Is Distant Reiki Training effective?

Years ago I first heard about Reiki training and attunements that were given over a DVD.  My Reiki antena immediately went up and said to me “is this legitimate?”  Recently, I had an opportunity to look further into Distant Reiki Training when it came up with a student.

In our world today, on-line learning is an accepted means of education with most all colleges and universities offering this to their students.  I myself, have taken nutrition courses from Dr. Andrew Weil.

However, I feel learning Reiki is in an entirely different category.  Reiki training dates back to it’s founder, Dr. Makio Usui.  He taught this healing art in person to his students who numbered over 2,000.  Dr. Usui practiced in the early 1900s and his legacy continues today.  The beauty of Reiki Training is the relationship between Master and student.  It is an art and not a science.  The learning doesn’t come from a book, but through being taught and guided by the Master Teacher.  Many of Reiki’s principles honor it’s tradition and respecting it.

What do other experts in the field have to say about Distant Reiki Training?

When the issue of on-line training recently came up, I decided to see what other Reiki Masters have to say.  William Rand, a noted Reiki Master who has written a lot about Reiki, published several articles on Distant Reiki Training.  He raised several interesting points.  First, people first doing on-line training noticed  the attunement in person was much stronger and effective and that their Reiki was also much more effective after receiving the attunement in person. Second, after consulting with very sensitive clairvoyants, they conveyed a similar understanding about it.

Rand goes on to say “Also, I’ve talked this over with other well known and experienced Reiki teachers and received a similar understanding from them. It is also important to be aware of the fact that none of the original founders and developers of the Reiki system of healing used distant attunements. This includes Usui, Hayashi and Takata. So, after all this and giving the topic careful consideration, I continue to recommend that if a student is serious about learning Reiki, it is important that they learn Reiki in person from a qualified teacher.” https://www.reiki.org/faq/distantattunements.htm.

More Drawbacks to Distant Reiki Training

I pride myself in mentoring all of my students.  Mentoring begins with the relationship I create when a student takes a class with me.  I believe that when someone goes for Distant Reiki Training, it is impossible to have a personal connection the way you can in person.  Furthermore, to receive thorough and quality training, the teacher needs to observe the student in practice sessions.  In my Level I class, I facilitate hands-on practice.  I’m in the room watching and guiding my students helping them with hand placements and timing of when to move to the next position.   This is an extremely important part of this learning process that can’t be accomplished in the same way with on-line or video training.  Additionally, there are always questions that come up during the learning and practice.  One student’s question leads to another student’s question or discussion.

Creating a Community

One of my goals during a class is to connect my students.  This happens somewhat organically during the day.  I also try to engender student relationships during lunch.  Lunch is a time where we share healthy gourmet food that I prepare, as well as conversation.  Additionally, I offer Free healing circles that five my students a place to come practice and connect with one another. https://reikinewyork.com/free-healing-circle/. These type of experiences could never happenin the remote seting of a student being on a computer alone in their home or office.

In Conclusion

I hope this article has given you an understanding of the benefits of in person Reiki Training.  I’ve written articles about finding the right Reiki Class:https://reikinewyork.com/finding-the-right-reiki-class/#more-717and what to look for in a Reiki class:  https://reikinewyork.com/reiki-student-beware/#more-834 .