Energy Healing
Reiki Self-Treatment
Usui Reiki asks for very little: hands, time and the willingness to stay still while nothing appears to happen. This is the full nine-position sequence, timed, plus the symbols and precepts behind it.
Session progress
0 / 34 min
The nine hand positions
Reiki is a relaxation and self-reflection practice, not a medical treatment. Keep any care your doctor recommends.
Position 1
Crown
Hands cupped lightly above the top of the head, not touching.
Traditional focusOverthinking and feeling scattered
You may noticeHeat or a heaviness that settles as the mind slows.
Position 2
Eyes & Temples
Palms resting over closed eyes, fingertips at the hairline.
Traditional focusMental strain and a crowded, busy head
You may noticeColour or light behind the lids; jaw releasing.
Position 3
Occiput
Both hands cradling the base of the skull.
Traditional focusOld fear, startle response, neck holding
You may noticeA long exhale that arrives unasked.
Position 4
Throat
Hands hovering either side of the throat — never pressing.
Traditional focusUnsaid things and self-expression
You may noticeTingling, or the urge to speak.
Position 5
Heart
One hand on the sternum, one over the upper back.
Traditional focusGrief, loneliness, guardedness
You may noticeWarmth spreading sideways under the ribs.
Position 6
Solar Plexus
Both palms flat below the ribs.
Traditional focusWorry, control and self-worth
You may noticeGurgling — a good sign, not an embarrassing one.
Position 7
Sacral
Hands low on the belly, fingers meeting at the midline.
Traditional focusCreativity, intimacy and pleasure
You may noticeA soft ache that fades into looseness.
Position 8
Root
One hand at the base of the spine, one at the pubic bone.
Traditional focusSafety, money fear, restlessness
You may noticeLegs becoming heavy against the surface.
Position 9
Knees & Feet
A hand on each knee, then each sole in turn.
Traditional focusMoving forward, stubbornness, grounding
You may noticeCool air at the soles as the session drains.
The five symbols
Cho Ku Rei
Level I–IIPower symbol
“Place the power of the universe here.”
Switches the session on and concentrates energy in one spot. Used to open and to seal.
Drawn asA horizontal stroke, a vertical drop, then a spiral of three coils turning anticlockwise.
Sei He Ki
Level IIHarmony symbol
“God and humanity become one.”
In Reiki practice, a focus for emotional and mental themes such as habits, grief and fear; not a treatment for addiction or any health condition. Drawn over the head and heart.
Drawn asA tall curved spine with three horizontal strokes crossing it, like a stylised wave.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
Level IIDistance symbol
“No past, no present, no future.”
Used in distance Reiki to direct intention across distance or time — towards an absent person, a past memory or a future event.
Drawn asFive stacked kanji drawn top to bottom in a single column.
Dai Ko Myo
Level IIIMaster symbol
“Great being of the universe, shine on me.”
Soul-level work and attunement. Held in the crown before any other symbol is drawn.
Drawn asA single flowing kanji, begun at the upper left, finished with a long descending sweep.
Raku
Level IIICompletion symbol
“Lightning bolt.”
Grounds and separates at the end of an attunement, returning both people to their own field.
Drawn asA zigzag drawn from crown to floor in one unbroken stroke.
The five precepts
Just for today, do not be angry
Kyo dake wa
Name the anger before acting from it. One breath, then decide.
Just for today, do not worry
Ikaru na
Write the worry down. Worry loses most of its size on paper.
Just for today, be grateful
Shinpai suna
Three things, out loud, before the first screen of the day.
Just for today, work honestly
Gyo o hage me
Do one task at its true speed rather than three at a pretend one.
Just for today, be kind to every living thing
Hito ni shinsetsu ni
Including yourself — the clause people quietly delete.
In short
A complete Reiki self-treatment: nine hand positions with timings, the five traditional symbols and what each is for, and the five precepts as daily practice.
- Daily self-treatment matters more than occasional sessions with a master. Twenty minutes, same time each day.
- Never place hands directly on an injury, fracture or fresh surgical site — work above or around it.
- Keep a one-line log. Patterns in your own responses appear in weeks, not in a single session.
- Choose practitioners who describe Reiki as complementary comfort care. Anyone promising a cure is not practising it honestly.
1922
Usui begins teaching
5
Precepts
12–15
Hand positions
Origins
Mikao Usui developed Reiki in 1920s Japan after a period of fasting and meditation on Mount Kurama, teaching it first as a self-practice with five ethical precepts and only secondarily as a hands-on treatment for others.
Chujiro Hayashi opened a clinic and formalised hand positions; his student Hawayo Takata brought the practice to Hawaii in the 1930s and trained the twenty-two masters from whom nearly all Western lineages descend.
Today Reiki sits in an unusual position: no evidence supports the existence of a transferred energy, yet it is offered in hundreds of hospitals as a comfort therapy because patients consistently report less anxiety and pain distress after a session.
The Method
Begin with the precepts
Just for today: do not anger, do not worry, be grateful, work honestly, be kind. Usui taught these first and treatments second.
Settle the hands
Rest them lightly, palms down, and leave them for three to five minutes before moving. Speed defeats the practice.
Work the standard positions
Head, front of the torso, back, then knees and feet — twelve to fifteen placements for a full self-treatment.
Notice without interpreting
Heat, tingling, pulsing or nothing at all are all normal. Record what happened; skip the diagnosis.
Close and ground
Hands to the lower belly, three slow breaths, water afterwards. A closing marks the session as finished.
Practice Notes
- Daily self-treatment matters more than occasional sessions with a master. Twenty minutes, same time each day.
- Never place hands directly on an injury, fracture or fresh surgical site — work above or around it.
- Keep a one-line log. Patterns in your own responses appear in weeks, not in a single session.
- Choose practitioners who describe Reiki as complementary comfort care. Anyone promising a cure is not practising it honestly.
Myth & Truth
Commonly said
You must be attuned by a master to feel anything.
In practice
Attunement is a lineage tradition. Calm attentive touch and the precepts are available to anyone today.
Commonly said
Reiki can replace medical treatment.
In practice
It cannot, and no responsible lineage claims it can. It sits alongside care, never instead of it.
Commonly said
A practitioner can drain their own energy.
In practice
In Usui's framing the practitioner is a conduit, not a battery. Fatigue after sessions has many possible causes; it is not evidence that spiritual energy has been drained.
Questions Readers Ask
What does a session feel like?
Most people report warmth under the hands, heaviness in the limbs and the drowsy state just before sleep. Some feel nothing and still report being calmer afterwards.
Can I practise Reiki on myself?
Yes — self-treatment is the original core of the system. The full hand sequence takes about twenty minutes lying down.
How many levels are there?
Three in most Western lineages: self-practice, treating others with symbols, and master-teacher. Japanese lineages structure it differently.
Does distance Reiki work?
There is no evidence for action at a distance. Many people find the ritual of a scheduled remote session genuinely calming, which is a different and honest claim.
A gentle practice, with clear limits
Meditation, grounding and quiet rituals can provide a moment to notice how you feel. Energy centres and aura colours belong to spiritual frameworks; they are not medical measurements. A questionnaire result cannot diagnose a blocked organ, a mental health condition or a treatment need.
Begin with a short, comfortable session. Keep breathing natural and stop if you feel dizzy, short of breath, distressed or in pain. You do not need to hold your breath, tolerate discomfort or finish a ritual to benefit from taking a pause. Choose seated or lying positions that suit your mobility and health.
Track what you actually notice after the practice: ease, discomfort, sleep or concentration. Change one thing at a time so comparisons remain useful. If symptoms persist or interfere with daily life, speak with a qualified professional. These practices can accompany appropriate care, but should never delay it or replace prescribed treatment.
For a brief grounding exercise, sit comfortably and notice three things you can see, two sounds and one point of contact with the chair or floor. Let the breath remain easy. There is no need to produce a particular emotion. When you finish, decide whether to continue, change position or return to an ordinary activity that feels supportive.
What feels comfortable and helpful today, without treating the result as a diagnosis?