Reiki Hand Positions

What reiki hand positions are the best for giving reiki? Are reiki hand positions really important in giving a reiki treatment?

Traditionally, a reiki treatment of natural healing energy often involves using reiki hand positions on or above specific areas of the body. Unless the client cannot tolerate it or does not want it, the formal, full body reiki treatment is a “can’t go wrong” choice. It is usually not necessary for an effective reiki healing. And there are many situations where a full body treatment is not practical, possible or desired.

While the traditional, full body reiki treatment has hand positions too numerous to describe in this article, there are some hand positions and key information about hand positions you should know. You may also be surprised to learn when reiki hand positions are not necessary.

The most important areas of the body to place your hands on – or above – correspond to the energy centers or chakras of the body. Since antiquity, various cultures have described areas of the body as being energy centers for our life force. The cultures are remarkably similar in their descriptions of these energy centers.

What are the energy centers?

The main energy centers are usually in a vertical line through the center of the body, i.e., in line with the spine. They are the:

bottom of the groin/tailbone
lower abdomen below the naval
solar plexus (just at the base of the ribcage)
heart
throat
forehead
crown of the head.

Reiki is especially powerful and effective when given from the palm of the hand to these energy centers. Of course, different energy centers correspond to different health areas of the body, different emotional states and different spiritual issues.

Remember that reiki is a gentle healing energy and not harmful. It is always good to know that reiki goes where it is needed in the body regardless of where you place your hands.

So, just how important are reiki hand positions?

Reiki hand positions are very important to the new reiki practitioner. The reiki channels in the new practitioner are still being formed and ‘widened’. The new practitioner is still becoming accustomed to reiki and how it feels. The hand positions are an excellent guide for the practitioner to follow. They provide the place and the time duration for the reiki healing.

As the reiki healer gains experience, she or he may begin to gain an intuitive sense for the reiki hand position for any given client. She may feel guided to use her hands in a particular place. She may also receive intuitive information about the client and how the healing session should unfold.

When are reiki hand positions not needed?

As experience deepens further, the healer may not need hand positions at all and may use them when he feels they would be of use or when reiki itself guides him to use them. The experienced reiki Level 2 healer and reiki master- in addition to reiki hand positions- may use distant reiki; mental, emotional and spiritual reiki; imagery and thought; intention and other means to give reiki in a healing energy session.