By Hannah Evans (HeavensVibe)

Western Reiki VS Japanese Reiki

What’s the difference?

There are many Similarities and differences between western and Japanese style Reiki.. After all the western style is rooted in Japanese Reiki teachings. Western Reiki was adapted or created by Mrs. Takata when she began teaching in Hawaii in the late 1930’s.

Because of the World Wars there was negativity towards anything Japanese. This may be one of the reasons Mrs. Takata made her adaptations, although it is my feeling that she intended to simplify the practice more than avoid the stigma.

As with most spiritual teachings there is great depth to both the western and Japanese style teachings. Mrs. Takata being immersed in western civilization understood the push for a faster result and simplified understanding. Thus the creation of western reiki is a simplified method.

There have since been multiple “new” versions of reiki created by intuitive leaders, each adding their own touch to the practice. Though the base ideals remain the same. All reiki practices that I’m aware of, teach the basic 5 principals. Often referred to as the Reiki 5.

Basic 5 Principals

1. Just for today, do not worry.
2. Just for today, do not anger.
3. Just for today, be humble.
4. Just for today, be honest.
5. Just for today, be compassionate toward yourself and others.

Each of these principles can be applied in a mantra form, to help create more ease and flow in your life.

Many teachings use these, or similar “rules” for instance the 12 laws of the universe, the eight limbs of yoga, or the  laws of attraction. These concepts are all examples of fundamental truths that help guide us in our day to day lives.

The principles themselves can be comparable to affirmations, they are a way of setting an intention, goal, or an energy seed, for the way we hope our day will flow. They encourage us to embody Reiki energy throughout the day, every day. They help us to see the importance of living one day at a time, embodying the now.

“Reiki principles are there to encourage us to embody the reiki energy throughout the day, every day. They speak to the importance of one day at a time.” Reiki master Nina Endrst

There are many more similarities, such as symbols, mantras, and basic hand placements. The importance of daily reiki practice, and meditations. Although depending on who’s teaching there may be some slight variations to each step.

Some of the biggest differences I’ve noticed are the terms used and taught.  I initially learned western Usui Reiki, and even though I had received my Reiki Master teacher level, I still felt there was more. I felt something was missing from the experience of Reiki. So I set out on a mission to learn the Japanese traditional reiki.

Which was not easy!!

Most Reiki masters teaching the Japanese traditional Reiki refuse to broaden their teachings to an online platform. Which means many of us will miss out on the opportunity to learn from their experiences directly.

During my search for the traditional Japanese teachings I learned “Angelic Reiki” which is calling in Angelic hosts and energy guides to help in a Reiki session.

Not long after this initiation of angelic Reiki, I experienced the most incredible “Awakening”.

I “Dreamed” that I was in the presence of Sensei Usui, the father of Reiki. I absorbed the energies he shared with me. I woke up with a new understanding of Reiki.  the depth of its connections and the importance of sharing the energies.

I started asking questions based on this “dream” experience and discovered everything I had learned in this dream is directly from Sensei Usui’s Japanese style Reiki!!

The Japanese style Reiki I was so eager to learn came to me in a silent dream. Which was fascinating!

Now what? I needed to learn the meaning behind what I had learned.

Not having the remembrance of what words were spoken made my search for answers like a wild goose chase (have you ever tried to catch a goose?)

To help make life easier for others who may be on a similar search. I’ve brought all of the terms together with some basics on what they mean and how we can use them.

The Japanese word Reiji ho means “indication of the spirit” (ray-jee hoe).

This  technique teaches us to trust and follow our intuition by getting our ego out of the way. When we move our ego aside, healing can happen without us trying to control it in any way. It teaches us to just show up with what is in the now moment.

This process is very similar to “setting an intention” or a goal. For example,

• Hold your hands on your chest, just under your collarbone and ask the energy to flow through you freely.
• Ask for the healing and well-being of your intended (the person or thing receiving reiki) on every level.
• Bring your hands, palms together, up to the third eye (between your eyebrows) and ask Reiki to guide your hands to wherever they are needed.
• Follow your intuition and begin the treatment.

Remember the key to reiki is to keep it simple and just observe. Notice the little shifts, like temperature, or the magnetic pull to an area.

Next we have Reiju (Japanese kanji 霊授) which is one of the essential elements within the system of Reiki. Literally it translates to spiritual blessing or offering. Giving and receiving, together as one. For instance the request for Reiki to “flow to me and through me”.

When we give Reiki we are the connector for source energy, the energy is not coming from us as the source.

Gassho (plural gasshos) is a ritual gesture of Eastern origin, with our hands pressed together in front of our chest, similar to a prayer position. It can be used for prayer or as a sign of greeting, gratitude, reverence, or apology. When performed with a bow, it is called gassho rei.

Gassho rei can be used to “activate” the reiki within our healing hands”

Gyoshi simply means Delicious. A Gyoshi Gassho is a delicious meditation technique. On a soul level it basically means a delightful means to share. It signifies our interconnectedness and union of opposites, like the Yin and Yang within all of us, it represents balance.

Gyoshi ho, Delicious eyes, is a method of sending Reiki with our eyes.

This exercise can be done while looking into a mirror. We can also send Reiki to our children or pets while they are playing and I am sure we can think of many other ways to use Gyoshi-ho.

Here are the basic instructions to use Gyoshi ho:

Remember  you can send Reiki to a specific area or to the whole person with your eyes.

1. Focus on the area or person, allow your eyes to relax and become slightly out of focus. Like looking through a haze, or a fog.
2. As you do this, feel the Reiki energy and allow it to begin flowing from your eyes.
3. Notice how it feels as Reiki flows from your eyes to the recipient. Some people find it helpful to visualize a rainbow flowing from their eyes into the targeted area or person.
4. If thoughts arise, gently brush them aside and return your attention to the Reiki energy and the area or person that it is flowing to.

I encourage you to try Gyoshi-ho, it really is a vitalizing way to send Reiki.

I’m interested in what you experience, so please let me know about what happens when you try this technique.

Next we have Kenyoku, which is a method for cleansing one’s body and energy field, in short Kenyoku means “dry bathing”. It is a technique for ritual purification using energy rather than water.

This is a good technique to use before and after giving a Reiki treatment. Kenyoku can also be used at various times throughout the day or anytime you feel the need to release negative energy.

You can practice Kenyoku by doing  a short meditation. Visualizing the cleansing reiki energy flowing over you. As though you’re standing under a warm waterfall of healing energy.

Enkaku Chirhyo, which means ‘distant healing method’. According to traditional Japanese teachings, practitioners do not send Reiki or even need to physically connect to another person. Instead the practitioner becomes One with that person, thus working on a unified energy field (the collective energies).

In western Reiki we refer to the Enkaku Chirhyo practice as Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, the distance or connection symbol.

I imagine this process as stepping into an aura bubble.

By imagining an energy bubble we can then ask to see the different energies or issues presenting within their field.

This practice has made it much easier for me as a practitioner to see the root cause of the issues. Or as I generally refer to them as the trauma seeds.

Next is one of my Favorites!

I love Koki ho, or healing with the breath.  Koki ho is where the Reiki practitioner “blows” the energy or symbols into the receiving party.

This technique is very useful to treat people that cannot be touched. Such as a burn or accident victim. It is also useful for those who do not want touch, such as someone that has been abused or has special needs.

Koki ho is also very useful in distance healings as a nudge to move the energies through, or blow the stagnant energies to stir them up or awaken them to begin the transmutation process.

Imagine your breath recharging an old dead battery.

Have you ever stood in front of a pot of boiling water and blown the steam away?

Koki ho (breath) combined with Enkaku Chirhyo (distance) are very powerful. When entering a foggy energy bubble, Koki ho, the breath,  can be used to move the energy fog away.

Use your imagination and see how many applications you can combine these 2 techniques in.

The last one on the list today is Heso Chiryo ho. Which is “systemic” naval healing. Think of it like repairing the core energy DNA in your subject. The seeds to your essence.

Which brings us to the hara (the one who destroys evil) or sacral chakra. The hara is thought to be the center of the being.

How magical does that feel?

Your Hara (core) destroys evil!

As I’m sure you undoubtedly know, the naval sits above the Hara (sacral chakra) and thus this is considered an important point in healing all dis-ease.

If we consider the naval as our origin to connect our physical body to sources of nutrients as our bodies develop prior to our physical birth this makes sense.

Want to experiment?

Place a crushed basil or mint leaf in your naval, cover it with your shirt and see how long it takes before you taste it.. (yes this really works, we can taste through our naval)

All in all Reiki is a technique that will continue teaching us day after day even after having achieved the “master” level of accomplishment, if you choose to continue practicing.

Even with all of these cool new things to learn and play with. The most important beginning step to mastering Reiki is to learn some basic meditation skills.

After so many of my students came back with struggles in beginning meditation I decided to set up a basic beginning meditation kit.

The baby steps bring understanding, and help launch us into quantum leaps of growth.

If you or someone you know is or has been struggling to get the hang of meditation I invite you to join me in Beginning Meditation.

Meditation is the first baby step to finding that calm center in our world of instant gratification and constant moving. Meditation is also the foundation of balancing our life force energies, or Chi (Qi).

Meditation just like Reiki can be practiced by anyone, it just takes learning the new skills to master your own energy.

There are many ways we can meditate, including moving meditations like Yoga, Tai Chi, and QiGong.

If one meditation style doesn’t work for you, try another.

I usually recommend trying 1 style for a full week to allow your body time to adapt and learn the skill you’re trying to teach it before moving on to another.

Which of these fun methods will you try first?

Let us know in the comments below. Remember to come back and let us know how your experience was with each one.