The Business of Reiki
by William Lee Rand

Many Reiki students have taken training with the intention of using it to improve their own health or that of their family and friends and have not considered the possibility of offering Reiki sessions for a fee. Yet, this is a possibility for all those who have Reiki training.

There are many benefits that can come from a Reiki business. In addition to providing a supplemental source of income it is also a way of increasing the benefit Reiki can provide to others.

If you hesitate to charge money, keep in mind that Reiki is valuable and that people are willing to pay for it. Reiki treatments provide the relaxation and stress reduction that so many need in our fast paced world. In addition, there are many who are in need of the healing power Reiki offers and those with serious illnesses will be very grateful for the opportunity to come to you for sessions. By charging money, people will feel that they are not creating an obligation and will more easily decide to come to you for treatments and do so on a regular basis.

Remember that while you may be able to provide a certain number of treatments for free, if you are charging money, your use of Reiki becomes more practical and it is likely that you’ll be able to allocate more of your time to giving treatments. As our practice grows, not only will you be helping more people, you’ll be adding significantly to your income.

A professional Reiki practice is a wonderful way to earn money and if developed with intention in a practical way, can even provide a full time income.

Starting a Reiki business isn’t as difficult as it might seem. By directing the positive life affirming energies of Reiki toward your goal at the same time one follows a few basic business principles, a successful Reiki practice can be developed more easily and what you might think.

First choose a goal – the number of sessions you’d like to have in a week. This could be anywhere from 3-20 or more. Then write this goal on a piece of paper and give the paper Reiki each day for at least 10 minutes. This will charge your goal with Reiki energy which will go directly those parts of yourself that need extra energy, enthusiasm or healing which will help you achieve your goal. Reiki will also reach out to those around you who can help and it will also go out to those in need of Reiki and the ones who are right for you will be attracted to you. Maintaining a confident, positive attitude toward your goal is very important and sending Reiki to your goal everyday will help you do this.

Next you need to develop a plan and take action to carry it out. Letting people know about your Reiki practice is necessary and there are many ways to do this. Business cards, flyers, ads in local publications and other methods all can be part of your plan.

I’d like to share a great technique with you that can be very successful. When you are at parties or other social gatherings or around others, if someone mentions that they’re feeling stressed or if they complain about an ache or pain or about something difficult going on in their life, offer to give them a few minutest of Reiki. Also, if you simply hear about someone who has a health issue or who you feel would benefit from Reiki, offer to give him or her a free treatment.

When you do this, let the people know that you are giving 5 free treatments as part of your introduction to Reiki, but after the first 5 treatments, you’re fee will be going to $5 per treatment and that after the next 5 treatments, it will go to $10 and that it will continue to go up in this way until you reach your target fee. (You could also use 7 or 10 treatments or another number you think will work at each price level) Your target fee could be whatever you feel you’d like to be charging as a successful professional Reiki practitioner. One way to determine a good end price is to decide to charge a price that is within the same price range as what is charged for massage in your area.

By starting out free, but letting people know you’ll be raising your fee after so many treatments, they’ll not want to wait, but will want to get in on the free treatments or while the price is still low. In this way, your clients will experience the benefit of your sessions and can decide if they want to continue. And you’ll gain more experience. Also, it’s likely that they’ll tell others about your practice.

To read a more thorough article on this subject, please click here.

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Creating a Volunteer Reiki Program
by Karen Wise Olander, M. Ed

Have you ever considered creating a volunteer Reiki program for people who might not otherwise try Reiki, such as people with cancer, the elderly, or others? Such a program provides an opportunity to spread the word about Reiki, strengthen your connection with other Reiki practitioners in your area, meet new people, and share ideas.

There are many ways to structure a volunteer Reiki program. The following two approaches outline ideas to help you design a program for your own circumstances. Note that the two organizations described in this article are for people with cancer. But you could offer Reiki to the elderly, or to pre-op patients, or for kids in the hospital (or their parents!) . . . the possibilities are endless.

Harbor for Healing

The volunteer Reiki program “Harbor for Healing,” created by a woman in Chatham, Massachusetts, is for women with cancer. It takes place once a week for two hours in two locations—Wellfleet and Chatham—on Cape Cod. Each location handles six appointments a week, with four to six practitioners. This program runs year-round.

Reiki Night

The other volunteer program, called “Reiki Night,” is offered through Cancer Connection, an organization in Florence, Massachusetts, that offers programs and support groups for men and women with cancer, their partners, and caregivers. Reiki Night takes place for two hours, once a month, on alternating Monday and Thursday nights. This drop-in program accommodates an average of twelve to fifteen people at each monthly session. (Cancer Connection also offers individual Reiki sessions one day a week, with paid practitioners, funded by a grant.) Reiki Night is offered every month except August.

Reiki practitioners must be Reiki Masters to work in the Reiki Night program and Level II’s or Masters for Harbor for Healing. They also need extensive experience, as they work with people who are seriously ill. Each of the programs has a “leader” who, among other tasks, screens potential practitioners for experience and the ability to fit in with the other team members.

The Harbor for Healing team leader makes appointments for recipients by phone, communicates with practitioners, and oversees the program each week. The Cancer Connection program operates on a walk-in basis, so no appointments need to be scheduled, but the team leader e-mails practitioners to remind them of the monthly meeting date, tells them what they need to bring (tables or sheets), and acts as timekeeper during the sessions. She greets recipients as they arrive, has them fill in forms, and takes them to the tables for their sessions.

Practitioners at Cancer Connection take turns bringing tables and sheets. Harbor for Healing owns several tables (purchased with donations) and sets of sheets, which are stored at the site where the program takes place. In either case, practitioners need to arrive early, before the recipients arrive, to help set up the tables and cover them with linens and pillows.

Both programs feature a clinic-type setting: Tables are set out in rows with as much space between them as the room allows. At the entrance to the room a note is posted to remind people to lower their voices (and turn off their cell phones!) so as not to disturb anyone within.

After setup, before the evening begins at Cancer Connection, the Reiki Team gathers in a circle for prayer and healing words and thoughts. Practitioners can name people to whom they wish the group to send healing during the evening. At Harbor for Healing, practitioners greet recipients and talk with them briefly before the sessions begin.

The team leader’s phone number is posted on all fliers for Harbor for Healing so that potential recipients can call and make appointments for the six 45-minute time slots available each week. Cancer Connection has a drop-in policy for their monthly program, so potential recipients sign up for a session when they arrive for the evening. The length of sessions on Reiki Night depends on the number of practitioners and recipients who are there on a particular evening, but it is usually about 25 minutes.

Practitioners in both programs find that doing Reiki with a partner (when there are enough practitioners to assign two to a table) is a luxury for those who usually work alone. With a partner, one practitioner can work at the recipient’s head and another at the feet, and then each can take a side and work down the receiver’s body in parallel fashion. Both practitioners and receivers benefit from this.

More on this subject:
This is just part of the article which appears in the summer issue of the hard copy Reiki News Magazine. In the complete article Karen gives many more examples and details about how to start a volunteer Reiki program. To read the whole article, please subscribe to the Reiki News Magazine. Your subscription supports our work