Reiki is a hands-on energy practice where you place your hands lightly on or just above the body to promote relaxation and support healing. Learning it involves a combination of meditation, intention-setting, and specific hand positions, but formal training with a Reiki master is considered essential before you can practice on others. Here’s what the practice actually looks like and how to get started.
What Reiki Is Based On
The core idea behind Reiki is that a universal life energy flows through all living things, and a practitioner can channel that energy through their hands to help restore balance in someone’s body. Practitioners describe sensing imbalances or blockages in a person’s energy field and working to release them. The National Institutes of Health defines this field as “a massless field, not necessarily electromagnetic, that surrounds and permeates living bodies and affects the body.”
It’s worth being straightforward about the science here. The NCCIH, the U.S. government’s research arm for complementary medicine, states there is no scientific evidence supporting the existence of this energy field. Reiki hasn’t been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, though it hasn’t been shown to cause harm either. Some clinical research, including a randomized controlled trial of 58 cancer patients in Türkiye, found that Reiki produced significant decreases in pain and anxiety over time compared to control groups. But most research to date has not been high quality, and results have been inconsistent. Many people find value in Reiki as a relaxation practice regardless.
The Five Precepts
Before learning any hand positions, Reiki training starts with five guiding principles called the Gokai. Mikao Usui, who developed the system, taught these as a foundation for self-healing and daily mindset. They are:
- Do not anger
- Do not worry
- Be humble
- Be honest in your work
- Be compassionate to yourself and others
These aren’t just philosophy. Practitioners recite or meditate on them before sessions to center themselves and set an intention. The precepts function as a daily practice on their own, separate from any hands-on work.
How to Prepare With Gassho Meditation
Gassho is the meditation technique used to settle your mind before a Reiki session. It’s simple enough that anyone can try it, even without formal training.
Sit comfortably with your spine straight and your head in a neutral position. Close your eyes and press your palms together in front of the center of your chest, with your thumbs lightly touching your heart area. Your fingertips should be high enough that when you exhale through your nose, your breath touches them.
Focus all your attention on the point where your two middle fingers meet. When your mind wanders (and it will), just notice the thought, let it go, and return your focus to that contact point between your fingertips. If holding your hands up becomes uncomfortable after a few minutes, let them drop into your lap while still keeping the palms pressed together. You can hold this meditation for 15 to 30 minutes, though shorter sessions work fine when starting out.
You may notice sensations like warmth, coolness, or mental images during Gassho. That’s normal. Acknowledge them and return to your focal point. To finish, rest your hands in your lap for a couple of minutes, take a few deep breaths, and slowly open your eyes. If you want to incorporate the five precepts, repeat them silently or aloud once you’re settled into the meditation, and hold them in your awareness at the point between your middle fingers.
The Three Levels of Training
You can’t fully learn Reiki from an article or a book. The practice is passed from teacher to student through a process called attunement, where a Reiki master opens your energy channels through a specific ritual. Training is divided into three levels, each building on the last.
Level 1: Self-Healing (Shoden)
The first level focuses on opening your own energy channels so universal life force energy can flow through you. Most of your practice at this stage is on yourself. You’ll learn the basic hand positions, the history of Reiki, and how to feel energy moving through your palms and body. Many Reiki masters emphasize that Level 1 is primarily about self-Reiki, working through your own physical and emotional obstacles before turning your attention to others.
Level 2: Treating Others (Okuden)
Level 2 is where you learn to practice on other people and where the training deepens significantly. You receive three sacred symbols, each with a specific purpose:
- Cho Ku Rei (the Power Symbol): Used to amplify healing energy at the start of a session, clear negative energy from a space, focus energy on a specific area of the body, and seal the energy at the end of a treatment. Its meaning translates roughly to “placing all the powers of the universe here.”
- Sei He Ki (the Emotional Healing Symbol): Directed at emotional wounds, stress, anxiety, and negative thought patterns. Its meaning is “God and humanity become one” or “earth and sky meet.”
- Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (the Distance Symbol): This is what allows practitioners to send Reiki energy across physical distance, to heal past traumas, or to set intentions for future events. Its meaning is “no past, no present, no future.”
You draw or visualize these symbols during sessions to direct energy in specific ways. The Level 2 attunement is typically given in a single session focused on opening the heart center, which is considered the midpoint between physical and spiritual energy.
Level 3: Master Teacher (Shinpiden)
The third level is the teacher’s level. Reiki masters receive an additional symbol and attunement, and they gain the ability to attune new practitioners. Not everyone pursues this level. Many people practice happily at Level 2 for years or permanently.
What a Typical Session Looks Like
Whether you’re practicing on yourself or someone else, a Reiki session follows a general pattern. You begin by centering yourself through Gassho meditation and setting a clear intention. Then you place your hands lightly on or just above the body in a series of positions, typically starting at the head and moving down through the torso to the legs and feet. Each position is held for several minutes, or until you feel the energy shift.
In hospital settings where Reiki has been integrated as a volunteer program, sessions typically run 20 to 30 minutes at the bedside. In private practice, a full session usually lasts 60 to 90 minutes. The recipient lies fully clothed on a treatment table or sits in a chair. There’s no manipulation of the body, no pressure applied. Many recipients report feeling warmth, tingling, or deep relaxation. Some fall asleep.
For self-Reiki, you simply place your hands on your own body in the same sequence. Many practitioners do this daily, spending a few minutes with hands on their eyes, the sides of their head, their throat, heart, stomach, and lower abdomen. The goal is the same: channeling energy to areas that feel blocked or depleted.
How to Find a Teacher
Look for a Reiki master who teaches in person and includes hands-on practice during the course, not just lecture. Level 1 courses are typically taught over a weekend (one to two days). Ask prospective teachers about their lineage, meaning who trained them and how their training traces back through a chain of masters. There is no single governing body for Reiki certification, so quality varies. A good teacher will spend time on the precepts and meditation, not just rush through hand positions.
Expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 for a Level 1 course, with Level 2 and Master training costing progressively more. Some teachers require a waiting period of weeks or months between levels to give you time to practice and integrate what you’ve learned. This pacing is a good sign. Teachers who offer all three levels in a single weekend are generally moving too fast for meaningful development.
Practicing on Your Own
Once you’ve received your Level 1 attunement, daily self-practice is the single most important thing you can do. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes, start with Gassho meditation, recite the precepts, and then move through the hand positions on your own body. Consistency matters more than session length. Many practitioners report that the effects of Reiki deepen over weeks and months of regular practice, not from any single session.
Keep a journal of what you notice during and after sessions: physical sensations, emotions that come up, changes in sleep or mood. This builds your sensitivity to energy over time and helps you track patterns that inform your practice as it grows.