How to Practice Hatsurei Ho, the Traditional Japanese Reiki Meditation

If you have tried to meditate and felt your mind scatter after thirty seconds, a structured practice can help. Hatsurei Ho gives your attention a clear sequence to follow, so you always know what comes next.

Hatsurei Ho is a traditional Japanese Reiki meditation. Many teachers trace it to the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, the Japanese Reiki society connected to Mikao Usui, and it is now taught in many Usui Reiki classes around the world.

What Hatsurei Ho Means

Hatsurei Ho is a traditional Japanese Reiki meditation that takes ten to fifteen minutes. You sit comfortably, set an intention, brush energy down your body with dry bathing, breathe light into your lower belly, and rest with your palms joined at your chest. Many Reiki students practice it every day to stay steady and connected.

The name is often translated as "a method for generating spiritual energy." Teachers describe it as a daily practice that steadies the mind, clears the energy field, and strengthens your sense of connection to Reiki.

It combines several smaller techniques into one routine. You will meet dry bathing, a cleansing breath, and a quiet focus with joined hands, and you can also use each of them on its own.

Who Can Practice It

Anyone can try the posture, the dry bathing, and the breathing, even without any Reiki training. These parts work as a calm, body-aware meditation that settles a busy mind before work or before sleep.

The step where you consciously connect to Reiki is usually taught after a Reiki Level 1 attunement. Many students make Hatsurei Ho part of their self-Reiki routine during the 21 days after an attunement, then keep it going long after.

Before You Begin

• Choose a quiet spot where you can sit for ten to fifteen minutes without interruption.
• Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or kneel on a cushion if that feels comfortable.
• Keep your back upright but relaxed, as if a thread is gently lifting the crown of your head.
• Silence your phone, and set a soft timer if you tend to worry about the time.

How to Practice Hatsurei Ho Step by Step

Teachers vary in the details, and that is normal in a living tradition. The sequence below is a common modern form that works well for beginners.

1. Settle into the starting posture

Close your eyes and rest your hands on your thighs with the palms facing down. Bring your attention to the tanden, a point about two inches below your navel and inside the body, and let your shoulders drop.

2. Set your intention

Silently say, "I will now begin Hatsurei Ho." This step, called Mokunen, tells your mind that a practice has started and gives you a clean starting line.

3. Do Kenyoku, the dry bathing

Kenyoku brushes stale energy away, much like shaking dust off a coat before you come indoors. Place your right fingertips on your left shoulder and sweep them diagonally across your chest to your right hip, breathing out as you sweep.

Repeat with your left hand from the right shoulder to the left hip, then once more with the right hand. Next, place your right hand on your left shoulder and sweep it down the outside of your left arm and off your fingertips. Do the same on the right arm, then once more on the left.

4. Connect to Reiki

Raise both hands high above your head with the palms facing each other. Picture light pouring down into your hands and through your whole body, then lower your hands to your lap with the palms up.

If you have not received an attunement yet, simply picture calm, bright light filling you. The image alone still helps your attention settle into the practice.

5. Practice Joshin Kokyu Ho, the cleansing breath

Breathe in slowly through your nose and imagine light entering through the crown of your head and gathering in the tanden. As you breathe out, let that light spread through your whole body and out past your skin in every direction.

Continue for several minutes at an easy pace. If your mind wanders, return to the next breath without judging yourself.

6. Rest in Gassho and Seishin Toitsu

Bring your palms together in front of your chest, a position called Gassho. As you breathe in, imagine light flowing in through your hands to the tanden, and as you breathe out, imagine it flowing back out through your hands.

This part, called Seishin Toitsu, means unifying the mind. Stay here for several minutes, because this is where the practice often feels most quiet.

7. Recite the Reiki Principles

Many teachers add the Gokai, the five Reiki Principles, at this point. Still in Gassho, say them three times, either aloud or silently.

• Just for today, do not be angry.
• Just for today, do not worry.
• Be grateful.
• Do your work honestly.
• Be kind to others.

8. Close the practice

Return your hands to your lap with the palms down, and silently say, "I have finished Hatsurei Ho." Open your eyes, then shake your hands lightly a few times to bring your attention fully back to the room.

How Often to Practice

A short daily practice usually does more for you than a long session once a week. Many students do Hatsurei Ho every day in the morning, then add self-Reiki hand positions when they have extra time.

Keep a simple journal for the first month. Note how long you sat, how your breath felt, and what you noticed afterward, because patterns are easier to see on paper.

What People Commonly Notice

Reports vary from person to person, and there is no single right result. Some people describe warmth or tingling in the hands, a slower breath, or a quieter mind after the Gassho step.

Others feel very little at first, and that is common too. Hatsurei Ho can support your well-being, but it is not a substitute for care from a doctor or mental health professional.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Rushing the breath. Slow, comfortable breathing matters more than counting perfectly.
• Straining to feel something. Relaxed attention works better than effort.
• Skipping the closing step. Saying that you have finished helps your mind shift back to the day.
• Waiting for perfect conditions. The driver's seat of a parked car works fine on a busy morning.

Bringing It Into Your Own Practice

Start with the full sequence for one week, then adjust the timing to fit your life. If you would like guidance, Rev. Michael Allison, a Reiki Master Teacher, teaches the Usui lineage at Prismatic Reiki Academy and welcomes questions from beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Reiki attunement to practice Hatsurei Ho?

No, anyone can practice the posture, dry bathing, breathing, and Gassho as a meditation. The step of consciously connecting to Reiki is usually taught after a Level 1 attunement, and many students find the practice deepens after it.

How long does Hatsurei Ho take?

Most people take ten to fifteen minutes for the full sequence. On a busy day, a five-minute version with dry bathing, a few cleansing breaths, and a minute in Gassho still keeps the habit alive.

What is the tanden in Reiki?

The tanden is an energy center about two inches below the navel and inside the body. Japanese energy practices see it as the body's center of gravity and a store of energy, so Hatsurei Ho returns your attention there again and again.

Is Hatsurei Ho the same as self-Reiki?

Not exactly, because self-Reiki uses hand positions on the body while Hatsurei Ho is a seated meditation. Many students do both, starting with Hatsurei Ho and then moving into their self-Reiki hand positions.