About Us

Reiki begins with knowing yourself.

And what you learn about yourself changes how you move through your life.

Reiki is a practice. And practice takes time.

At the Westcoast Reiki Centre, we teach Reiki as a practice of self-knowledge, connection, and ongoing learning.

We believe good Reiki education matters. That means strong foundations, skilled teachers, respect for the practice and its lineage, and space to ask questions, think critically, and find your own relationship with what you’re learning.

Community has always been at the heart of the Centre. Our students come here to learn Reiki, but many stay connected long after their classes are over — continuing to practise, learn, share, and eventually, in some cases, teach

Reiki Japanese calligraphy of three kanji characters vertically arranged.

What Is Reiki ?

While many fabulous energy modalities exist, Reiki stands out with its unique system and specific origin.

The term Reiki refers to both a universal, ancestral, spiritual energy and a system developed in 19th-century rural Japan by Mikao Usui.

This system is based on five fundamental pillars: the 5 precepts, meditations, symbols, initiation, and the laying on of hands.

A true path to self-knowledge, having a Reiki practice guides us towards rediscovering our deep essence.

History of the Westcoast Reiki Centre aka The Centre

The Westcoast Reiki Centre began in 2008 when Michele E. Denis founded it in Vancouver, BC. Michele recognized that Reiki practitioners, often working on their own, needed a place to connect, grow, and practise in community. The Centre quickly became exactly that. Over the years, hundreds of students have studied Reiki Levels 1, 2, and 3 here, with many going on to become Reiki teachers themselves. Community has been the foundation from the beginning, along with a deep respect for Reiki’s lineage and the teachings of Mikao Usui.

Karen McCullough first became part of the Centre as a member in 2010. She met Frederique Morel around 2015, and they went on to teach, create, and travel together, eventually taking over the Centre from Michele when COVID moved everything online in 2020.

In 2026, Fred stepped away and Karen became the sole owner of the Westcoast Reiki Centre. Today, the Centre continues to evolve, with new teachers joining Karen and former students becoming teachers themselves. We continue to teach Reiki Levels 1, 2, and 3, while expanding our teacher training and creating more ways for practitioners and teachers to stay connected. The people involved in the Centre have changed over the years, and no doubt will again. What hasn’t changed is the foundation Michele created in 2008: learning, practising, and growing in community.

Owner and Senior Teacher

I’m the owner of the Westcoast Reiki Centre and have been practising Reiki since 2005, with a professional teaching background that spans more than 25 years. I hold formal teacher training, along with training in adult education and curriculum development. I’m also a graduate of Langara College’s three-year Integrative Energy Healing program, where I studied a range of systems including meridians, chakras, and the physiological body.

My Reiki training is rooted in the Usui lineage, and my approach is trauma-informed, compassionate, and grounded, with a sense of humour and a deep respect for the complexity of being alive.

Over the years, I’ve been deeply involved in developing the Centre’s programming, from foundational Reiki classes through advanced training and teacher certification. As an educator, I’m particularly interested in how we teach Reiki well — not only in what we teach.

At the heart of it all, I believe in the depth of the student-teacher relationship: one that is connected but spacious, rooted in mutual respect, honesty, and discernment. Whether students come to deepen their own practice or eventually become teachers themselves, I want the Centre to be a place where they can continue learning, asking questions, and being part of a community.

Karen McCullough