So You Want To Learn Reiki? Read This First
- emiliechanon
- Jun 19, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: May 19
Before you sign up for a training, it's worth understanding what you're really stepping into — and what it asks of you.
By Emilie Chanon · Updated 2025
Reiki is not just another technique to add to your toolkit.
It is a path.
One that begins the moment you decide to take your own energy seriously — and continues long after the attunement weekend is over.
I’ve trained hundreds of practitioners over the years, in Hội An, in Europe, and online. The ones who receive the most from their training are not the ones who come only for a certificate.
They are the ones who are already curious about themselves.
They are willing to listen deeper.To slow down.To take responsibility for their own healing.To understand what they carry, what they transmit, and what they are finally ready to release.
So before we talk about levels, let me be clear about what Reiki actually is — and what it isn’t.
Reiki works because energy moves.
Your work is to stop blocking it — in yourself first.
The Three Levels of Reiki
Each Reiki level is a door.
Each level opens something different inside you.
But only if you show up for it.
Reiki Level 1 — Coming Back to Yourself
Reiki Level 1 is about self-healing.
Hands on your own body.Sitting with your own energy.Learning to feel what is happening inside you.
Most people arrive at Level 1 because something in their life no longer feels balanced.
Stress that doesn’t shift.Sleep that doesn’t come.Emotions that feel too heavy.A body that has been ignored for too long.
What they often discover is that healing begins before the practice becomes “advanced.”
It begins the moment they slow down and pay attention.
One student once shared that her chronic anxiety began to soften after two weeks of daily self-treatments.
Not because Reiki forces anything.
But because, for the first time in years, she was present with herself.
That is what Level 1 teaches.
Presence.Responsibility.Self-trust.The kind of self-love that is not a concept, but a practice.
Reiki Level 2 — Reaching Beyond Space and Time
At Level 2, the practice opens.
You receive the sacred Reiki symbols.You learn distance healing.You learn how to work with emotional and mental energy in a deeper way.
This is where Reiki becomes more than a hands-on practice.
You begin to understand that energy is not limited by physical presence.
You can send Reiki to someone who is not in the room with you.You can support situations, transitions, memories, and emotional patterns.You can hold space in a more precise and intentional way.
A practitioner I trained once sent distance Reiki to a family member recovering from surgery on the other side of the world.
Another used Level 2 to work with emotional patterns she had been carrying since childhood — without forcing the process or over-explaining what was ready to move.
Level 2 asks you to trust the invisible.
If you are not ready for that, that is okay.
But know this: this is where the practice begins to ask more of you.
More trust.More discipline.More energetic responsibility.
Reiki Level 3 — Living What You Have Learned
The Master Level is not about mastering energy.
It is about embodying the practice deeply enough to hold space for others with integrity.
This is the level of integration, leadership, and transmission.
When you become a Reiki Master, you are not just learning advanced techniques.
You are learning how to initiate, teach, and guide others through their own Reiki path.
That is a responsibility.
And it should be treated as one.
The shifts at this level are often quieter than the ones at Level 1 or Level 2.
But they are deeper.
Students often describe a sense of inner alignment.A clearer relationship with their purpose.A stronger ability to hold space without needing to overdo, overgive, or prove anything.
One of my students, a therapist, integrated Reiki Master training into her work and shared that it changed the quality of every session she held.
Not because she was doing more.
But because she was holding space differently.
That is the essence of Reiki Mastery.
Is This Reiki Training For You?
Reiki training is open to everyone.
You do not need previous experience in energy work.You do not need a spiritual background.You do not need to “feel ready enough.”
But Reiki does ask something of you.
This training is for you if:
you are ready to take your own healing seriously
you want to support others in a grounded and ethical way
you are drawn to spiritual growth without dogma
you want to clear old patterns and reconnect with your intuition
you are a coach, therapist, healer, or wellness practitioner ready to go deeper
you want to build a real energetic practice, not just collect another certificate
This Training May Not Be For You If
This training may not be the right fit if:
you are looking for a quick certification without inner work
you are not open to self-reflection
you do not want to practice between sessions
you expect Reiki to replace medical, psychological, or therapeutic care
you want a purely clinical training with no spiritual dimension
you want to skip levels because you feel “ready”
Reiki is gentle.
But it is not passive.
It asks you to participate in your own healing.
And Sometimes, The Timing Is Not Right Yet
Sometimes the most honest choice is to wait.
If your life is too full, if you are in the middle of a crisis, or if you cannot create even a small amount of space for practice and integration, it may be better to begin later.
Reiki will still be here.
This path does not need to be rushed.
It needs presence.
The training does not transform you by itself. You transform yourself — the training creates the conditions.
Ready To Begin?
I offer Reiki training in Asia, online, and for private groups worldwide — from Level 1 to Master Level.
Each training includes clear teaching, practical experience, energetic attunements, a complete manual, international certification, and space for integration.
If you feel called to begin, I invite you to book a free 15-minute call so we can feel into the right next step for you.
Emilie Chanon
Comments