Personal practice Monday: A feel for Reiki healing

The following appeared originally on August 28, 2010 on Pamela Miles' blog, Reiki Central, and is republished here with permission.

As simple as Reiki practice is, it takes time to develop a feel for the practice, a deep understanding of it (as distinct from a definition).


As with any practice, the only way to develop a feel for it is to actually practice, and to do so consistently over a period of time. There is no shortcut.

Reiki classes really only teach us how to practice. It is through practice, and practice alone, that Reiki practitioners develop. The experience of practicing Reiki treatment on others–on people of different ages, in varying stages of health, in a range of settings–is greatly enhanced when done against the backdrop of daily self-treatment. Through consistent practice, observation, and contemplation, slowly over time, we enter into a profound relationship with Reiki.

As with any practice, the only way to develop is to actually practice…There is no shortcut.


When, through a long association, we come to know someone well, we don’t feel a need to know every little detail, and we don’t get caught up in stories that may circulate about that person. There is a mindful trust, a willingness to partner, even as we take full responsibility for our actions.

In the same way, as we develop a profound relationship with Reiki through consistent practice, observation, and contemplation, we find an inner knowing that doesn’t need stories to buoy it. When supporting others, we prefer to leave the focus on our clients’s process of healing, allowing them the opportunity to engage within. We gradually become less interested in embellishing and distracting, quite content to say simply, “I don’t know.”

The process of developing a feel for Reiki healing is never-ending. Practice, observe, contemplate, repeat.