Gassho and Hatsurei-ho meditation

Dr. Usui taught his students that receiving the Reiki empowerments was not all that they needed to do. To progress further on the spiritual path it was necessary to incorporate three things into their lives. These were

To live the Reiki principles

To practice meditation daily

To receive Reiju regularly

Hasurei ho is considered the most effective way to deepen and strengthen your connection to Reiki, to increase your ability to channel the energy and to further you in your spiritual development. In order to be effective it needs to be practiced on a daily basis to benefit from the accumulative effects of the meditation. This is used today by the Japanese Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. It appears that Dr. Usui taught only the Gassho meditation which is the beginning section of Hatsurei ho.

Gassho meditation.

Gassho is basically just the beginning part of the Hatsurei-ho meditation and can be used at first when you are learning to meditate. After you are familiar with Gassho and comfortable with the practice you can move on to the Hatsurei-ho if you wish.

Basic Gassho is simple to sit with your hands in prayer position (Gassho means prayer position) and concentrate on breathing in and out slowly. With each in breath imagine that Reiki is entering your crown and filling your entire body - with each outbreath visualise that you are exhaling Reiki from every pore in your body and off out into infinity.

This is a simple, but very effective meditation, and can be done as often as you wish. Practice Gassho daily for 10-15 minutes until you are used to it. Then you can maintain the meditation as long as you like.

Hatsurei-ho Meditation


Sit either on the floor or upright in a chair in a relaxed position.

Close your eyes and focus your attention on your Hara or Tan tien (just below the navel)

Place your hands on your lap with the palms facing down.

State your intention silently

I am going to practice hatsurei-ho now

We start with what is called dry bathing

Bring your right hand up to just below your left shoulder, palm downwards. Draw your hand in a diagonal movement down to your right hip.

Then place your LEFT hand under your RIGHT shoulder and make the same diagonal sweeping movement across to your left hip.

Repeat these two sweeps across the body another two times each, making a total of three pairs of sweeps across your body.

(This dry bathing is a type of energy cleansing action and can be carried out every time you perform the hatsurei ho.)

Now you connect to Reiki

Raise your hands over your head, with the palms upwards (hands in a line with your shoulders pointing outwards) Visualise the flow of Reiki as light or energy coming into your hands and running down your arms through your body and down into your Hara. It is amazing how quickly you will feel this happen. When you feel the flow of Reiki then gently lower your palms back into your lap with the palms upwards again.

Now you start the part of the meditation which focuses on the Hara

Still with your hands resting on your lap, breathe through your nose in a normal fashion. Pay attention to your breathing and focus on your Hara.

As you gently breathe in, visualise light flooding in through your crown chakra and traveling down your body to reach your Hara

Pause slightly before you exhale and feel the light becoming stronger and filling your entire body freeing all tension.

Now breathe out, and as you do visualise that you are exhaling the light from every pore of your entire body, also from your hands and feet and head, in all directions and out into infinity.

Continue this breathing light for as long as you feel comfortable doing so. You may feel energy sensations and the build up of heat in your Hara while doing this.

(the above section is the part called Gassho Meditation)


When you are ready you move on to the next part of the hatsurei-ho

Bring your hands together in front of you in gassho, or prayer position and focus your attention on the place where the middle fingers touch each other. Continue to sit breathing normally. This is usually a very pleasant and relaxing part of hatsurei ho and you can sit like this for as long as you like. 20/30 minutes is not too long, and of course less than this if you feel like it.

Now to continue on to the meditation concentration part of the exercise. This is the stage when Reiju would be given, and ideally is the part you will have reached if you participate in the weekly world wide Reiju (giving spirit) sends.

You stay in exactly the same position, except now when you breath in you visualise the light of Reiki being drawn in through your hands and straight through on into your Hara. It is as if you are breathing through your hands.

Pause before you exhale allowing the energy to build up before release it, the breathe out from your Hara and through your hands.

Continue this flushing breathing for a few minutes or longer, as you wish.

When you are ready to stop, say the principles three times

Just for today, do not anger

Do not worry

Be grateful

Work hard

Be kind to others.

Then bring your hands back down to your lap and say silently to yourself I am finishing Hatsurei-ho now

Sit for a few moments to re-orient yourself

You are now finished hatsurei-ho

In life there will always be people, who along with their own problems, shoulder the burdens of others. For some, they appear to have little choice, deposited upon them unasked for. For others, its a choice!

Its the people who choose, the latter, that I would like to talk about. They tell themselves that they are helping. That without their help the person with the problem, would not cope, or are unable to resolve the situation properly for themselves. They will not see it as interference, they will not see it as dis empowering, and they will definitely not see, that it is coming from their ego.

The Ego likes to be in control, if it can also control others, it is even happier. For some, it is just their way and may even be on an unconscious level. There is also the need, to be needed, to feel indispensable. Self growth means addressing this and other negative aspects of the ego and personality. Stripping away the layers the ego covers itself with, to see it for what it truly is.

People need to make their own decisions. If they have made mistakes or errors of judgment, it is only by dealing with the ‘fall out’, or ‘consequences’ of their actions that they will learn, what works for them and what doesn’t. What will cause pain to oneself and to others.

Be an ‘empowerer’ an ‘encourager, but never tell someone what you would do. When we take personal responsibility away from someone, no matter how well meant our intentions are, we are depriving them of the opportunity to grow and mature.

If we continue to keep trying to ‘rescue’ people, who will ‘rescue’ them when we are not around. If you really love and care about someone, show your respect for them and faith, that they have the ability within themselves to make good decisions based on what they need or want in their lives. You can’t know what is right for someone else as no one else can know what you need. By doing this, you will really be helping them, in the best possible way.