Threshold Notes -- Starting toTeach Reiki - Pt 1

This article is from some material I have been preparing for my own master level students.

You’ve just completed your master level, or maybe you did so some time ago but now you are thinking about teaching Reiki.  Maybe you planned this all along or someone has been urging you to teach them. So now you are wondering “What’s next?” or “How do I get started?”

This concern has come up often in master level classes.  I even had to go through some of this when I first decided to teach; most Reiki teachers do.  So this Note and some of the following ones will offer ideas to think about as you prepare to teach Reiki.  Maybe some of them will be useful for the experienced teachers as well, if only to pass onto their new master students.

Getting Started:

1.    Reiki Master: The first thing I suggest thinking about is “What Does Being a Reiki Master Mean to You?”  This may sound simple, even obvious, but if you try to write down your thoughts on this you might be surprised at what you actually feel about it.  This was actually a topic in my own first Reiki Master class, with thoughts provided by William Rand who taught my teacher. Over time and with much experience I came to think of this in greater detail and also shared an article on my web site from my own Threshold Reiki Master manual (see link below). Once you have written your thoughts on this, you pretty much know how you will approach the Reiki training you will offer.

2.    What to Teach:  Again this might seem simple; you might just teach what your own master taught you.  But what if you had a different teacher for Reiki 1?  What if that teacher or your current one’s material is too detailed, complicated, or perhaps doesn’t quite feel right for you?  Well, you are now a Reiki Master and so YOU can decide what YOU wish to teach.  Why not think of what topics you are most comfortable teaching a new student? It might be only a part of what you hope to ultimately include, but you will no doubt grow your teaching method over time and experience.  Decide what you feel is most important for the level you will teach and begin with class topics that address those points.  Remember, Reiki is very simple to learn. Even Mrs. Takata’s original training method was quite simple, presented in a lecture and demonstration format, and didn’t include practice time during class for students (they did this on their own afterwards.)   Most likely your method will include more than this.  But it’s your choice.  I tell my students that when they finish my class they will have more Reiki knowledge, experience and Reiki energy than when I first began, so they will find teaching Reiki to be easy, interesting and enjoyable.

3.    Preparing Class Plans: it’s a good idea to list the topics and exercises you wish to cover in the class, and then try to break it down by the amount of time you think each segment will take. If possible, you might include the odd optional topic, something you can skip if one segments turns out longer than expected, but one that you can make use of if a segment goes quicker than you thought it would. If you include information on each of these optional topics in your handouts then you can also just assign them as homework for the student.  Make sure you include times for breaks and meals (like lunch).  While my handout for my class agenda is in simple point form listed by time, my own teacher’s version originally has a lot of detail to remind me what I wish to cover for each part of the class.  After several years of classes I no longer needed that level of detail.

4.    Preparing Class Material: You might not be aware that handouts or manuals were not originally part of most Reiki training. The URR Gakkai and Dr. Hayashi did eventually have a small handout for the beginning student, but not much more. (See the links at the bottom of this article.)  These days it’s almost a given that the student will receive a manual with the class.  A really simple way to start out is to buy each student a Reiki book you find useful and include its cost into your class fee.  Or you can download a free or inexpensive manual off the internet (like my Sample Reiki 1) and add any additional handouts not covered in it that you wish to discuss in class. Again, some of the material can be assigned as post class reading or exercises.

5.    Where to Teach the Class: Most new teachers will probably choose to hold the classes in their own home. If you do this, then determine how many people you can comfortably sit and teach in your space, including room for Reiki practice, washroom facilities, and your location. You don’t want so many people that some feel claustrophobic or have difficulty breathing, or people are sitting almost on top of each other.  If you don’t have a reasonable space you can also look at borrowing or renting some space elsewhere. Often you can find a room at a local community centre, meeting hall, church basement or even someone else’s healing facility or clinic.  You might even offer to teach in the student’s home, possibly offering a discount to the owner if it is a group class.

That’s enough to get the ball rolling and to help you decide how organised you wish to or need to be.