Why don’t you practice daily self Reiki? Really, what’s your favorite excuse?
I’m sure you see how silly it seems that anything could keep you from placing your hand on your body. It’s truly not that hard, given your hand is always conveniently located at the end of your arm.
I’m sincerely interested to know why you don’t practice daily self Reiki, and if you’d like to, I’m happy to help troubleshoot a way around your obstacle.
The following are the 5 reasons I hear most often why people don’t practice daily self Reiki.
I don’t have time to practice every day
I encourage my students to aim for a 30-minute Reiki self practice each day. Yes, that sounds like a lot of time to add to your schedule.
However, after your self practice, you’ll feel better, function better, and make better choices, which likely means you’ll be more time-efficient, so you’ll quickly earn back those 30 minutes.
On days when your schedule is more demanding, you can practice less. The key to practicing daily self Reiki is to be both consistent and flexible. As Hawayo Takata famously said, Any Reiki practice is better than no Reiki practice.
Takata brought Reiki practice to Hawaii from Japan with her Reiki master, Chujiro Hayashi, who was trained by Reiki lineage founder Mikao Usui, so it’s valuable perspective from a reliable source.
Practicing even a few minutes a day can make a difference. Decide what amount of time you can comfortably commit to, and at what point in your daily schedule it’s most feasible to add some self care.
I practice in bed as I’m waking up, before my eyes open. Many of my students find it fits their schedules better to practice daily self Reiki as they fall asleep. It really doesn’t matter when you practice, just that you practice every day. There’s something about the consistency of daily practice that increases the benefits exponentially.
Why not do your own experiment? Practice daily self Reiki for a week and see what benefits you notice. The students in my small group, live interactive classes notice benefits from their first practice, just an hour after we start the first of three class sessions. By our third and final session, they’ve been practicing daily self Reiki for a week, and they experience obvious improvements. Sleeping better, feeling less anxious and having less pain are the most common observations, plus other benefits that are specific to the individual. Some people notice family life has become more harmonious, while others find themselves more productive at work, or less irritable.
My students practice daily self Reiki for about 30 minutes, so if your daily practice is much shorter, it might take a little longer to notice improvement. But remember that we’re all individuals, so your experience is unique to you.
If the practice you learned is too complicated for you, try the simple foundation practice taught by Hawayo Takata. Or join me for a free online global self practice session.
I practice self Reiki only when I need it
When people say they practice self Reiki only when they need it, what they’re really saying is they wait until they’re so off balance that they’re feeling ill. They’re self-medicating with Reiki practice. This is a medical intervention approach rather than a spiritual practice approach. The medical approach is reactive, whereas spiritual practice is proactive, daily spiritual care that strengthens your resilience (as shown by heart rate variability) and provides invaluable preventive care.
Keep in mind that your response to Reiki self practice is balancing. How often are you so balanced that there’s no room for an upgrade?
I have other spiritual practices that take my time
If you already have a daily spiritual practice, adding another might seem unnecessary. Stay with me a minute.
The response to practicing self Reiki is “near immediate,” as one prominent New York City psychiatrist noted. If you practice daily self Reiki even briefly before your other spiritual practice, you’ll notice your system needs less time to settle and your other practice experience becomes smoother and deeper.
For example, if you’re a meditator (as I am), you know around the first third of your session is spent settling in; it’s more preparation than actual meditation. Even a brief self Reiki practice before or as you start meditating enables your system to drop inside deeper, faster. What meditator doesn’t want to go deeper, faster?
Why not try simply placing your hands for a few minutes next time to see the difference it makes in how much you enjoy your meditation or other spiritual practice?
I do whatever practice I think I need most each day
There are two shortcomings in that strategy.
The first is that you’re using your practice as if it were a healing technique — an intervention designed to make a correction — rather than recognizing the profound care brought by spiritual practice.
The second is that when we’re unbalanced — which for most of us is most of the time — we less able to accurately assess our needs.
Even a brief Reiki self practice encourages your system to reorganize itself toward balance. The clarity that balance brings helps you recognize what, if anything, else you need.
We always need balance; it’s not static and you can’t box it in. Balance is an on-going, dynamic state that changes with the situation. Starting with the practice that has the fastest, gentlest balancing response — Reiki self practice — makes sense because it helps us get the most benefit from whatever else we do afterwards.
It also helps you make assessments such as, Am I too tired to go to yoga class, do I need to practice self Reiki or sleep longer, or do I really need to get up and start moving?
How I can help you practice daily self Reiki
I’m here to help you troubleshoot your obstacle, that excuse that keeps you from practicing daily self Reiki. The way I see it, we’ll have a better world when more of us practice daily self Reiki.
If you want some help, please leave a brief comment below about why you don’t practice daily self Reiki.
Or do you just need a reminder? If so, sign up for a free month of very short daily emails to inspire your practice. I’ve had such beautiful feedback how these reminders have helped. Please note, this is for people who already know how to practice, and want support to practice daily, as in every day.
My free I Love MySelf Reiki Global Practice sessions have helped many people practice daily self Reiki. Maybe they will help you too.
I’m currently teaching Reiki: It’s Not What You Think for The Shift Network. You’ll get tons of support to practice daily self Reiki because I know that’s how you get the most benefit. Participants can download the videos and handouts, and you can join the course at any time.
For an immersion in practicing daily self Reiki — and receiving daily table treatments — consider my upcoming Reiki Retreat in Mexico. Act fast, as the early discount ends Thursday, December 15.
Your “I practice daily self Reiki” reward badge
Once you’re practicing daily self Reiki, you can help yourself to the I practice daily self Reiki badge of honor. It’s available in more than 30 languages. Let the world know you practice daily self Reiki so others will become interested. Use it in your email signature, place it on your website or promotional materials, the sky’s the limit!
I am a level 2 Reiki person, and wasn’t sure you could practise on yourself so any help would be gratefully received
Kelly, I’m a traditionally trained Reiki master, which means I’m also a Second Degree practitioner, and I still practice First Degree hands-on self treatment every day. If you don’t remember how to do that, you’ll find guidance here.
My pets won’t leave me alone when I do self-Reiki because they want my hands on them. If I shut the bedroom door, they fuss and carry on until I let them in. I have to go into the bathroom or sit in my car to get away from them. (Yes, they are spoiled, but all of them have special needs, so maybe that is their way of asking for Reiki.)
That sounds challenging, Jena. What if you self practice while they’re sleeping? And keep in mind that they also benefit from your self practice; you’re not taking anything away from them by taking care of yourself. With daily self practice, you’ll be even steadier, and that helps them. Even pets with special needs can learn some boundaries if they are consistently and lovingly maintained.
I have several Reiki practitioners on YouTube and TikTok that I use for myself. I’ve never felt the same way doing for myself as I do receiving it from others.
It’s not about how the practice feels, but rather how it heals.
There’s something special about being cared for by someone else, but that doesn’t negate the value of self care. In fact, when you practice daily self Reiki, you generally have a deeper response when receiving treatment from others, perhaps because your system is accustomed to the experience and responds faster.
The benefit of daily self practice is something only you can give yourself. It’s such a valuable foundation from which to live.