Hatsu Rei Ho

(With thanks to Taggart King of Reiki Evolution (http://www.reiki-evolution.co.uk) The Reiki attunements give everyone a baseline ability, so you all start off on the same footing. However, how effective or how 'clear' a channel you are depends on what you do with the energy. It is very important to get regular practice, particularly in the first few weeks after being attuned, by doing self-treatments and treating other people, but from apan has come a series of energy e!ercises specially designed to be used by Reiki people. These e!ercises are called 'Hatsu Rei Ho'. 'Hatsu Rei Ho' originates in Tendai "uddhism, and the e!ercises have correspondences with Tibetan "uddhist purification rituals, Taoist or meridian massage, and #i$ong too. They are used within the %sui Reiki Ryoho $akkai, and it was only in &utumn '((( that the techni)ues were revealed in the *estern world by a man called Hiroshi +oi who is a member of %sui's &ssociation. Hatsu Rei Ho is designed to be carried out every day for at about ',-'- minutes, and is the basis of the practice of Reiki in the $akkai. It is something that is done conscientiously at all levels. /irst +egree, 0econd +egree and 1aster levels. The apanese word 2Ho3 means 2techni)ue3, so you will find it attached to a number of Reiki techni)ues. 2Hatsu Rei3 means 2start up Reiki3, and 2Hatsu Rei Ho3 can be taken as meaning a techni)ue to start up and strengthen your Reiki. This method, together with the Rei4u empowerments that you received on the /irst +egree course, are the basic techni)ues of %sui's Reiki training as it is practised in apan today. Rei4u is used for transmitting the Reiki ability to another person, and Hatsu Rei Ho is used to strengthen that connection and to purify the Reiki energy that passes through the student. Hatsu Rei Ho is begun as soon as the student starts training with the $akkai, and students would receive Rei4u empowerments every week, to enhance their intuitive abilities and accelerate their spiritual development. It was taught that it is not enough simply to receive a Reiki empowerment, although the Reiki ability will never leave you. If a student wanted to progress on their spiritual path, they needed to do three things. '. 5ontinue to receive Rei4u empowerments on a regular basis, 6. 7ractice Hatsu Rei Ho daily, 8. 9ive the 'Reiki 7rinciples' as part of their life. This is How to do Hatsu Rei Ho:

Stage One: Relax Rela! and close your eyes, and place your hands palms down on your lap. /ocus your attention on your +antien point. an energy centre two fingerbreadths ;8-- cm< below your tummy button and '=8 of the way into your body.

Stage Two: Mokunen (Focusing) 0ay to yourself >I'm going to start Hatsu Rei now>.

Stage Three: Kenyoku This means '+ry "athing' or '"rushing ?ff' @enyoku can be seen as a way of getting rid of negative energy. It has correspondences with Taoist massage, or meridian massage. Here is what to do.

7lace the fingertips of your right hand near the top of the left shoulder, where the collarbone meets the bulge of the shoulder. The hand is lying flat on your chest.

+raw your flat hand down and across the chest in a straight line, over the base of the sternum ;where your breastbone stops and your abdomen starts, in the midline< and down to the right hip. A!hale as you do this.

+o the same on the right side, using your left hand. +raw your left hand from the right shoulder, in a straight line across the sternum, to the left hip, and again e!hale as you make the downward movement.

+o the same on the left side again ;like you did at the start<, so you will have carried out movements with your right hand, left hand, and right hand again.

Bow put your right fingertips on the outer edge of the left shoulder, at the top of your slightly outstretched left arm, with your fingertips pointing sideways away from your body.

1ove your right hand, flattened, along the outside of your arm,

@eep the hand moving all the way to the fingertips and beyond, all the while keeping the left arm straight. A!hale as you do this.

Repeat this process on the right side, with the left hand placed on the right shoulder, and move it down the right arm to the fingertips and beyond. A!hale as you do this. Repeat the process on the left side again, so you will have carried out movements with your right hand, left hand, and right hand again, like before. Stage Four: Connect to Reiki Raise your hands high up in the air on either side of your head, with your palms facing the sky and your fingers pointing towards the midline. 5onnect to Reiki by visualising energy or white light cascading into your hands and running through your arms into your body. /eel the sensations. &s you become aware of Reiki flowing, slowly lower your hands. This position is the first of the >Aight "rocades> in #i$ong. connecting heaven and earth. Stage Five: oshin Kokkyu Ho This means >Techni)ue for 7urification of the 0pirit> or >0oul 5leansing "reathing 1ethod>. This is a meditation that focuses on the +antien point.

7ut your hands on your lap with your palms facing upwards and breathe naturally through your nose. /ocus on your +antien point and rela!.

*hen you breathe in, visualise energy or light flooding into your crown chakra and passing into your +antien and, as you pause before e!haling, feel that energy e!pand throughout your body, melting all your tensions. *hen you breathe out, imagine that the energy floods out of your body in all directions as far as infinity. Cou should soon feel energy=tingling in your hands and even in your feet, as the meditation progressesD Stage Six: !assho $assho means >hands together>, and the correct position to hold is to have your hands together in front of your chest ;like praying hands< a little higher that your heart, so that you could breathe out onto your fingertips if you wanted to. Hold this position for meditation. &n important aspect of this meditation is that you should focus your awareness on the point where your middle fingers touch. Cou might try putting your tongue up to touch the roof of your mouth with each inbreath, and release the tongue on each out-breath, and see if this makes any difference to your e!perience of this stage. Stage Seven: Seishin Toitsu This means >my mind is focused> or >my spirit is gathered>, and is the stage when Rei4u is given by teachers in the $akkai. 0tay in the $assho position.

*hen you breathe in, visualise energy or light flooding into your hands and passing into your +antien. breathe in through your hands. /eel the energy accumulating and building there.

*hen you breathe out, visualise that the energy stored in your +antien floods out through your hands.

Stage "ight: !okai Sansho 0ay the - 7rinciples aloud, three times. ust for today. +o not anger +o not worry "e humble "e honest "e compassionate towards yourself and others 1aybe you would like to mentally review the principles, and dwell on their meaning for you. Stage #ine: Mokunen

7ut your hands back on to your laps with your palms down. 0ay to yourself >I've finished Hatsu Rei Ho now> to your sub-conscious. ?pen your eyes and shake your hands up=down=left=right for a few seconds.