The best way to study Reiki

What’s the best way to learn Reiki?

That depends on your reason for studying, your schedule, your personal style and other factors.

For example, if all you want is a certificate, you don't even need to learn Reiki. Just design a certificate for yourself and print it out. Or you can spend a dollar or two to buy one online. Either way, your mission would be accomplished: you'd have a Reiki certificate with your name on it. We don't recommend that method, but we have to acknowledge it.

What about those online Reiki courses? Many subjects can be studied online, but in our opinion, Reiki just isn't one of them: you need a real live teacher (preferably one who really studied rather than just printing out a certificate) who can work with you personally. As an experiment, I signed up for one of those free online Reiki training courses myself a couple of years ago, in between master training programs. I got an email every day for a couple of weeks, in which the teacher wrote about Reiki in a very general way. Ever since, I've received emails from that teacher, trying to sell training that isn't free. Fortunately my spam filter catches most of them now.

How about a big class? Again, it depends on your goal and your personal style. If you're happy to sit in class with a dozen or more students for a weekend, you can go home with a certificate. The teacher may not recognize you on the street or remember your name, or even know whether you understood what was being taught. But there are some advantages to large classes: it's easier to keep up with text messages on your cellphone, or even doze off for a few minutes after lunch.

One-on-one: For me, as a teacher, as a student, this is the best possible way to learn. With personalized, individual training, the teacher can constantly assess whether the student is "getting" what is being taught, and the student can ask questions as they arise. Every student comes to Reiki training with a different background, a different style, and a different purpose for studying. Not all teachers offer this kind of personalized, individualized training, but at The Reiki Dojo, we're making one-on-one training a priority. Sign up when you want, study at your own pace, even in your own home if that's more convenient for you. There can be a downside to a class of one, since students need other students to practice hands-on Reiki, but we solve that problem by setting up practice sessions for two or more students at a time during the course of both Level 1 (Shoden) and Level 2 (Okuden) training. And of course, students can also attend regular meetings at The Reiki Dojo and gain experience working with a group of advanced masters.

Students who've already done Reiki training in other lineages are also eligible for one-on-one advanced training, customized to their needs, style, and goals.

One-on-one training at The Reiki Dojo is by appointment only. Click here for further information.