When you're first beginning a Reiki practice as a professional it can be hard to know what to charge. You can plan to charge based on the average going cost of Reiki in your area, but I think there's a better way.
As a new Reiki practitioner, you're still developing confidence. You may sometimes think to yourself, "Who am I to charge this? What if the Reiki doesn't work? What if the Reiki won't flow when I'm there?!" Our minds can take us on a wild and terrible ride when we're not confident, so it's important to work on your mindset a little bit each day, through your daily meditation practice. You might even incorporate beloved books or audio recordings that help strengthen your confidence and perspective. Remember, you took Reiki training. You learned how to flow with the Reiki energy. You learned how to create a safe space. You know what you're doing. And you will continue to learn and improve. You're ready to jump in, and you don't need to be perfect in order to do so.
In fact, it is only through actual practice that you get better. To practice being a professional, you have to actually do Reiki on people and ask for compensation. With this in mind, charge what you feel really confident about charging. Charge what you can get behind, and stand behind it, one hundred percent.
Sometimes students feel bad because they see their classmates charging 3 or 4 times more than they ever would, so they feel they should charge more. Or conversely, they feel comfortable charging a lot, but worry that others will judge them for it, so they think they should charge less. As one of my good friends likes to say, "Don't should all over yourself." It just makes a mess. Let others charge what they need to charge, and just worry about you. Modern society still struggles with valuing and paying our teachers, energy healers, and artists appropriately. When we stand behind what we charge, we help to heal this wound and change that karma for future generations of healers to come. To begin that healing, start with what you truly feel.
If you can only get behind charging $10 for a session, then begin there. Learn how to invite people to sessions for $10 and feel good about it. At some point, you'll discover that you really like that rate, or you may discover that you need more to cover your time and energy. Remember in Reiki 1 you learned that there must be equal exchange or compensation for services rendered. That equality means that you ultimately want to feel really good after your session, as if you have the energy and resources to do more. If you need more financially, then you raise your rates. You simply tell clients, "This will be my last session at $20. Next time--or next month--it goes up to $30." You can continue to do this every 6 months, until you are at the rate that actually works for you.
When I was first beginning as a practitioner, I knew that being a Reiki healer was a calling, and that it needed to be my main source of income. As a result, my ego kicked in, determined to keep me safe, and said, "Dailey, you need at least $150 per hour to start." ... But I couldn't get behind that number. I knew it's what I needed, but I was nervous and didn't have the confidence. So I started at $75, which felt easier to say and maintain. I knew that my work was at least worth $75, so that became my minimum. I knew that if I did Reiki for any less than that, I wouldn't be able to cover my bills, I would have to over-work, and I would feel stressed. So I began at $75, which was the right number for me (for you it may be different).
I then worked on healing my money fears, and slowly raised my rates to come into alignment with the money I actually needed at that time. Some people are able to raise rates quickly to what they need, effectively going from intern to professional in a matter of months. For others, it can take years. It's really just a matter of healing your mindset.
We can't force ourselves to charge a certain number just because we feel we should. I mean, do you really want your healing practice to be filled with stress, shame, or worth issues, every time you talk about what you do? It's important to feel good about your rates, and if you know they aren't going to work for you, then work on your mindset so that mind, heart, spirit are all aligned around what you charge. I love the stair-stepping method of charging, where you simply raise your rates every season until they are where you need them to be.
Remember, if this is a full time venture, your needs will be very different vs a hobby. As a professional practitioner, ultimately you want your rates to be able to cover rent, your home life, bills, continuing education, and also health insurance, dental insurance, emergencies, and retirement. Calculating your real life costs will help you see what you need to ultimately make, but start with charging what you can get behind.
If you need more support around figuring out your rates or other aspects of your Reiki journey, please feel free to reach out to me and send me a message. I can offer simple tips and great resources to help you with your new business, based on your specific needs, and if you need more, we can also set up as session. Blessings on your journey!
DAILEY LITTLE is a healing practitioner, transformational life coach, ordained Priestess, and teacher who founded Healing Heart Reiki to help others navigate life with joy. She offers private sessions, and teaches classes in healing and mindset from a magical peaceful corner of the world in Northern California. For more info see: www.SantaRosaReiki.com
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