As I reflect on my twenty-two years of Reiki practice, I am pleased to be able to share a few things that I have learned.

One of my guiding principles is “all healing is self-healing.” From my years of nursing and Reiki practice, I come to realize that I have never healed one person, and I do not consider myself a “healer”. I simply support the healing journeys for those who cross my path. I offer Reiki sessions; share information about self-care practices; teach Reiki classes; create a safe space for my clients; bring a healing presence to my sessions; listen and observe; provide insights into their thoughts and reflections; offer guidance, encouragement and emotional support. I tell my clients and students that they have to “do their own work”, take responsibility and engage in their own healing journey. I remind them that Reiki will always support their highest and greatest good. Trust Reiki.

Another guiding principle for me is to keep my practice simple. The greatest power and beauty of Reiki is its pure simplicity. Hands on. Hands off. I emphasize and encourage daily Reiki for self-care. I teach my students to place their hands where they are experiencing pain or discomfort in their physical body. If they need to relax and release anxiety or stress, place hands on their heart center or give themselves a gentle hug. We can connect to Reiki anytime, anywhere, for any amount of time. A few moments of Reiki can bring us to that place of feeling calm and peaceful no matter what chaos is swirling around us. Keep it simple.

I encourage my students to cultivate and nurture their own relationships with Reiki; to personalize their practice; to be creative and confident in exploring their connection to Reiki. Students ask if it’s better to practice or “do” Reiki this way or that way or another way? My answer is always, “Yes, Yes and Yes.” There is truly no right or wrong way to practice Reiki as long as our intention comes compassion and loving kindness, with no attachment to particular outcomes. We cannot fail or do harm. The potential and possibilities with Reiki are as endless as this universal life force energy. Reiki is a vibrant, adaptable, versatile, and evolving energy that is responsive to our needs for growth, insight, comfort, and guidance. Reiki will gently guide us toward our highest and greatest good. Trust Reiki.

The system of Reiki offers us a wealth of practices that support our daily self-care. Establishing a consistent routine is invaluable, as it helps us step into the world with greater balance and resilience.

While a Reiki attunement connects us to our innate healing abilities, it is the daily practice that quiets the mind and deepens our awareness of our interconnectedness with all beings. Time and again, we are reminded that caring for ourselves first allows us to hold space for healing, kindness, and compassion for others.

By offering ourselves the gift of hands-on healing each day, we learn to embrace self-compassion through gentle touch, nurturing every aspect of our body, mind, and spirit.

Through meditation, we train our minds to be still, anchoring our awareness in the breath’s soothing, healing rhythm. This practice cultivates presence, focus, and resilience, helping us reconnect with our true nature—one of loving awareness.

Reflecting on the Reiki Precepts allows us to observe how our emotions and thoughts shape both our inner world and our interactions with others.

For Reiki II practitioners, the symbols serve as powerful focal points. Chanting their mantras and immersing in their vibrational energy strengthens our connection to Earth, Heart, and Heavenly energies.

Incorporating all these practices into a daily routine may feel daunting. Yet, even dedicating time to one can create a meaningful shift, helping us move through the world shining our light, which is so in need of our loving presence.

To me, Reiki Principles seem like a bridge between every two self-treatments. I can’t go through life with my Reiki hands on myself. It is the Principles that help me navigate life with more ease and grace during all those times when I am not self-treating.

In Japanese culture, reflective questions are deeply valued. I heard a Zen Master say – get the question right and answers will start to come. So the question underlying the Reiki Principles for me is <<How to be in the moments when I experience worry, anger, etc. so that my ki is nourished, not depleted?>>

‘Reiki helps facilitate life’. I heard these words from Wanja Twan, one of the 22 Reiki Masters initiated by Mrs Hawayo Takata. Sometimes Reiki benefits can feel like WD40. Reiki seems to lubricate life for things to flow more smoothly, at least eventually if not immediately.

Another phrase I heard often from some elders in the Reiki community is ‘Reiki is not a therapy’. With time I realised one layer of this phrase is that Reiki is not directed to symptoms. Reiki goes to the cause not just the symptoms.

Now with nearly 24 years of experience as a Reiki student, I realise that Reiki works from inside out. Reiki can help nourish and strengthen our ki, the life force. When the ki is flowing well, the symptoms can alleviate and/or what is needed in the bigger picture is facilitated.

Then the question arises when we use the word Reiki, what are we referring to, what are we thinking of? Are we thinking of the hands-on practice, or perhaps the second degree practice! Are we remembering to include the Reiki Principles in the daily Reiki practice? I find the combination of Reiki Principles and daily Reiki self treatments is needed to receive the full complement of the healing power of Reiki.

I remember Phyllis Lei Furumoto, the previous lineage bearer for Reiki, Usui Shiki Ryoho, also Mrs Hawayo Takata’s grand daughter, once saying that the Reiki Principles are like Zen Koans, they are an invitation, they are not prescriptive. Now I think what she meant was that the Reiki Principles are not literal. They are an invitation to connect more deeply with the mystery of life. To me Reiki Principles seem like a bridge between every two self treatments. I can’t go through life with my Reiki hands on myself. It is the Principles that help me navigate life with more ease and grace during all those times when I am not self treating.

In Japanese culture reflective questions are deeply valued. I heard a Zen Master say – get the question right and answers will start to come. So the question underlying the Reiki Principles for me is ‘How to be in the moments when I experience worry, anger, etc. so that my ki is nourished not depleted?’.

I have been practicing the attitude of gratitude on a regular basis and Reiki was a transformative tool for me to open up wonderful and beautiful pathways.

Living in Holistic Harmony with Reiki Principles
Out of Five Reiki Principles that our beloved masters taught us :

        1. Just for today, I will not be angry.
        2. Just for today, I will not worry.
        3. Just for today, I will be grateful.
        4. Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
        5. Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

The key lessons that I learnt over these years ever since I learnt Reiki level 1 and 2 in the year 2007-2008 to be in harmony with nature and allow yourself to be guided by the universal force and power of love ❤️

Reiki is the Universal energy : Love

I have learnt to honor myself journey and over these years have learnt a lot of deep practices and transitioned my career from a digital marketer to a career of teaching, coaching and facilitating change . Reiki played a huge part in this.

I am reminded to love myself and respect others . I am regularly Integrating gratitude, kindness, and mindfulness into daily life.

Thanks to Reiki ❤️🙏🏻 being the beacon of light in our lives

Blessings be to all! Gratitude 🙏🏻

I think one of my greatest lessons and gifts from my experience with Reiki is learning to trust. It was not something that came easily to me and it took time, practice and courage. At the beginning I had to learn to trust that ‘I was doing it right’ when connecting with Reiki and giving Reiki to myself and others. I had to trust that what I was sensing/feeling was ok and right.

Over the years I have developed a strong trust in the Reiki energy and its ability to support physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I fully trust this now, whether I am giving/sending Reiki to a person or a situation. I trust the process and the outcome. It has taken time, and I do still sometimes have fears and doubt. But if I move out of my head and back into my heart energy I can connect with a sense of trust in the situation. As a result I’m now able to trust in the Universe and the process of life far more than I was able to before Reiki came into my life.

Ultimately, with all tools and techniques, the final destination of your Reiki practice is a homecoming into your own divine guidance. Reiki is a journey inwards, an ever deepening trust in your own inner voice. In the beginning, it may seem like you have no inner guidance, or it is so confusing to try to listen as all you can hear is the voices and opinions of others.

So as a beginner Reiki practitioner it can be useful to listen to teachers and follow the guidance – hand positions, timings, tools and experience of those who have gone before you. But as you progress, it is important to test and challenge everything. What works for you? What serves you? Be willing to listen to your own practice and make this a priority over what others say, no matter how “expert”.

All of us speak from our own inner truth and experience, and this cannot be replicated by someone else. We all have different journeys and relevant pathways to follow. Be true to yourself first and foremost and be willing to test out techniques and let go of old methodologies that you have outgrown. In this way you honour your unique journey and the homecoming that Reiki wants to show you.

My early experience of Reiki was for Alzheimer’s Disease where I discovered that in addition to the clear benefits for my mother, my own grief, fear, and pain were relieved and I was empowered to accompany her through death with great love, peace of mind and presence.

Now I have traveled further on the Reiki path of self-practice and daily care – once again due to mom’s wonderful influence which persuaded me that the only way to protect against such ravaging diseases was to care lovingly for myself, attend to my traumas, fears, and needs, and seek spiritual growth and wisdom daily. This is the path of true Reiki practice.

As my traditional Reiki teacher taught us, the Shinpiden level, or third level of Reiki training, and the highest offered in traditional teachings, is about going deeper, not higher. We travel the mystic’s path of inner knowledge and compassion for self, going deeper into the mysteries of life and light as we unite within and without in the non-duality of Life.

From these humble beginnings of self-exploration and healing, my journey over the years has taken me to places unimagined and unexplored. I have wrestled with my own spiritual growth as unperceived inner barriers of thought and culture became uncomfortably apparent and smotheringly confining. It takes courage and commitment to continue a journey of spiritual growth, to answer the inner call to free yourself from your own shackles and be unconcerned with society’s conventionalities. It takes inner strength, strong spiritual connection, the ability to recognize and work with wisdom teachings and to receive the mind and spirit expanding revelations that fuel spiritual growth.

This is the work of Reiki practice.

Hidden in the simple everyday use and connection with Reiki, spiritual energy, we are expanded. Our thinking is rewired, our emotions are slowly healed, our inner strength grows like the trunk of a strong tree, with roots deepened in experience and branches fed with intense love coming to us from across the universe of the heavens around us. We are instilled with the imbibed goodness of heaven and earth and we become. As such, like the energies of nature around us, we sustain life and spirit for the planet and its creatures, unfolding blessings in magnificence and beauty, weathered by our own storms yet standing in the beauty and grace of time worn love. May all flourish in their practice daily!

What I have realised along my journey is that no matter what tools or processes we use, there is absolutely no substitute for daily hands-on self healing of all the front and back chakras in the morning AND evening. My own life improved drastically once I developed a strong practice. Especially those who are healing others with or without the use of energy healing, benefit tremendously and pick up very little negative energy from clients if they have a strong hands-on self-practice.

Another life changing discovery was that how we keep our hair makes a significant difference in how much negative energy we pick up from our surroundings. Braiding or bunning the hair provides much more protection that most shields that are commonly used. If we combine this with protecting our foreheads with the application of ash or sandalwood paste, then it is even more powerful. It is a must-do for anyone who is sensitive and picks up negative energy easily. None of my clients who do this, ever complain of picking up negative energy from others.

Lastly, I know many people like working with affirmations and intentions, and that is how I started out too. Everything has its place. Over time I have realised however, that remembering that the ‘universal’ energy knows better than a tiny limited mind allows us to transcend human abilities and bring about miraculous results when we simply trust that the energy is wiser than us and knows exactly what to do. I often say that when we ask, we get what we want, but when we don’t, we get everything.

As Reiki Masters, one of our tasks is to continually engage with the practice with Reiki, not merely as teachers, but as practitioners and learners. Reiki can be described as an embodied practice—one that we learn and teach experientially. It invites us to be more present in every moment, and when we do so we can learn directly from the intelligence and inspiration of the Reiki energy. Hawayo Takata famously recited the refrain “let Reiki teach you” to her students, reminding them that practicing Reiki was the best way to learn. Every self-treatment, client session, remote healing, attunement, or other experience is an opportunity to learn from Reiki.

Reiki Masters were originally called shihan in Japanese, a term made of two parts: shi, meaning “example,” and han, denoting “exemplary practitioner.” In other words, a shihan or teacher isn’t someone who has “mastered” Reiki, but someone who serves as a good example to new generations of Reiki practitioners. We can do this in many ways, such as embodying the precepts, committing ourselves to regular self-practice, and showing up for our communities to share, support, and inspire through Reiki. It’s also important to remember that we are all students of the first degree. Our study of the foundational teachings does not end with a second- or third-degree attunement. Reiki Masters should still aim to embrace curiosity and wonder in their practice, continuing to study, hone, and embody the techniques of first-degree and second-degree classes.

When we remember that through our attunements (or initiations, empowerments, reiju, etc.) we are all connected to the same source of Reiki energy, we can see that Reiki connects us at all levels. We are all the same in Reiki: we have the same potential, the same Reiki energy flowing through us, the same needs and hopes as human beings. Reiki Masters owe it to themselves and their students to embody this awareness of Reiki through practice. When we do so, it opens doors for others to do the same.

I often like to add direct affirmations to a client’s Reiki session whilst channeling Reiki to them.
During a Reiki session, after identifying specific areas where there is more blockage, I like to listen to what their body more deeply and its needs (like we’re having a conversation of our own) and send personally tailored affirmations there.

For example, if a client has been stressed and extremely anxious I like to send Reiki to the chest along with affirmations such as: “Challenges are temporary. These moments are temporary. If the Universe is challenging me, then it knows I have the capability to handle this. I trust the Universe. I trust myself. I am good enough.”

After the Reiki treatment, sometimes I share what those affirmations are, so they can continue with it, or reword it so it resonates with them more. I find adding affirmations with Reiki beneficial and takes their healing a little extra further.

One of the most extraordinary techniques that Master Usui taught, and so necessary for our days, is Nentatsu Ho, the technique for achieving positive thinking.

This Positive Thinking technique can help us anchor these five principles [Gokai]. We place our left hand on our forehead and our right hand on the back of our neck. We visualize the situation we want to overcome, but this time with a positive attitude towards it. If we encounter a difficult person, we visualize our positive attitude towards them. It’s like a film that continually repeats itself, which will help the mind to anchor this action and bring it as an alternative if we are conscious.

One of the most extraordinary techniques that Master Usui taught, and so necessary for our days, is Nentatsu Ho, the technique for achieving positive thinking.

Master Usui began by writing the indications of what would be his method (Gainen). He said it was for the improvement of body and mind and that it was through a Secret Art of Inviting Happiness. But what art can we practice?

Art is a deepening of a technique, what we do today is better than what we did in the past, because we practice. In the same way, this is the art that Master Usui encourages us to apply, the development of a technique. “Secret” is something internal, it is what is within us… He said that this practice is to invite happiness, but that is within us. So the improvement of body and mind is done by the path to our own interior and this is accomplished with Five Principles (Gokai).

This Positive Thinking technique can help us anchor these five principles. We place our left hand on our forehead and our right hand on the back of our neck. We visualize the situation we want to overcome, but this time with a positive attitude towards it. If we encounter a difficult person, we visualize our positive attitude towards them. It’s like a film that continually repeats itself, which will help the mind to anchor this action and bring it as an alternative if we are conscious.

Try… Just for today…

I begin every Reiki session the same way: “Take three deep breaths. Breathe in calm, breathe out tension. Calm and relaxed. Every breath the same.”

I invite clients to close their eyes and set their intention: “Allow yourself to totally, completely, and permanently accept this healing. May all things that support you be strengthened, and all things that do not, fade away.”

Because I use these words every time, their repetition becomes an anchor, allowing clients to relax more easily in future sessions. The initial breathwork—breathing in calm and exhaling tension—also serves as a tool clients can use to invoke the relaxation of Reiki in their daily lives.

As I draw the Reiki symbols over my clients, I briefly describe their purpose:

      Han Sha Ze Sho Nen – This is the symbol for Divine connection, connecting across time and space, connecting with the past, present, and future.
      Cho Ku Rei – Now connecting to the Divine template, the ideal way you were put together.
      Sei He Ki – Now connecting to the Divine mind, for mental and emotional well-being.
      Dai Ko Myo – And now connecting to the Divine Spirit for Divine guidance.

By providing a sense of each symbol, clients better understand the symbol’s purpose and connect more deeply with Reiki.

Finally, I offer this affirmation: “May all things that support you be strengthened, and all things that do not fade away—for the greatest good of you, a wonderful person.”

With this, I begin the session.

🔶 A technique that you find particularly powerful for healing or self-care
Prayer, daily meditation and daily self Reiki.

🔶 A personal approach to energy work that deeply resonates with you
I always prepare the room at the beginning of a session (and between sessions) using the Reiki symbols and/or sage. I then say a prayer of intention before they arrive and then give myself time to settle into that energy.

🔶 A transformative experience that shaped your Reiki path
Meeting my Reiki Teacher, Laurelle Gaia. I was already a Reiki Master when I met her and she inspired me to be ME. I was so intimidated when I first started practicing, and especially teaching, and felt like I had to be this perfect Reiki person, who knew everything! I learned to bring myself into my practice and it made me a better practitioner and teacher. She helped me to develop myself as a confident Reiki person and to ask Reiki for guidance to help me.

🔶 Any wisdom or guidance that could inspire and support fellow practitioners
Some of the best advice I got from Laurelle about practicing Reiki was “put your hands on the person and get out of way”. So simple. I especially liked telling my Level One students this, as they were so worried they’d do it wrong. You can’t. Don’t practice from your head. Trust Reiki. It knows what to do and where to go. I wish I’d learned this earlier in my Reki career! It’s so basic and it teaches us to trust Reiki and set our egos aside.

Something that came to me when I first started practicing (I was sitting at my desk at work, after my first attunement) and the following just dropped into my head “let go of concerns and trust the process.” Similar to the above statement.

The first thing that comes to mind for me are Cho Ku Rei bubbles (for lack of a better name). I draw the power symbol mentally in front of me and then imagine it stretching around me (or someone else) like a bubble. Then I channel Reiki into the bubble and add any other symbols that I feel called to use.

As an empath, I find the Cho Ku Rei bubble to be particularly useful for energetic protection, especially with the current political climate and the energy it has stirred. I have been using it before leaving the house for the last few months and it’s become second nature, like putting on a coat before going out.

I also use it when I am ill and want to envelop myself in Reiki energy for healing. In addition, the Se Hei Ki can be added to support mental and emotional health or the Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to aid in healing from a past event or for fortification for a future event. I have often used it to ease anxiety.

For a long time, I wore an invisible cloak, a shield that kept me safe from the overwhelm of the outside world. As an introverted, sensitive person, I thought it was protecting me. But when I stepped into my role as a Reiki practitioner, I realized that my invisibility was also keeping me from sharing my healing gifts—the very purpose I felt called to fulfill.

If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. Many Reiki practitioners struggle with visibility, afraid they’re not good enough, or that they’ll be judged. But the world needs your light. And the truth is, being visible doesn’t have to mean forcing yourself into an energy that doesn’t feel authentic. It simply means allowing yourself to be seen, in a way that feels aligned with who you truly are.

Practicing the system of Reiki helped me shed my invisibility cloak. That’s when I discovered that I could step into my role as a Reiki practitioner on my own terms—gently, with boundaries, and in a way that honored my sensitivity. And in doing so, I was able to help others heal, just as I was healing myself.

If you’re struggling with this, know that you don’t have to change who you are to step into the light. You simply have to trust that your presence, just as it is, is enough. The people who need your healing are looking for you. Let them find you.

The Reiki Comforter is wrapped around the recipient with 7 light layers representing the 7 symbols I work with. They are wrapped in comfort and pain free. I usually do this towards the end of a session.

<<My Saturn Rings>> are powerful energy discs that eliminate pain. They move up and down over the targeted area cleaning out all low lying energies. Have used it for sore knees, etc.

The Reiki Shower is a deep cleansing with beads of white energy coming from the shower head and clears out all negativity. Have used it for kidney stones as the shower breaks up the stones and turns them into powder.

When I am wrapping up a Distance Reiki Session, I like to place the recipients on what I call the Reiki Swing. Carefree, Laughter, Joy and Light as a Feather. Everyone always tells me how light they feel afterwards.

I also like to use the Holy Fire Wave. In person or from a Distance. I place the Holy Fire wave under them like a lounge chair. They ride the wave of healing as the wave moves up and down 7x. Cleansing and Purifying.

The Reiki Comforter is wrapped around the recipient with 7 light layers representing the 7 symbols I work with. They are wrapped in comfort and pain free. I usually do this towards the end of a session.

My “Saturn Rings” are powerful energy discs that eliminate pain. They move up and down over the targeted area cleaning out all low lying energies. Have used it for sore knees, etc.

The Reiki Shower is a deep cleansing with beads of white energy coming from the shower head and clears out all negativity. Have used it for kidney stones as the shower breaks up the stones and turns them into powder.

For emotional issues I wrap the recipient with a SHK hat over their head. I place CKR on the bottoms of their feet as they step into power, getting stronger with each step they take.

P.S. For clearing spaces I place Holy Fire and Christ Consciousness at the entrance of a building/home as endless tiny Holy Fire sweepers go to every nook and cranny clearing out the space and adding a higher vibration.

In my work with Energy of Serenity clients and students, I emphasize that our sessions and classes are never simply one-and-done experiences. The journey we embark on together continues well beyond the initial meeting, fostering a rich relationship that nurtures personal growth and community. Within two to three days after a Reiki session or class, I make it a point to check in with each participant, creating a space for them to reflect on their experiences and express any lingering thoughts or questions.

This follow-up cultivates a comforting atmosphere where individuals feel safe to share. By encouraging open dialogue, we raise our collective vibration, fostering a community of support and understanding. Each interaction becomes an opportunity for deeper connection, allowing clients and students to feel valued and heard in their individual journeys.

It is through this continuous outreach that I witness growth, connection, and a shared commitment to elevating our well-being as a whole. Together, we create a vibrant community dedicated to personal and collective transformation.

I recently moved to a new neighborhood. It’s a bit rougher than what I’m used to, and during those first few days, I felt like an intruder—uncomfortable and slightly unsafe. Every Friday, I hold a free Reiki morning meditation. No matter the variation we practice, we always include the awareness that every being and everything is made up of the same essence.

During that Friday’s meditation, I noticed the separation I felt between myself, the streets, and the community starting to soften. By the time I finished, I felt a deep sense of connection and belonging. That day, as I walked my dog, something shifted—I connected with people, received compliments, rescued a stray puppy, and met some lovely neighbors. Of course, I also encountered cranky folks. This is real life, after all, not a fantasy.

This simple experience illuminated how a subtle shift in mindset—becoming aware of the quiet othering I had carried due to unfamiliarity and discomfort—can transform our everyday experiences.

In a time marked by division, I now try to constantly remind myself to acknowledge my fears and frustrations so they don’t close my heart to connection, compassion, and kindness. This doesn’t mean enabling harmful behavior or ignoring our boundaries—it means judging less, which naturally leads to less othering. It can be hard work, but it’s worth it if it helps cultivate greater peace in my heart and mind.