You’re More Ready to Teach Reiki Than You Think

So many Reiki practitioners reach a point where teaching is the natural next step…
 and just as many stop right there.

In this conversation, Karen Caig and I discuss what really happens when you move from practitioner to teacher.

This is about the moment you realize you have something to share—and everything that comes up when you consider stepping into that role.

• Why do experienced practitioners hold back?
• What does it actually mean to be “ready”?
• And how do you move forward in a way that feels aligned with Reiki and with yourself?

Karen shares the inspiration behind her new course, designed to support Reiki practitioners to teach with clarity, confidence, and integrity. 

Together, we look at the patterns, beliefs, and questions that show up at this stage—and how to work with them, rather than around them.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I ready to teach Reiki?” this conversation will meet you exactly where you are—and help you see what’s possible next.

______

Pam Allen-LeBlanc is a scientist, businesswoman, and Licensed Reiki Master Teacher (LRMT) with the International Center for Reiki Training.

Get in Touch with Pam:
pam@reikifromthefarm.com
www.reikifromthefarm.com

______

Karen Caig has been an LRMT with the International Center for Reiki Training since 2020. Passionate about helping others find relief from stress and pain, she continues to be guided on her own healing path by Reiki. Karen's mission is to train at least one Reiki Master for every family, promoting deep healing and making the world a better place.

Get in Touch with Karen Caig:
Website:  www.Reiki-Institute.com

July 17th-19th class:  https://go.thryv.com/site/reikiinstitute/online-scheduling?event=19p2kzrjp1j229xe

go.thryv.com

October class over three Saturdays: Oct. 10th, 17th, and 24th: https://go.thryv.com/site/reikiinstitute/online-scheduling?event=qzjjck445vihyl3y

go.thryv.com 

A special thanks goes out to Music from Pixabay for the intro music and to Nate Miller for the meditation music. 

Register for our newsletter! 

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pam@reikifromthefarm.com

Transcript

Speaker 0:07

Hi, and welcome to the Reiki from the Farm podcast, brought to you by me, Pam Allen Leblanc from Hidden Brook Farm. I am a scientist, a businesswoman, and a licensed Reiki master teacher with the International Center for Reiki Training. Each week in this podcast, you'll be entertained as you learn about a wide variety of relevant Reiki topics, helping you become a more knowledgeable and effective Reiki practitioner. We caution you, though, this podcast may also dramatically improve your life, and we are so happy that you're here.

Pam 0:56

Welcome to this week's podcast with

Karen 0:59

one of my favorite guests, Karen Caig. Hey, Karen, welcome. Thank you. Thanks for having me. It's been a long time since we've talked about anything, and lots of stuff has been happening with both of us, so- It's- I'm excited to be here.

Pam 1:11

I'm excited that you're here. You are one of my favorites. Everybody says that they love it when the two of us get together, and I love it when the two of us get together. And the two of us- Yeah have been going in two different directions lately. So how amazing to be here with you today. This is just awesome. And we are here today talking about your new course. What is- what have you decided to call that course?

Karen 1:33

Reiki Teaching Essentials is the name of the book, and I'm just calling it Reiki Teacher Training. Yes. Level one and two. That's- that's the tentative working title. So the first book is called Reiki Teaching Essentials, and the second book tentatively is titled Mentoring the Masters,

Pam 1:48

I absolutely love it. So this podcast is for you if you have thought about teaching or maybe even not thought about teaching. And-

Karen 1:57

Yeah. 'Cause you didn't wanna teach, and look at you, right?

Pam 2:00

I had zero intention of ever teaching humans. I was in- I was adamant that I would never teach humans, actually, that I would only work with animals. And and that all changed at the master class. And- one of the things I'm realizing as I'm just watching my own students navigate this is that for f- I didn't realize that I already had a background in teaching because of being a riding coach. I was a coach with horseback riding since I was a teenager. And with that, you learn in your own lessons, and then you figure it out and then turn around and teach it, sometimes even, within weeks of having learned it. So it- it set me up. I was teaching Reiki before I was even a practitioner. But it set me up for that. And I didn't realize. But not everybody has that. So teaching can be- But everybody

Karen 2:58

has something. Yeah. And that's part of what I wanna do in the course is help each person- Yeah find that inner teacher where... Because he was like, "I'm not a teacher." My son says that. He's "Mom, I don't have the patience for that." And it may be true. He may not have the patience to be a teacher of anything. But when there's something that he's an expert in like origami, or he's an engineer- Oh when there's something that he really has a passion for, when you have a passion for something, you're eager to share it with other people. And without having education courses, you find a way to, to communicate that to somebody. So what I wanna do is help people find their inner teacher. I think we all have one about things we're passionate about.

Pam 3:39

I think you're right. And I've always said, if you want to learn, teach

Karen 3:42

Yep. Exactly. That's it Or I love when Maya Angelou said, "When you learn, teach." And you learn something, share it with other people.

Pam 3:53

I love that. And yeah. You know what? We're gonna, we're gonna go off here and just get into this conversation. But before we do, I just wanna let people know what we've got coming up at the farm. It's not too late to join our Reiki business course. We are a couple of sessions in, but we do have the recordings. And so if that's speaking to you but you didn't get signed up, at this time we don't have a date to offer it again. We are considering putting it together as an evergreen class. But that will be a little ways out into the future. So if that's something, just email me. It's you can't actually sign up on the website anymore, but email me if you want to be a part of it, and we can get you registered and signed up. The other thing I wanna let people know about is that in July, I will be teaching healthcare Reiki with Tracy Sullivan here at the farm. And I'm not sure when we are going to be able to do a class together again, much less a class in person together. It may happen, but we- That's an awesome

Karen 4:59

class. I've taken it. So that's my testimony, is that, yes, it's a great class.

Pam 5:04

Aw, thank you, Karen. And that's July 11th and 12th here at the farm. So it will be both in person and online. If healthcare Reiki is something that you've been thinking about please join us. Some of you are aware that recently my dog, our dog Blue, just suddenly became completely blind. He was fine in the morning when we went for our walk. He's a young dog, like a year and a half old maybe, or a year old, if that. Everything goes in his mouth, though. So he's a toddler. We have no idea what happened. The vet couldn't figure out what happened. They couldn't even... H- his eyes were bulging. There was only iris. And it was just really difficult and frightening to watch. And the first day that I, i- it, his blood work came back clear. We are going to see an ophthalmologist. We've got an appointment, so we'll try to get to the bottom of it. But the veterinarian couldn't figure it out at all. And the next, that same day and into the next day, I couldn't do Reiki. Any time I asked, I would hear no. And finally it, that would've been Friday that happened, and the Saturday it was last weekend, the Saturday that evening- I heard yes, that I could offer Reiki, and healthcare Reiki combined with animal Reiki, Karen. And I watched two large energies leave him. Wow. I have no idea what they were. They felt that, like the complete blindness, it was likely a permanent condition, like a retinal detachment or something. 'Cause they just couldn't figure it out. Whatever those two energies were, the next morning he was bumping into less stuff, and we thought, and he was less frightened. And we thought maybe he's just already adapting. He's already figuring some things out. But by afternoon, we could see that he was making out shapes and that he was l- that he was moving around looking at things. And by supper time, his sight had been restored, and we are so grateful. So yes, I love healthcare Reiki. And it was the first time I really saw it combined with animal Reiki like that. It was-

both 7:21

Awesome really,

Pam 7:22

really lovely. And, I love

Karen 7:24

what healthcare Reiki does to help alleviate fear. Yes. That helped so much,

Pam 7:30

so much. And anxiety. I've had people that said they've always been anxious, and the first morning they woke up after healthcare Reiki, they were like, "Wait, where's the anxiety?" They were just so used to it. Yes. Awesome. I love everything about that that course. And I will tell you that while Tracy is here in July, the two of us will be working. She's staying for the week, and we will be working diligently on the master class. So- Yay look for... Yes. So look for some announcements. We're hoping to really finalize. We wanna make some final edits to the level one and two manual. Probably won't happen until after the class or just in time for the class. She's coming a day early. And then we'll spend the next week just really listening. We've already had some master information coming in, but we're going to just immerse ourselves in it and just really listen for what is happening there. So that'll be really fun. And also in Campobello starting August 8th and 9th, I've got a level one and two class, both online and in person. And then the next day, the Monday, we're gonna take the day for you to go whale watching. I'll take you to Eleanor's Tea. We'll go see the Roosevelt Cottage. We'll go for a hike, and we'll have lunch together and just show you that beautiful island that was so important to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, that it was their summer summer- home. And it was Franklin's summer home from the time that he was one year old, actually. They called it their beloved island. Then that'll be followed by a master class the following weekend, the 15th and 16th, Animal Reiki 1 and 2. Once again, followed by a beautiful Campobello day. And then that's followed... the Campobello day on the Monday is followed by a master class. Then the following weekend, for the first time ever, I'm going to offer animal communication on Campobello, and I've already got quite a few people signed up for that class. That's the 22nd and 23rd of August. Again, with the day in Campobello, the Monday, and then the 25th to 27th will take us through the animal communication master class. And by having that day in between, both the level 1 and 2 and the master students can spend the day. And some people will take all five days, but even if you take two or three-day course, just spend that extra day. And we do have a place that people can rent if they wish. A- we have a five-bedroom Airbnb which we're working diligently right now to get ready. And so that, that will be available, as well as there's lots of other places to stay in Campobello and in Lubec. So let us know what you're, what you need there, and we'll do our best to help you. In October, I have a full lineup of classes. The level 1 and 2 classes are over the weekend. Reiki and Animal Reiki, and they're here at the farm. And the master classes are online in the evenings. So hopefully you can join us for some of those. Karen, what do you have coming up?

Karen 10:56

Just the regular usual lineup of Reiki 1 and 2, Reiki master. I just... I usually alternate, so I... Coming up in June, I will be doing regular Reiki 1 and 2 on the 6th and 7th, and Reiki master the 12th through the 14th. And I am teaching in Spanish for the first time online on the 27th and 28th. And- Fantastic yeah. Si en español. La primera clase en español. And then in July I have Animal Reiki the 11th and the 12th, 1 and 2. And then the 24th through the 26th I have Animal Reiki master, and I'm going to do a three-day intensive Reiki teacher training class on the 17th through the 19th. So yeah, and Karuna coming up in August. That's... That and Reiki teacher training are the only two classes I have scheduled in August. But Karuna, seventh through the ninth in August, 'cause that's my birthday month. Wish I could come up to Campobello Island and, to do animal communication and all those wonderful things with you. I wish you

Pam 11:56

could too. I was listening. It's funny your birthday month is August, and mine is July, and I'm like I wish I could do that teacher intensive training with you on my birthday." Yeah. Oh, I love it. I love it. Guys, before we go too far, let's go ahead and bring our hands together in Gassho, and let's just ground ourselves in the energy. And if you're here today, there's something about this podcast, even, and maybe even especially if you don't intend to teach, there's something here for you. And so just thinking about what you're passionate about. This teaching course can go beyond Reiki teaching. It can be about teaching anything. Set you up. And just what do you want to learn about? And I go back to one of my guiding philosophies, which is if you want to learn something and learn it really well, teach. Teach it. Is there something that you would like to learn really well? So that the possibility of teaching it is there. And I invite you to take a moment to think about some of your teachers, the teachers that have introduced you to Reiki, that have introduced you to parts of yourself that you didn't know were there. Thinking about those that inspired you and empowered you. And just for today, we're grateful. We're grateful for the teachers in our lives, those who have made us who we are, who helped us in a time of need, those who showed us that we were more than we thought we were, who encouraged us to stretch and grow. And we think about learning and just the love of learning, the love of stepping into new things, learning new things, seeing new things, growing as a person. And today we're grateful for growth, we're grateful for learning, and we're grateful for the gift of Reiki that comes with the possibility and potential of passing this gift on to others. What a tremendous gift and opportunity this is. It has the potential to impact the frequency of the planet at a time when it's so needed. We say thank you today to the teachers who've come before us and the descendants who will come after us as we become the teachers who will teach the students who will become the teachers who will teach the students. Thank you. And so it is. Thank you. That's a beautiful beginning. I never know what's going to come through, Karen. It was perfect. But it felt right. Perfect. And I love... I sometimes say that it comes through in my class, and I know that it comes f- came from Colleen. We are the students who become the teachers who teach the students who become the teachers. And whenever I just think about that continuum that, that I love being a student and then I often feel compelled to be the teacher, and I realize, again, just watching it, not everybody has the confidence to teach right away. And for me, teaching was even easier than doing sessions. I know it's the other way around for most people. But what... i'm so grateful. When you told me about this course, I knew I had to get you on this podcast. I knew I wanted people to know about the course, and we've had an opportunity to discuss some of- what you teach in the class, which I absolutely love it, Karen. What prompted you to write this book and create this course? And I know you've been writing it for a while, I know... and I know you're a teacher and a professor, and so this is really natural for you. But what was the- The impetus. Yes I was gonna say impetus. I was like, "Is there a smaller word?" But yeah, what was the impetus for this? What- Honestly,

Karen 17:17

it was Karen Harrison because I had been talking about it and writing th- about it, and all of that. And she said, "When are you gonna do this?" She said, "Somebody needs to do this- and I think it's you." And I'm like, "Okay." And I think that's the purpose of this course also, is that to get people who may be like, "Maybe I could. I don't know. I've thought about it," and I'm like, "It's the same thing. Somebody needs to teach more of this, and I think it's you." One of the biggest pushes was I had so many students that would be wonderful teachers, and it's like, "Why are you not teaching?" They finish their master, Reiki master. I'm like, "You... What... When are you gonna offer a course?" And it's some people have asked me," but I'm like, "So what is it that's holding you back?" And it's just, it's overwhelming. We... At the end of the master course, we talk about teaching. We have the course outlines- Yeah in the master manual. All... We have all of how to do the ignitions, how to do the placements. Everything you need to teach is in that master manual really. Yeah.

Pam 18:14

And it's easier to teach than it used to be because the- Yes attunements- Because you don't have to- are so much easier Exactly. Yeah. And so

Karen 18:20

we're like, "What is it that's holding people back?" And it's that we know what we're supposed to teach. It's just we don't k- know how. And it's overwhelming. And you think of the work. If, maybe if they've sat through my classes, they'll go she's got this PowerPoint that she's made, and she seems to be so knowledgeable," and... But that's just a bluff, we don't... We think that we're supposed to be w- when we teach, we feel like I need to... I don't know enough. I don't know enough to teach." And the biggest obstacle is to realize that you don't need to know everything to teach. You just start. And then once you start teaching, you realize, "I'm really just holding space for this," and, putting out the advertisements. And the students are signing up through my website. But you realize that it's the energy guiding the entire class. I think the energy finds the people and helps them find you. I find that I attract a particular type of student. So one of the things- Yeah that I knew I wanted to do in the class was try to help them, help students see, what is my niche? What is my ideal student? And I think that really helped. In the pilot class I just finished, one of the students realized, for example, she'd been a minister. She's "I don't really mind talking in front of people. I don't mind," she said. But it was overwhelming, the technology or the doing the slides or... and what we realized in the pilot class was that she's also a death doula, and where her passion really lies is helping people- use Reiki for end of life. Oh, my God. And I said, "So you're t- There's a huge need for

Pam 19:57

that

Karen 19:58

Yes. And I said, "So your teaching is not gonna look like my teaching. Your classes are not gonna look like my classes. Your classes are gonna be different. You probably are gonna be just teaching the caregivers how to administer, how to get... Attune them to Reiki and teach them how to administer Reiki to the, th- their loved ones at, through end of life." There... A big nudge that I got, like you could talk about those nudges you get from the universe. What the energy has shown me is that we are going to need more teachers. What's it like? "So you have so many..." I'm like, "No, my classes are not full. No." But I think maybe it has something to do with AI, but I think that the need to be able to read energy is going to become as important as needing to read in the Middle Ages, read letters. I'm not sure if I'm being communicating what they showed me is very well. But in the past, for the dissemination of energy, I mean of ideas- Sure energy, all of that, yeah, people had to be able to read and write, to transfer knowledge. And I think that we have moved so far beyond that. AI does that pretty well. But I have so many people who can't tell the difference between what's AI and what's not. And for me, I'm like, "That's not real. Do you see that's not real?" And they're like, "What?" There's no

Pam 21:15

personality in it. And I think- Yeah. I- There's n- there's

Karen 21:17

no energy. The energy is different. Yeah. And so I'm, I think there is going to become... There's gonna be a need for more Reiki teachers because being able to read energy, transmit energy, that is gonna become really commonplace, I think, in the future, in that there will be more of a need for that.

both 21:34

Yeah.

Karen 21:34

And it'll be in different ways. It's not gonna be necessarily just... In my mind, I thought, "Okay. We teach Reiki one and two practitioners so we can get out there and have an army of Reiki practitioners so that we have just as many Reiki practitioners as we have chiropractors or any other sort of healthcare, that's treating mind, body, spirit all together," and that... But I think it's gonna be more than that. It's gonna become very commonplace. I'm so sorry. That's my cat. See, the portfolios- Don't be sorry for a

Pam 22:02

cat ever on this podcast. I was

Karen 22:04

just "Here's one too." But the big thing was, like, I think we are going to need more teachers, more people. It's gonna become very commonplace. Yeah. That everyone needs to be able to do at least, Reiki one and two. Yeah.

Pam 22:18

And remember, that's one of the reasons that I wrote the Reiki business book, was because Colleen Benelli, and Shelly Kamermeyer, some of our licensed teacher colleagues used to say, I've heard them say, "My dream is for every family to have a Reiki practitioner in it." I remember being at the Heathrow Airport and looking when they were announcing, that flights were being grounded- and- Calming and all this stuff. And my husband was freaking out a little bit, and he's "Why are you so calm right now?" And I just said Reiki. I know it's gonna work out. I know I'm gonna get home even though my flight was Stuck in London for- I purchased- two years I purchased a flight. I thought, "I'll buy that flight right there," and I bought it a- and it got canceled. I never did get a refund. Oh my gosh. Yeah. But- it's gonna work out but I just knew it was gonna work out. And and I thought they're right. Every family does need a Reiki practitioner in it for times like these. And I think there's some truth in that. And another thing that I want to comment on is that you said is that pe- when some of your students, people will ask them to teach, and they're not ready to teach. But the thing is, those students are your students. They're not my students. They're not Karen's- students, and our classes aren't full. It's not that's an issue. The issue is you might be our students, but they're your s- they have their own students that are coming. They... Yes, exactly. And the... It's said in Reiki that it's not the teacher who finds the student, it's the student who finds the teacher. And one of the things that I've told my students in the master classes for years, Karen, is if somebody asks you to teach them, that's the universe telling you that you're ready. Time. And I really believe that one of the things that's different about this, about Reiki, t- than martial arts or something else that you learn, is that you don't master Reiki. You allow Reiki to master you. And not one of us is perfect or ready

Karen 24:28

when we start to teach. No. Absolutely not. And you had teaching experience. I taught for 30 years. And I... And here's the other reason I really wanted to do this course, is because the LRMT program has helped me so much- Yeah. on, on so many levels. But so I'd been teaching for 30 years. I can teach with a stick in the dirt, i'm there. But I didn't know anything about doing the business, the marketing, the technology, the self-healing around limiting b- all of that. H- the LRMT program helped me with that. But there's a gap between- finishing Reiki master. To apply for the LRMT program, you have to have been a member of the Reiki Membership Association for two years, and you have to have taught at least eight classes. So you have to be teaching

Pam 25:11

for at least two years and then- Two years. Yeah, you have to have been teaching- and a member for two- for

Karen 25:15

two years. Thank you and a member

Pam 25:16

for a year.

Karen 25:17

Yep. Yeah. The... I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah I m- misspoke. That's okay. But it's... but there's a gap, yeah. It's if you could just get to the LRMT program, man, it's a great program- Yeah To get- to really take your business, your teaching to the next level, 'cause you have a mentor, y- all of that. But there's that gap between-

Pam 25:32

what? That's exactly why I created the Reiki Business book- That's why you have the business book was because of that gap. Exactly. And- I learned so much in the LRMT program as well, but I started mentoring people who wanted to have a business- but didn't... and the same as what you- Which there's a lot to learn a- and the same as what you've noticed in your course. In the Reiki Business book, it's like your business may not look like mine. You might not be teaching Reiki classes and doing Reiki sessions. You might be a death doula who develops their own course or, you know- I actually have your book

Karen 26:06

in my

Pam 26:06

book

Karen 26:07

as a resource because- Thank you because there's so much to learn, and I think that's what just shuts people down. Even when people are saying, "Could you te-..." "Where could I learn this?" And they're like technically I guess I could teach you," but they won't. They don't, won't step into it. So I'm hoping that with this course I can at least get people started. So the... One of the big things- Talk a bit

Pam 26:30

about the course, Karen. And I do wanna say that Karen Harrison is the reason we started the Grow Your Reiki Business course too

Karen 26:38

because- She is... Yeah, she's a real manifestor. Y- you're like- She is "You need to do this. Somebody should do this, and it's you. Go." She's a little instigator. She It's ex- I'm a projector in human design, so I'm supposed to wait for the invitation. So when somebo- so when somebody says "You should do this," I'm like, "Is that right? Yeah, okay. Yeah. All right.

Pam 26:56

Go." So I guess it's- My daughter's a projector too, and I... and Karen just said people they maybe start teaching a class or two, but then they need to grow that business and they need help. So you need to write the second book, and you need to create this course." And so I did. Well- tell us a little bit about your course. What's important? And so it's just... I just wanna make

Karen 27:13

the point that you're doing- Yeah and I'm doing exactly what we're trying to tell other people to do. You've learned this. You're a Reiki master now, and work with the stuff, and then you need to go teach other people. And you don't need to be perfect. And even w- that's why I have the second part of the class is because then you become the prompter, just like Karen Harrison 'cause she was one of my teachers, and she's our prompter. You need to make that," because you're just a little bit farther down the line. I see it as like a line, and when you get a little bit farther down the line, you look back and you reach out. That, and you- And you pull people along with

Pam 27:44

you and so try

Karen 27:45

to... Exactly. And I think there needs to be a mind shift there, and I'm not like, "I am the sage on the stage. I have learned all of this, and w-..." It's not that. It's more like I see you struggling. I've learned this. Here." That's what teaching is. It's like helping people along. So I think if people can make that mind shift- You see- that helps,

Pam 28:04

first of all it does. Because it, it helps- I taught something really neat, that I attract a certain type of student, which I've noticed that too. I attract people who struggle with health because of their empathy. I attract people who reach the pinnacle of their career and go, "Wait, I'm supposed to be happy now and fulfilled- Yeah and I'm not." "What's going on here? This is the lie that I bought into." And and what fills the gap? What will allow me to be happy and fulfilled? And what's the third thing? Oh, animal people. So those are the people- Yeah I attract. Who do you attract?

Karen 28:39

Sexual assault, sexual molestation survivors, alcoholic, family dysfunction, and yeah, big life transitions. Like same thing, like this isn't, this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm supposed to be doing something else. Yeah. So those are my three big ones. And everybody has something different. So part of the class- Everybody

both 28:58

does

Karen 28:58

is just pausing a moment and having... Okay, so I was a writing instructor. We do a lot of writing in the class, like there's just like a little bit of journaling- Yeah fast journaling of who what's your experience? Because it's your experience that, it's, that creates your vibration, that attracts people of the same vibration. That, and you've learned something, and that's what you're sharing with them. And also just to move from how do you get from this outline to so how do I teach? Okay, cover the history of Reiki. Okay. How? It's let's start at the very beginning. Yeah, you start there. But we talk about the different learning styles because some people, they are auditory, meaning they like to listen, and they also... I didn't know this for the longest time 'cause I have to see things. Like you can talk to me all day, wah wah, wah. That's all I- That's what it... To me,

Pam 29:48

auditory is wah I have to see it.

Karen 29:49

But I am auditory because I have to repeat. I don't know if you've... Yes, you've roommate, you've been my roommate. You know how I talk constantly. Yeah. That's how I process and I learn. So so I have to just- I have to write. I'm kinesthetic- Yes

Pam 30:01

learner.

Karen 30:01

Kinesthetic, yeah. So I have to write. So everybody has... So I have them actually take the test to find out what ki- what their learning sty- styles are in the teaching class because it helps them understand, oh, yeah, I understand. This is how I learn. And so to consider how other people might learn and to give you ideas on okay, pictures, or why don't you have them repeat it, or why don't you write it, or to come up with different ideas on how to teach the energy centers, how to teach the symbols. Go over what are each, what are all the symbols for? I remember Karen Harrison, to appeal to the kinesthetic, she would have us draw the Choku Rei with our elbow. Draw it with your knee. That's clever. Yeah. She's a really good teacher. She is. And like you said in the invocation there, think of your teachers. And a lot of times that's what we do. What stuck with you? What helped you learn? Just do the same thing. Teachers are great plagiarizers. "Is that working in your classroom? Oh, I'm gonna do that. All right." "Let me try that with my students." Or w- I can remember teaching English, like- Yeah "You have a handout on subject-verb agreement?" I'm like, "Yeah, here's... here's one." We just share, what works.

Pam 31:08

Yeah. And so- I can remember telling Colleen "Colleen, I think I've gotta go back through the Reiki business book because so much of what you taught me is in there." And it's It And she said, "I don't care." No, don't. Yeah. And so- And it's you tr- you take... 70% of what you teach came from your teacher. Exactly.

Karen 31:27

Exactly. And that's okay. And you pass it on. That, that's it. So a big part of class is that, like exploring different learning styles. How adults... So I taught college. People said, "Oh, did you start in high school?" I'm like, "Hell no, I did not." So I did not start in high school. I did not wanna teach high school students. I don't even like children. I haven't even taken kid Reiki 'cause I don't like kids. But now I find out that it's about inner child. I'm like, "Okay, maybe I could do kid Reiki." Adults learn differently. Yeah. And so we talk about how adults learn. You can't waste their time.

both 31:58

Yes. They wanna

Karen 31:59

know, "How do I use this? Why am I learning this? What's the point?" They wanna know. And so that helps you figure out, how to... What to say, what to show them, what not to show them, what not to go off on. I may find something really interesting, but if I can't explain how they're gonna use that, then I need to just shut up 'cause they're not listening. They don't care. So we talk about those sorts of things. Another big part of class is classroom management. Yeah. I think people are afraid what do you do when you've got somebody who talks all the time? That's a thing how do you manage that? What do you do? How... you can't just say... Although I did in college sometimes. I'd say, if somebody was talking in the back and students couldn't hear me, I'd be like, "Excuse me. I believe everyone in this class has paid to listen to me talk, not you. Please shut up or leave." You can't do that in elementary school. I'm a completely different person as a teacher. I'm really very s- soft and sweet, but not in the classroom. I'm not. No. So we talk about, how do you manage that? How do you manage when people have, So see, There's- disability- emotional- Different abilities Okay or a mis- emotional problems or like- Yeah maybe it's an in-person class and they have super-duper issues about being touched. There's- talking about making an inclusive classroom, whether it's in person or online, things to consider. So I'm trying to cover things in the class that may be niggling in the back of their mind "I can't do this. I don't know how to handle that situation. I don't know what to do in that situation." So I tried to think of all the different types of challenging students you might have, 'cause we all have 'em. I'm a challenging student. Sometimes I'm like motor mouth. I'm the dominant talker. I can be a challenging student. Yeah or the questioner how do you know that works?" or, "What do you mean?" Can you explain that to me, 'cause that doesn't make any sense." So all of the things, I think, that, that hold people back because they're afraid I might run into that kind of a student, I try to cover. And and here are some ways you can handle that. Here's a script. Say this. And then we actually do role playing, which was fun, saying that, I had somebody prepare a little five-minute lesson and then we were the challenging students. Just- Oh, that would be

Pam 34:06

fun.

Karen 34:06

Yeah, to see how they would handle it, and they did a really good job, yeah. I know. And then another part of the class is actual teaching. So on, in the intensive, in the three-day intensive the last class day is mainly preparing a lesson and teaching to get some feedback. And we really, more than... I didn't cover this so much in the book, but in this first pilot class, it was AI will help a lot.

Pam 34:33

Yeah, it can help. It- For me as somebody whose daughters have diagnosed her with I- ADHD, Yeah aI helps get me organized. I don't tell AI, "Create this," but I'll say, "I want this, and this, and it needs to say that, and that. And then I want it to do this, and this, and then include this information." And then- Yeah just it organizes it in a way-

Karen 34:54

It does, and it will even... I didn't understand how fast you could make slides, 'cause making PowerPoints or Google Slides for my visual learners, that was always like a big, huge chore. Trying to- I don't do that,

Pam 35:04

Karen.

Karen 35:05

I don't do it You know, and some people don't teach with PowerPoint at all. No, I have a story telling teaching style. My, my mentor Jamie doesn't. Yeah, she tells stories. Exactly.

Pam 35:12

Yeah.

Karen 35:12

But I discovered look, you can put this in there and say, "Make Google points, Google Slide points," and it'll do that. And then you just copy those into a, just a plain slide, and now it has a thing. It says, "Beautify this slide," and you click that, and it'll make a- a graphic or find a picture or something to, and I'll really- Maybe I'll

Pam 35:29

start doing Po- PowerPoint that took me forever.

Karen 35:32

But that freed my students to go, "Oh, I thought that would be so hard. That's not hard." So a big part of this class really is just pushing people out into okay, there, you've done a little lesson. You know how to do this and that. You've got... You already had the outlines. You already had all the material that you needed. It was just the how. And the other thing I included was a healing experience. I asked Holy Fire to help me with a healing experience for limiting beliefs around teaching- Oh and imposter syndrome around teaching, because we do- Yeah we've, you've had a podcast about imposter syndrome.

Pam 36:03

Yeah. That it's- Every one of us- It's a whole stack feels like an imposter when we start to teach. I- Yes I told William even taking the master class I was so nervous. I mispronounced my name three times, and I know you've heard that story. I know people have heard that story. But... And I said, "I don't... I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so nervous. I... Or I'm just so nervous to be here." And when he said, "Why?" I just said, "Because Reiki masters are wonderful and amazing people, and I'm not. I'm just me." And he said, "And I'm just me." And every one of us is scared to death. I've never talked to anybody who wasn't scared of that first class. Yeah. But it seems to me that with your course getting prepared, and we were talking about the cost of the course, and it's wow, your, your first two students will pay the cost of this

Karen 36:50

class. Yeah. So during the pilot... I have proposed it to the ICRT, which will take a while if they do approve it. If they don't, I'll just publish the books and do the classes. But I'm doing it for 999, but, if it becomes a master course with ICRT, it'll be 13- 75 like the others, and I'm getting, okay, I would've been scared to teach this class in a way, right? But I know that the energy is helping me, and I know that my students are teaching me. Like you said- Yeah if you really wanna learn something, teach it. Because the students will teach you so much, and you will you just go so deep. And you don't have to know everything. No. And your students don't hate you. They don't go she didn't have..." A lot of times I have to say, "I don't... That's a really good question. I don't even know how to respond. Let me get back to you tomorrow on that." And then I have to go dig and do some meditating and Reiki and ask about it and go here's what I think." Oh, I don't know. And they don't go, "Wow, that Karen Couch, she's a real dummy. She doesn't know anything." They th- I think that they appreciate the authenticity of that's a... I don't know. Let me... I don't wanna just make up some BS answer. Let me think about that. Yeah. That's a really good question. And that's what I love about teaching is because they challenge me. My students challenge me.

Pam 38:04

Yeah I agree, and I, What are some of the other benefits of becoming a teacher? Because here's the funny thing. You, y- you said before I never wanted to teach, and I didn't. I only wanted to work with animals when I learned this. And teaching is my most favorite thing in the world now. I know. Exactly. I love teaching. And I started teaching in a way because I can remember with horses I realized that when I became a teacher in my, as a teenager, that it really amplified the learning, my learning curve-

both 38:37

With

Pam 38:38

horses. And so I started teaching with horses in 2007, again, on my own farm because I, there were a lot of new concepts, and I wanted to just dive in and learn as much as possible. And I knew that teaching would push me to do that, and it did. I, with horses. So when Reiki came along, which was something else that I was passionate about, I realized, "You know what? Teaching is gonna push me and help me learn this at another level as well." And it certainly did. And so I think that's one of my biggest advantages- Exactly of teaching. And then you also get to witness your students who walk into your class one person, and they walk out a completely different person. So much more vibrant and healthy and hopeful and confident and just all the things. And then you get to witness what happens in their lives. And I just... It's become my most favorite thing. Yes. What do you get from teaching? Because it keeps you alive.

Karen 39:41

Yes. If you aren't, if you aren't, if you aren't learning, you're stagnant, and you're not really alive. Because life is constantly changing. And what you said about "Oh, there were new techniques." If I weren't teaching this course, I wouldn't have discovered, "Huh, I didn't know it would do that." I didn't... Seriously. Or students asking me a question, or we're practicing something in class, you go that was weird. Wow, I didn't even know that would..." When you're a Reiki master who isn't teaching, somebody who just goes through master and you just stop. And it's great. Maybe you continue practicing Reiki and everything. But you've just... It's like you're standing on the edge of a cliff, and you are about to fly, but you just decided to stay on the cliff, yeah. And you didn't ta- you didn't jump. And once you... It's not until you start trying to share it with that... Okay, you share the energy. But when you start sharing the energy, when you start doing placements and you start doing the ignitions, that takes you to this other level. You s- that's jumping off the cliff. And you really deepen. It's not because you're teaching all these other people and you're so smart. You deepen your- Your own understanding understanding of the energy because you've leaped You've taken that leap. You be like, "I'm not sure if I'm ready to do this. I'm not sure if I know anything, but I feel like I'm gonna do this." And then it's that faith. It's that trust in the energy. "Okay, I'm gonna do it." And then that's when the journey begins. Wow. It keeps you in the flow of life. Otherwise you've put... When you put a limit, y- you're stopping the flow. Which is exactly what we're doing with Reiki, is we're trying to remove blockages, so remove... if I can help with this course, if I can help people remove whatever fears they have or whatever lack of knowledge they feel they have so that they can teach. They're gonna teach. They're gonna teach to me. I'm a good student. Unless you're... un- for the most part. If you're my student, I'm... Yeah, I'll... and they're gonna teach to us, and then they will have done it. And then they can go out and do your first class, and

Pam 41:38

I think that role-playing. I think That

Karen 41:41

makes a big difference. It does. So we do a lot of role-playing and talking about things and discussing their fears, doing energy work to help release those fears. And we were talking before I thought the fir- the first draft of the book, it's really too much. And then I was like, "Okay, I think some of this your role as the Reiki master..." Because as the teacher, you do start mentoring.

both 42:03

Yes.

Karen 42:03

So I think that the whole second level is m- gonna be more about building your own Reiki community, mentoring your own teachers. Helping... Stepping into the mentoring role, 'cause that's the second stage. I love that, Karen.

Pam 42:17

My... Oh.

Karen 42:18

Yeah.

Pam 42:18

I love it. And William Rand talks about the fact that when you are, like, that in our definition, with the ICRT, our definition of a Reiki master is someone who has the training and has taught at least one student. And- Yeah I think the reason that he says that, I've heard him talk about the fact that when you start teaching, you expand your connection with Reiki. You- Yeah you raise your vibration, and it's significant. So just you teaching this course and getting some more teachers out there that's having a huge ripple effect, Karen. Thank you for doing that.

Karen 42:59

Yeah. And I think it's where we need to go. I think- Yeah we do change. You... When you get Reiki, when you get attuned to Reiki, and you start doing Reiki on yourself, and you do Reiki on other people, that does start shifting the energy in the world. But when you start teaching- Yeah not just channeling Reiki, but you teach others to do it, that exponentially shifts the energy of the planet. And I think- That's it right there that's why I want people to teach

Pam 43:27

Tell us how can people connect with you for this f- if they're interested in this class, Karen? I know you have a few dates, and you're also talking about having a wait list for- for people who can't make those dates Yeah, that's a great idea.

Karen 43:39

Thank you. You gave me that idea. So yeah I do have dates in July, and- The 17th to the 19th I want to... The 17th to the 19th. And in October I'm going to try three Saturdays in a month rather than Friday, Saturday, Sunday, like all back to back. I'm gonna give that a try. I'm feeling my way through with just the teachers will. Does this work, or how does this work better? And so g- I'm modeling the behavior for you. Like I'm trying this, I'm trying that to see what seems to work best with the majority of students. But it's 999. It'll be a 24-hour course. And to get on the wait list you can contact me at karen@arkansasreiki.com, or my website is reiki-institute.com. You can send me a message through there. And what does... Like- I have on my website... You can talk to me about it. Yeah. I have a free 30-minute comp session about my classes because, 'cause that's a lot of money to spend and you probably have ques- questions. Probably got some questions. Sorry. I said living in South America I can't speak English anymore. I don't... But I don't even know what language that was. But anyway, but to schedule 30 minutes with me to see. Hopefully in that 30 minutes you might get 15 of it, if that makes any sense. No, I'm just kidding. Just to see. No, seriously. But you can book a, a complimentary session and ask me your questions. Yeah. Yeah. And so it's like a little mini coaching. I can, maybe give you some ins- I am good at that. I'm very good because I'm a projector. I have this penetrating aura that I'm very good at... Even in 30 minutes I kinda go zoop inside and then, oh, okay, what you are is da. Yeah.

Pam 45:20

Really good at helping people identify their strengths and- yeah and

Karen 45:23

find- or if,

Pam 45:23

or if it's a good fit or not. That's amazing. Thank you, Karen, so much for this. I... Thanks for creating the course and the book. Is... Do you have an idea of when the book might be ready? At this point,

Karen 45:36

Oh. It's all written Oh, it's 'cause it still has some has some more revising to do, but, Let's talk about that then,

Pam 45:42

then as well. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have time, Karen, to lead us in a short meditation? For anybody who's thinking, whether they take the class or not, anybody who's thinking about teaching and ready to maybe jump off that, that edge of that cliff and spread their wings and start to fly, Sure could you lead us into, Absolutely.

Karen 46:01

Let's d- let's do that. Just bring your hands into Gassho. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, deep belly breath. Feel the light of Reiki move in on your breath. And with each exhalation, feel all the tension release from your body. And you may become aware in your body of any fears that you have surrounding what we've been talking about. You may experience it as a knot in your stomach, a tightening in your chest. You may feel your throat tighten. You may feel your shoulders hunch. So with each exhalation, feel those fears release and flow out on your breath. Feel the light of the Divine Earth come up through your feet, your legs, all the way up into your heart space. Feel the light of Reiki come down through your crown and meet the light of the Divine Earth in your heart. Move into your heart space. This is your connection space. You connect to all that is. You connect to the light of Reiki. This is where you connect to your loved ones, to strangers you pass on the street, in the grocery store. This is where you will connect to those who are seeking light, to those who are seeking the connection that you have to Reiki, to those who are seeking more knowledge. They're seeking guidance in their life. They're seeking purification from the things that hold them back. They're seeking healing from old traumas. They're looking for guidance. They're looking for empowerment. And you, because you have this strong connection to Reiki, you are in a unique position to help the people that you encounter. And it's not a mind recognition. It's not a gut recognition. It's a heart recognition. Feel that heartbeat in your chest. Become aware that it is connected to the heartbeats of all the others. It's connected to the heartbeat of this planet. It's connected to all of creation. You have the creative ability to serve, to create your life, your unique path, which may or may not involve formal teaching of classes, but you are a teacher. You have passions that you can share with others. Breathe deeply and know that you are connected. You have gifts that no one else has. You have experiences that no one else has. You have unique insights that people are seeking. Invite Reiki to help you share those insights, share your heart, your experience, and help lead others to their own door of understanding. Help them open that door and allow them to walk through. That's all a teacher does. I'm thankful for each one of you listening, thankful for you, Pam, thankful for our guides, the illumined beings that surround us. May each of you find your path. And so it is. And so it is. Namaste.

Pam 50:55

Karen, thank you so much for being with us. I'm super excited about this book and- the course. And I also wanna thank you, the listeners and I love what you said, Karen. Even if you don't teach formal classes, you are a teacher. And so teach. Thank you. Yeah. Blessings to everyone. Blessings.