Reiki Learning Online: Study at Home, Get Reiju in Person

• Learn the theory and the routine online. The history of Usui Reiki, the Five Precepts and the steps of daily self-practice all work well in an online course or at home.
• Receive reiju in person. Reiju, the attunement (an energy transmission from teacher to student), is passed on in person in the Japanese tradition. Ayama's Online Theory Course covers everything except the attunement.
• Start practising before Level 1, and keep going after it. You may place your hands on yourself before you receive reiju. Get used to the steps first, then continue the same practice afterwards. Stay relaxed; short sessions are enough.

Many people who search for "reiki learning online" want to know one thing: "Can I learn Reiki without travelling to a teacher?" The honest answer is that you can learn most of it online, but not all of it. This guide splits Usui Reiki into the parts you can study at home and the one part that is passed on in person, and shows how to use online study before and after Level 1.

What you can learn online

At Ayama, I draw the line in a simple place. What you can learn online is the history, the Five Precepts and the steps of daily self-practice. What can only be passed on in person is reiju. My own Online Theory Course is built on this line.

The history, in outline

You can read the history of Usui Reiki at your own pace. In brief, from Justin Stein's entry for the World Religions and Spirituality Project:

• Usui Mikao was born in 1865 to a merchant family of samurai ancestry, in Taniai village (modern Gifu prefecture).
• Around 1922 he spent 21 days of austerities on Mt. Kurama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto.
• In April 1922 he opened a training hall (dōjō) in Harajuku.
• He died of a stroke in Fukuyama in 1926, while on a teaching tour.
• Hawayo Takata (1900–1980) began teaching on the North American mainland by 1951.

Knowing this outline helps you sort what is traditional from what was added later. It does not change how you practise, so there is no need to go deeper unless you enjoy it.

The Five Precepts (Gokai)

The Five Precepts, called Gokai in Japanese, are short guidelines for daily life. They read: "Just for today, do not anger. Do not worry. Be grateful. Work diligently. Be kind to people." You can learn them from a page or a recording, and you can start saying them each morning today.

The steps of daily self-practice

Self-treatment means giving Reiki to yourself by resting your hands on your own body. The order of the steps and the habit of doing them every day can be learned online. You will still learn the hand positions properly in class, where I show each one and everyone does it with me.

Related: Usui Reiki Level 1 (Shoden): What the Course Actually Covers in One Day explains this in detail.

Ayama's Online Theory Course

The Online Theory Course is self-paced, which means there is no fixed class time; you work through it when it suits you. The course page describes it as a way to "learn the history, the precepts, and the practice before you receive attunement." The attunement is not included. The fee is credited toward any in-person course, so studying online first does not mean paying twice.

What is passed on in person: reiju

What reiju is

Reiju means "bestowing reiki". It is the ritual in which the teacher passes Reiki on to the student. It is often called an attunement in English. In early Japanese Reiki, chapters of the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (the Reiki society that erected a memorial to Usui in Tokyo in 1927) and the Hayashi Reiki Kenkyūkai practised reiju at every meeting. It was something done with people in the room, again and again.

At Ayama, Level 1 includes reiju received directly from a Japanese Shihan. Shihan is the rank of teacher. I trained up to Shihan because teaching lets me help more people than I could on my own.

Related: Usui Reiki Level 2 (Okuden): What You Learn and When explains this in detail.

Why I don't give reiju online

You will find teachers who offer remote attunements, so it is possible in that sense. I teach reiju in person only, and I explain my reasons in my article on why I teach reiju in person. The short version: some parts of Reiki genuinely transfer through a screen, and reiju is not one of them.

The symbols are kept for in-person teaching

Reiki symbols are traditionally not made public. They are passed on only through transmission from teacher to student. In the early Japanese groups, too, only advanced practitioners who had reached Okuden ("inner transmission") learned the three symbolic forms.

Today you can find images of the symbols in a search engine in seconds. That is exactly why I think it matters to receive them in person, properly. An image on a screen is not the same as being taught.

Related: Teaching Reiki Over Zoom, Ending In Person explains this in detail.

How to use online study before Level 1

Practise on yourself before reiju

You do not have to wait for reiju to start. Someone who has studied online may practise placing their hands on themselves. Get used to the steps before reiju, then carry on with the same practice after it. Students who arrive with the routine already in their hands can spend class time on what only a class can give.

Relax, and keep it short

A common belief is that the harder you concentrate and the longer you sit, the better Reiki works. That is a misunderstanding. Relaxation matters most. Short sessions are enough. My own morning practice now takes about five minutes.

No pressure to sign up

If you study online and find you are not interested in going further, that is fine. It only means the time is not right yet. I never push anyone into a course.

Before Level 1, check these three things

• You can tell the story of Usui Reiki in a few sentences.
• You can say the Five Precepts from memory.
• You have been placing your hands on yourself, relaxed, most days.

If all three are true, you will get much more from your day in class.

What Level 1 adds in person

Level 1 is called Shoden ("first teaching"). At Ayama, it includes:

• reiju received directly from a Japanese Shihan
• a hands-on self-treatment routine and the Five Precepts
• a 21-day practice guide and one 30-minute follow-up call
• a Level 1 certificate with documented lineage, the line of teachers from Usui down to you

In class, I teach a small set of hand positions, show each one, and then have everyone do it. Level 1 does not include the symbols, distant Reiki, or formal work on other people. What the day covers is explained in my article on Usui Reiki Level 1 (Shoden).

How to use online study after Level 1

Keep the same routine at home

After reiju, continue the same self-practice you started online. At Level 1, I ask students to keep up about ten minutes of practice at home.

Don't judge your progress by what you feel. After my own first attunement, I practised for about 20 minutes a day for two weeks without missing a day. Honestly, I felt almost nothing at first. Sensations come and go. The daily habit is what you build on.

Go back to the theory

Online material is still useful after Level 1. Rereading the history and the precepts once you have received reiju often makes more sense than it did before. Ayama's Online Theory Course fee is credited toward any in-person course, so you can use it on either side of Level 1.

Preparing for Level 2

Level 2 is called Okuden ("inner transmission"). The rule in my course is simple: you need Level 1, and at least 21 days of daily practice after it. Level 2 covers distant Reiki, which means giving Reiki to someone who is not in the same room, and the etiquette of consent that goes with it. Distant Reiki is not bound by time or place. The first restraint I teach is this: never send distant Reiki to someone who has not asked for it.

You still cannot receive the attunement online at Level 2. See my article on Usui Reiki Level 2 (Okuden) for what it covers and when to take it.

What the research says, briefly

If you are sceptical, the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is a sober place to start. Its Reiki page was last updated in December 2018. It describes Reiki as a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person. It states that Reiki has not been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, and that Reiki has not been shown to have any harmful effects.

I teach Reiki as a daily practice. This article makes no health claims.

How Ayama teaches

I learned Reiki in a traditional Japanese lineage that traces back to Usui Mikao, not through Western Reiki. Ayama Reiki offers two ways in:

• Online Theory Course: self-paced. The history, the precepts and the practice, before you receive the attunement.
• Level 1 in person: reiju from a Japanese Shihan, the self-treatment routine, a 21-day practice guide, a follow-up call and a certificate with documented lineage.

Course details are on the courses page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I learn Reiki completely online?

You can learn most of it online: the history, the Five Precepts and the steps of daily self-practice. Reiju, the attunement, is passed on in person in the Japanese tradition. At Ayama, the Online Theory Course covers everything except the attunement.

Can I receive the attunement online?

Not at Ayama. In the Japanese tradition, the attunement is passed on in person. Some teachers offer remote attunements; my reasons for not doing so are in my article on reiju.

Can I practise Reiki before I receive reiju?

Yes. If you have studied online, you may place your hands on yourself before reiju. Get used to the steps first, and keep the same practice going after reiju.

Does the online course count toward an in-person class?

The fee for the Online Theory Course is credited toward any in-person course at Ayama.

How long should I practise each day?

At Level 1, I ask students to keep up about ten minutes at home. Longer is not better; relaxation matters most. My own morning practice takes about five minutes.

Has Reiki been proven to work?

According to the NCCIH, Reiki has not been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, and it has not been shown to have any harmful effects.

Summary and Next Step

Reiki learning online works well for most of Usui Reiki, as long as you know where the line is:

• Online: the history, the Five Precepts and the steps of daily self-practice.
• In person: reiju, the attunement, and the symbols, which are traditionally passed on only through transmission.
• Before Level 1: practise placing your hands on yourself, relaxed and short, so the routine is familiar when you arrive.
• After Level 1: keep the same routine every day, don't judge it by sensations, and build at least 21 days of daily practice before Level 2.

Ayama Reiki teaches traditional Japanese Usui Reiki, with an Online Theory Course for study at home and reiju given in person by a Japanese Shihan. See the courses page for dates and details, or get in touch with your questions about the course.

Sources

• Ayama Reiki, Courses: https://www.ayamareiki.com/courses
• Ayama Reiki, Usui Reiki Level 1 (Shoden): https://www.ayamareiki.com/blog/usui-reiki-level-1-shoden-what-the-course-covers
• Ayama Reiki, Usui Reiki Level 2 (Okuden): https://www.ayamareiki.com/blog/usui-reiki-level-2-okuden-what-you-learn-and-when
• Ayama Reiki, Why I teach reiju in person: https://www.ayamareiki.com/blog/why-i-teach-reiju-in-person-not-over-zoom
• Justin Stein, "Usui Reiki Ryōhō (Reiki, Japan)", World Religions and Spirituality Project: https://wrldrels.org/?p=10412
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), Reiki: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/reiki