There are many schools of thought about maintaining a healthy mind and body. Most people rely only on a board-certified medical professional, but they specialize in addressing disease rather than promoting health and wellness. You can reach for Reiki practice to enhance your health and well-being and give added support when you need conventional medical treatment.
The six best online reiki certification courses include:
- Natural Healer
- Reiki, Medicine & Self Care with Pamela Miles
- Dream Makers Academy
- Reiki Store
- Innergaia – Kathleen Hawk
However, the best Reiki courses online will depend on what curriculum suits your needs and overall goals. Keep reading to learn what Reiki is and how to find the best Reiki certification courses available.
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What is reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese practice that promotes overall balance. Given the level of stress most people live with, the most common response to reiki practice is relaxation and reduced stress, which promotes self-healing.
Mikao Usui founded the practice in the early 1920s, and is now practiced worldwide.
While reiki, sometimes referred to as reiki healing, has specific ideals that act as guidelines for living a gracious life, reiki is a spiritual, not religious, practice. Many have wrapped their (often New Age) own ideology around reiki; the practice itself is non-dogmatic, meaning you don’t have to believe anything to enjoy the benefits of reiki practice.
Reiki originated in Japan and is a tradition of energy healing. The study of Reiki dates back to the 20th century, although the seven chakras were first described in ancient Hindu texts. The chakras are energy transmission centers of the body and are distributed throughout your body from the top of your head down to your pelvis.
Reiki practitioners work by channeling positive energy into the body of their patients. This is done by placing their hands on their patients in any area affected or out of alignment. This offers a healing boost to the patient and gives energy to the areas of the body most in need.
Reiki can aid in relaxation for patients while assisting their bodies in the natural healing processes. Since Reiki boosts the body’s natural ability to heal, allowing patients to develop emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. This aids in relieving emotional stress and overall improving quality of life.
Reiki brings so many benefits to those who get treatments, which is why many people will opt to get treatments done every one to two weeks. However, once you feel good and aligned, it is recommended and most familiar to get treatments done every four to six weeks as a practice in self-care.
Can you learn Reiki online?
You can learn Reiki online! There are endless resources for learning Reiki and other energy-healing mediums online. The internet can be beneficial for learning these skills because you can study many ideas in your own time. This allows you to learn about the history of Reiki and the ideals that come with the practice from the comfort of your home.
While you can complete reiki online training, it is recommended that before you become a practicing reiki healer, you gain hands-on experience. This is especially important if you plan to practice Reiki as a full-time job where you see patients in person. This is ideal because it can take some time to apply what you know to the hands-on experience needed to be successful.
Suppose you want to learn from one of these accredited reiki courses online without ever practicing on a human or animal body. In that case, it will take some time to feel comfortable and practical when you begin your practice. However, if you only intend to utilize Reiki for your purposes or distance healing, no hands-on experience may be sufficient for your needs.
Health Benefits of Reiki
When practiced consistently and with any needed conventional medical treatment, the benefits of reiki to your overall health can be life-changing. The practice is said to bring on feelings of peace, relaxation, security, and wellness that can optimize immunity.
While there isn’t enough quality reiki research to conclude, the most commonly reported benefits are improvements in pain and anxiety. Reiki practice can help patients recover from surgery, injury, or illness by supporting self-healing.
A person lies on a massage table fully clothed during a reiki treatment. The reiki practitioner places hands lightly on or just above the body.
How do you start reiki?
Reiki classes come in various formats: in-person, live online, and video. Choose a teacher and class format that fits you well and provides adequate guidance and practice time, both during the class and at home between sessions. Research the options and the teacher carefully, as there are no agreed-upon standards for reiki education and wide variation. Some first-degree reiki students have more extensive training and experience than others who consider themselves reiki masters.
How much does Reiki certification cost?
Reiki certification ranges in cost depending on the level at which you hope to be certified. Reiki level one training costs $200 for certification, while level two is usually around $275 if you want to complete a Reiki master program, which can cost upwards of $1,600 and take more than a year to complete.
The levels of training differ in how in-depth your knowledge will be. The higher level you are, the more honed your skills will be. With your superficial level one training, you will still learn history and philosophy, remember the three pillars of Reiki, and learn all the healing methods. As you learn Reiki, you will learn the hand placements and the techniques to use with children, plants, and animals.
Remember, to get your reiki two training done or your master training, you have to complete level one first. Once you’ve completed your level one training and moved to level two, you will get your attunement for level two and learn more techniques for healing.
Providers often offer a special price if you do levels one and two together. It will likely be around $450 to complete your level one and two training simultaneously. Once you have completed your training, you will get a certificate and be able to practice Reiki in any capacity, whether you hope to use it for your benefit or to treat others.
The Best Online Reiki Certification Courses
Not all courses are created equal, and when looking online for the best online reiki certification course, it is encouraged to do a side-by-side comparison. Choosing a course that fits your budget and learning style is vital to success in the art of reiki.
1. Natural Healer: Reiki Master Certification Course Online
Natural Healer is an accredited school with the Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) and has received numerous other certifications from other prestigious institutions.
The founder and instructor, Melissa Crowhurst, is an “Accredited Training Provider” and a Usui Master Teacher. Students who graduate from this course gain an accredited certification recognized by many associations.
In this program, you can expect instruction on all three levels of reiki: Level 1, Level 2, and master training. The program includes everything needed to become a certified reiki Master, from the basics through certification, and some bonuses.
As an additional bonus, students who purchase this course are given supplies that help them become practitioners, such as posters, intake forms, and MP3 files that can be played during sessions.
This Reiki certificate course costs $77 and includes everything you need to become a Reiki practitioner. The cost consists of videos, handbooks, workbooks, assessments, quizzes, certificates of completion, and much more. In addition, the instructor schedules the attunement ceremonies with you after you enroll.
Many graduates from the Natural Healer Reiki course have stated that it was “one of the best Reiki courses online” and that Melissa, the instructor, is “patient and concise.” Overall, the course is of great value.
2. Traditional First Degree Reiki with Pamela Miles
The Traditional First Degree Reiki course with Pamela Miles is a one-of-a-kind, live, interactive, virtual training designed to restore your mind and body balance. Leveraging more than 30 dedicated years of expertise, Pamela Miles is a Reiki Master Teacher, Medical Reiki Expert, and author. Her work has been featured in mainstream media and medical journals, and she’s collaborated with numerous medical centers, including the National Institutes of Health and Harvard and Yale medical schools. That unmatched breadth of knowledge is at the forefront of this 3-session training. It will provide you with the tools, guidance, and encouragement for self-enhancement, well-being, and vitality.
This fantastic online reiki course is ideal not only for beginners who want the best possible foundation for a life of health and happiness but also for reiki practitioners seeking to enhance their practice, individuals facing challenging life circumstances such as loss, illness, or trauma, or those simply in search of a proactive wellness resource to help develop resilience on every level.
Three 3.5-hour class sessions will cover the following:
- Factual history of reiki practice
- The Reiki Precepts
- Reiki instruction and practice
- Why and how to combine Reiki with conventional medicine
- Reiki initiations/empowerments
Critical aspects of Pamela’s course:
- Reiki is taught as a spiritual practice, according to the founder’s intention
- Based on traditional reiki and Hawayo Takata’s protocol
- Live, online, interactive training for small groups, including discussion and Q&A
- A proven method for achieving balance and aligning with your deepest self
- Straightforward and efficient hand positioning you can practice at any time and in any place
Expect to feel:
- Less pain: Reiki can help manage physical pain by promoting the body’s natural self-healing, which enhances circulation, reduces inflammation, and supports improved sleep, respiration, digestion, immunity, and mobility.
- Reduced stress: By inducing a state of deep relaxation, reiki helps the body lower the production of stress hormones, decreasing both physical and emotional discomfort.
- Knowledgeable: You’ll learn a non-dogmatic, traditional approach to reiki as a spiritual practice and the science that supports it. You’ll finish the course feeling confident in reiki practice, competent to practice effectively, and motivated to continue.
- Continuing benefits: As you continue your self-practice and live in a more balanced state, your enhanced self-healing will improve overall health and specifically aid in recovery from surgery, procedures, illness, or accidents.
This extraordinary program is anchored in Pamela Miles’ incomparable, seasoned awareness and experience. She is a master’s master who appreciates what is required to become a reiki practitioner and beyond. It’s time to live as the person you know yourself to be and embrace that fulfilling daily life you were destined for.
3. Dream Makers Academy: Reiki Care
The Dream Makers Academy Reiki Care certification offers a blend of tradition, modern understanding, and a focus on social justice. The Reiki I & II and Energy Healing program, led by certified reiki master, therapist, and coach Cynthia Santiago-Borbon, is an excellent choice for reiki training. The course is structured over eight modules, each designed to offer participants an in-depth understanding of reiki and energy healing while emphasizing hands-on practice and personal integration.
Learning reiki online with Dream Makers Academy also provides an interactive experience. This approach allows participants to understand the theoretical aspects of reiki and develop the practical skills needed to facilitate healing in themselves and others.
A simple breakdown of the modules
- Reiki I & II Attunements
- Reiki I & II Hand Positions
- Reiki Practice Pods
- Authentic Usui Reiki training
- Meditations
- Self-Healing and Supporting Others
- Chakras and Energetic Balance
- Crystals and Their Healing Properties
Skills and Knowledge Gained
- Reiki techniques and attunements
- Energetic hand positions and self-healing practices
- Connecting with intuition and higher self
- Cleansing and protecting the aura
- Supporting mental, emotional, and physical healing
- Energy transmutation and stress reduction
- Effective use of energetic messages from clients
- Crystal healing and chakra alignment
- Empowering through practice pods
Cynthia’s course pays tribute to reiki’s ancestral component, recognizing the wisdom of those who have practiced energy healing for generations. You will be equipped with the tools to integrate reiki into your roles as therapists, coaches, leaders, and change-makers. By tapping into the power of this energy healing course, you will emerge as a skilled practitioner.
4. Reiki Store: Online Training Academy
The Reiki Healing Association accredits the Reiki Store, and they have trained more than 100,000 students in the past 24 years. Their training courses lead to Accredited Reiki Certification, internationally recognized by numerous organizations.
Although there are several instructors throughout this program, they are all accredited reiki master teachers and provide support throughout the three-week course.
This course is divided into the different levels that are purchased individually:
- Shoden Usui Reiki Level 1: Features the foundational teachings for the beginner.
- Okuden Usui Reiki Level 2: A feature for the Intermediate student
- Shinpiden Usui Reiki Level 3: Offered for more advanced students
Although the curriculum is divided into different levels, the material a student receives is significant. In addition to the thirty-plus hours of videos and lessons, students can expect access to PDFs showing hand positions and the ideal music to use in their practice.
As a Reiki Store Online Academy student, you will also receive lifetime access to the courses you purchase. The instructors allow one-on-one email support and a forum for students to connect with tutors and other students.
The cost of this course varies according to the level you purchase. For example, Level 1 is offered at $147, Level 2 at $197, and Level 3 at $247. Each price level builds on the previous one to ensure a quality experience.
Students of The Reiki Store have mentioned that the training is of the “highest standard” and that the course materials “reflect the true, and yet simple essence of reiki.” This course is of excellent quality for a moderate price.
5. Kathleen Hawk's Innergaia
This Reiki Certification course by Kathleen Hawk, a certified Reiki master teacher who has been practicing for over 15 years, offers Reiki certification in Levels 1 and 2. In addition to teaching students worldwide to be Reiki masters, she is also a practitioner who provides 1:1 sessions in person and online.
This online Reiki course includes video teachings and demonstrations, a manual that allows you to follow along, and one-on-one calls to guide you through the Attunement part of the certification.
This course for both levels is $347 if you pay in full or two payments of $199. The cost includes lifetime access to all of the resources available.
Students who have taken Kathleen’s Reiki course have stated that she is “truly transformative” and “embodies what she teaches.” Students worldwide have also found this to be a great value.
Choices for Reiki Certifications
The choice of the best Reiki training course is up to the individual. With thought and research, you can decide which course fits your budget and your level of expectations for an online course. Whether you’re a beginner or seeking to deepen your practice, learning Reiki online can provide the tools for a fulfilling adventure of self-discovery and healing. Start your Reiki certification journey today!
