• What is Reiki?
- Reiki or popularly known as Usui Shiki Ryoho(Usui Style Method) to its practitioners is a drugless system of energy-medicine used to treat self and others for better health and curing ailments, both physical and mental, through Reiki Treatments.
• What does the word REIKI mean?
- REIKI is a compound word of two Japanese words REI meaning ‘Universe/ Spirit‘ and KI meaning ‘Energy‘. These days it is used to refer to both the technique and the energy that a Reiki Practitioner uses during a Reiki Treatment.
• What is a Reiki Treatment? What does a Reiki treatment feel like?
- A Reiki treatment is a hands-on drugless treatment of an ailment performed by a Reiki Practitioner on the patient in his/ her practice place which the stand duration of which is about 60 minutes.
Gentle warm energy passing from the practitioner’s palm and conscious sleep-like-state are experienced by the receivers of a Reiki Treatment. They also report feeling refreshed, well-rested and re-energized after the treatment.
• Is Reiki safe modality?
Reiki is completely safe and without side effects. Reiki’s primary job is to balance the imbalances in our systems which boosts our body’s natural ability to heal itself. There’s never overbalancing.
• Can Reiki be used with other therapies?
- No. Reiki is a complete system of treatment on its own. But these days people combine it with massage, acupressure, etc but it is against the spirit of Usui Shiki Ryoho to combine it with other techniques.
• I have never had a Reiki Treatment. How many treatments should I take?
- One 60 minutes’ Reiki treatment can give you an experience of a Reiki treatment. But, although Reiki treatments always leave the receivers relaxed, Reiki is not a relaxation technique per se. Therefore, patients are suggested to take as many treatments as it requires until the ailment is cured.
• What is the difference between Reiki and other energy modalities?
- Probably not much. Every method uses the universal energy. While Reiki is a channeled method(channeling energy from the universe and not giving it from the practitioner), other energy works can be magnetic methods (energy given from the practitioner’s own system, which sometimes leads to dissipating of the practitioner’s own energy).
Please bear in mind that Reiki has nothing to do with channelling. ‘Channelling’ as used by Abraham and Ether Hicks means some being/ spirit enters the practitioner’s body and starts doing stuffs through the practitioner. This never happens to Reiki practitioners either during Reiki Treatments or Reiki initiations.
• How do I learn Reiki? How many levels of Reiki are there?
- Reiki is taught by Reiki Teachers in private or group classes.
Reiki is taught in a series of levels called degrees. First Degree Reiki is for Reiki beginners. Second Degree Reiki is for professional Reiki Practitioners. Students also learn to do Distance Treatments and Habit Treatments during this level. And, Master Degree Reiki is for Reiki Teachers who learn to teach Reiki levels and initiate pupils into Reiki levels.
• What is Reiki initiation?
- A Reiki initiation is a ritual performed by Reiki Teachers on Reiki students which activates the student’s ability to use Reiki(energy) to perform a Reiki Treatment. Similar kinds of rituals are found in Hatha Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, or any other disciplines that come from the unbroken line of teachers(lineage) starting from the founder of the system in the beginning of the student’s journey into the system/discipline. In short, Reiki initiation is a ritual that marks the beginning of a student’s Reiki journey with the permissions from all the teachers in the lineage.
• Distance Treatment and Habit Treatment?
- A Distance Treatment is a type of Reiki Treatment performed by a Reiki Practitioner when the receiver of the treatment is not physically present in the same room as the practitioner. It is done using a Reiki symbol and its Japanese name(sound) taught in Second Degree Reiki course. A photograph or picture is mandatory for this treatment unless the practitioner knows the person receiving the treatment very well. This technique only works when the receiver is lying down doing nothing.
A Habit Treatment is also a Second Degree Reiki technique used to treat troubling habits people have that are not allowing them to enjoy life. It is also done using a Reiki symbol and its Japanese name(sound) taught in the Second Degree Reiki course. This is a hands-on technique used in person during Reiki Treatments.
• Are there any further commitments of being a Reiki student?
- Usui Shiki Ryoho(Reiki) is based on two commitments. i. Regular self-Reiki treatments, and ii. The practice of the Five Reiki Precepts
• What are the Five Reiki Precepts?
- The Five Reiki Precepts are vows for life that every Reiki student takes to live a wholesome life. They are not moral guidelines but a simple commitment from the student to live a happy life both for oneself and others.
The Five Reiki Precepts are:
Just for today,
i. I let go of anger
ii. I let go of worries
iii. I am grateful
iv. I work honestly
v. I am compassionate towards all living beings
• Is Reiki a religion?
- No, Reiki is not a religion or a substitute for any religion.
• What is a Reiki Master or Grand Master? Is it similar to a Spiritual Master?
- Reiki Master is the name of the third level of the Reiki courses, to be precise, Reiki Master Degree. Someone who has completed a Reiki Master Degree course is a Reiki Teacher.
A Grand Master is a title, the name of the post held by the chair person of The Reiki Alliance through his/ her office, The office of the Grand Master.
Reiki Master is the wrong title being used even today in the 21st century by some misinformed Reiki Teachers who haven’t been trained properly into Usui Shiki Ryoho and haven’t understood the ins and outs of the Reiki system. But, do not be surprised to find Reiki Teachers who are extremely spiritual, because Reiki practice supports a person’s overall growth; physical, mental and spiritual.
• What is The Reiki Alliance?
- The Reiki Alliance(TRA) is an organization formed by 20 of the 21 Reiki Teachers trained by Mrs Hawayo Takata after her death to set standards of the curriculum for teaching Usui Shiki Ryoho and professional Reiki practice. The chair person of this organization is called the Grand Master which is held by the President of TRA, not it is not a synonym for the greatest Reiki Teacher.
In some ways TRA and the Office of the Grand Master have been restrictive to the spread of Usui Shiki Ryoho(Reiki) worldwide, specifically by not allowing their Reiki Teachers to teach directly through TRA to keep their number of teachers in the lineage between Hawayo Takata and the current Grand Master minimal, which is 1 at the moment, and they are still maintaining the fee for a Reiki Master Degree course as 10,000 USD which was also Mrs Takata’s standard fee for a Reiki Master Degree course.
Although TRA has done a great job in preserving the teachings of Mrs Takata and standardizing the curriculum of Usui Shiki Ryoho, they have strongly failed in expanding the network from the USA and Europe to other continents. This could be one of the reasons why many Reiki Teachers trained by Mrs Takata broke out of this organization and started teaching independently.
• What is a Reiki Lineage?
- Reiki Lineage is an unbroken line of teachers/ practitioners starting from the founder of Usui Shiki Ryoho, Mrs Hawayo Takata, to yours. Reiki Lineage is the only way used to determine the authenticity of a practitioner’s Reiki practice.
Always ask your teacher’s Reiki Lineage. There should be no more than 12 teachers(12 if trained in 2026) between your teacher and Mrs Takata because it takes about 3 years to properly train Reiki Teachers who teach Master Degree Reiki. And, Master Degree Reiki became accessible at a low cost only after 1990 before which the cost was 10,000 USD.
Calculate it like this: 2026 minus 1990 is 36(2026 – 1990 = 36) years, and 36 years divided by 3 years gives 12(36/12=3) teachers, or simply subtract 1990 from the teacher’s certification year and divide it by 3, the number of teachers in the lineage that you get should be no more than 12 if the teacher was certified to teach in 2026. Alternatively, you could also subtract 1 teacher every 3 years backwards from 2026 to determine the authenticity of the practitioner’s practice.
• Are there many styles of Reiki?
- No. There is only one style of Reiki, Usui Shiki Ryoho. All other styles have broken the tradition because nobody is permitted to modify, add prefixes/ suffixes or rename the system created by Mrs Hawayo Takata. Also, nobody is permitted to write a book on Reiki because Usui Shiki Ryoho is an oral tradition. Those Reiki Teachers who have created new styles of Reiki or have written books on Reiki have not only cheated the student but also disgraced a genuine drugless system of curing ailments.
Dr. Chujiryo Hayashi taught the same system as his teacher, Mikao Usui (the founder of Reiki), called Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Method). His student Hawayo Takata popularized the system calling it Usui Shiki Ryoho(Usui Style Method) or just REIKI by simplifying everything taught by Mikao Usui to fit the Western culture by removing the Japanese etiquette and Japanese names of the Reiki techniques, thus transforming the master-disciple style of Reiki to a teacher-student style.
• What is Usui Reiki Ryoho?
- Usui Reiki Ryoho is the Japanese form of Usui Shiki Ryoho and was discovered and developed by Mikao Usui after taking a 21 days’ fasting and meditation retreat in Mount Kurama just outside Kyoto, Japan.
It is still taught by Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (organization/ society) of which Mikao Usui was the first president.
This organization which is currently located in Harajuku, Tokyo is a closed group of about 500 Reiki practitioners. It is not open to non-Japanese people and also Japanese people can join this organization only by invitation, when an existing member dies leaving space for a new member.
Nobody we know in the Reiki communities around the world has been certified to any Reiki level or has had membership of this Gakkai(organization).
• What are Reiki symbols? How many Reiki symbols are there?
- Reiki Symbols together with their Japanese names(sounds) are tools to be used during Reiki Treatments. They direct Reiki(energy) to a specific area of treatment during Reiki treatments or Reiki initiations.
There are only 4 symbols in Usui Shiki Ryoho. The first 3 symbols are taught in Second Degree Reiki and the last symbol is taught in Master Degree Reiki. All other symbols are added to Reiki and cannot be called Reiki symbols.
• Can I treat myself with Reiki? What else can Reiki be applied on?
- Yes. Self-Reiki is one of the foundations of Reiki practice along with the practice of the Five Reiki Precepts.
Technically, Reiki can be applied to anything that has life in it. So, all living beings including animals, plants, insects, etc. can be treated too. Usually Reiki Treatments are done only to people in a professional setup but people are free to apply on animals or other living beings outside the professional setting.
• How much should I pay for a Reiki Course or a Reiki Treatment?
- The price of a Reiki treatment differs from place to place and person to person providing the services but it seldom happens that a proper Reiki practitioner gives only one treatment unless someone has never had one.
Reiki is not a technique used for relaxation per se like massage although Reiki always aids relaxation of body and mind. Reiki is a drugless method of treating and curing ailments. A professional Reiki practitioner who is serious about his/her practice gives as many Reiki treatments as required until a condition is cured. Therefore, one might probably have to buy at least a good bunch of Reiki treatments if s/he is seeking to be cured of something serious.
The price for Reiki treatment may vary from one practitioner to another but the standard duration of a Reiki treatment is approximately 60 minutes. Same thing for the price of a Reiki course but the course content of every teacher remains the same.
Never decide on a Reiki service by price because you are paying for the time, expertise and expenses of the practitioner. The most expensive service is not always the best and the cheapest is not always the worst.
Every Reiki Practitioner has a right to charge any price for his/her services and you have the right to decline if you do not like the price.
• What are spirit guides, chakras, crystals, auras, mantras, hara, meridian and nadis?
– These are all things added to Reiki or Usui Shiki Ryoho. Anybody who teaches or practices them has drastically modified the teachings of Hawayo Takata and are therefore not practicing Reiki in the tradition of Mikao Usui. All these things mean different and also important things in many different traditions around the world. But, Usui Shiki Ryoho is not a mix and match technique that anybody can modify and create a marketing gimmick out of it. Instead it is a fixed system with a standard curriculum based on oral tradition set by and used to successfully treat ailments without the use of drugs and non-essential surgery.
• What about the researchers who have published Reiki treatment handbook(Usui Reiki Ryoho Hikkei) of Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai(organization/ society)?
- First of all, no one has translated the Usui Reiki Ryoho Hikkei using professional Japanese to English translators.
Second, the unprofessional translators and researchers have added their own chapters and have converted them into several books instead of one good translated handbook.
Last but not the least, all the techniques mentioned in those books have already been taught by Hawayo Takata in her Usui Shiki Ryoho, just without using the Japanese names.
Bottom line: all the so-called Reiki researchers who have published Reiki books are simply selling books, not more not less than that. All they have done is lived in Japan for a few years and then made sellable stories out of it and lied to the greater Reiki community.
Also, please beware of people teaching Usui Reiki Ryoho because there is and has never been any proof of any other Reiki lineage except for Usui-Hayashi-Takata. People are selling fancy products using Japanese names and terminologies along with creating fictional characters and stories. There is a sound reason why Mrs Takata omitted the Japanese terms and culture out of Usui Reiki Ryoho and developed Usui Shiki Ryoho to fit the western culture based on teacher-student-client relationship and not a master-disciple format. These people probably want to position themselves as a spiritual master!!!
Usui Shiki Ryoho is the only Reiki path that has existed and Usui-Hayashi-Takata the only lineage!!!
*** Actually there is a very good British Reiki researcher called James Deacon who runs a non-biased Reiki website called James Deacon’s Reiki pages
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