Beyond the Subject at Hand

Tonight as I was teaching reiki, all of the wonderful aspects of it became clearer. Going over various points about the techniques and the ideas behind the techniques, many positive habits and useful concepts were reinforced. The elegance of reiki is in its simplicity, and that is also what makes it both powerful and accessible.

As with teachers of any skill, it is rewarding to see a student progress. It is pretty normal that when a person decides to take up a new study that they are tentative at first, and as their practice increases, so does their confidence level, and as that increases, so does their ability. In reiki, one of the traits of a healer is the heat in the hands from the energy traveling through them.

In teaching of a method such as this, it is also part of the continuation of the tradition that it is taught personally with hands on practice rather than just watching a video. A good teacher will also hold the vision that those they teach will also one day become teachers themselves.

Reiki also offers incentives for the student in that they can observe their own progress in a rather short period of time compared to other types of skills, and being aware of their own progression encourages a person to do even more. It is rewarding to the teacher to observe the student grow. It is a good feeling to pass on traditions to those who are dedicated to learning.

Good students encourage teachers to become even better teachers, and good teachers encourage students to become better not just in the subject at hand, but more as they use what they have learned in their life, beyond the specific applications at hand.