Reiki Level 1 - 1 day or 2 day course?

Hiya

The length of course depends on the format your master follows for attunements. If they use a 4 attunement format then it tends to be a 2 day course. Personally, I follow a 1 attunement format so it's a 1 day course. The same material is covered in each!

As to whether it's best to do 1 - 1 or group, my current student is finding that she needs other people to learn with, bounce ideas off, exchange treatments with. You can do it on that basis but I guess a group is better for the learning experience.

Hope this helps

That's a good question! We get asked that by potential students quite often. The length of the course is I think less important than the actual course content. The important things to look for in a Reiki course I think are the following (though I'm sure there are many more):

1. Is the course offering the style or type of Reiki you want to learn (there are over 140 types of Reiki now).

2. Are you comfortable with the teacher.

3. Does the course syllabus teach you everything you will need to be able to use Reiki at the required level.

4. Does the teacher offer free post-course support.

5. If you ultimately want to be a therapist, does the course comply with the new VSR for Reiki?

Heya

Personally I feel it would be better to learn in a small group. This is because I learnt 1-2-1 and for my first hands on session, I had to practise on my teacher coz there wasnt anyone else, and I was filled with nerves ie, 'what if im doing it wrong, what if the reiki doesnt flow etc etc', But with working on someone else the reiki master is then free to assist the one giving the treatment.

alan x

Go with your intuition ... it depends what you want from the course. For me my Reiki Master just taught Reiki 1 and 2 in just 4 hours and Master the same. I was ok with this as I am a mum and thrive on knowledge. I did most of my study reading books and looking on the internet... this was acceptable to me. I now offer Reiki 1 in a day as there's usually a lot to cover. It will vary from Reiki Master to Master... but the right one will be there at the right time. Although a day course may not seem so comprehensive, they may still teach the quality and have the same experience as a RM who teaches over 2 days.

Its probably best if you call the RM's up to have a chat and found out what the course involves... here you can get a feel of them over the phone and go with the one that you are drawn too.

Good luck and let us know how you get on...

Hi,
I've been teaching for many years and personally I have no idea how people fit all the information that you need to be a confident self healer, at the 1st degree level, in one day.
Two days gives people the chance to find out where they feel they are having difficulties and to discuss that in person with the master.

Everything is so rushed nowadays. My 1st degree course is 2 days, 2nd degree 2 days and the masters about a year. I couldn't imagine the necessary growth happening in less time.

Kind regards,
Christina

Ok got to admit it takes a while for things to sink into my brain at times and I know that a 1 or even 2 day Reiki course wouldn't be enough for me to learn everything. After looking for several months I found a teacher who's Reiki 1 course was over 8 days ......... yes 8 days broken down to about 6 hours a day and had a Reiki treatment off the master before starting the course. There were 2 of us doing the course which was ideal we could practice on each other and got a good ratio of teacher/student. It depends on you and how you feel

1. Do you think that 1 day is enough for you or would 2 days be better.
2. By having a treatment off the Reiki master you know how they work but then it puts the price up.
3. These days the cost of the course is more important than a year or so ago.
4. Ask the Master what do they cover on the training, is it 121 or group, any after support, Reiki circle/share, chat to the master about anything see if you feel you like them and would like them to be your teacher/master.
5. And lastly go with your intuition

Enjoy your journey because that's what it is

Cis

I think one must not go overboard with Reiki and become spoon fed - personal opinion.

There is always more to learn and I say this in my manual and information will never be complete .... and Reiki cannot be taught in just a day, 2 days or 8 days, but the basics and fundamentals can.

Also the student goes away with the knowledge in mind, manual and further reading through books, practise and experimentation. Also ongoing support is provided along with Reiki shares...... True learning comes from this.

For my Reiki 1, I was taught in a group which was perfect for me because the teacher allowed us to talk about what was happening and we all had different experiences. But we needed two days to do all this because there were 12 in the group!

for my Reiki 2 I was 1 to 1 (with a student Reiki master present to learn how to go through a Reiki 2) It was shorter, with less discussion and felt very personal and tailored to me.

So go with what you feel is right for you! I guess that the person who's saying "have a reiki session first" means the same thing - "get to know me and how I work, see if it's right for you"

I think one must not go overboard with Reiki and become spoon fed - personal opinion.

There is always more to learn and I say this in my manual and information will never be complete .... and Reiki cannot be taught in just a day, 2 days or 8 days, but the basics and fundamentals can.

Also the student goes away with the knowledge in mind, manual and further reading through books, practise and experimentation. Also ongoing support is provided along with Reiki shares...... True learning comes from this.

Yes, I'd agree with this so much! You don't stop learning when the course ends!

Hi Curious,

We are all different, with different ways of learning, but here's my personal experience picking out key points from your post:

"she requires that you've already had at least one session of Reiki with her."
If you've never received Reiki, then yes I think you should experience it for yourself before you start your Reiki journey. Should a session with the RM be a pre-requisite? Not sure about that, I do think you need to meet with the RM before you decide for certain that they are the one for you, but if I had had a session with each RM that I spoke to before settling on the right one for me, and paid for each session, I would never have been able to afford to do the training! Having said that, there was one RM that I thought was the right one for me until I had a session with her! What I can say is that when I did find the right one for me, I knew within a few minutes of speaking to her on the phone that I'd finally found my Master, and meeting up only confirmed that.

"Having read a book on the subject they say it would be a 2 day course so I'm just wondering if it can be done in 1 day."
Both my Reiki 1 and 2 were done over 2 days each, the pace was just right, enabling me to soak up the information in a relaxed way, to ask questions, and most importantly to play with the energy in a supportive setting. In my experience, you're not just learning about Reiki, you're learning about yourself. When I went home at the end of the first day I was shattered, but by the following day I had lots of questions that came up on reflecting on the day's learnings - having a second day meant that all these questions could be dealt with in a relaxed way. It also meant that I had the time to build a good relationship with my RM, so now I know that all I have to do is pick up the phone and she truly is there for me.

I have friends who did their Reiki in 1 day and when we shared experiences they all said how rushed their experience now seems compared to mine and others who did it over 2 days. Strangely, none of them feel able to go back to their RMs with questions, the relationship just isn't there.

"would it be more beneficial to have 121 training or have it in a small group?"
We all come to Reiki in different ways - I started my Reiki journey because I didn't want to keep on relying on others and I wanted to take responsibility for my own healing - and I knew I had a lot of healing to do! At the outset I was only going to do Reiki 1 (but the Universe had other ideas!). My training was done 121, unusual for me as I usually work best in groups with other people to bounce my thoughts off. For me, the Reiki 1 in particular brought up lots of issues that maybe I wouldn't have felt comfortable expressing in a group setting with strangers, so I was glad that I'd done 121 where these issues could be expressed and explored in a safe and supportive environment. I also had a RM who didn't let me off the hook in confronting things (something that I definitely needed, which was why she was the right RM for me!), I don't think that could have happened in a group setting yet it was essential to my own self-healing and starting me off on my journey with Reiki.

Most of your real learning comes afterwards anyway I think, and this is where a Reiki share on a regular basis is essential. If your RM doesn't run a Reiki share - and mine doesn't - then make sure that there is a Reiki share available in your area. I attend one on a regular basis now, and seeing how a different RM works, and how others in the share who have come from different RMs work, has certainly helped expand my knowledge and experience.

Hope that helps!

With love,
Amber

P.S. If my RM is reading this, thank you :hug:

One more thought - you hear people talk about the most wonderful experiences when they are attuned, and I'm sure that many do have these wonderful experiences. A friend of mine said that while her experience was special to her, it wasn't as mind-blowing as some of the descriptions of others in her group, and she couldn't help but feel that they were competing with each other and embellishing to "look good in front of teacher"! (her comments, not mine!)

When I was attuned to Reiki 1 I can quite honestly say that other than feeling very relaxed, I didn't experience a thing! No visions, no wonderful colours, no whispered words or anything like other people report - nothing, nada, zilch. Given the person I was at that time (remember, I said I had a lot of self-healing to do!), if I'd been in a group setting and hearing everyone else's experiences, I think I might have seriously doubted Reiki and maybe have given up on this wonderful journey before I'd even really started!

Hi there,

I think that it depends on the teacher most likely...people teach Reiki in so many different ways that course durations and content will vary a lot for teacher to teacher.

I teach Shoden (Japanese for Reiki One) over two days, generally with a week in between the two sessions. I like this method a lot as it gives my students a little time to practice their techniques over the week, study their manuals, and take a few notes if necessary.

On the first day, we'll generally cover the history and philosophy of Reiki, Usui's precepts, the hara system, and the basics of self treatment. During the second day, we cover hatsurei ho and practice doing treatments for others. I use a four attunement system, so students will sit for two on each of the two days. I don't think there's any way I could fit all that into one day...it would just be way too hectic!

I try to encourage students to encourage learning Shoden in a small group...my courses are usually about 3-4 people with a maximum of 6. It's nice when you're first starting out to learn in a group, as you can make new friends, practice on each other, share ideas and also keep intouch for follow-up practice after the course in finished. Often I'll teach Okuden (Reiki Two) and Shinpiden (Reiki III) one to one though, as fewer students progress to these levels and it can be tricky finding a group of people who are all ready to do it at the same time.

I think the most important things to consider when looking for a course is whether you feel a positive connection with the teacher, and that the style of Reiki they teach is the one that feels best for you.

Hope this helps and good luck finding a course!

Allison xx

Hi,

Thanks so much for your replies they've helped a lot. Will give all 3 of them a call and see what feeling I get and how they go about it. Currently thinking that the day course for my level 1 on 121 would be good so i get their full attention and then do a group one maybe for Level 2, should I go on to do that.

Thanks again.

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know that I've now chosen my RM and will be doing level 1 next Saturday. She sounds really lovely and has also been trained in Tibetan reiki along with Usui. Decided to do the 1 day learning as it's 1-2-1 which I think is better for me to start off with. Am so excited I can't wait :).

Thanks.

Just wanted to let you know that I've now chosen my RM and will be doing level 1 next Saturday

That sounds great, enjoy the course, Reiki really is amazing! Let us know how you get on.