Once you have practiced exercising with Ki, meditating on Ki, and cultivating Ki, you can move on to the next section. There you will find information about palm healing. Some modern teachers skip all that I have taught you thus far and they begin by teaching palm healing. It is true that healing may still occur, but without first having expansive knowledge of Ki, the palm healing aspects of Reiki can lack much of the magic. Traditional Japanese Reiki masters advise students to slowly learn about Ki before learning palm healing, which is called Tenohira in Japanese. There is no rush. Reiki will always be there. To feel Reiki's magic, go slow, be sensitive, and use your full intent.

The basic idea of Reiki in the form of palm healing is to use the practitioner's body to channel energy from the universe into a part of the body which needs healing. The practitioner should never use his or her own Ki to heal because this could leave the practitioner feeling drained even if the practitioner was only working on himself or herself. The universal Ki that flows through the practitioner is more powerful than personal energy. Again, no real harm can be done with Reiki. However, doing it right will increase the positive affects. Like any art there are many levels of excellency that can be achieved and your goal should be at the highest level.

Reiki can be used in conjunction with almost any other healing method. It can be used while giving a massage and is very useful while giving acupressure. Reiki can enhance other practices or just give additional healing to the healing practice. When using Reiki with other practices the hand positions become of less importance but it is still important to be aware of them.

Before you begin healing other people, you should practice Reiki on yourself. This is a good way to feel and understand the healing power of Reiki. Often people wonder what Reiki feels like, but everyone has a different experience with Reiki and everyone describes its feeling differently. Often the person receiving or giving Reiki will feel a hot or cool feeling flow from the hands of the practitioner. When giving Reiki, the practitioner often recalls a tingling feeling along the palms of his or her hands. The universal energy will flow into your body from the Earth into your feet and into your crown chakra from the Heavens. Therefore, you may feel a flow of energy shooting up from the ground or falling in the top of your head. Do not be alarmed by these feelings or similar ones. The flow of Reiki can be compared to nothing else but other forms of healing energy. Some people are not as sensitive as others and may not feel anything at all. This is why traditional masters advise practitioners to begin by practicing Ki cultivation. If no feeling is apparent then try paying even closer attention to your meditations and ki cultivation exercises. Reiki is subtle and soft, yet powerful.