PRIVATE REIKI TRAINING & MENTORSHIP
Traditional Usui Reiki Ryōhō
A Progressive Path of Meditation, Healing & Lifelong Practice
Learn Reiki Through Practice, Not Memorization
At the New York City Reiki Academy, Reiki is taught as it was originally intended—not simply as a healing technique, but as a lifelong path of meditation, personal cultivation, and compassionate service.
Rather than large group certification courses, our Academy specializes in private one-on-one Reiki training and mentorship, allowing each student's education to unfold according to their own pace, experience, and aspirations.
Every training is taught personally by John Zullinger, Ayurvedic Doctor, Hatha Raja Yoga Teacher, and Traditional Usui Reiki Master Teacher.
Through direct mentorship, meditation, Reiju, structured practice, and thoughtful guidance, students gradually cultivate Reiki as a way of living—not merely a modality to perform.
Our Educational Philosophy
We believe Reiki cannot be mastered through information alone.
Like meditation, music, martial arts, or medicine, genuine understanding develops gradually through disciplined practice, direct experience, and consistent mentorship.
For this reason, every stage of training integrates:
• Traditional Reiju (Attunement)
• Reiki Meditation (Hatsurei-hō)
• Daily Self-Practice
• Hands-on Clinical Experience
• Structured Practicum
• Ongoing Mentorship
Certificates recognize milestones.
Practice cultivates understanding.
Mastery develops through a lifetime of sincere practice.
Why Private Reiki Training?
Private mentorship offers an educational experience that simply cannot be replicated in a group classroom.
Each student's pace, questions, strengths, and challenges are unique. One-on-one instruction allows the curriculum to adapt naturally while maintaining the integrity of the traditional teachings.
Private training provides:
• Individualized instruction
• Flexible scheduling
• Extensive hands-on practice
• Personalized feedback
• Direct mentorship
• Lifetime relationship with your teacher
This creates practitioners who are confident, grounded, and capable—not simply certified.
The Traditional Path of Usui Reiki Ryōhō
Our Academy follows the traditional progression of Usui Reiki Ryōhō through four stages of development.
Each stage builds upon the previous one through meditation, practice, and direct experience.
SHODEN
First Teachings
初伝
-
The Beginning of Practice
"Every journey begins by learning to care for oneself."
Shoden marks the beginning of your lifelong relationship with Reiki.
Rather than focusing on techniques alone, First Degree introduces the daily practices that become the foundation of everything that follows.
Students begin cultivating stillness, presence, energetic sensitivity, and self-awareness through meditation, self-treatment, and the ethical principles of Reiki.
This first stage is devoted to developing your own practice before attempting to care for others.
During Shoden You Will Study
Philosophy & History
• Origins of Usui Reiki Ryōhō
• Life of Usui Sensei
• Traditional Japanese & Western Reiki
• The Reiki Precepts (Gokai)
• Reiki as Meditation
Traditional Japanese Practices
• Hatsurei-hō
• Kenyoku
• Joshin Kokyū-hō
• Gasshō
• Reiji-hō
• Byōsen Reikan-hō
• Reiki Mawashi
Practical Skills
• Self-Reiki
• Traditional Hand Positions
• Reiki Treatment for Others
• Intuitive Awareness
• Grounding & Presence
Your Training Includes
✔ Private 1:1 Instruction
✔ Traditional Reiju
✔ Comprehensive Training Manual
✔ Guided Meditation Practice
✔ Lunch Prepared by Your Teacher
✔ Lifetime Mentorship
Investment
Private Shoden Training
$595
One Full Day
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
After Class
Your education continues through a structured 21-Day Self-Reiki Practice.
This period is devoted entirely to developing consistency, meditation, and daily self-treatment before progressing to the next stage.
Because Reiki is first practiced upon oneself.
OKUDEN
Inner Teachings
奥伝
-
Learning to Serve Others
"Practice gradually becomes service."
Okuden marks the transition from personal practice toward caring for others.
Students deepen their understanding of Reiki through advanced techniques, traditional symbols and mantras, distance healing, and increasingly refined energetic sensitivity.
More importantly, students begin learning how to hold compassionate, grounded space for another person.
Professional practice begins not with confidence in technique—but with humility, presence, and consistent experience.
During Okuden You Will Study
Advanced Japanese Practices
• Advanced Hatsurei-hō
• Traditional Reiju
• Reiki Meditation
• Kotodama Practice
• Advanced Byōsen
Reiki Practice
• Distance Reiki
• Traditional Symbols & Mantras
• Professional Treatment Flow
• Intuitive Development
• Session Structure
Philosophy
• The Inner Teachings of Reiki
• Compassion in Practice
• Ethical Professional Conduct
• Service Through Presence
Included
✔ Private One-on-One Training
✔ Traditional Reiju
✔ Comprehensive Manual
✔ Guided Meditation
✔ Ongoing Mentorship
Investment
Private Okuden Training
$795
One Full Day
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
REIKI PRACTITIONER PRACTICUM
From Student to Practitioner
"Practice transforms information into understanding."
Completion of Shoden and Okuden marks the beginning—not the completion—of your Reiki education.
At the New York City Reiki Academy, we believe confidence develops through experience, not simply classroom instruction. For this reason, students enter a structured Reiki Practitioner Practicum before receiving recognition as a Reiki Practitioner.
The practicum bridges the gap between learning Reiki and living Reiki.
Students gradually develop confidence through repeated hands-on practice while continuing their daily meditation, self-Reiki, and mentorship with their teacher.
Why a Practicum?
Many Reiki programs award practitioner certificates immediately after a weekend class.
Our Academy follows a different educational philosophy.
A certificate cannot replace experience.
Presence cannot be memorized.
Compassion cannot be rushed.
Only practice develops these qualities.
The Practitioner Practicum ensures that every graduate has not only learned Reiki—but has begun to embody it.
Practitioner Requirements
Following completion of Shoden and Okuden, students complete:
21 Days of Daily Self-Reiki
Continue the daily self-practice established during Shoden.
Students maintain a consistent meditation and self-treatment routine while integrating the Reiki Precepts into everyday life.
42 Documented Reiki Sessions
Students perform 42 Reiki treatments for family members, friends, and volunteer recipients.
These sessions provide an opportunity to develop:
• Confidence
• Professional communication
• Presence
• Observation
• Session flow
• Energetic sensitivity
Every session is documented within the Academy Practicum Workbook.
Ongoing Meditation
Students continue:
• Hatsurei-hō
• Gasshō Meditation
• Kenyoku
• Joshin Kokyū-hō
• Reflection on the Reiki Precepts
Meditation remains the foundation of all Reiki practice.
Practitioner Mentorship
Throughout the practicum, students remain connected with the Academy through individual mentorship and guidance.
Questions naturally arise during real-world practice.
Mentorship helps students refine technique, develop confidence, and continue growing between formal trainings.
Learning continues long after the classroom.
Recognition as a Reiki Practitioner
Upon successful completion of the Practitioner Practicum, students receive recognition as a Certified Reiki Practitioner.
This recognition reflects more than classroom attendance.
It acknowledges consistent practice, documented experience, and the development of professional readiness.
At the New York City Reiki Academy, becoming a practitioner represents the beginning of serving others with confidence, humility, and compassion.
SHINPIDEN
Reiki Master
神秘伝
-
The Mystery Teachings
"Mastery is not the accumulation of techniques. It is the gradual disappearance of the one trying to master them."
Shinpiden represents the third and most advanced stage of Usui Reiki Ryōhō.
Historically translated as "The Mystery Teachings," this stage is devoted to deepening one's meditative practice, refining energetic sensitivity, and embodying Reiki as a way of life.
Rather than simply learning additional techniques, students cultivate the qualities of presence, stillness, compassion, discernment, and service that define mature practice.
Shinpiden is less about becoming a Reiki Master than becoming mastered by practice.
A Professional Formation
Unlike introductory training, Shinpiden prepares students for professional Reiki practice.
Students refine their ability to:
• Hold therapeutic space
• Develop clinical confidence
• Teach through presence
• Integrate Reiki into professional life
• Sustain a lifelong daily practice
Mastery is not measured by information retained.
It is reflected in the quality of one's presence.
Three-Day Intensive
Shinpiden is offered as an immersive three-day private intensive.
This format allows sufficient time for meditation, discussion, supervised practice, Reiju, and personal integration.
Students receive individualized instruction throughout the training.
Curriculum
Traditional Teachings
• Master Symbol
• Traditional Reiju
• Advanced Hatsurei-hō
• Advanced Meditation
• Spiritual Cultivation
Professional Development
• Professional Session Structure
• Advanced Clinical Observation
• Ethics & Scope of Practice
• Holding Therapeutic Presence
• Student Case Review
Integrative Study
• Ayurveda & Reiki
• Hatha Raja Yoga for Practitioners
• Meditation & Breath Cultivation
• Daily Sādhanā Development
• Building Sustainable Practice
Included
✔ Three Full Days of Private Training
✔ Traditional Reiju
✔ Comprehensive Master Manual
✔ Daily Ayurvedic Lunch
✔ Three Months of Personal Mentorship
✔ Reiki Master Practicum Workbook
Investment
Private Shinpiden Master Training
$3,295
Three Consecutive Days
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Daily
Reiki Master Professional Practicum
Mastery develops after the classroom.
For this reason, Shinpiden concludes with a structured three-month mentorship and professional practicum.
Students complete:
108 Professional Reiki Sessions
These sessions are performed with members of the public—not friends or family.
This distinction is intentional.
Professional practice requires a different level of communication, confidence, observation, ethics, and responsibility.
The practicum develops these qualities through direct experience while maintaining regular mentorship with your teacher.
Three Months of Mentorship
Each month includes a private one-on-one mentorship session to review:
• Clinical cases
• Questions
• Professional development
• Personal practice
• Meditation
• Career guidance
Students receive individualized support while gradually transitioning into confident professional practitioners.
Recognition as a Reiki Master
Following successful completion of the Master Practicum and mentorship, students receive recognition as a Usui Reiki Ryōhō Reiki Master.
This recognition represents more than advanced training.
It reflects sustained practice, professional experience, and demonstrated readiness to serve others through Reiki with maturity, humility, and compassion.
Continue to Shihan Apprenticeship
For those called to preserve and transmit the tradition of Usui Reiki Ryōhō through teaching, mentorship, and lineage, the journey continues through the Shihan Apprenticeship.
Explore Shihan Teacher Training →
SHIHAN
Teacher Training & Apprenticeship
師範
-
Usui Reiki Ryōhō Shihan
The Path of the Teacher
"To teach Reiki is not to transmit information. It is to embody the practice so completely that others discover it through your example."
Shihan is the final stage of education within the New York City Reiki Academy.
Where Shinpiden cultivates personal mastery, Shihan prepares the practitioner to preserve, embody, and transmit the living tradition of Usui Reiki Ryōhō through teaching, mentorship, and lifelong service.
Teaching Reiki is a responsibility.
It requires technical understanding, compassionate presence, ethical integrity, and years of sincere personal practice.
For this reason, Shihan is offered exclusively as a private apprenticeship rather than a classroom course.
Why an Apprenticeship?
Teaching cannot be learned entirely through lectures.
It develops through observation.
Practice.
Reflection.
Experience.
Throughout the apprenticeship, students work directly alongside their teacher, witnessing how a traditional Reiki education is conducted while gradually developing the confidence and maturity required to guide others.
Like traditional apprenticeships found in medicine, martial arts, and the classical arts, learning occurs through participation rather than information alone.
Educational Philosophy
The purpose of the apprenticeship is not simply to create teachers.
It is to cultivate responsible stewards of the tradition.
Students learn not only how to teach Reiki—but why each practice exists, how to adapt instruction to individual students, and how to preserve the spirit of Usui Reiki Ryōhō while serving contemporary practitioners with integrity.
A Shihan is entrusted with people, not merely curriculum.
Apprenticeship Structure
Duration
Approximately Six Months
Flexible scheduling
Private one-on-one mentorship
Observation
The apprentice attends and observes the complete teaching of:
✔ Shoden
✔ Okuden
✔ Shinpiden
Observation allows the apprentice to experience not only what is taught, but how it is taught.
Attention is given to pacing, communication, classroom presence, demonstration, questioning, and holding compassionate learning space.
Teaching Practicum
Following observation, the apprentice gradually assumes increasing teaching responsibility.
Under supervision they begin to:
Lead meditation
Guide Hatsurei-hō
Teach selected curriculum
Demonstrate techniques
Conduct supervised Reiju
Answer student questions
Facilitate discussion
Eventually the apprentice teaches substantial portions of the curriculum independently while receiving detailed feedback.
Traditional Curriculum
Students continue advanced study including:
The Teacher's Dharma
Transmission through Example
Advanced Reiju
Teaching Meditation
Curriculum Design
Professional Ethics
Lineage & History
Student Assessment
Creating Safe Learning Environments
Preserving Authentic Practice
Continuing Personal Sādhanā
Professional Development
Because many graduates establish professional practices, the apprenticeship also includes guidance in:
Building a private Reiki practice
Professional communication
Client relationships
Teaching workshops
Website development
Marketing & ethical outreach
Professional boundaries
Long-term career planning
Building community
Maintaining personal practice while serving others
Business is always presented as an extension of compassionate service rather than the primary objective.
Personal Practice
Throughout the apprenticeship, students continue:
Daily Hatsurei-hō
Meditation
Self-Reiki
Reiju practice
Professional treatments
Continued study
Because a teacher must never stop being a student.
Included
✔ Six Months of Private Apprenticeship
✔ Observation of Academy Trainings
✔ Individual Mentorship
✔ Teacher Manual
✔ Teaching Practicum
✔ Advanced Reiju Training
✔ Business & Practice Mentorship
✔ Final Shihan Assessment
Investment
Private Shihan Apprenticeship
$6,500
Flexible payment plans available.
Admission is by application following successful completion of the Reiki Master Practicum.
Who Should Apply?
The Shihan Apprenticeship is intended for practitioners who feel called to preserve and transmit Reiki through teaching.
Ideal applicants are committed to:
• Daily personal practice
• Lifelong learning
• Compassionate service
• Teaching with humility
• Preserving traditional Usui Reiki Ryōhō
Rather than seeking another credential, Shihan candidates seek the responsibility of guiding future practitioners with integrity.
Recognition
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, teaching practicum, and final assessment, graduates receive recognition as:
Usui Reiki Ryōhō Shihan (Master Teacher)
This recognition acknowledges not only advanced study, but demonstrated readiness to teach, mentor, and preserve the living tradition of Reiki through compassionate service.
Continue Your Journey
Graduation from the Academy is not the end of practice.
Shihan graduates remain lifelong members of the New York City Reiki Academy community and are invited to continue participating in meditation, advanced study, mentorship, and future teacher development.
For in Reiki, there is no final destination.
Only deeper practice.