Finding The Right Reiki Course & Teacher For You
With many people, who they select to learn Reiki from can be a bit pot luck, dependent on who happens to be in their local area. The aim of this article is to help give you some considerations to think about as you look to select a Reiki training course and which teacher to learn from.
What you might expect, or be looking for in a Reiki course will likely be influenced by your previous exposure to receiving Reiki treatments, reports of others’ experiences of Reiki, friends who are trained in Reiki, or the books and articles you have read on the topic. So what you believe Reiki is, or what might be a good course of action regarding learning Reiki is likely to have many influences. The accuracy of the information that you have been exposed to obviously I am not aware of, however, you do not have to research very far into the topic of Reiki to find conflicting information and indeed the articles I write here might be adding to that sea of differing information.
To begin with, it is a common belief or assumption that all Reiki courses teach pretty much the same thing; that all courses listed as Reiki, Usui Reiki, traditional Japanese Reiki, etc are all the same. This is far from the case. So the first thing I would suggest in relation to selecting a Reiki teacher is actually to select the Reiki course. When first looking at different course options, you will see many different names linked with the word Reiki, which can appear to look like different styles of Reiki first. Learning any Reiki is a gift and can be helpful to people, so I would say any Reiki training is better than none. However, we need to bear in mind that as great as any Reiki teacher might be, if what you are being taught has misunderstandings about Reiki within its teachings, or is not what you are looking for, you are unlikely to be satisfied with the training you receive. This may leave you feeling disheartened by the experience and drop out of practicing Reiki in the future, or you may later come to the realization you need to take additional Reiki training to get what you were looking for in the first place.
I see this often in the fact that many people who seek to learn Reiki with me have already learned Reiki from others. They commonly tell me they are looking to retrain due to the teachings they received in their initial training in Reiki, be that to fill in the gaps, or to build upon it, rather than the teacher quality in most cases. This is why I place prime importance on the right course selection first. You can find details of my Beginner Reiki Courses here. The question many have is what are the best reiki courses to take?
Although I am qualified as a Reiki teacher in various Reiki styles, I have chosen to teach only Jikiden Reiki because of its authentic teachings, how it was taught in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s. The Jikiden Reiki Institute (which authorizes who can teach this style of Reiki) is based in Kyoto, Japan. To find out more about Jikiden Reiki see my article 'What is Jikiden Reiki'
To determine which Reiki course is right for you, first determine if you are drawn to traditional, authentic teachings, or are looking for modified teachings that often have influences from other healing methods infused into the teachings which tend to be further away from the original Reiki teachings and perspectives. If authentic Japanese Reiki is what you are looking for my recommendation is to seek out a Jikiden Reiki teacher. If a more modified style is for you, then it is more about matching your preferences with the course content/teachings you would receive. To further this point on the importance of finding the right Reiki teachings, I would suggest you look beyond any governing body's acceptance of a course. Such approved courses would be suggestive of a good course structure, and best practice, suggest a level of professional practice, yet ironically do not guarantee the accuracy of the teachings, therefore, allowing various Reiki styles or teachings to be accepted as they meet a generic professional best practice award criteria, not a what are you teaching criteria.
So initially I would suggest that you get a list of courses/teachers that look like a fit for you in what you are going to get with any training. The easiest way is usually an online search. My view is that you are better to travel a bit of distance for the right training than going with what may be on offer on your doorstep. As Jikiden Reiki Shoden (beginner level) training is conducted over a one-weekend distance is rarely a factor; indeed I have many people who travel to train with me even when they have multiple Reiki teachers closer to home. With regard to course dates, be patient! Again it’s better to wait a month longer for the right training than get training that doesn't match what you are looking for just because it's next week and you're keen to learn. So I would suggest committing to the right training and then making arrangements to be able to attend, if not the next course, then the one after that. Look also beyond the price of Reiki courses. Reiki courses completely (Shoden and Okuden- levels 1 and 2) tend to be no more than £500 - there is no need to pay much more than that. Equally, I would also question the wisdom of selecting a course based on cost, i.e the cheaper the course the better. Just because it is cheaper doesn’t mean it’s better value. Select your teacher for all the right reasons rather than just shopping for the cheapest deal. Again just emailing a teacher for their prices and then selecting a course based solely on their response is no way to select Reiki training, or in any area of life for that matter.
From the above filtering activities, you will probably have created a shortlist of courses/teachers that you feel closely match what you are looking for. What I would then suggest is that you have a deeper look at the teachers’ training experience and previous student participant feedback, you can see some of my reviews. So that you gain a flavor of their approach.
Bear in mind that learning Reiki s a face-to-face experience, especially receiving Reiju (after which you can channel Reiki energy) any distance training or remote approaches are not advisable and are far removed from Japanese Reiki thinking. In fact, many Reiki associations won’t even accept such online training courses as qualifying as adequate training to join their organization. In addition, Reiki is something to be taught by a teacher, they can teach you the subtleties of authentic Reiki practice and techniques that you would completely miss otherwise.
Now having done all the rational research and mind-focused selection, sit back and turn your focus internally and let’s switch the focus to the heart as well as your internal wisdom and see if you are drawn to any teacher or course in particular. In my experience, there can commonly be an element of synchronicity with such things as learning Reiki, I see this all the time. Many times people have just been drawn to learning Reiki with me, nothing more, nothing less. The fact you are reading this may not categorically mean you are meant to take training with me (although you are most welcome to), you are fact-finding and so this article may provoke your thinking and thereby help you find the right course/Reiki teacher for you.
By now you will most likely have come down to just a couple of courses/teachers. Now ring them! (You will be limited in what you will gain solely by an email exchange). If you never speak to a teacher to find out about the course and ask any questions you may have you will not be able to build a picture of that teacher’s approach knowledge, style of teaching, experience, etc which will give you confidence in that the decision you ultimately make is the right one for you. For example: if you have come across some conflicting issues in your research, ask them about it and listen to their answers. You might still get conflicting views but you will gain a sense of which teacher’s approach feels a better fit for you. This exercise is invaluable in helping you select who you might like to learn with. After that simply commit to the course date and take the training. Watch your fears and doubts don’t trip you up into deviating from the right path for you. Whoever you decide to train with I wish you well. For those of you who would like to learn authentic Japanese Jikiden Reiki and are in the Midlands area of the UK, well may come from further afield to learn with me so let’s say the UK, have a look at my Jikiden Reiki Courses page with further details of course content and training dates, and prices. If you are looking to take Reiki training and would like the opportunity to speak with me directly get in touch
I am mainly known nowadays for my work with Reiki, as a specialist in authentic Japanese Reiki. I am an experienced, Reiki teacher and practitioner with a proven track record of results. I offer Jikiden Reiki training courses, promoting authentic Japanese Reiki teachings. I am based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, in the UK. I have a background in coaching and training in the areas of exercise coaching, holistic lifestyle, fitness, and performance coaching. I also have a BSc.(Hons) degree in Sport and Exercise Science, for more information visit: www.shaunmckeown.com
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Shaun Mckeown, disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.