One must first learn to cultivate, move, and work with Ki in one's own body before the healing aspects of Reiki can begin. Even once Reiki is mastered, the practitioner must continue to practice Ki cultivation to give the most effective treatments.

To begin the personal development of Ki, one must cultivate and understand Ki. The Japanese Art of Reiki (2005) is a great foundation for beginners. It starts out with the concept of "The Three Diamonds," which all have locations is the body. These centers of Ki are often called chakras. One can tap into these wells of energy to keep energy flowing of fill it with the universal energy. "The Three Diamonds" should be polished until they glimmer and shine, this is the way to allow them to channel energy clearly. The Three Diamonds are described as follows:

Earth Ki

Earth Ki is grounding by nature, located at the center of the body, three inches or eight centimeters below the navel, and is called the hara in the Japanese. Earth Ki is also where "Original Ki" is founded. It is the solid foundation that supports the body. This is the Ki that gives one a grounded connection to one's environment, yet it is not stagnant. It is the most physical manifestation of Ki and for many it is the easiest Ki to feel in the beginning.

A technique that can help you sense Earth Ki may help you feel its grounded energy better. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart so that your feet are parallel and centered. Relax your weight into your feet, bend your knees slightly, and fold your hips. You should feel like you could hop up at any moment while staying completely relaxed. This stance is often called horse stance. Let your arms fall to your sides, relaxed. Breath deeply, slowly, and with consciousness. Focus on your hara, which is a few inches below your navel. Also focus on the Earth beneath your feet. Let these two focal points merge. Let your hara connect with the energy inside the Earth. Feel the energy in your hara as well as the powerful energy in the Earth. Breathe in and out at least nine times. All the while stay relaxed, yet focused on Earth Ki.

Heaven Ki

Once you establish a feeling of Earth Ki, you should move on to feeling Heaven Ki, the polar opposite. Focusing on either Earth Ki or Heaven Ki too much can create imbalances. Heaven Ki is the Ki that beams from the heavens, the stars, the sun, and the spirit. It is the Ki of the mind, of dreams, and of thought. Because Heaven Ki is not as physical as Earth Ki, its central point is not as distinct, but for visualization purposes the head is used to connect to the universal Heaven Ki. The crown chakra, at the top of the head, is a major center for Heaven Ki to be received. Likewise, the chakras called the third eye, which is located between your eyebrows, is a good center point to focus on when trying to visualize Heaven Ki flowing from the body.

If you would like to develop Heaven Ki, this technique may help you sense it better. Stand in the same stance as you did in the technique used to sense Earth Ki with your feet rooted directly under your hips in horse stance. Relax and breathe deeply but slowly. Focus on the hara and the crown as you breathe. Visualize Heaven Ki falling down into your crown, through your third eye, through the heart chakra and into the hara as you breathe in. Then when you breathe out visualize this same energy rising back up from your rooted feet through the hara, the heart chakra, and out of the crown. You may want to imagine the Heaven Ki as a radiant ball of energy or light. Keep your body grounded with Earth Ki while Heaven Ki flows in and out of your center. Repeat this flow of Heaven Ki at least nine times.

Heart Ki - Combining The Three Diamonds

After you learn to feel the grounding power of Earth Ki and then the illuminating grace of Heaven Ki, you can begin to bring these two diamonds together at their center, which is the third diamond, Heart Ki. The center of the chest is where the heart is located and it is also where a deep well of Ki can be found. This is the center for Heart Ki and is also where the Heart chakra lies. Once you have a good understanding of Earth Ki, Heaven Ki, and Heart Ki, you will have the three elements, body, mind, and heart, which create your unique soul.

Nevertheless, Heart Ki is sometimes the hardest type of Ki to feel at first. But once it is discovered it can be used as an easy way to touch all three diamonds at any moment during the day for relaxation or spiritual purposes. An exercise may help you feel Heart Ki. This exercise starts in the same stance as the previous two techniques, horse stance. Like before, you should be relaxed and breathing deeply before you begin. Keep your spine extended. Imagine a string through the center of your spine, holding you up from the top and your head and anchoring you from the bottoms of your feet. Once you are grounded in horse stance raise and open your arms in a circle at chest level as if you were hugging a huge tree or ball. Do not hold your arm with rigidness, instead, let the elbows bend slightly so that your arms form a circle. Next you will reach down to your hara and collect Earth energy, but do not bend down with your back and your arms; instead, bend your knees, fold your hips, and drop your weight into your feet, allow the imaginary string in your spine to bend evenly. Meanwhile, exhale and let your arms drop effortlessly; allow them to open slightly while retaining the circular form. Breathe in, filling your hara with Earth Ki, as you rise up again, but do not lock your legs and hips up, keep them bent slightly. Bring your arms back to chest level, to the heart.

From here, breathe out, and raise your arms up and allow them to open slightly while retaining the circular form. You should not have to use your arm muscles to move your arms. Instead extend your bent knees and hips slightly but do not lock them in a fully extended position at any point. This extension will allow energy to flow out into your extremities, which can let your arms rise with energy instead of muscle strength. At the full position your arms should form a halo or circle around your head vertically. Breathe in Heaven Ki. At last, relax and lower your arms back to their original place, level with your heart and exhale again, allowing the universal energy to flow into your heart. Repeat the exercise as many times as you feel necessary, nine times is a recommended number to feel the exercises' full affects. Please note that the details of exactly how to move your knees, hips, and arms are very important. Exercises such as this can be done wrong and cause discomfort. Above all: do only what feels right. This exercise may seem more exact and difficult than some others, but practice will make it effortless. Eventually it will seem natural and easy.

This exercise can also be divided into two separate exercises. Simply practice the first few steps that deal with bringing Earth Ki to the heart. After a while, switch and do the second series of step that brings Heaven Ki down into the Heart. By dividing the exercise you may be able to feel the Earth Ki and Heaven Ki enter and mix with your Heart Ki more clearly. Whichever works best for you is the one you should practice.

On a more simplistic note, you can also feel Heart Ki by merely standing in the first position demonstrated above. This position may seem easy, but to do it correctly is more difficult. Because it is so easy to do simple things wrong, you should practice the exercise above extensively before trying this standing exercise. When standing your knees and hips should be relaxed and folded slightly. Your weight should drop and be evenly distributed in the balls of your feet. Do not put more weight on any one part of your feet. Be relaxed yet ready to jump. Keep your spine extended as if there is a string through your vertebrae, from above the top of your head to below your feet. Your arms should be in a circle, hugging the air. If your body is in the correct position then you should be able to hold your arms out effortlessly for an hour. Of course, beginners are not advised to try this standing exercise for that long at first. If it is not comfortable to stand like this, then don't. Continue to try to get into the position that works for you and does not cause discomfort. Once you feel comfortable then stand for as long as you can.

Now that you understand Earth Ki, Heaven Ki, and Heart Ki you can begin practicing this technique to cultivate Ki. These practices will help the practitioner to keep Ki flowing through the body. It is important to do exercises, focus your Ki, and cultivate energy before diving into the healing realm of Reiki. First polish the three diamonds until they sparkle. Once your diamonds are shining brightly you can begin to allow your diamonds to reflect Ki into places in your body that need healing. Even these simple practices, which help you connect to three wells of universal energy, can help natural healing processes immensely.

Healing to the Japanese and Chinese means "to make whole" or to balance body, mind, and heart within the soul, according to the Stienes' book The Japanese Art Of Reiki (2005). Therefore, modern pain killers do not heal; rather, they mask the pain so that the person in pain won't notice the pain and can continue to worsen the injury. Furthermore, to heal others and make others whole, the practitioner must first feel whole. This whole feeling, eventually will encompass your whole body and make you feel one with the universe. Healing in this way heals the whole body, in every aspect. Being whole and feeling one with the universe is true health.