Sometimes people can be a little apprehensive when booking themselves on a Reiki course, and wonder quite what they are getting themselves into. Many people who arrive on a Reiki course have no experience of meditation, or working with energy, or complementary therapies, and might be a bit concerned by what is going to happen. In fact when Taggart King booked himself on his first Reiki course he thought it was probably some New Age nonsense and that he was just being unbelievably gullible by doing such a thing. But he had an open enough mind to give it a go and see what it was all about, and it changed his life.
So this page will let you know what goes on when you attend a Reiki training course and hopefully reassure you that Reiki is not some strange religion or cult. We will talk about what you would do if you decided to follow our First Degree Reiki course
But let’s start with the experiences of a couple of our students who arrived on their course either sceptical, or nervous, or both:
“What can I say, the day went beyond all my expectations. Before the course, part of me was very sceptical about the whole thing. I was worried that these people were a bit wacko and were only interested in ripping me off. How wrong I was! I couldn’t believe it when I felt a series of different sensations during the empowerments. I don’t want to go into too much detail and spoil it for anyone else who’s thinking about taking the course.”
I’d certainly recommend anyone who’s thinking about doing a Reiki course to stop thinking and do it! The people I’ve treated since are amazed at what they’ve felt during the treatment. At first they all joked about it and looked at me like I’d horns growing out my head. But they soon changed their tune and now they keep on asking for more!
During the day I found it difficult to actually believe that I could channel the energy… now I just accept that the energy will go where its meant to and believe me it does!”
Chyrel Lennox, Lochwinnoch
“I arrived on the morning of May 13th and was made instantly welcome as I was feeling slightly nervous, unsure as to what to expect. The day was wonderful and the feelings I experienced during the afternoon was lovely.
Reiki has changed me as a person, I used to hold everything in, didn’t voice my opinions, worry about things that might never happen, but now I let things go over my head about things that are not worth worrying about. I’m also a lot more confident which is a good thing!”
Stefania Mullard, Leicestershire
Learning some things
While Reiki is basically a practical art and not an academic subject, and while success with Reiki does not depend on cramming information into your head, you do need to know something about what Reiki is and where it came from, how to use it for your own benefit and how to use Reiki to help others.
On most Reiki courses you might attend, all this information is presented to you on your live course, so you would spend a fair amount of time sitting and listening while your teacher talks about various things to do with Reiki.
At Reiki Evolution we do not do it that way. We think that trying to take in a lot of information on the day of your course is not a very good way of helping you to learn, so we send you your course materials as soon as you place a booking with us so you have the opportunity to get to grips with the ‘information’ side of Reiki over a period of time, at your leisure, to let the information sink in. We think that the time you spend on a training course should be spent doing practical things, putting what you have learned into practice, and recapping on the main points of the things that you have already learned, rather than having a training course a vehicle for imparting lots of information.
We try to deal with different learning styles and preferences too, so you are provided with a detailed Reiki manual containing text and images, some summary sheets and questions and answer sheets, as well as a Reiki audio CD with an hour of commentary, and a further CD containing guided meditations that you will use later on. Here some of our students talk about what they thought of the course materials they received:
“I was really nervous as I read my course manual, thinking Oh my God there is so much to take in, but the manual was well-presented and the content was easy and digestible. The CD is a fabulous idea and great when doing hatsurei in the morning; it is my bible.”
Penny Flowers, London
“I walked away from the course feeling as though I had been given a very special gift – which indeed I have. I had done my homework with both the manual and CD, so it was easy to understand. The course was gentle, informal and inspirational. I am practising the exercises daily and find the meditations to be very beneficial.”
Patricia Heyland, London
“Thank you! I have to say I was very impressed with the course and especially with the course material, which was invaluable. As I am severely deaf, taking notes is always problematic as when I look away from the speaker it becomes difficult to follow what is being said. For me the manual and CD was a Godsend.”
Cliff Docherty, London
“After reading and re-reading the course manual and CD I found it so easy to follow and detailed precisely to engage and capture my full attention, not wanting to lay it down!! Learning the origins and history behind Reiki I felt was covered with the right amount of detail at this stage of my development, leaving me with enough knowledge to confidently practice at this level and a realisation that I have found my true vocation in life.”
Sandra Partridge, Leicestershire
“I am delighted by this new approach I have found to Reiki. It is thorough and much more true to the way I feel Reiki should be taught. The learning at home system works really well as you have so much time to familiarise yourself with everything – and for value for money it is excellent.”
Emily Newport, West Sussex
“It was useful to have read the manual and listened to the CD before so: the practical exercises seemed more natural and less intimidating.”
Fiora Mallevays, London
Receiving empowerments
All Reiki courses will involve you going through a ‘connection ritual’ either called an ‘attunement’ or an ‘empowerment’ (they do essentially the same thing). The idea of a “ritual” can conjure up some strange images in people’s head, but you do not need to worry. Attunements and empowerments take just a few minutes to carry out and are simply a gentle method that your teacher uses to help you to recognise something that is already there within you, a way of directing your attention towards an energy that is within you and surrounds you, and always has been a part of you. Attunements do not connect you to something new and different.
You will usually receive a number of attunements or empowerments during your Reiki training, and on Reiki Evolution courses you will receive three “Reiju empowerments” during your First Degree course. You will sit in a room with the other students, close your eyes, and listen to some relaxing music for a few minutes to help you to feel peaceful and relaxed. Then your teacher goes from person to person, spending a couple of minutes with each student, helping you to experience the energy that is already there within you.
What people experience when receiving an attunement or an empowerment can vary greatly. A few people feel nothing at all, and wonder what all the fuss was about. A few people have an amazing, profound spiritual experience that they will remember for a very long time. Some people experience powerful physical sensations or are moved emotionally quite intensely. And most people notice something happening, but without it being a big, earth-shattering experience.
No matter what you experience, the empowerment has given you what you need. Below you can read about the experiences of nine of our students, who describe what their empowerments were like:
“The Reiju empowerments were beautiful and whilst I did not have “bells and whistles” they have certainly made their mark on me.”
Suzanne Berry, Northamptonshire
“The bonus for me was that during the first Empowerment, Louise fixed my neck! The day before the live course I had put my neck out and this developed into a migraine type headache which was so bad I took to my bed and I’ll admit that I was feeling a bit fragile when I turned up for the course. But during the first Empowerment I felt a tremendous heat on the back of my neck and at the end, when I moved, I could feel it click into place. I have had no problems with my neck (or back) since the day of the course – a definite bonus and more than enough incentive to carry on!”
Catherine Buecheler, Cambridgeshire
“The Reiju empowerments were given in a peaceful, compassionate atmosphere and were powerful experiences.”
Clare Ewins, West Sussex
“The empowerment was a wonderful experience during which I felt a lot of pressure over my crown. This was accompanied by colours, mainly blue and purple, as well as a feeling of great calm.”
Marilyn Harvey, London
“The empowerments were special moments. I had rarely experienced colour in my own healing sessions up until then, but in the empowerments purples with some dark greens were significant features.”
Elizabeth Rosser, London
“Nothing could ever have prepared me for what happened when I received my first empowerment. I still think it was a dream.”
Maggi Roberts, Essex
“I particularly enjoyed Tina’s empowerments and felt completely relaxed and at ease.”
Luce Halil, Hertfordshire
” I wasn’t sure what to expect during my empowerments but I can definitely say that all three were very strong visually and physically. At one point I could feel a whirlwind blowing from above my head and spiralling larger and larger until it engulfed me. I thought I was going to open my eyes and see an air-fan in Margaret’s hands, but there was nothing there and Margaret could not have made air whirl in such an unusual way – it made me feel extremely special and excited that this could happen to me.”
Nanette Johnson, Melrose
“The course felt so ‘magical’. I had an emotional reaction with the second empowerment I received. I could feel the emotion build up as Sue was working her way towards me and it all came up (the tears) as I felt her energy reaching me. But it felt good!”
Isabelle Salenbier, Cambridgeshire
Working with energy
Reiki is all about working with energy in different ways, so obviously the live course gives you many opportunities to experience energy and use it for your own benefit and for the benefit of others. On our First Degree course your teacher talks you through several fun exercise that introduce you to feeling and sensing energy, either individually or by pairing up with a partner to practise together. During the morning you learn a simple set of energy exercises/meditations that you can use every day and you also find out how to treat yourself in different ways, focusing the energy onto different parts of your body. In the afternoon of your course you have the opportunity to both give and receive a Reiki treatment.
So on our courses you spend a great deal of time doing practical things with energy rather than sitting listening to the teacher talking about stuff, and we think that this works well: you learn about the basics of Reiki before you arrive on your course, and on the day of the course you put into practice what you have read about.
“The only tension of the day I brought myself in the form of my persistent habit of thinking (whatever the activity) “I won’t be able to do it”, so I was a little nervous at the point when we came to practice on each other to see what we could feel in respect of the energy: a little nervous also to be observed in a new learning situation. But as I say, this was of my own making, and the support from Sue and the other students was excellent. I couldn’t have asked for any better atmosphere.
It was so exciting when we practised to find that I could really feel a response to a person’s energy, and that we all could. I could do it! We all gave something to each other.”
Elizabeth Rosser, London
“I found the course very enlightening, as well as exciting how strong the energy seemed almost straight away.”
Pauline Beger, Essex
“I found that doing hatsurei and the self-treatment meditation very calming. Throughout the day I felt tingling in my hands. The whole day was a very positive experience.”
Patricia Harrison, Lancashire
Treating people
Although Reiki is basically as spiritual development and self-healing system, it can also be used to treat other people and we cover this aspect of Reiki fully on our courses. During the afternoon of your First Degree course you split into pairs with another student and practise giving and receiving a full Reiki treatment. Your teacher starts by talking to you about Reiki treatments, about feeling the energy field and about ‘scanning’, and they will demonstrate a few things. Then one student lies on a treatment table and relaxes, with gentle music playing in the background, while the other student is talked through the stages of giving a treatment, with the Reiki teacher on hand to guide and encourage as you treat someone for the very first time.
For many people, receiving a Reiki treatment on the day of their course may be the first time that they have received Reiki and it can be a powerful and very positive and relaxing experience. Many students are amazed by the sensations that they experience while treating, and doubly amazed by the feedback that they receive from the person that they practised on!
“I thought that the Reiki First Degree was amazing. I had so many wonderful experiences. I have had Reiki treatments in the past but actually acting as a Reiki channel far surpasses those.”
Vikki Fulton, Kilwinning
“On the day Jay presented everything in a clear, respectful and fun way. I found that I had all the information I needed to benefit from the day, and in the treatment session I received from another participant my bad knee was healed.”
Tine Landy, Bristol
“The structure of the day had been well thought out and each section of the course built upon the last so that by the afternoon we were more than comfortable scanning each other and giving a Reiki treatment.”
Catherine Buecheler, Cambridgeshire
“I particularly liked the opportunity to both receive and give a full Reiki treatment under the guidance of Tina. I don’t think I would have felt confident enough that I could actualy do it without this hands-on session. It is then very useful to be able to refer to the manual for the treatment, expecially the photos of each position.”
Fiora Mallevays, London
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Author: Taggart King