If you’re looking into learning Reiki, you’ve probably come across the word attunement — and perhaps the Japanese term Reiju — and wondered what actually happens.
Is an attunement what gives you Reiki? Are you supposed to feel something? Does the Reiki Teacher somehow transfer an ability to you?
These are good questions, particularly because Reiki attunements can sometimes be described in ways that make the process sound mysterious or as though the teacher possesses something the student doesn’t.
That isn’t how I teach it.
A Reiki attunement is an important part of Reiki training and tradition, but you don’t need to have a dramatic experience for it to be meaningful. Let’s look at what a Reiki attunement is, the role it plays in Reiki training and what you might experience as a student.
What is a Reiki Attunement?
A Reiki attunement is a practice traditionally included in Reiki training.
Within the Reiki system, we work with the understanding of Ki, or life-force energy. Rather than thinking of an attunement as the Reiki Teacher giving you an energy you don’t already have, I see it as an invitation to deepen your awareness of Reiki and your relationship with the practice.
You may also hear the Japanese term Reiju used when talking about Reiki training. Reiju can be translated as a spiritual blessing and has its roots in the Japanese system of Reiki.
Within my Reiki courses, I use attunement/Reiju as part of the teaching appropriate to each Reiki level.
It is one part of your Reiki training, not the whole of it. Meditation, the Reiki precepts, self-Reiki, working with Ki, the teachings appropriate to your level, and, importantly, your own ongoing practice all contribute to your relationship with Reiki.
Does a Reiki attunement give you Reiki?
This is where I think we need to make an important distinction.
I don’t believe a Reiki Teacher gives a student Reiki.
If we understand Ki as life-force energy, it doesn’t belong exclusively to a Reiki Master or Teacher. Your teacher doesn’t possess a special supply of energy that gets transferred to you during an attunement.
And becoming a Reiki Teacher doesn’t make somebody more spiritually gifted than their students.
The teacher has learned the system, developed their own Reiki practice and undertaken the training required to guide others through it. During an attunement/Reiju, they carry out a particular practice within the Reiki tradition.
For the student, it can be an opportunity to become quiet, turn their attention inward and experience that part of their Reiki training without needing to make anything happen.
That distinction matters to me as a Reiki Teacher: to be at peace or still when performing it. The student is, in turn, invited into this deeper level of peace and stillness.
Your relationship with Reiki doesn’t depend on me telling you what you experienced or deciding what it means.
I can teach you the practices, explain the framework and guide you through the attunement. Your experience remains your own.
What happens during a Reiki Attunement?
The exact process can vary depending on the Reiki lineage, level, and how a teacher has been trained.
During my Reiki courses, I prepare students for the attunement/Reiju and explain what we’ll be doing before we begin. You don’t need to know how to make an attunement ‘work’, and you don’t need to concentrate on producing a particular experience.
Instead, you’re invited to become still and notice whatever you notice.
Some students experience physical sensations, warmth, imagery, emotions, colours or a sense of quiet. Others notice very little.
Neither experience is more correct or more ‘Reiki’ than the other.
One of the things I want students to understand from the beginning is that you don’t need to compare your experience with the person sitting next to you.
A quiet attunement isn’t an unsuccessful attunement, and a dramatic experience doesn’t make someone better at Reiki.
Your Reiki practice develops through practice.
Why are Attunements Part of Reiki Training?
Attunements/Reiju form part of the traditional progression of Reiki training and mark an important point within each level.
But I don’t see the attunement as something that stands separately from everything else you’re learning.
When you learn Reiki, you’re developing a practice.
That includes meditation, the Reiki precepts, self-Reiki, working with Ki and the teachings and practices appropriate to your Reiki level. As your training progresses, additional teachings and practices become part of that foundation.
The attunement/Reiju sits within this broader learning experience.
Rather than thinking of it as a switch that suddenly “activates” Reiki, I encourage students to experience the attunement as one part of their training and then continue exploring Reiki through practice.
That’s where your own understanding begins to develop.
What Should I Feel During a Reiki Attunement?
There is nothing in particular that you should feel.
This is one of the things I most want students to know before their Reiki training.
You might feel warmth or tingling. You might notice colours, imagery, emotion or a shift in your awareness. You might become very relaxed. Or you might sit there wondering whether anything happened at all. All of those experiences are welcome.
I don’t use what you feel during an attunement to measure your ability to practise Reiki, your intuition, or how connected you are to Reiki.
You also don’t need to interpret every sensation. Notice your experience, stay curious, and allow your Reiki practice to develop over time.
What Happens After a Reiki Attunement?
After your Reiki training, I encourage you to practise.
Rather than looking for signs that the attunement has caused a particular energetic shift, spend some time with the practices you’ve learned.
Self-Reiki is an important part of this, particularly after Reiki Level 1. Meditation, the Reiki precepts and the other practices introduced during your course can also become part of how you continue exploring Reiki.
You might journal about what you’re noticing or write down questions that arise as you practise.
Your experience may change over time. Something that didn’t make much sense during your training may become clearer through practice. New questions may emerge. You may also simply become more familiar and comfortable with Reiki.
This is one reason I recommend allowing at least 21 days between Reiki levels.
It isn’t a mandatory waiting period or a rule about what your energy needs to do. I recommend it because it gives you time to practise what you’ve learned, spend time with the teachings, and let your own questions arise before adding the next layer of Reiki training.
Do I Need an Attunement to Learn Reiki?
In the Reiki system I teach, attunement/Reiju is part of Reiki training at each level.
But an attunement isn’t a substitute for learning and practice.
Reiki training gives you a framework for understanding and exploring the system, along with the teachings and practices appropriate to your level. Your teacher can guide you through that process, answer questions and help you build strong foundations.
Then you practise.
For me, that’s an important part of learning Reiki: not simply collecting levels, certificates or attunements, but developing a relationship with the practice through your own experience.
Reiki Attunements at Green Heart Healing Space
I include attunement/Reiju as part of my Reiki training in Brisbane, alongside the teaching and practices appropriate to each level.
My Reiki courses are intentionally kept small, so you have time to learn, practise, ask questions, and explore what you’re learning rather than rush through the material.
I teach the Usui system of Reiki, drawing from its Japanese foundations and Western Reiki practices. My background in education also shapes how I teach: I’ll explain what we’re doing and why, guide you through the practices, and leave room for your questions and experience.
You don’t need to be intuitive, spiritually experienced or able to feel energy in a particular way before learning Reiki.
You don’t need to know how far you eventually want to take your Reiki practice.
You can begin with Reiki Level 1, build your foundations and see what you want to explore from there.
Explore Reiki Courses in Brisbane
Final Thoughts
A Reiki attunement can be a meaningful part of Reiki training without needing to be mysterious or dramatic.
Your Reiki Teacher isn’t there to give you a special ability or tell you what you should experience. Their role is to teach and guide you through the system’s practices and traditions.
Your role is much simpler.
Learn. Practise. Stay curious. Notice your own experience.
For me, that’s where a relationship with Reiki really begins.
0 Comments