When you take a Reiki Class, the teacher often asks you to be childlike during the class. “Let’s be like 3-year-old kids today,” I said the other day during a Reiki 1 Class I was teaching. When I ask my students to be childlike, I’m asking them to be open-minded and intuitive. I’m asking them to not judge Reiki, but rather to do it and notice what happens. In the doing comes the knowing.
This openness to the experience is vital in our Reiki learning journey, so it should come as no surprise that your children are Reiki naturals. A kids’ Reiki class is an open, playful, and joyous event. In teaching kids, there are very few questions about the mechanics and history of Reiki. Children innately know about the healing touch that comes from this energy and they seek it.
When my daughter was 2 years old, she broke her collarbone on the playground. During her healing process I rarely touched her shoulder directly because I didn’t want to cause her any discomfort. However, when we cuddled, I knew that the Reiki would go where it was needed. Sometimes during our cuddle or reading time, she would take my hand and bring it up to her collarbone; seeking that comfort that comes from direct touch and the placement of Reiki hands on an injury site.
Reiki cannot overwhelm children, even newborns. It is completely complementary with other therapies and there are no side effects. When your child learns Reiki she/he can access universal life-force energy for physical healing as well as bringing on emotional comfort in stressful situations.
Very young children can learn Reiki 1 and they love to integrate it into their playtime and interaction with family and friends. Level 2 Reiki classes require a somewhat older child — there seems to be a sweet spot between ages 7-11 or 12, before the teenage questioning sets in, but with enough motor skills to work with the symbols and emotional maturity to keep the symbols secret.
Reiki is a wonderful gift for self-care that makes it a natural addition to your homelife, including for your kids! If you’re interested in learning more about the schedule for the next Reiki for Kids class, please contact me!