Learning QiGong/Reiki/Yoga/Shiatsu/etc with intent to practice professionally?

[Bob Hubbard]

How would one go about this, and how long does the training usually take?
What would it entail? (I know each is different, but thats good).

Do any of these compliment the other so that one could learn excel at more than one?

 

[shesulsa]

As far as Reiki goes ... it has to be passed on to you, really. And people pay a pretty penny for it. There are seminars where you learn symbols and about energy fields, etcetera and then you are given an attunement. I've seen some certification classes in the four and five figure range.

Personally, I can't feel right about helping other people like this and charging for it - I don't personally connect the Christ consciousness and Holy Spirit with high dollar rewards. That's not to say all who charge aren't doing good work or aren't worth the money, it's just a personal belief I have.

The bottom line to any healing is that someone can only help a subject so much - the recipient/subject has to participate in his/her own healing to *some* extent, as some of the theory is emotional/mental/energetic imbalances can bring about illness on the physical plane. If patterns of thought, emotion, energy expense are repeated after a session or a series of sessions, then the imbalance will return, of course.

I think a lot of people partner energy work with massage and/or physical therapy or psychological counseling - I call it "piggybacking."

To start with, you could become certified and volunteer in your local hospital. Some patients ask for Reiki practitioners and you can get on their roster as a spiritual advisor. I would think that would get your foot in somewhere. Then just start networking with people locally and you may find some opportunities. Ask around and see if anyone else offers reiki healing and see what their prices are. Websites are a big draw as are flyers in local natural food markets and ads in papers.

Just some ideas.

I've done some distance work at no charge for at least three people on these forums who asked for it or accepted the offer.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Learn Qigong the way most Americans do I would say about 1 to 3 years and you will have a ton of Qigong "forms". Learn Qigong the way you should like you might in China or Tibet with a real sifu (you can do this in the US too) it will take YEARS and you will have considerably fewer Qigong "forms" but you will know qigong.

 

[Carol]

Studying the healing arts and getting certified by an appropriate organization is generally rather easy. Take the class, show up, follow directions. No prior prior education necessary, no prior knowledge of physiology necessary. Some, such as acupressure or massage, don't even require much for physical ability.

The hard part isn't learning the skill...its the selling required to establish, and maintain, a profitable business. A cert alone doesn't equate to an income.

There is also a mindset required that isn't necessarily intuitive.

Several years ago I took a massage class that was lead by a personal trainer/massage therapist. Massage was not something that I want to as a profession or hobby, its something that I want to share with those closest to me. I dropped out after the second meeting because giving another person a massage was beginning to feel like work, and I didn't want it to feel like that. At least for me, I wanted it to stay fun.

A healing arts practitioner also needs to be able to deal with people's problems and be OK with what is essentially profiting off of people's problems. Earning money by helping someone with their problems isn't a bad thing, but it does take a willingness to do so and the ability to have some amount of professional detachment but not so much that the client thinks the practitioner doesn't care.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Unfortunately Reiki appears to have gone the way of pay me a bunch of money for a day seminar and I will make you an instructor in this system.
What is even more unfortunate is I have come across people who did this and started practiticing quickly afterwards and were shall I say it : completely inept. How much depth can anyone have after a day or weekend seminar? :idunno: This seems to be the wave of the future in many things and it is sad.

I am familiar with Reiki and Shiatsu and both have gone this route. Yoga I imagine will follow suit. Heck I saw a NAPMA Tai Chi program that I think you learn in a weekend and then start teaching Tai Chi.

(just a way for McDojo's to add another poor program)

 

[Xue Sheng]

I forgot to add, if you train Qigong the way it should be trained you need to decide what type of Qigong you are after. Since you are talking professionally I am guessing medical and that takes a long LONG time, that is if you train with a real sifu.

I did see a mail order program that would probably take a month however, it was complete Crap, but you could finish it in a month. There is also a set of DVDs some guy has made that I feel much the same about.

Heck I saw a NAPMA Tai Chi program that I think you learn in a weekend and then start teaching Tai Chi.

(just a way for McDojo's to add another poor program)

And just a bit of a commentary on the NAPMA Taiji program. First they should know it is spelled Taiji, not Tai Chi second as to how I really feel about it :barf:

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I forgot to add, if you train Qigong the way it should be trained you need to decide what type of Qigong you are after. Since you are talking professionally I am guessing medical and that takes a long LONG time, that is if you train with a real sifu.



And just a bit of a commentary on the NAPMA Taiji program. First they should know it is spelled Taiji, not Tai Chi second as to how I really feel about it :barf:

I feel the same way! :barf:

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Dear Bob to answer your question in regards to Qigong. I have been a practicer for 10yrs which IMO just scratches the surface. As for teaching I started teaching due to request not so much to make money from it.
I know of some teacher's in my area who will charge quite alot of money for certain things some as much as $1,000. I always go back to one teacher of mine who said it all depends on what you want to do with it then go from there. Reiki courses do not take to long to learn nor does Shiatsu maybe a year or 2 to be certified. If you practice the healing arts with intent to make money you will never be good at it. If you practice the healing arts and use it to help others the culivation of that compassion will make you very good at it. But that is what my teacher's passed on to me.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

My desire, is to understand it and develop it within me, if possible...maybe even learning how to heal my own issues. I'm not concerned with the income side.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Qigong takes awhile

But you can start here

The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets for Health, Longevity, and Enlightenment by Yang, Jwing-Ming

It is kind of a Qigong text book that will at least give you some idea what it is all about and what is involved.

 

[BlackCatBonz]

1.Studying the healing arts and getting certified by an appropriate organization is generally rather easy. Take the class, show up, follow directions. No prior prior education necessary, no prior knowledge of physiology necessary. Some, such as acupressure or massage, don't even require much for physical ability.

2.The hard part isn't learning the skill...its the selling required to establish, and maintain, a profitable business. A cert alone doesn't equate to an income.

3.There is also a mindset required that isn't necessarily intuitive.

Several years ago I took a massage class that was lead by a personal trainer/massage therapist. Massage was not something that I want to as a profession or hobby, its something that I want to share with those closest to me. I dropped out after the second meeting because giving another person a massage was beginning to feel like work, and I didn't want it to feel like that. At least for me, I wanted it to stay fun.

A healing arts practitioner also needs to be able to deal with people's problems and be OK with what is essentially profiting off of people's problems. Earning money by helping someone with their problems isn't a bad thing, but it does take a willingness to do so and the ability to have some amount of professional detachment but not so much that the client thinks the practitioner doesn't care.

Carol, I want to preface my post by saying that you must have had some unusual or unsuccessful holistic treatments, or perhaps you've just very limited knowledge of the actual healing arts themselves.

Ive been practicing shiatsu for 10 years and studied shiatsu under a world renowned teacher and therapist.
I've numbered a couple of points I would like to address.

1. This is completely false. Japan Shiatsu college has specific entrance requirements, Shiatsu Academy of Tokyo has entrance requirements (while not strict, if the student can show knowledge, ability, and willingness to learn) of sciences, like physics and biology.
The physical requirement is equally important, a letter is required from your family doctor stating good general health and physical fitness.
Shiatsu treatments are done traditionally on the floor, requiring the therapist to kneel for an hour or more during the therapy.
The in class requirements are pathophysiology, human kinetics, nutrition, physiology, anatomy, communications, public health, theory, ethics, etc. The courses are taught by doctors and experts in a given field and at a post secondary level.
The curriculum is taught in a high volume manner with lots of notes, and lots of studying......showing up does not guarantee a pass, which is a B-.

2. After all of the science, I think the hard part is learning the skill......After 10 years, I am still discovering things, and without sounding arrogant, I'm pretty good at what I do.
At Shiatsu Academy of Tokyo, you spend over 200 hours in the student clinic giving treatments, while having your technical skills regularly tested by the head instructor and feedback given from other students.

3. Intuition and a curious nature are 2 of the best qualities a therapist can have. In order to help someone, you need to be able to investigate further into the problems than a patient is often able to verbalize, oftentimes, the presenting ailment has nothing to do with the underlying cause.
Shiatsu is a scientific approach based on the western medical model.

As for something like acupuncture or acupressure, while not based wholly on western science, does have a science of its own which is just as complex which requires astute teachers and hungry minded students.

I would never let someone that took a weekend course work on me, being a therapist is work, with patient records and note taking.

 

[marlon]

My desire, is to understand it and develop it within me, if possible...maybe even learning how to heal my own issues. I'm not concerned with the income side.

i think reiki would be a good place to start..i recommend to stay at level one for at least three months to a year and give yourself daily treatments. a good teacher will offer you some reiki meditations to use and then at level two the mircocasmic orbit and many other tools are more available to you to develop.. always remain focused on your daily sessions with yourself.

respectfully,
marlon

 

[Nobody]

The best book for information on Qigong is by a Dr. Jerry Allen Johnson, the book is Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy: A Comprehensive Clinical Text. It is more of a real text book than anything Yang Jwing Ming has done it would do more for you cause it is created an written by a OMD an a martial artist that is focused on movement therapy. There are 56 chapters.

Teaches ch 1 is Intro to medical qigong; ch2 energetic formation of the human body; ch3 physical development and structural formation; ch4 the five energies of the human body; ch5 the three dantians an the taiji pole; ch6 the twelve primary channels an the organs; ch7 the eight extraordinary vessels and col-laterals; ch8 the body's energetic points; ch9 the extraordinary yang organs; That ends section one is foundations of Chinese energetic medicine. Section two is the three outer force: heaven, earth an man. ch 10 intro to the three forces; ch11the three treasures of heaven: sun, moon, and stars; chapter 12 the three treasures of the earth:earth, water, and wind; ch13 the three treasures of man: jing, qi, an shen; That ends section two an on to section three is Dao Yin Training. ch14 intro to dao yin training; ch15 postural dao yin training; ch16 respiratory dao yin; ch17 mental dao yin training; That end section three now section four is qi deviation in qigong training. ch18 intro to qi development deviations; ch19 disorder an deviations of the soul an spirit; That ends section four now section five is differential diagnosis of energetic principles. ch20 intro to differential diagnosis; ch21 diagnosis according to the eight energetic principles; ch22 diagnosis according to qi, blood, and body fluid dysfunctions.... I think you can see that he has some very in depth ideas that are being talked about an it says a lot more than any other book like Yang Jwing Mings books only scratch the surface of the ideas an in this book Dr. Jerry Allen Johnson goes in depth to show an give the foundation to how each thing works. Going so far as to give you meditation practices in each idea and why it works is discussed.

 

[lhommedieu]

Tom Bisio and Frank Butler teach an excellent Zheng Gu Tui Na series in New York and other locations in the U.S. For more information:

www.tombisio.com
www.zhenggutuina.com

Best,

Steve Lamade