Hatsu Rei Ho is a basic Japanese Reiki technique. It is a combination of meditation, minor empowerment and self-healing. Its practice enhances Reiki flow and widens your "channel". Hatsu Rei Ho contains the following techniques:

It is important to begin with relaxation, which should bring about still and focused mind. Use a technique that suits you best. The Japanese are said to sing Gyosei. The way and the rhythm of singing did affect the mind and calmed it. I don't think here in the West singing Gyosei would help to calm down the mind, since most of us don't even know the Japanese language. Observe your breathing for a few minutes without interfering or to use one of many mantras. 'Om Mani Padme Hum' maybe. Kihon Shisei - standard posture Sit on the floor on your knees, or chair. Put a blanket under your knees. At first this posture will not give you any immediate satisfaction but when your knees become more flexible, you will start to perceive the benefits of this kind of sitting. Relax and slowly close your eyes. Direct your attention onto your Hara or Tantien (3-5 centimeters below navel). Put your hands on your lap with palms down. Mokunen - Focusing your intent Say in your mind "I'll start Hatsu Rei-Ho now" to yourself. With clarity in your mind just decide and do it.

Kenyoku-ho - Dry bathing or Brushing off This technique will clean your etheric body and thus enable you to be a better channel for Reiki.

1. Place your right hand on the left shoulder so that the right fingertips are on the left shoulder (where the collar bone meets the shoulder). The hand is open and lying flat. 2. Draw the flat hand down across the chest in a straight line, over the "V" of the sternum (where the rib cage meets) down to the right hip. The hand (palm down) stays in light contact with the body the entire movement. 3. Repeat this procedure on the right side, using the left hand. Draw it flattened from the shoulder, in a straight line, across the sternum, to the left hip. 4. Place the right hand again on the left shoulder, fingertips on the edge pointing outwards. Slide the right hand down the left arm all the way to the fingertips, keeping the left arm straight and at your side. 5. Repeat this process on the right side, with the left hand on the shoulder and drawing it down the right arm to the fingertips. 6. Repeat the process on the left side again.

7. Connect to Reiki and raise your hands high up in the air, visualize and feel the vibration/light of Reiki flowing into your hands and run through your whole body.

Jyoshin Koki-ho The Cleansing Breath This is a breathing method. 1. Place your hands on your lap with palms up and focus your intention on Tantien and relax. Then start controlled breathing. 2. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. While inhaling, breath in the life force - Reiki - coming down through your Sahasrara (crown Chakra) into your Tantien. Let it fill your Hara and then all of your bodies, melting all tensions and anxiety. Let it sooth you. 3. When you exhale, visualize that the light that filled up your whole body, expands to outside of your body through your skin, onto infinity in all directions. Radiate it from you to the entire universe. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for a couple of minutes or as long as you like. Gassho - Prayer mudra Put your hands together holding them in front of your chest (like praying hands) a little higher than your heart. Gassho is called "Namaste" in the Indo-traditions. Combined with bowing down it is very powerful mudra. Just by doing it every day one derives benefits from it. Seishin Toitsu - Contemplation 1. You are in the Gassho or Namaste position. This technique involves breathing through your hands. 2. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. While inhaling, breath in the life force - Reiki - coming through your hands into your Tantien. Let it fill your Hara and then all of your bodies, melting all tensions and anxiety. Let it calm you. 3. When you exhale, visualize that the light that filled up your whole body, expands to outside of your body through your hands. It is normally for hands and Tantien to become warm and vibrant at this point. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for a couple of minutes or as long as you like. Mokunen - focusing your intent (finishing) KOTADAMA Put your hands back on to your laps with your palms down. Finish with clear decision "I've finished Hatsu Rei-Ho". That is it. Allow your bodies to "come down" for a few minutes. I suggest you to do the Maha mudra. From Zazen, just put your hands on your back and catch hold left arm with the right one and bow down with your forehead while exhaling and rise up again inhaling after a few minutes of breathing normally with your forehead on the floor. This mudra releases tensions and excessive energies from your head/upper Chakras and

prevents headaches etc... Kotodama is a mental technique, which connects you to the source of Reiki. It is very simple and as effective as the use of symbols or even more (it is said).

How do you pronounce Kotodama As is the case with most mantras, one has to be careful to pronounce the syllables correctly. Remember these are all from Japanese traditions so called bija-mantras (short and meaningless words-syllables), filled with high vibrations. So, be careful to pronounce them as it is shown below:

A as in ah E as in hey I as in ee O as in nose U as in blue KU as in too KI as in see or tree HO as in go or throw ZE as in may or play NE as in may or play KO as in so or go YO as in go or throw

There are four respective Kotodama used in Usui Reiki:

Name Symbol Kotodama Pronunciation

Focus Cho-ku-Rei ho ku ei hoe koo ey-eeee Harmony Sei-he-ki ei ei ki ey-ee ey-ee keee

Connection Hon-sha-ze-sho-nen Ho a ze ho ne hoe aah zay hoe neigh Empowerment Dai-ko-mio a i ko yo aah ee coe yo

Kotodama as another way to activate certain energies within the consciousness. They "produce" specific patterns in the mental body, which in turn "produce" well-known energy effects felt upon the energy or etheric body. In this respect, the effect is quite the same as the one achieved when using Reiki symbols. Here the term "produce" is used as a way of describing certain inflow on energy from above (from plane even higher that mental plane). Names of symbols are derived from these Shinto mantras. Kotodama are a great aid to those that walk the path of Enlightenment (as Dr. Usui did). As healing of pains and aches (for which, unfortunately, Reiki is used or, better yet, under-used today) itself is only a first step in the overall aim of achieving permanent Satori (perceiving or being One with Absolute Truth), Kotodama can bring you a step further.

To even hope for Enlightenment, ones bodies have to be stable and clean. Absolute Truth has most high vibration and our messed up bodies and nervous systems cannot cope with it. Not even by a long shot. Well, here comes in the real power and usefulness of Kotodama. When you are done with your past, when all suppressed emotions are faced and expressed, when your mental body is freed from negativity (compromises, complexes, and tactics of avoidance etc...) and when you are really happy and satisfied with the way you are living in your day-to-day life, then go on. Use Shinto mantras outlined above to prepare your bodies for deep and real meditation. Perhaps you will be blessed and even experience Satori or Impersonal aspect of Absolute truth (also called Nirvana, Savikalpa samadhi, etc...) Use: Focus Kotodama for your physical and etheric body Harmony Kotodama for your astral (emotional) body Connection Kotodama for your mental body Empowerment Kotodama for.. Find out for yourself. Just let the respectful Kotodama do its work and sooth each body while enhancing its vibration. Do this every day. How to use Kotodama You can use it in the same instances as you use Reiki symbols. It is simpler, though. Just repeat it in your mind and that is it. You might also want to use only one energy at once and don't combine them. Try it for yourself. And use your creativity!

Gyoshi Ho is a practice of healing through the eyes A Practice which concentrates on healing through the eyes. Japanese sensei's seem to cleverly employ the very nature of Reiki and its inherent characteristics. As you know, the most important thing in Reiki practice is intent, So, Reiki being an energy, will follow our freedom of choice manifested through our mental body as intent and flow through every possible media. You don't need special symbol for such a healing, just clear intent and some practice.

Practice Begin with something simple, healing of plants in your living room: 1. Sit comfortably and take a casual look at your plant from a distance of 1 - 2 meters. 2. Do not focus your look on the plant, just look at its direction. This is more etheric "operation" than physical one. Do not rely too much on your eyes. They are just a "middle man", a tool in your hands. 3. When you feel you are ready intend Reiki to flow via or through your eyes in the direction of your plant.

4. As you advance in this practice you will discover that Reiki is not flowing just through your eyes but through your Chakras and "Third eye" as well. You need your physical eyes to some extent but the main work is done trough your sixth Chakra/Third eye (which is kind of logical, since Reiki dwells in our etheric body.) 5. You can use Kotodama to direct specific energies to flow through your physical and etheric eyes. This practice is very beneficial in many ways: - You can heal or "energize" whatever you can think of, - Send Reiki directly or distantly, even through time, - It will heal your physical eyes and Ajna Chakra as well, - It will increase your "altered perception" and intuition etc. When you practice various techniques Reiki, know that only your imagination and creativity are frontiers for your ability to help others.

Koki Ho One can also intend Reiki to flow through breath. Using the same principles as with Gyoshi Ho. Practice: 1. Just have clear intent and let Reiki flow through your breath. You will need some time to relax during Reiki - breath flow. 2. The easiest thing to start with is to be aware of your breathing. Inhale, let it in and exhale, let it out again and again. Then just intend Reiki to flow trough your exhaled breath. 3. Just let your breath flow naturally. Do not exaggerate, just be relaxed and let Reiki and your breath flow nice and easy. 4. When you are confident in combining Reiki with breath, you can easily direct your breath to the areas where you feel/know Reiki is most needed. Advanced practice on Koki Ho When you master above technique and feel relaxed and completely confident in your healing with breath, you can move on: 1. While inhaling focus your attention on Tantien (Hara) and feel how specific Kotodama is filling your "Life Centre". Use only one Kotodama at once! Do not combine energies! 2. You have learned to be a witness to your breathing and to let/intend Reiki to flow through it. Now just add more conscious action: Let Reiki from your Hara flow through your breath and direct exhaled air to specific Chakras or areas of recipient. Be careful not to give your personal energy! 3. You can chant Kotodama to straighten effect of your healing through your breath.

There are two similar scanning/intuitive techniques or abilities, used in the Land of the rising sun. Byosen and Reiji Ho. Byosen is a scanning technique, which can help you to develop high level of sensitivity

and feeling. Reiji Ho is an intuitive technique, which can help you to develop your intuition to a level where you will not need to scan anymore - you will then just *know*.

Byosen This is a method that helps you to "decrypt" sensations (Byosen) you get from the bodies of the recipient of your Reiki treatment. If you use hands-on healing a lot, you will know there are a lot of completely different sensations you can get when giving Reiki: Heat, cold, vibrating, gentle flow of Reiki, deep sensations of magnetism etc. One can distinguish various sensations and can recognize particular disease based on intellectual knowledge of health condition of a recipient of Reiki treatment. Byosen is a scanning technique based on intellectual activity. But one can use a far better tool: intuition. Reiji Ho Reiji Ho is a method, which helps or guides you to open yourself to better your intuition. Practice 1. Practice Hatsu Rei Ho on daily bases. 2. When breathing the energy become one with it, let it help you. 3. Just open up and let energy guide your hands. 4. Be open to *know* what the true condition of your recipient is. There is an important distinction between intuition and feeling, or to be more exact, between knowing and sensing. In more advanced stages of intuitive work one can perceive the basic difference between the two: Sense or feeling may not be always correct. Intuition on the other hand is always correct. You can depend on your intuition 100%, on various sensations (Byosen).