Thinking about learning Reiki?

If your experience of Reiki so far has been receiving a treatment, you may be curious about what it would be like to learn it for yourself.

My Shoden (Level 1) Jikiden Reiki training is taught in small groups here in Mirfield, with plenty of time for questions, practice and discussion.

And if you're interested but aren't quite sure whether Reiki training is for you, I'm always happy to have a chat first. There is no obligation to book a course.

Jen | Simply Reiki Yorkshire