Hand positions refer to the specific hand positions that are used when performing a Reiki treatment. Reiki practitioners place their hands on specific body regions with the intention of assisting the energy to move through the body. The purpose is to clear and strengthen the client’s spiritual and energetic connection.
A one-hour Reiki treatment consists of a practitioner placing hands on or near the body of the client. Hand positions are also taught to be used by the practitioner for self-healing.
It is claimed that in Mikao Usui’s early teachings, only five head positions were used. Professor Judith Rabinovitch has translated a book by Toshihiro Eguchi (a friend and student of Mikao Usui), co-written with his student Kôshi Mitsui, and it shows a similar set of five hand positions for the head.
A number of head positions are written up in related healing guides such as the Ryôhô Shishin by Chûjirô Hayashi and the Usui Reiki Ryôhô Gakkai’s manual called the Reiki Ryôhô Hikkei. In this latter manual, Mikao Usui is quoted as saying, ‘My method is beyond modern science so you do not need knowledge of medicine. If brain disease occurs, I treat the head. If it’s a stomachache, I treat the stomach. If it’s an eye disease, I treat eyes.’
It is claimed that Hawayo Takata taught 12 positions (including the head, front and back of torso). Her teacher, Chûjirô Hayashi, is thought to have formalized Reiki treatments in his clinic where he had two practitioners working together on one person. His treatments are often considered to be the foundation for Reiki treatments taught in modern branches of Reiki. The ritual of set hand placements on the body gives practitioners a structure to work from. This builds their confidence and energetic wisdom. As practitioners’ inner understanding of the system of Reiki grows, it is then possible for them to leave the ritual behind and work from a solely intuitive understanding.