10 Traditional Reiki Hand Positions

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation which also promotes healing. The belief behind this treatment is that a life energy is flowing through our bodies and if this energy is low then we are more vulnerable to illness and stress.

Reiki treatments increase this life energy by placing hands on, or just above the body, creating beneficial emotional and physical effects, healing pain, reducing stress and anxiety.

A typical Reiki session

During a Reiki Treatment, a client will lie on a massage table, or a chair if they prefer. There is no significant pressure applied during a Reiki session, instead a practitioner will gently place their hands on a client.

There are a series of key hand positions which, when done in the correct way, will generate the effects needed. Here is a guide to some of the most popular hand positions.

1. Place the palms of your hands gently on your client’s forehead and cover the eyes. Take care not to cover the nose and restrict your client’s breathing.

2. Place hands gently around the temples.

3. Cradle the head by rocking the head very gently from one open palm and then to the other eventually achieving a balanced hold. Your own hands can rest on the table underneath your clients head.

4. Hands are gently placed over your client’s throat. If they don’t feel comfortable with this then your hands can be placed under the throat instead.

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5. Hands are placed over the heart and the heart chakra (located between the breasts). They are then placed gently over the upper abdomen.

6. Hands are placed gently over your mid abdomen (solar plexus).

7. At this point, you, as a Reiki Practitioner might continue treatment to include your client’s legs.

Both hands are placed gently on the leg. Repeat for the other leg.

8. Put one hand on the bottom of each foot.

9. The next step would be to ask your client to roll over to their front and for you to apply pressure to your client’s shoulder blades and middle back and then the lower back.

10. At the end of a treatment you may move your hands all over your client’s body to cleanse and remove any leftover debris, transforming any negative energies into positive ones.

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