I think many people start Reiki with the hope that something will finally shift. That after the course they will feel calmer, more sure of themselves. I understand this, because I also wanted Reiki to give me answers.

But Reiki is not a shortcut.

And this is probably the first thing I wish I had understood earlier (but things happen for a reason, so no regrets, just lessons). Mine might be helpful for you, as I am teaching Reiki and I feel that I want to inspire, but also show that everyone walks their own path with their own lessons, ups and downs.

A Reiki course can be a beginning. It can open the door, give structure and help you feel the energy more consciously. But it will not do your whole inner work for you.

The course lasts two days.

The practice begins afterwards.

This is where Reiki really becomes part of life. Not in the special moment of the training, but later, when you return home and decide whether you will actually keep meeting yourself through the practice.

1. Reiki is not something you master in a weekend

I know this may not sound very encouraging as the first point. But I prefer honest spirituality over beautiful promises. If Reiki is presented as something that will fix your life after one weekend, I don’t resonate with that. This is not how I experience it.

The training gives you the foundation. You receive Reiju, you learn how to practice, you understand the basics of the system and you begin your relationship with Reiki.

But this relationship needs time. Not pressure. Time.

Just like any other relationship, it grows through presence, repetition and honesty.

At the beginning, it is natural to ask:

Am I doing this correctly?

Do I feel enough?

Why are my hands not warm today?

Was that energy or my imagination?

These questions are normal. But at some point, we have to stop asking only from the head and actually practice.

Sit down.

Place your hands.

Breathe.

Observe.

This is not very glamorous, but it is real.

2. Reiki does not stop after the course

Reiki does not end when the weekend ends. Neither does life. Neither does your relationship with yourself.

This is something I wish I had known more clearly before my first training (… and actually before the second and third as well. Yup, being human on this spiritual path). Not as another rule or obligation, but as a simple reminder: practice matters.

Not because you lose Reiki if you skip a day. But because without practice, Reiki stays more like an experience you once had, instead of becoming something you can return to in daily life. And daily life is the real place of practice.

Not only when the room is calm, when you have a candle, music and enough time. Also when you are tired, when you are reactive, when you don’t feel like doing anything, or when your mind is loud.

This is where Reiki becomes honest.

3. Reiki is not about developing psychic abilities

Reiki is not about becoming more special. It is not about seeing colours, opening chakras or chasing extraordinary experiences.

These things can happen for some people. They may not happen for others. But they are not the core of the practice. And I think this matters, because a lot of spiritual content makes us believe that if something is not intense, it is not deep.

But Reiki does not need to be dramatic to be real.

Sometimes Reiki is simply noticing that your body is tense, realizing that you said yes when you wanted to say no.

Sometimes it is admitting that you are tired, instead of turning it into a spiritual lesson.

Before looking for fireworks, put your feet on the ground.

A tree needs roots before it grows. So do we.

For me, grounding is not a side note in Reiki. It is the foundation. Without it, energy practice can easily become another way of escaping ourselves.

4. Reiki will make it harder to lie to yourself

At least that has been my experience.

Reiki did not make me float above my life. It made me notice more clearly where I was not honest with myself.

Not only about big decisions. Also about small, everyday things.

What feels true.

What does not feel true anymore.

Where I am forcing something.

Where I am pretending that everything is fine.

Where I am waiting for someone or something outside of me to decide for me.

This part of Reiki can be uncomfortable.

Because when you practice regularly, you start hearing yourself more clearly. And once you hear yourself, it becomes harder to keep pretending that you do not know.

For me, Reiki became a practice of honest conversation with myself.

Not in a harsh way.

More like:

What is actually here?

What am I avoiding?

What do I already know but don’t want to admit yet?

This is not always beautiful.

But it is freeing.

5. There is so much more to Reiki than hands-on healing

Hands-on healing is beautiful.

I don’t want to make it sound less important, because it is a powerful part of the practice (and I wrote an article about it here).

It is beautiful to learn something that can support you, your partner, your family, your friends, and maybe one day other people in a professional way.

But Reiki is not only hands-on healing.

And this is one of the biggest things I wish I had understood earlier.

Reiki is a system. It includes self-practice, meditation, Reiju, hands-on healing and Gokai, the five Reiki principles.

For me, Gokai became one of the most important parts of the whole practice.

Just for today.
Do not anger.
Do not worry.
Be grateful.
Be honest in your work.
Be compassionate to yourself and others.

These are not rules that make you a better spiritual person. They are reminders. And they do not remove anger or worry from life. Of course not.

But they help me notice how I relate to anger.

How I relate to worry.

How I return to honesty when I lose contact with myself.

This is where Reiki becomes more than a course or a session.

It becomes something you can actually live with.

What I know now

I no longer see Reiki as something that should change everything quickly. I see it more as a practice that helps me return to myself. Not perfectly. Just for today. And this is much more useful to me than a big promise.

When I sit with this text and read it again, I have this thought that maybe it sounds like anti-advertising for starting Reiki 🙂 Especially in a world that loves instant results and quick transformation. But I prefer this kind of honesty. Because you know what? I would never change my decision to start my Reiki journey. It is one of the greatest gifts in my life. Not because it made everything perfect, but because I feel more free with it. I feel myself.

PS. There are many more things I wish I had known before I started Reiki, but let’s stop at five for today.

If you feel curious about Reiki, you can sign up here to receive the free Reiki guide I created to share more about my approach to teaching Reiki.

The next Shoden Reiki training takes place in Copenhagen on 27–28 June. 5 places. Taught in English.
A weekend course. A practice that can stay with you for life.

Or if you are curious about Gokai practice, I created a program available for everyone, not only Reiki practitioners, available here: https://21reiki.kasiawacenergia.com/21-gokai

About the author: Kasia Wac is a Reiki Master Teacher based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She teaches Shoden Reiki, Okuden Reiki and offers Reiki sessions, Reiki training and online Reiki programs for students around the world. 

Her work is inspired by Usui Reiki Ryōhō and focuses on daily Reiki practice, Gokai, meditation and Japanese-inspired Reiki teachings.

Interested in learning Reiki?

I offer Shoden (First Teachings) and Okuden (Inner Teachings) Reiki training in Copenhagen, Warsaw and other locations upon request, as well as online Reiki programs and resources for Reiki practitioners.

→ Learn more about Reiki training and programs: kasiawacenergia.com

This text was originally published on my Substack, @kasiawacenergia, on June 22, 2026.