If you’re thinking about learning Reiki, or you’ve already completed Reiki Level 1, you may have come across two very different ways of talking about Reiki energy. Some people are taught that before giving Reiki they should consciously connect to the Reiki energy. Others are taught that once they have received their Reiki attunement, the Reiki energy is already there. They simply place their hands on themselves or another person and allow the energy to flow. So which is right?
As a Reiki Master Teacher with over a decade of experience teaching and practising Reiki, I have worked with many students who initially questioned whether they are doing it right, feeling enough, doing enough or somehow “good enough” at Reiki.
Perhaps more importantly, if you’ve been taught one way and then come across somebody doing it differently, does that mean you’ve been doing Reiki wrong? The simple answer is no.
Different Reiki teachers and lineages can teach different ways of preparing to give Reiki. What matters is understanding what you have been taught, developing your own confidence and learning not to turn Reiki into another thing you worry about getting perfectly right.
Do you need to connect to Reiki before you start?
The simple answer is – it depends on how you were taught.
Some Reiki traditions teach a conscious connection practice before beginning Reiki. Others teach that once you have been attuned to Reiki, you do not need to reconnect every time. For some people, taking a moment to consciously connect becomes an important part of their Reiki practice. For others, Reiki feels immediately available.
I was reading an article in a professional Reiki publication recently which made me reflect on this question and on what we actually mean when we say we are “connecting to Reiki.” Are we switching Reiki on? Or are we actually shifting our own awareness so we become quieter, more centred and more aware of an energy that is already there?
I think that is an interesting question.
Perhaps you already recognise a healing instinct in yourself. Some people arrive at Reiki because somebody has told them, “You have healing hands.”. You may notice that your hands become naturally warm when holding people. People may tell you that you have a calming presence. For other students want to learn Reiki, there may be no obvious reason at all. They simply have a strong gut feeling to do so.
EXPERT TIP: I believe we all have the ability to heal to varying degrees. Reiki training allows us to develop and strengthen our connection to that natural healing ability and to universal energy. Reiki training allows your gift to unfold in a safer and more structured approach.
Over a decade of teaching Reiki has taught me this
After working as a Reiki therapist and Reiki Master teacher for over a decade, I’m now one of Cheshire’s leading Reiki trainers, teaching students from Warrington, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and across the North West.
One thing I have to remind my students is that Reiki does not need to become a performance.
- You do not have to produce a dramatic sensation every time you put your hands into position.
- You do not have to compare what you feel with the person sitting next to you during Reiki training.
- You certainly do not need to panic because somebody else describes Reiki differently from the way you were taught.
Even after all these years, Reiki can still surprise me. Part of developing Reiki confidence is learning to stop constantly checking yourself and begin trusting the process you have been taught.
The Way I was Taught to Connect to Reiki
As a Reiki Master Teacher, I was taught to consciously connect to the Reiki energy as part of my training and attunement process. I still use and teach a simple connection practice because I find it creates a clear transition between ordinary everyday life and giving Reiki.
It helps you become centred.
It helps you set your intention.
Particularly when you are learning, it can give you a reassuring structure to follow.
The steps below are for healing a friend or family member. You follow similar steps for yourself.
Step 1: Become centred
- Bring your hands together as though you are praying.
- Hold them high enough that, when you breathe out through your mouth, you can feel your breath passing over your fingertips.
- Breathe in through your nose. Breathe out through your mouth. Continue doing this until you begin to feel calmer and more centred.
You might have arrived at your Reiki practice after answering messages, making tea, doing the school run, working, shopping or thinking about ten other things at once. This short pause gives you an opportunity to become present.
EXPERT TIP: You are not trying to force Reiki to appear. You are simply moving your attention away from everyday noise.
Step 2: Protection, guidance and intention
- Now bring your hands comfortably into a prayer position.
Internally, I ask for: - protection for myself
- protection for the person receiving Reiki, using their name
- protection for the environment around us
- guidance from the Angels, universe, divine energy or whatever spiritual language feels right for me
- Reiki healing energy to flow to that person, as needed and for their highest good
- I use the person’s name because, for me, it gives the intention a clear focus.
EXPERT TIP: If I am working with somebody who does not share my spiritual beliefs, I pray silently. You never need to impose your own beliefs on somebody else for Reiki to be meaningful to you. Also, if you make someone feel uncomfortable they will not relax and enjoy the session and they can also use their aura unintentionally to protect themselves and deflect the energy. By using their aura as an energy shield the energy will bounce off making you feel that you have lost your Reiki healing gift or the session feels energetically not right.
EXPERT TIP: Protect your own wellbeing too There is another part of this that I think is important when healing another person. I would not recommend praying and asking before the healing session, “Please use me to heal this person.” Your wellbeing matters too. You do not need to offer yourself up, give away your own energy or sacrifice yourself in order to practise Reiki. The way I think about it is that you are the hollow bamboo. Universal Reiki energy can flow through you. You are allowing rather than forcing. That distinction can remove a huge amount of pressure when you are learning.
Step 3: Bring the light down from above
- Now imagine a beam of light coming down from above — from the Universe or Divine energy — through the crown at the top of your head.
- Allow that light to travel down into your Buddha belly, your lower abdomen.
- Then imagine that energy beginning to expand.
- Let it become bigger and bigger until you can imagine it flowing through your heart and out through your hands.
- You can then imagine yourself surrounded by a bubble of light.
- If you are giving Reiki to somebody else, imagine them surrounded by their own bubble of light too.
EXPERT TIP: If you’re somebody who says: “I can’t visualise!” Try imagining an Easter egg made of light around you. For some reason, students who struggle with the idea of a bubble often find the Easter egg much easier. It sounds simple, but simple is sometimes exactly what we need.
What if I can’t feel Reiki?
This is where a lot of new Reiki students lose confidence unnecessarily. You might hear another student say:
“My hands were burning,” “I felt tingling,” “I could feel pulsing,” “I saw colours.”
Meanwhile you’re sitting there thinking: “I didn’t feel anything like that. Does that mean I’m not getting Reiki?”
Not at all. People experience Reiki differently. Your Reiki journey is not an exam where the student who feels the strongest heat gets the highest mark. The connection practice is there to help you become centred and receptive, not to make you hunt for physical proof that Reiki is working. The more you practise, the more familiar you can become with your own experience of Reiki.
EXPERT TIP: Try not to turn every practice session into. “Can I feel it yet?” Sometimes, trying too hard to notice Reiki simply keeps you stuck in your head. Be like the hollow bamboo. Allow Reiki to flow to where it is needed in the energy concentration and temperature right for the healing.
What is Reiki Level 1 Designed to Teach You?
For most people, the main focus of Reiki Level 1 training is learning to use Reiki for yourself. Traditionally, after your Reiki Level 1 training you are encouraged to practise Reiki on yourself for 21 days.
This gives you time to:
- become familiar with how Reiki energy feels to you
- develop the habit of using Reiki for your own wellbeing
- become more confident trusting the energy practise allowing the Reiki energy to expand and flow through your hands
You are also traditionally taught how to give Reiki to somebody else. At Reiki Level 1, I teach this as Reiki for friends and family, rather than working professionally with paying clients. That practical experience can be really useful because it allows you to build familiarity and confidence while continuing to develop your Reiki practice.
Over more than a decade of teaching Reiki, I have occasionally come across people whose Reiki Level 1 qualification taught them only how to use Reiki on themselves, without teaching them how to give Reiki to another person. That isn’t the way I was trained and it isn’t the way I teach Reiki Level 1.
For me, Reiki Level 1 should give you a strong foundation in self-Reiki first, while also allowing you to begin safely practising Reiki with friends and family.
Those first weeks after your training aren’t about proving how powerful your Reiki is. They are about practice, familiarity and confidence. That is why I encourage students to give themselves those 21 days rather than rushing to judge whether they are “good at Reiki” immediately after their training.
EXPERT TIP: Not everyone has friends or family members who ask for healing so don’t feel you have to pressurise people to do so. I teach Reiki Level 2 to students who never had the opportunity to practice on anyone else. It is how their Reiki path is unfolding for them.
Am I good enough to move from Reiki 1 to Reiki 2?
This is another question students can quietly worry about. They may enjoy Reiki 1 but wonder whether they have felt enough or developed enough to progress. Reiki 2 is not a prize for the people who had the most dramatic Reiki 1 experience.
If you have spent time practising, have become familiar with your Reiki Level 1 training and feel drawn to learn more, that desire to develop can itself be worth listening to. Reiki Level 2 gives you an opportunity to deepen your Reiki knowledge, learn additional techniques and develop further confidence.
EXPERT TIP: You are learning Reiki. You are not expected to know everything at Reiki Level 1.
Do I Need to Connect to Reiki or Simply Allow?
I don’t think you need to make this complicated. If you have been taught a connection practice and it helps you become centred, focused and comfortable before Reiki, use it.
If you have been taught that Reiki is already there following attunement, you may experience your practice differently.
What matters is that discovering another approach does not make you suddenly doubt everything you have learned.
For me, consciously connecting is not about desperately trying to switch Reiki on. It is a moment to become still. To step away from the noise of everyday life. To set an intention and ask for guidance and protection. To allow the universal Reiki energy to flow.
EXPERT TIP: The more you practise, the less you need to prove anything to yourself. Reiki confidence grows through good training, practice and experience.
Would You Like to Develop Your Reiki Skills?
If you have any questions about Reiki, or you would like to develop your Reiki skills further, take a look at the Reiki Training and Events section of this website for my upcoming Reiki Level 1, Reiki Level 2 and Reiki Master training days.
You can also call me on 07931 337941 and have a chat about which Reiki training may be right for you. If you’re interested in learning Reiki but feeling a little nervous about attending training, please don’t let that automatically stop you. I’ve helped other students who felt nervous beforehand to feel more comfortable, settle into their training and enjoy the experience. You may also find my blog “Nervous About Learning Reiki” reassuring.
My Reiki training takes place in Culcheth, Warrington, Cheshire, with students travelling from across Cheshire, Greater Manchester and the wider North West. Thanks to my students recommending me, I’ve grown to become one of Cheshire’s leading Reiki trainers. Read my Reiki Level 1 student reviews.
I believe in helping your Reiki gift and Reiki confidence flourish.
Julia
Proud Member of the UK Reiki Federation
Executive Training Provider for the IPHM
