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).