How to Choose a Reiki Teacher

When choosing a Reiki Master Teacher to take your training with, consider asking the following questions:

How many years have they been teaching and/or how many classes have they taught?
So that you can gauge their level of knowledge and experience.

Do they provide a class manual and/or handouts?
There is a lot to learn at each level of Reiki training, so having it in print helps you remember everything.

If the classes are online, are they live with an actual teacher, or are they self-taught?
Self-taught online classes are not a good way to learn Reiki. You will have a lot of questions, and you also need to talk with your Master about how Reiki will integrate for you personally. You also need to make sure your class includes an attunement (Usui) or placement (Holy Fire). These are initiation ceremonies that should done in-person or live online with a Reiki Master, not by remote appointment with an unknown person.

How big are their classes?
This is important for knowing how much personal attention you’re likely to receive.

Do they teach the intuitive Usui approach to giving treatments, or the Mrs. Takata (“Western”) approach?
Please call me to discuss these differences – it’s too much to explain here 🙂

Do they allow you to call them with questions after the class is over?
You’ll develop your knowledge and practice over many years. As you progress in your practice, you’ll have many questions. Having lifetime access to your Master to answer questions and provide support is very beneficial.

Do they keep in touch with their students on a regular basis to offer advice and support?
Students sometimes feel funny about “bothering” their Master with questions or admitting that they don’t have time to practice their Reiki. Having a Master who also acts as your coach, staying in touch via text, email and/or social media is very helpful to jumpstart your practice and also keep you going, so you don’t waste money learning a skill and end up not using it.

Do they offer free re-trainings of classes you’ve already taken?
After you’ve been practicing for awhile, you might choose to re-take the class to hear the material again from your new, more experienced point of view. This integrates the information more deeply into your practice.

For Usui classes, do they offer their Level 3 class separate from their Master Teacher class?
After practicing Level 2 for awhile, you may want to move to Level 3 but you may not be ready to teach or you may not want to teach at all. With that said, there are reasons to take the Master Teacher class even if you don’t want to teach. Please feel free to call me to discuss this.

Do they require that you have a wide range of practice before they train you to be a Master Teacher, or do they just have a waiting period?
To be a Reiki Master you need to have a lot of experience with doing self-Reiki, giving treatments to others, giving distance treatments, and going to get treatments for yourself. Responsible Masters will not train someone to be a Master who doesn’t have this experience.

When you get ready to teach classes of your own, is there a cost for you to get the teaching manuals and handouts from your Master for your students to use?
Some Masters charge you for copies of their class materials. You’ll need to take this into account when deciding what to charge for your classes.