"Can you really learn Reiki online?" I listened to the soft, uncertain voice on the other side of the phone, and my heart swelled. I'd been teaching for over 10 years, and I always felt protective of new potential students. I could tell this young woman really wanted to learn, but she'd just finished telling me how complicated her life schedule was. She also lived in a part of the United States where Reiki classes were not easy to find. She'd found me online and called, looking for answers, and I could tell she was afraid of getting taken by a scam. Yes, you can really learn Reiki online, I wanted to tell her.
"I want to be a real Reiki Master one day," she continued before I could answer. "I see so many people around me with problems, and I want a way to help them. But I also feel like I'm still healing my own things. I just--I want things to change."
"Things will definitely change," I told her. "Yes, you can really learn Reiki online, and as a Reiki Master who has taught both in-person and online classes, I promise you the basics are solid, as long as we can see each other, talk, and communicate. The Reiki itself is universal energy. It's everywhere, so it doesn't matter whether we are in the same room, or connected by intention and smiling through our laptops."
I'd already seen many students receive profound healing through online-only Reiki services. It reminded me that healing energy is tangible, and it can't be stopped by time, space, or distance. When worked with correctly, it's actually amplified in the distance model.
That said, I do think there are some important considerations if you're thinking of taking online Reiki courses. Read below for more...
Can You Really Learn Reiki Online?
When Reiki founder Mikao Usui first began to teach Reiki in the early 1920s, there was no internet. He taught from a dojo in Japan, and people came regularly, to learn what he had to share about mindset, energy healing, and life. Usui was very clear that he really wanted people to have a "system for cultivating happiness," and so his Reiki process was born.
Prior to this, energy healing was taught through religion or lineage, under the attentive eye of a teacher, for matters of energetic safety. Usui's teachings made energy healing available to everyone, even if they were not monks in a buddhist monastery. Usui was clear about Reiki being for all people. He really had a high vision of this method creating a state of peace and happiness for the world.
When we learn Reiki, we re-awaken our ability to heal ourselves and others. It's incredibly empowering to remember how to advocate for your own well-being, rather than feeling that health is something that can be taken from you at any time. As long as the (a) Reiki teachings, (b) Reiki attunement, (c) and teaching commitment are there in the online program, you can have an amazing online class.
There are hundreds of online Reiki classes out there today, and many of them are great! However, they don't all allow for connection with the teacher, energetic initiation, and explanation of teachings. You'll have to sift through courses to find the one that feels right to you.
Your Reiki Lineage Anchors Online Teachings
If you're looking for a quick online Reiki class in which you never have to meet your teacher, and you can add another certificate to your wall without human interaction, then it's better to try another modality. Part of what makes Reiki special is that it has a healing transmission through lineage. What this means, is that in order to be a Reiki Healer, you must receive a special energetic blessing from a teacher. In receiving this, you are connected to all of the healers who came before, and these spiritual teachers really stand with you when you do Reiki. It is like a thousand hands sending love through the universe, whether you lay hands on, or offer healing by distance.
This passing of energy transmission, or attunement, from Reiki Master to student, helps to ensure the strength of your healing abilities, but also it's a healthy way of ensuring that you're working with healing energy safely and ethically. When looking for online reiki courses, look for a class that mentions details around the attunement. If you're learning about Reiki but not receiving an attunement from a teacher, then it's not traditional Reiki.
With in-person training, it's easy to pick up on physical cues to see if a student is learning the material or checking out. As a student, you can also reach out by simply raising your hand. There's no boundary to the exchange of personal interactions and cues.
In online Reiki classes, it's even more important for the teacher to help hold students accountable, by getting to know who they are over time. When you look for online Reiki courses, look for one that has a live component with the teacher, to be sure that you are being witnessed and supported in your learning process.
You also want a teacher you can return to over time. Life can get busy, and if you fall away from your Reiki training, you want a Reiki teacher or school that allows you to easily access your material, or ask questions to get back into your practice flow. A teacher with a commitment to teaching, will be there for you a few years from now. You want that, because as you take the Reiki levels, you will grow and change, sometimes needing support in that process.
How Does Online Reiki Work
One of the things I've loved about teaching online Reiki, is that it creates a space in which the student can more easily bring Reiki into their everyday life and practice--because they are literally learning from their home.
If you're wondering, "How does online Reiki work," the truth is that it's really different from practitioner to practitioner. Classes can be taught through a learning platform with video, audio, or live online training. I've seen some courses with 60+ videos! These are great for reference, but you never want the videos to replace human connection.
In my Reiki training courses, students are sent to a learning portal to prepare for class with 2 detailed videos, a manual, and some optional resources. But the real teaching happens together when we are in class online. That's when we get to know each other, and all of the magic happens. The teachings are nothing if we don't take into account our actual lives.
We meet twice online, and students receive homework custom tailored to their skillset and situation. During the class week, we may even even text or talk as needed, so they are confident. In the months that follow, I offer easy office hours so students can continue to learn. There's also a community group so students can network, connect, and keep learning with likeminded individuals.
Remember the girl I told you about at the beginning? She ended up becoming a student. We got to know each other in that class and many others. There were other students in her class that she was able to connect with. Later I was able to meet her at in-person events I held. She is one of many students I care deeply about, even though she lives far, far away. Yet everyday, our hearts are beating to the same healing song.
To me, this is Reiki teaching for the next millennium! Virtual technology and online classes can either rip apart our human connection, or it can elevate us to an even more tuned in, loving vibration as we unite across the world. I say, let's unite!
If you're seriously thinking about online reiki courses, you can take a look at my classes here, and reach out to me if you have questions.
Reiki Blessings!
Dailey
DAILEY LITTLE is a healing practitioner, transformational life coach, ordained Priestess, and teacher who founded Healing Heart Reiki to help others navigate life with joy. She offers private sessions, and teaches classes in healing and mindset from a magical peaceful corner of the world in Northern California. For more info see: www.SantaRosaReiki.com