Marketing poll results

In last week's poll, we asked how you market your Reiki practice. Here are the results so far in order of ranking. If you haven't voted, the poll is still open! 

1. Rely on website plus other methods
2. Use Facebook and Twitter to announce events
3. (A three way tie) Meditate and offer Reiki to the situation, network with other professionals and rely on   referrals
4. (Tie between two options) Practice the law of attraction and offer discounts
5. (Tie between two options) Put cards at the health food store and send newsletters
6. Rely on website alone
7. Hired a marketing expert or publicist
8. (with no response) Do not do any marketing.

How do you market your Reiki business?

By Beth Lowell

Most Reiki professionals I know work diligently to market their services, usually employing several methods of building relationships with students and clients and potential students and clients, both online and in person. Methods vary according to the scope of each practitioner’s business, knowledge and comfort level, and sometimes, even personality type. Because we’re all different I don’t think there’s any one size fits all marketing model for Reiki or for any business. I think marketing is like dog training - if you’re not comfortable using a certain technique, it’s probably not going to work for you, no matter what the experts say.


What’s Reiki worth?


Practitioners of Reiki as well as other disciplines based in spirituality may be uncomfortable with the notion of selling their services. After all, how can you put a price on spirituality? This is not dissimilar to challenges faced by professionals who work in industries that serve people in need, for instance, sign language interpreters. There’s a perception among some that people in helping professions should not charge a lot (and “a lot” can mean vastly different things to different people) for what they do, despite the fact that someone like the sign language interpreter has spent a lot of time and money on education, not to mention that she serves a very important function. Without the sign language interpreter, the deaf community would be isolated from most of the rest of society. From that perspective, the interpreter’s services become invaluable. So why should her services be free – or not cost “a lot”?


Ultimately, like sign language interpreters, Reiki practitioners work in an industry that serves people in need. Reiki practitioners can, among a myriad of other things, help people awaken to a whole new spiritual experience. Can you put a value on that? Probably not, but you can put a price on the time a Reiki practitioner spends teaching students or treating clients. It’s usually an hourly rate or package plan that the practitioner has come up with that gives clients a break on the price, that’s usually also in line with other similar professional services and one on which the Reiki practitioner can expect to make a decent living. What’s wrong with that?


Nothing, you say – but you still hate the idea of the sales hype…


The good, the bad, and the ugly


Here’s what four experts have to say about marketing – the good, the bad and the ugly, including tips you can use to market in a way that resonates with you.


Marcia Yudkin is a marketer with 30 years of experience. One of her specialties is helping introverts market their services. Not all Reiki practitioners are introverts, but they may be shy about marketing their services. Marcia offers ways you can build on your own strengths to come up with methods that feel right for you. Her methods work great for extroverts too!


Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Non-Conformity is all about helping people, and about making a living. His blog post about why people hate marketers has some great information about what to avoid when using online methods to build relationships.


Seth Godin, writer, speaker, and agent of change wrote this post way back in 2006. In it he talks about ethics in online marketing. It’s still pertinent today.


In closing, copywriter Cathy Goodwin notes that your brand is not your logo or a slogan or your packaging, but rather, your brand is you. In other words, to sell your business, you have to sell yourself. If you’re knowledgeable, have integrity and want to help people, you should let them know, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Call for entries! the Reiki Digest's first online art show: Reiki, Healing and Art

'Infinite Surrender' (c) P.C. Turczyn

Announcing call for entries for The Reiki Digest's first online art exhibit! 

Reiki, Healing and Art asks the question: How does Reiki support the creative process? Reiki practitioner artists are invited to submit their work for inclusion in an online art show that goes live August 1, 2011. 

Artists may submit photos of their artwork in any medium, including jewelry and crafts. View the prospectus for details about how to submit your work.

Deadline for submissions is only three short weeks away, July 23!

The weekly waka

Play as Their Task


Young children moving
as they practice at this play
their essential life skills.
Trained by expert play
Confidence replaces fear!

by Glenn Plyler

Reiki perspectives: Reiki treatment -local vs. global effects

Reiki students have lots of questions about hand placement. How much does it matter where you place your hands for a Reiki treatment? Is it important to go through a full protocol, or will one placement do what's needed? Are some placements more important than others? The list goes on. And the answer is: It all depends... Understanding the difference between the local and global effects of Reiki treatment can help you decide for yourself what's best in any situation. Read more here.

Personal practice Monday: Show compassion to yourself and others

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Deborah Flanagan's April 13, 2011 newsletter.

As I've discussed in past newsletters, the system of Reiki offers five precepts (or rules to live by). The fourth precept is about compassion.

To Yourself

The precept mentions being compassionate to yourself first, because you have to be able to be kind to yourself before you can be kind to anyone else. This means letting go of regret, guilt, and any negative emotions you feel that allow you to beat yourself up. Often we're so much harder on ourselves than we would be with anyone else.

This past weekend I helped teach Reiki I at the New York Open Center. I was so impressed by the number of people who said they wanted to learn Reiki so they could have a tool to help them take better care of themselves. Most of them admitted it's really hard for them to be kind to themselves in this way.

Taking a weekend Reiki class or coming for a Reiki or reflexology session offers the opportunity and space for you to take time for yourself, allowing you to connect with your inner wisdom and be your best self.

An Exercise: Practice Self-Compassion

Try this simple exercise daily to remind you to treat yourself with care. Ask what’s the most loving thing I can do for myself right now? And then actually do whatever it is. When you love and take care of yourself, you’ll find it inevitably serves everyone.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.— Thich Nhat Hanh

To Others

Often, we're compassionate to people for a reason; we want something back (e.g. you give someone a present and you expect a thank you). How often do we truly give without wanting something in return? It’s protection to want something back. But then you're not really operating out of compassion.

Practicing compassion is another rung on the ladder of the precepts: as you eliminate anger, fear, and worry from your life, you begin to find your way, and then you can be more compassionate. You can work towards a place where there's no giver, no gift, and no receiver--this is true compassion. You're not giving, instead, it's more like "here it is." There's no separation between you and others.

Reiki music Video: The Breath of Reiki

Saturdays here at The Reiki Digest are usually reserved for music we like to practice Reiki by. Today's feature by Frans and Bronwen Stiene is a bit different. It combines music, video and a brief explanation of their understanding of Reiki. Sit back, relax, and enjoy... a refreshing perspective perfect for Saturday morning, or anytime!

A Reiki marketing poll

The weekly waka

Magical Children's World


Children need to dance.
Children also need to sing.
Dancing and singing,
creates the magical world,
where all things are possible!

by Glenn Plyler

Reiki perspectives: What if Reiki is already there?

Have you ever thought about what you are saying when you say, "I'll send you Reiki?" What are you really sending? And what if Reiki is already there? Read more here...

The Reiki Centre Survey series: Why do advanced level Reiki training?

By Elaine Grundy

One of the more surprising aspects of the Reiki Survey was the significant improvement in benefits perceived by those with higher levels of training. The chart below shows that like for like, Reiki practitioners report more improvement if they are trained at a higher level assuming they are doing the same number of hours of self-Reiki. Interestingly, a Reiki level 1 practitioner doing self-Reiki for more than an hour a week will see as much improvement as a Reiki Master doing less than 1 hour per week - which in itself is a testament that the quantity of Reiki is still more important than the level of Reiki training. However, for a student wishing for maximum benefit it would seem that the higher levels of training will make a difference. This was something I was not expecting when I ran the report though with reflection it certainly makes sense. Level 2 is a quantum leap in many ways as it takes self-healing to a higher and more deliberate level. At the most basic level with Reiki we are simply acting as funnels, or to use a football analogy, we are simply spectators. Reiki flows through our hands into our cells and at that cellular level, we heal. Of course to see significant change we are also responsible in making changes happen, but essentially, when it comes to the Reiki, we are not in charge and we have no say in what areas are healed, at what rate, and with what priority.

Level 2 takes the healing into our own hands (pun intended!) by putting us squarely on the pitch. Instead of spectators we become players. We learn how to manipulate the energy and transform it into specific form. I.e. we learn how to turn the potential of Reiki energy into energy with a specific purpose. We can decide ourselves which areas of our lives we want to direct more healing, be it physical, mental, emotional, or to a specific event or trauma. We become more self-directing and deliberate in our healing journey and so on many levels this advanced training takes us much further, quicker.

And of course, as a Reiki Master we quantum leap again. This time we learn, via the attunement process, how to resonate with the frequency of Reiki itself. The Master's symbol encompasses transformation - and so for most Masters it is a truly transformational journey.

This information becomes interesting to share with Reiki students and armed with this research it comes across more genuinely, and less like we are trying to ‘sell’ Reiki classes in any form. I still feel that at Level 1, my students have all the potential for healing and there is no need or requirement to go further, but the results have definitely given me pause for thought. I do spend more time discussing the benefits of Reiki 2 during my Level 1 class than I used to. It seems only fair to give my students the full picture and let them know that by progressing into more advanced stages with Reiki, they can expect a much deeper healing experience.

Animal Reiki Friday: Poll Results

In our May 17th poll we asked Animal Reiki practitioners where they treated animals. 

The poll results showed that an overwhelming majority of practitioners treated animals in their own homes. Those who treated animals in their offices beat out those who worked at the vet's office by a very narrow margin.

Reader Pam Sourelis commented that she treats animals almost exclusively by distance. Thanks, Pam!

If you've treated animals at your vet's office and would like to share your experience in working with vets, please comment below or send me an email at bethlowell@thereikidigest.com

If you didn't get a chance to weigh in, the poll is still open.

Announcing The Reiki Digest's first ever online art show!

Inspired by Reiki practitioner artist Pam Turczyn whose work was the catalyst for our currently ongoing focus group about the healing power of art, The Reiki Digest announces our first ever online art show.

When replies came in from practitioners who wanted to participate in the focus group it became immediately apparent that many had a dual interest in the project. They were not only Reiki practitioners eager to work with a mandala in conjunction with Reiki to see how art affected the healing process, but they were also artists themselves.

In response to these replies, we decided to give Reiki practitioner artists an opportunity to showcase their work right here, online, with readers from around the world.

Call for entries will be announced July 1!

The weekly waka

Taking Refuge as My Task

Deconstructing ego.
Pray, meditate, stay awake-
let go and forgive!
Love, give thanks, and simplify.
Lighten up and be born anew!

by Glenn Plyler

Reiki room: Bornheim, Germany

Four views of Ivana's Reiki room

Ivana from Bornheim, a town situated between Bonn and Cologne in Germany submitted these photos of her in-home Reiki room. Lovely! Thanks, Ivana!

Share your Reiki room with practitioners from around the world. Submit photos of your space - it can be personal or professional, all your own or shared - in an email to reikiroom @ thereikidigest.com. Be sure to include the words "reiki room" in the subject line.

Please welcome guest editor Claire M. Schwartz

Claire M. Schwartz

Dear readers,

Please join us in welcoming this month's guest editor, Claire M. Schwartz.

Claire M. Schwartz, BA, Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Counselor and Interfaith Minister, is the owner and proprietress of Miriam's Well Healing LLC in Morristown, New Jersey. Her goal is to empower her clients in their self-care and mentor their own healing journey. She also loves performing all manner of ceremonies, including weddings.

Clients in crisis

By Claire M. Schwartz

As healers and counselors, we offer support and comfort to those in need. We do this work because we care about others and because we want to be of service! But what about clients in a true crisis? We may be presented with urgent and dire circumstances – and how we respond may save a client’s life.

When I was undergoing Reiki training in an intense and in depth two-year program, we had a day where all of us got to practice doing sessions on friends. We were all in a large room with several massage tables, one for each of us, and our teacher, Margaret Ann Case, walked from table to table observing how we worked with and spoke to clients.

My first client that day was a friend and that went very well. But the second woman who came was not someone I knew personally. A friend had sent her to me, telling her about Reiki and telling me only that, “I think she could really use your help.” Eager to be of service, I made the appointment with her.

I was not prepared for what greeted me when I went to the waiting area to see her. She was clearly exhausted, unkempt, thin and strained to the point of breaking. She had not washed herself recently, she had a vacant stare in her eyes and her left hand shook. Due to her lack of hygiene, a discussion began between my teacher and myself as to whether I should see her or not.

It was clear to me that this woman was in dire need of help – any kind of help - and was hanging on by a thread. I insisted on her being allowed to stay, and not only did I treat her that day, but she became my client for over a year. It turns out she was in the middle of a severe nervous breakdown, in a deep depression, and was right on the edge of giving up all hope.

So here is my question to my fellow practitioners: how prepared are you when a client walks through your door? What if you have to deal with someone:


• suffering from severe depression?
• who is suicidal?
• recovering from surgery?
• in the midst of addiction? in the midst of recovery?
• suffering in a violent relationship?
• who has just lost a parent, spouse or child to illness or an accident?
• who walks in and bursts into tears, but can’t tell you what is wrong?


There are many skills that go into addressing these issues - Here are some ideas to consider:


• Take classes in specific areas and circumstances, such as crisis management, suicide prevention and domestic violence.
• Study grief counseling.
• Study addiction counseling.
• Take classes in a wide variety of specific counseling techniques and practice using them so you have them at your fingertips when they are needed.


These skills are not for marketing purposes, or to put certificates on your wall! They are to ensure that we are supplying only the best in care to all who seek us out.

It is also essential to have a resource directory to give to clients that includes contact information for other counselors and practitioners if there is an issue you think someone else might be better equipped to handle. Chiropractors, acupuncturists, aromatherapists, nutritionists, as well as psychiatrists and doctors in the area, can offer healing that is complementary with Reiki, write prescriptions if necessary, and help you network in the healing community to offer many options to all of your clients.

And what about if there is nothing you can do? I recently have had someone come to my office who is homeless, injured and in deep need of support. He has exhausted all the resources of the county and he is not allowed to leave the county. Can you turn someone to such desperation away? Sometimes the best assistance we can offer is to listen. But I also quickly realized that he needed much more than I could provide. He has since disappeared.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we must acknowledge that dealing with this type of client can be very draining. Do you have the training to stay grounded when confronted with these stark realities? As I teach my clients to care for themselves, healers must do so, as well – get any support you need, particularly having dealt with potential suicide or violence, and make sure you have someone more experienced to whom you can turn.

To work in a healing profession is an honor. When you hang out your shingle and it says Healer – Teacher – Counselor – people are going to come to you for help. The wrong response can, even with the best of intentions, send someone over the edge. Let’s make sure we help more than we harm.

The Reiki Roundup

Tolland, CT, USA: Dr. Joseph Nowinski recently published an article on The Huffington Post, discussing the effectiveness of Reiki and massage in cancer treatment. He gives an honest overview, neither hysterical nor dismissive, saying that both do help, but studies do not have adequate control groups.


Big Bear Valley, CA, USA: The Big Bear Grizzly, a local paper in California, covers a story on a local practitioner - I'm all for promoting a local business, of course, but the author says that Reiki activates healing "with a subtle manipulation of chakras"!! Um, no - chakras are from India - Reiki is from Japan!


Cleveland, OH, USA: Local tv station reports that University Hospital there is conducting a study on Reiki's effect on psoriasis. It calls for volunteers, so check out Cleveland! It's an interesting subject, but may produce only a small test group. It gets most of Reiki right, just calls it an ancient practice.


Irvine, CA, USA: PR Newswire reports that the finalists for the Biggest Loser are using Reiki as part of their push towards health and their final weigh-in.


Oswego, NY, USA : State University of New York at Oswego students were offered Reiki to help prepare for finals! I found this very inspiring and a great way to get young people aware of self-care.


Nevada, USA: Do you all know about Nevada Senate Bill 412? It attempts to create a board to regulate and oversee alternative therapies in the state. The panel would be made up of three medical doctors and three non-practitioners - no alternative healers at all. It is not dissimilar from North Carolina's bill that was seriously amended before passing to keep all healers from being labeled as felons by the state. What do we think about all this? What's happening in your state or country? How can you participate in this process? DISCUSS!

Celeb Reiki

Just a couple of celebs of note:

In Bolton in the UK, they have a mayor who does Reiki!

Who knew politics could be healing?

And on this side of the pond, an event in LA had Reiki in their goodie bags for the guests:

Music we love to practice Reiki by: Anugama

I learned about Anugama from my Reiki teacher, the late Margaret Ann Case. She used to play "Shamanic Dream", from the album of the same name, during attunements and Reiju. Coming from a musical backgrouond (four generations) has made me a wee bit particular about what is in my ears when I practice. But from the beginning, this music got right into my soul. I associate it with the shifting of energy and consciousness - and its African instruments reminds me where we all come from - and that we are one. Now when I give Reiju, I not only feel that memory, that shift, but I also have my teacher at my side. The other pieces on this album are all wonderful - but "Shamanic Dream" holds a special place.

Available on and Amazon:

The weekly waka

My kitty has gone
His aged face a mem'ry
Now he plays and purrs
In Fields of Elesium
And he suffers nevermore


For my beloved boy, Duncan
May, 1993 - May, 2011

by Claire M. Schwartz

Reiki perspectives: Are you a Reiki Martyr?

Do you offer Reiki treatment to others, either family and friends, or paying clients, or perhaps as a volunteer at a nursing home, hospice or hospital? You could be a Reiki martyr. Yes, I know you were taught that Reiki is safe. But is the practitioner safe?


Read more ...

Editors Note: You may see a pop-up invitation from Pamela Mile's website to sign up to receive Pamela's free weekly Reiki posts in your inbox. The pop-up window can be closed by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

Animal Reiki Friday: Reiki room

Reiki for hens

This week's animal Reiki room was submitted by a practitioner who wishes to remain anonymous. Finding herself trapped in a chicken coop due to a malfunctioning latch while caring for some hens whose owner had gone out of town, she found the situation a perfect opportunity for Reiki practice.


Contemplating the precepts, she did not become angry that the latch was not working. She did not worry despite the fact that the display of her cell phone indicated that the battery was low. She had compassion for herself despite the fact that the universal initial response to her phone calls for help was laughter. She was grateful that the incident occurred on the one warm day in a week during which temperatures were well below winter norms.


While waiting for help to arrive she treated both herself and the hens to some Reiki. She's confident that it was well received by all...But was that soft clucking she heard contentment or were those hens laughing too?

To submit a photo of your animal (or regular) Reiki room, send it in an email to reikiroom @ thereikidigest.com and include the words "Reiki room" in the subject line.

The Reiki Digest's first ever focus group starts today!

By Beth Lowell, Managing Editor

The Reiki Digest is conducting its first ever focus group starting today! Reiki practitioner participants will use a mandala to see how art influences their practice.

The idea for the focus group blossomed after Pam Turczyn commented on Deborah Flanagan's December 14, 2010 article about Reiki in healtchcare settings.

A conversation ensued and we discovered that Pam is a Brooklyn based artist whose work is inspired by her desire to help the greatest number of people possible and also to discover how art can assist the healing process.

We decided to help Pam, a level 2 Reiki practitioner, in her quest and announced the focus group back in March. 

The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Here's what some of our participants had to say: 

This is wonderful! I am so excited about participating and seeing the results of the study!!
--Jenny G.

Very excited to participate in this study. You've assigned me to the Meditation group which is so fantastically fitting being the organizer on the local level for a global, meditation event that is held monthly. Your time line will encompass two of those events.  

I will say in my first view, this lends itself to a journey effect, it pulled at me within the first few moments of looking at it, moving indeed.
-- Michelle C.


Reiki practitioners from around the world will practice with the mandala in four categories: Self care, Treatment of others, Distance treatments and Meditations. They will use the mandala a minimum of five times over the next eight weeks and answer a survey. At the conclusion, they will also have the opportunity to comment on their experience overall and after compiling the results, we'll share them here. 

One lucky participant in each group will win an archival print of the mandala valued at $200.00  

Due to the overwhelming response, some practitioners have been placed on a waiting list. We thank them for both their enthusiasm and patience.

Also, thanks to all our participants and Pam. We look forward to sharing the results here at The Reiki Digest later this summer.