Reiki is not a regulated modality here in Canada so there is no guarantee that the class you end up in is the best class you can take. The Canadian Reiki Association prides itself in requiring our Registered Teachers follow the same Teacher Guidelines across the country. This helps students, like you, know that they are receiving reputable, quality instruction that follows the highest standards around.
In terms of what you should be looking for, we would suggest that once you locate a teacher you are interested in, you ask a few questions.
- How many levels is the program they teach? Some people teach a 3 level program while other people teach a 4 level program. One style is no better than the other, it’s just a matter of what the teacher is providing. Our membership is pretty much 50/50 between the two lineages.
- What Style of Reiki do they teach? There are so many different styles of Reiki out there but again, it does not mean that one is better than the other but rather it is a personal preference. Some people find one style resonates with them more than another style. Usui is the most common style of Reiki that you will most likely come across. Holy Fire and Kuruna are also very common.
- How many hours is the class? The CRA minimum is 8 hours for levels one, two and Master Practitioner (this level is only required for a 4 level program), while a Master Teacher class is 12 hours. If the class you are considering is shorter than this, we strongly recommend that you keep looking.
- What content will be covered in the classes (class outline) and will you receive a manual? You can compare the expectations from what you are told with the CRA Teacher Guidelines. These Guidelines are our bare minimum. Many of our Registered Teachers do this and more. You can find the Teacher Guidelines here: https://reiki.ca/wp-content/uploads/TEACHER-GUIDELINES-EN-2019.pdf
- Is the class online, in person or a combination of both? Our membership believes that Reiki needs to be learned in person. For this reason, we do not recognize nor do we support any online learning (including a combination of in person and online). I know these are challenging times and a lot of people are offering online Reiki classes as a means of continuing to provide classes while respecting the restrictions that we are currently facing. Despite these restrictions, we still maintain that learning needs to be done in person and a new student wanting to learn should hold off until they are able to find a safe, in person class to attend.
- If the class is in person, how many students will be in the class and what COVID measures are in place?
- If the class is in person, where will the class be located? There are a variety of locations that are used for teaching classes including rented spaces, formal business locations and even the Teacher’s home.
- Do you feel comfortable when you talk to the teacher?
As a starting point, we would suggest you take a moment to search our Directory to see if there is a CRA Registered Teacher near you. This link will take you to the Directory. Please use the filters to narrow the search down to “Teacher” and then the Cities around you. You can access the Directory here: https://reiki.ca/practitioners-teachers/practitioner-teacher-directory/?teachers#/cid/1269/id/2501/action/AdvancedSearch/listingType/A?value=
We have many Registered Practitioners who are also teaching, however they have not gone through the process of becoming a Registered Teacher, so their class outlines have not been reviewed/approved.