Reiki - Teachings from the HeartTM

Caring for Self
There cannot be enough emphasis on the importance of Reiki self healing. Plan at least one full self healing session into your day. Should you forget, don't beat yourself up about it, just remember:
Any Reiki, even for a very short time, is better than no Reiki. The regular self healing will help you move with ease through your adjustment time and by using Reiki on a daily basis you will begin to get the feel for this wonderful loving energy.

Hand positions - How to Starting with the first hand position you intend to let the Reiki flow. Even in self healing session I suggest you offer a little prayer and ask that your self healing be for your highest good. Shortly after your hands are positioned most of you will feel the energy flowing, increasing to a maximum, and then decreasing, sort of like a wave. When the energy flow has completed its circle, which takes about 2-5 minutes, it is time to move on to the next hand position. With practice you will intuitively know when to move on (Reiki strengthens the intuition). I suggest you follow the self healing hand positions until you are fully familiar with them. After that feel free to follow your own guidance.

The picture to the right shows you the location of the chakras and their corresponding colour. Wheels Of Light is an excellent source for detailed information on auras, chakras and the healing energy of the body.

Remember to drink lots of fresh water during your first week of Reiki self healing after your attunement. It supports the body's cleansing by flushing out toxins.

Grounding
Before we move on to the action first a few words about grounding. It is commonly known that especially North Americans and Europeans are far from being grounded. To that fact I like to add that some of the Reiki schools do not have any hand positions beyond the hip and neglect the joints including the feet. As our joints can hold anger and fear I choose to teach a complete set of hand positions which include the hips, knees, ankles, shoulder, elbows, wrists and most importantly the feet.
Feet first or head first? A question that arises out of the non-traditional Reiki field. The fact as mentioned above on being far from grounded would account for starting at the feet. In any case, with respect to the various opinions, the best way is always to follow your own guidance.

Reiki Diary/Journal
Start a Reiki-Journal where you write your personal experiences down. It will help you grow and understand your personal changes after your attunement. Notes about your self healing sessions and about the healing sessions you are doing for family members or other people, are very valuable and deepen your feeling, understanding and appreciation of this beautiful loving energy called Reiki.

Having said all that let's now move on to the hand positions for self healing. The starting point is usually at the head, moving down the front of the body, then down the back, again from head to toe. Ending at the soles of the feet.

Resources:
Reiki North of Sixty
Wheels of Light by Rosalyn Bruyere
One Step forward For Reiki by A.J. Mackenzie Clay
Essential Reiki by Diane Stein