How to Start a Reiki School

Reiki is one of the more interesting fields of holistic and alternative health. It stems from the idea that a universal life energy exists, which its discoverer named "Reiki," and that a person can be attuned to this energy in order to boost his body's healing processes. It can be used as a curative or preventative practice, and with the proper training, anyone can start a Reiki school.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Status as a Reiki Master

1. Become a Reiki Master, as only a master can start teaching Reiki to someone else. This can be accomplished in several ways, which can take as long as 10 years or as short as 8 days. Many Reiki practitioners disagree about the best way to learn Reiki, so consider what form of the training will be best for you.
2. Affiliate yourself with the primary Reiki associations, such as the Reiki Network and the Reiki Alliance. All these associations will give a starting Reiki school some much-needed credibility, and bring you to the attention of other Reiki practitioners who can refer students who want to start learning Reiki.
3. Determine how much to charge. When Reiki was beginning, Reiki Masters would charge as much as $10 thousand for the privilege of learning Reiki, but the cost has decreased drastically since then. The Reiki organizations can provide some good sample fees for Reiki schools as a resource.
4. Start with a small group of students. Teaching requires a different skill set than practicing Reiki, so don't start teaching more than 10 students. Use your own observations and feedback from your students to learn the methods of teaching that work best for you, and then take on more students for the next school season.
5. Hire more teachers. A successful Reiki school will eventually draw more students than one teacher can handle. Compose a list of qualifications that Reiki teachers should have, then put up advertisements and begin the job selection process.
6. Consider offering distance and correspondence learning options. These will attract people who cannot physically visit a classroom, either due to the distance involved or due to physical limitations. However, many Reiki practitioners frown on people who start learning Reiki at an online school, which may affect the reputation of the Reiki Master who provides the correspondence service.
7. Insulate yourself from lawsuits. Urge students to use conventional medicine in addition to Reiki, and above all do not teach that Reiki is a substitute for other forms of medical care. Even though the theory behind Reiki is that it is supposed to be both a preventative and a curative, a person who delayed getting medical treatment for pneumonia or cancer due to a Reiki treatment will more than likely blame the Reiki practitioner, as well as whoever trained her.

Tips & Warnings

• Reiki is an unregulated branch of holistic and alternative medicine. What this means is that pretty much anybody can start his own Reiki school. In order to get the best training, take a course from a Reiki Master who is certified by the two reigning Reiki associations, the Reiki Network and the Reiki Alliance (see Resources below).
• Be prepared to deal with disbelievers. Reiki is part of the holistic and alternative medicine movement, and there it is not possible for treatment and effects to be observed scientifically. Therefore, it has its share of detractors.