Reiki is a skill and all skills have some things that you should know before starting them
Thankfully, what you need to know for Reiki is simple
Before you start to learn Reiki, you need to know that it may take time and patience before you feel anything. The more you practice, the better you will get. Reiki has the power to change your life, so be ready for change before you start your Reiki journey
It doesn’t matter how much education you’ve had or what age you are
The most important thing that you need for Reiki is openness
Being open to learning the process, willing to practice even when you don’t feel anything, and able to learn from a master
Thankfully that master can be in-person or online
That is up to you, but you do need to be willing to find and pay for a teacher
Are there any prerequisites to Reiki?
Reiki is learning to connect your energy to the energy that is all around you
Everything has energy and everything is connected
That means everyone can learn Reiki if they are willing to put in the time and effort
While it does come more naturally to some people, there are no prerequisites to learning Reiki
You just need some time, an open mind, and patience
You can start Reiki 1 with no experience and no education
The Reiki 1 teacher will teach you everything you need to know to understand Reiki and get started with energy healing
But learning Reiki can take some time
Depending on where you start, just cleansing yourself and getting to the point where you can visualize will be a challenge
When I first started practicing visualization, I struggled to stay on task for 10 seconds
My mind did not want to think about only one thing and focus on that one thing
I never only did one thing
So it took a long of practice just to start visualizing long enough to do the basic hand exercises in Reiki
Other people might be excellent at focusing and visualization
People who are experienced in meditation would be great
We all bring different life experiences that have us start at different places
There is no right or wrong
If you are open-minded and ready to learn, you will do just fine
How much time will I need to commit to Reiki?
The time commitment depends on what form of class you want to take and how much time you are willing to invest
In-person classes usually have 10-12 hours of in-class time
Then you should be practicing at home as well
Online pre-recorded classes are usually self-paced
So you can go through it all in a few hours and then practice, or you can take months
It also changes depending on how far you want to go
You can be excellent at Reiki 1 in a couple of months
But expect it to take at least a couple of years to become a Reiki master
With so many variables, it is difficult to give you a set time
Decide how far you want to go, how you will learn, and make a goal for yourself
Activities fit into the time we give them
That means if you want to be done with Reiki 1 in one month, that means that you need to get the classes done and practice every day
Multiple times a day even
If you aren’t in a hurry, it could take a year to complete Reiki 1
It just depends on how much time and effort you are willing to invest
What are some outcomes that I can expect?
Everyone’s experience with Reiki will be a little different
Some people aren’t a good match and don’t enjoy it
That’s ok!
Nothing is a perfect fit for everyone
Other people report that Reiki changed their life
It helps you feel more connected and less alone
It can reduce depression and anxiety
Reiki can assist in healing mental, emotional, energetic, and physical pain
It really can do some amazing things if you let it
Everything around us is made of energy
Many people experience a lot of pain and frustration because they have become disconnected from the energy around them
We aren’t meant to be alone
If we are energetically disconnected, we can feel alone completely surrounded by people
Reiki helps you see that disconnect and it helps you connect again
It is an excellent way to start and end your day
Once you get into Reiki 2 and 3, you start learning symbols that focus your energy healing even more
And there are symbols for everything
There are even symbols to help you heal from past trauma
Reiki is powerful, but it does take time and patience to learn
Is Reiki the only option?
Reiki is one of many forms of energy healing
There are even multiple types of Reiki!
You are not limited in options
The key is to find what interests you and connects well with you
I know someone who really struggles with learning all the concepts of Reiki, so she just focused on visualization
She would get into the shower and visualize the water washing away her stress and pain
Or she would close her eyes and visualize breathing in light and breathing out the anger that she was struggling with
If you just want simple energy healing for yourself, visualizing alone can do wonders
There are also more complex energy healing techniques than Reiki
If your heart is not calling out to Reiki and is calling out to someone else
Listen to it!
Your intuition is your most powerful tool
Your intuition will tell you what you need
The more practice you have listening to it, the more easily you will be able to understand