What My Reiki Students Teach Me
Recently, I taught a private Reiki Level 1 class, and once again, I walked away realizing that the exchange between teacher and student is never one-sided.
There is something incredibly sacred that happens when two people sit together in openness, curiosity, vulnerability, and trust. Yes, I may be the one teaching Reiki principles, guiding energy, and introducing new concepts, but the truth is that my students teach me just as much in return.
Sometimes, they reflect pieces of myself back to me that I had forgotten, overlooked, or simply needed to see through a new lens.
As we explored the Reiki principles, beautiful analogies and conversations began flowing naturally between us. We talked about gratitude not only for the beautiful moments in life, but also for the difficult ones that shaped who we became. We explored worry and how deeply conditioned many of us are, especially women, to carry responsibility for everyone and everything around us.
We talked about anger not as something “bad,” but as an emotion we experience without needing to live inside of it. We discussed honest work through something as simple as washing dishes, and how our energy, intention, and perspective shape even the smallest acts of daily life.
And then we moved into self-kindness.
That one always seems to touch something deep.
So many of us were taught to care for everyone else first. To give and give and give until there is almost nothing left. And when we finally choose ourselves, even for a moment, guilt rises to the surface as though self-care is selfish.
But what if caring for ourselves is part of the practice?
What if taking fifteen quiet minutes in the morning, walking outside at lunch, washing our face slowly before bed, or placing our hands on our own heart is not selfish at all… but necessary?
One of the most beautiful realizations from today was the understanding that healing is not linear.
We often think that if something resurfaces, we must not have healed it. But healing feels less like climbing a ladder and more like moving through a spiral. We revisit familiar themes from new levels of awareness and perception. Sometimes the layers are thick. Sometimes they are paper thin. But each pass through the spiral offers another opportunity for understanding, compassion, and growth.
The truth is, teaching Reiki has become so much more than teaching energy healing techniques.
It has become an unfolding conversation about what it means to be human.
The interactions I share with my students teach me just as much as any lesson I offer in return. There is a beautiful give and take that transpires between student and teacher when everything is connected.
There is a deep joy in watching someone reconnect with themselves in a new way. In witnessing the moment something softens, opens, or suddenly makes sense.
And the gift I receive in return is recognizing the parts of myself that still need a little TLC, a little compassion, and sometimes forgiveness for the ways I once moved through the world.
Life is a series of choices.
And often, the smallest choices quietly shape us the most.
Our responsibility is not to constantly shape ourselves around the expectations of others, but to come home to ourselves more honestly. To understand who we are, how we define ourselves, and how our choices shape the lives we experience.
And perhaps, through all of it, we slowly learn how to dive more fully into that beautiful place of love.
Because truth be told, love is and always will be the answer.
Dawn Hamilton is a Reiki Master Teacher at TriBalance Wellness who is passionate about helping others reconnect with themselves through energy work, mindfulness, and compassionate healing practices.
For more information about Reiki sessions, classes, and upcoming offerings, please visit: www.tribalancewellness.com/reiki
