In this article I would like to talk about the energy that we work with when we practise Reiki: when we work on ourselves and when we share Reiki with others. The energy that we channel is described in various ways: we are said to be working with universal energy, we are passing on unconditional love, or chi, or prana. But there are aspects of the energy that are not being explained through this use of words, and in this article I want to talk about the essence of Reiki energy. In doing this we will touch on Taoism, QiGong, Shintoism, meditation, breathing, chanting and the use of the Reiki symbols.



Now many people reading this article will be practising something called “Joshin Kokkyu Ho”, an energy breathing method taught in the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the Usui Memorial Society in Japan – part of a longer sequence of exercises referred to as “Hatsurei ho”. It was also used in Mikao Usui’s original system, according to a group of Usui Sensei’s surviving students who are in contact with one or two people in the West. Joshin Kokkyu Ho translates as something like ‘technique for purification of the spirit’ or ‘soul cleansing breathing method’, and on its own ‘Kokkyu Ho’ means ‘the way of breathing’. When we use this method we are moving energy in time with our breath, into and out of our Tanden (Dantien in Chinese), it is a way of achieving balance, but there is more significance to this technique than simply moving energy through our bodies.



With each in-breath we are filling the body with ki. This ki is yin in nature, it is the breath of earth, of physicality and the power of separation. By contrast the out-breath distributes ki throughout our bodies. This is yang in nature, it is the breath of heaven, of spirituality and the power of unification. So from the moment that we practise Joshin Kokkyu Ho we are experiencing earth ki and heavenly ki.



In fact, earth ki and heavenly ki are what we are: we are physical reality and we are spiritual essence. In Taoist philosophy, Earth and Heaven – along with Humanity – are known as the “Three Powers”. Humanity is in a pivotal position between the cosmic powers of heaven and the natural forces of earth, covered by heaven above and supported by earth below. Qi Gong, the energy cultivation technique which is practised in Japan as ‘kiko’, allows us to work with these two energies and bring them into balance. Shinto practices also refer to these two basic energies, these two essential aspects of what we really are.



It is not surprising, then, that these two energies are the basis of Usui Sensei’s spiritual system, and latterly his healing system. When we practise Reiki we are working with earth ki and heavenly ki, in a conscious or unconscious fashion; when we channel Reiki, we are channelling either the ki of earth or heaven, because that is what we are.



But Usui Sensei’s system goes further than just acknowledging our true nature, our physical and spiritual nature, because Reiki allows us to fully experience our physical reality, and fully experience our spiritual essence. This is a powerful method for achieving balance. We can return to that state of perfection we enjoyed at birth, before life corrupted us; we can be reborn. How this was achieved is as follows: At second degree in the original system the student would be shown how to experience earth ki and heavenly ki, they would learn to ‘become’ the energies of earth and heaven. How this was achieved very much depended on the student’s background, since Usui Sensei varied his teachings and methods according to the needs of his students. If the student had a Buddhist background then they would have used meditations, and if they had a Shinto background then they would have chanted sacred sounds called ‘kotodama’. Later on in Usui’s system, symbols were introduced for the Imperial Officers, but all these approaches had the same end in mind: to fully assimilate, to fully experience or become the energies of earth and heaven, the essence of what we are. The meditations, the kotodama, and the symbols are all tools used to trigger, to invoke within us, to allow us to experience an energy or a state. Second degree is all about getting to grips with earth ki and heavenly ki, to fully assimilate those energies, to reconnect to what is within and realise our true nature.



CKR and SHK represent earth ki and heavenly ki respectively, but they do not represent something new: these two energies are already within us. They do not represent something additional that we are connected to: they emphasise or flag up something that is already there.



Now, Usui Sensei’s students worked long and hard to assimilate or integrate these energies. The might have spent 6-9 months just meditating on one energy, before moving on, so there were no short-cuts and it was a long process. They started with the energy of earth and moved on to work with the energy of heaven. We can echo that original practice by working with the energies of CKR and SHK. It is not enough to be ‘attuned’ to a symbol – whatever that means – and it is not enough to use a symbol in practice when treating someone. To fully get to grips with an energy we need to meditate on the symbol, using its energy individually, not combined with others, and we need to commit ourselves to doing this regularly if we are going to fully experience the benefits that are available through Usui Sensei’s simple spiritual system.

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These days there is a greater awareness of the importance of using natural means to cure sicknesses and diseases. We all know the use of drugs and synthetic medicines, while they work fast, tend to result in side effects. Worse still, reliance on drugs may get you addicted to them. As a result, there has been a shift in emphasis towards alternative medicines and methods of healing to deal with sicknesses. Reiki

One of such alternative methods of healing sicknesses is Reiki. Reiki is a Japanese method of healing diseases using touch, thought, symbols and color. The word ‘Reiki’ actually means ‘universal life energy’ in the Japanese language. Reiki principles state that your body is a field of energy. Sickness comes about when the energy in your body is blocked or weakened. This principle is also found in ancient Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese therapies such as Acupuncture. Thus the Reiki method of healing focuses on unblocking the flow of life energy and intensifying it to rid the body of sicknesses. Healing in Reiki takes place when the energy centers in the body, called chakras, are fully energized and promote the proper flow of life energy in the body. Using certain techniques, Reiki practitioners know how to energize your chakras. As a result, Reiki techniques are known to alleviate pains, lower stress levels, strengthen your immune system, increase your energy, improve symptoms of acute and chronic diseases such as asthma and arthritis and assist in your recovery from trauma and surgery. Reiki Healer

Do you want to learn how to heal using Reiki methods? You need to enroll into a Reiki healing course. To do so, you can either join a Reiki school or take up an online Reiki course. Either way, you will be trained in the various techniques of healing by a Reiki Master. This is called attunement. Healing in Reiki comes about by using your hands, thinking in certain ways and using ancient Reiki symbols. Each of these symbols has their individual meaning and use in promoting healing and wellbeing. The differences between enrolling in a Reiki school and taking up a Reiki course online are basically cost and convenience.

The cost for online courses is generally less expensive than enrolling in a school. Taking up a course online is also more convenient as you can learn at your own pace and at the comfort of your own home. But enrolling in a Reiki school, while more expensive, gives you the advantage of learning from a Reiki Master live.

Often, this is more effective and thus you will likely become more competent and proficient in Reiki at the end of the course. Reiki Master

There are many schools and online courses offering Reiki training on healing, so choose wisely according to your own individual means and circumstances.

Reiki symbols are passed from Reiki Master to Reiki Master and are most commonly used for healing and protection. Of Japanese origin, the secrecy of the Reiki symbols is actually a Western tradition. It is not uncommon in Japan to see Reiki symbols displayed very openly, even in public places.
There are several schools of thought when it comes to Reiki. One is that you must be trained in the correct way to use a Reiki symbol before you will be able to activate the benefits.
There is only one way that the symbol will work according to these schools of thought, and you must draw or use the symbol correctly each time in order to activate it.
Other ways of thinking state that you can draw the symbol, trace it with your hand, or even just say the name of the symbol out loud or in your head once you are trained.
One area in which the various ways of thinking agree, though, is that you must have a Reiki Attunement before you can use the symbols.
This gets your body used to the Reiki energy and prepares you to use the Life Force Energy. Depending on the symbols that the Reiki Master uses on you, the effect may be permanent or temporary.
The question that most have, though, is, that if Reiki is something that can only be taught and enabled by a Master, then how did it get started?
With study and dedication, it may just be possible for you to learn to attune yourself without the help of a Reiki Master.
However, if you choose to, you may be able to pay for an attunement anyway. In fact there are even places to learn to do your own Reiki attunement online so that you have no need of classes.
Some of the most common Reiki symbols are the following:
a) Cho Ku Ray – Power
This symbol increases the Reiki power that you are using, brining energy from the rest of the world around you to focus it exactly where you want it.
b) Sei Hei Ki – Mental or Emotional
This symbol indicates the divine within us, making humanity and God into one. It is used to create an emotional release after a build up in the recipient of the energy, and can be used to focus to heal and calm the mind.
c) Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen – Distance
This symbol indicates that the God in the sender greets the God in the recipient. It is used to promote peace and enlightenment, and is used to send Reiki healing energy across a distance to perform distance healing.
There are twelve basic hand positions for self-treatment with Reiki. The first is with both hands over your face and eyes, with your nose and mouth exposed. Your palms should be cupping your eyes, no pressure needed. The second is with both hands on your head just behind or above your ears. Your fingertips should meet at the crown of your head.
The third is with both hands resting behind your head. One should rest just above the nape of your neck, and the other should be just above it. The fourth is with your chin resting in the palms of your hands. Your fingers should stretch along your jaw line.
The fifth is with one hand around your throat gently, with your thumb to one side and your fingers to the other. Your other hand should rest on your chest just below your collarbone. The sixth is with your hands resting on your upper rib cage. For women, this means that your hands are placed just below the breasts.
The seventh is with your fingertips touching above your solar plexus, your hands to each side. The eighth is with one hand along each side of your pelvic bone. Your fingers should be touching.
The ninth is with your hands on the backs of your shoulders or on your shoulder blades. You should be reaching up and over your shoulders to get in this position. The tenth is with your hands meeting at the fingertips in the center of your back.
The eleventh is with your fingertips meeting at your low back. The twelfth is with your hands resting in the sacral region, meeting about at your tailbone.
When you lay your hands on one of these healing energy points, you are meant to draw energy though the channels of your body rather than trying to push your energy out through your hands or otherwise draw from some parts of your body to the others. Instead, look to draw the energy through the channels in your body from the world around you.