Can you do Reiki on yourself?
Answered by Vanessa Chugani · Updated September 2026
Yes. Once you're attuned through Level 1 training, self-practice is one of the things Usui Shiki Ryoho teaches: resting your own hands on your body to give yourself the same rest and support you'd offer someone else. Most students use it for stress, poor sleep or a mind that will not settle.
Yes, and it is not a fringe use of the practice. In Usui Shiki Ryoho, self-practice sits right next to hands-on-others as one of the reasons the training exists. You are not learning a technique to perform on other people only. You are learning something you can turn to on your own, the moment you're attuned.
What training actually gives you
The attunement is what makes self-practice possible in this tradition rather than just a stretch or a breathing exercise. From Level 1 onward, you learn hand positions for your own body alongside the ones for someone else's, and you leave able to use them whenever you want. Training is taught live, in groups of no more than six or often one to one, in Canggu or live online, and never as a recording. There's no equipment, no appointment, nothing to charge or plug in. You put your hands where you need them and you sit with that for a while.
What people use it for
The same things that bring someone into a session in the first place: a jaw that will not unclench, shoulders that have crept up towards the ears, a mind still running through a conversation from three hours ago, a body that won't settle late at night. Self-practice does not replace sleep or a proper rest, but a few minutes with a hand resting on the chest or the belly is something you can reach for in the moment, rather than waiting for an appointment.
Building it into ordinary life
There's no fixed routine and no right amount. Some students do a short practice every evening before bed. Others use it only when they notice they're wound tight and need to come down from it. Both are normal. What matters is that it's yours once you're trained: something you carry rather than something you book. Preparing for an attunement covers what the training itself involves if you're weighing it up.
Who this suits
Self-practice through training suits someone who wants a tool for the long run, not just a single hour of feeling better. It tends to appeal to people rebuilding a life around themselves after a career, children, a divorce or a loss, and to those considering the craft as a second act rather than a one-off experience. If what you actually want right now is to switch off and let someone else hold the space, a private session in Canggu or by distance is the better starting point, and training can always come later.
- Attunement through training is what makes self-practice part of Usui Shiki Ryoho, not a separate skill.
- There's no fixed schedule: some people practise daily, others only when they need it.
Either way, nothing about it needs a special room or a particular time of day. A few quiet minutes with your own hands is the whole of it.
Related questions
Do you need to be attuned before you can practise on yourself?
Yes. In Usui Shiki Ryoho, self-practice is taught alongside the attunement itself, starting at Level 1. You learn hand positions in training in Canggu or live online, and once you're attuned you can rest your own hands on yourself whenever you like, no equipment, nothing to book.
How often can you do Reiki on yourself?
There's no fixed schedule. Some people use it daily, a few minutes with a hand on the chest or belly before sleep or first thing in the morning. Others reach for it only when they notice they're wound up. Either way, it's yours once you've trained, not something you need to keep booking.
Is self-practice a replacement for a session with a practitioner?
Not quite. Self-practice puts something in your hands for daily life, while a session lets you fully receive instead of also holding the space. Many students do both: their own practice most days, and an occasional session in Canggu or by distance when they want to properly switch off.