Are you practising self-Reiki wrong?
October 25, 2026
They get sick like everybody else, because a Reiki teacher is a person like anybody else. What they have is a set of tools: hands-on healing while lying in bed feeling dreadful, a chanti the precepts if there is energy for it, or just deep breathing to come into that meditative healing space. They use the tools when they are sick. It does not mean they will not get sick.
They get sick like everybody else, because a Reiki teacher is just a person like anybody else. So they are going to get sick.
If they have the energy, they might do some Reiki on themselves: hands-on healing while they are lying there in bed thinking they are dying. They might do a bit of chanting, if they have the energy for that. They might just do some really deep breathing to bring themselves into that meditative healing space and help themselves feel better.
They will use the tools they have when they are sick. But it does not mean they will not get sick.
When this happens. Students ask this after seeing a teacher cancel a class, or after hearing a practitioner claim never to have had a cold.
What is actually going on. The system of Reiki is a practice for living well, not a shield. Usui himself died at sixty of a stroke; Hayashi and Takata both had illnesses.
What to do. When you are ill: rest, hands on the belly or chest for as long as is comfortable, the precepts said quietly, and no pressure to do a full practice. When your teacher is ill: let them rest, and notice how they handle it; that is a lesson too.
You might also ask: Can Reiki go wrong or cause harm? · Is Reiki dangerous during pregnancy? · Can you lose your Reiki ability if you stop practising?
How to practise when you are unwell, and when not to, comes up often inside Shinpiden+.
More questions answered: Reiki Questions Answered.
