The Daily Reiki Practice: Gassho, Reiji-ho, and Chiryo (Hatsurei-ho)

I'm Bronwyn Ayla, L.Ac. — a licensed acupuncturist and Reiki Master Teacher who has trained over 1,000 practitioners since 1998.

Hatsurei-ho is a formal daily Reiki practice — a structured sequence of meditation, invocation, and self-treatment — that Mikao Usui prescribed to his students as a central part of their training. It is built on three pillars: Gassho (meditation), Reiji-ho (invitation and guidance), and Chiryo (treatment). Most Western Reiki students learn hand positions and symbols but are never taught this foundational sequence. It is the practice that keeps the channel clear, the practitioner grounded, and the energy moving — and it can be done every day, by anyone.

What hatsurei-ho actually is

Usui organized his teaching around three pillars. The first is Gassho — two hands coming together. The second is Reiji-ho — invitation and guidance. The third is Chiryo — treatment. Together, these form the complete arc of a Reiki session, and they also form the structure of a daily personal practice.

Gassho was so important to Usui that it is engraved on his gravestone. The five principles engraved there read: for the improvement of body and soul, the secret method to invite happiness, the spiritual medicine for all diseases of body and mind. Mornings and evenings, sit in Gassho and repeat these words out loud and in your heart.

That instruction — mornings and evenings — is the core of hatsurei-ho as a daily discipline.

How to practice Gassho: the first pillar

Sit with the eyes closed and the hands folded in the prayer position. Focus your entire attention on the point where the tips of the middle fingers meet each other. This acupuncture point is Pericardium 9.

Pericardium 9 — Zhongchong, Center Rush — is a Jing-Well point on the center of the tip of the middle finger of each hand. It is indicated to revive consciousness. In the context of Reiki, focusing attention here activates energetic sensation and flow in the hands.

The pericardium is a fire channel in Five Element Theory. Fire creates swift and irreversible change as it destroys one form in order to create another. It is a symbol of transformation and rebirth, as well as the divine spark of light within each of us. The pericardium protects the heart from trauma and, in the context of Reiki, from taking on other people's dis-eases. The pericardium channel is also responsible for spreading the influence of shen throughout the body-mind.

As you begin, you can use any symbols that feel appropriate to enhance your experience and set your intention. It could be as simple as "here and now."

A common misconception about meditation is that it is a practice of concentration, when it is actually a practice of surrendering to what is. Concentration is the key to focusing energy — it allows the energy to be directed to where it needs to go — but the deeper movement of meditation is surrender. What will be will be.

Practice Gassho for 20–30 minutes each morning or evening, and for a few moments before each treatment.

Reiji-ho: the second pillar

After Gassho, you move into Reiji-ho — invitation and guidance. This is where you open the channel and ask to be guided.

The prayer does not need to be complicated. Reiki, please flow through me. That is enough. From there, you may add specificity — guide my hands, help this person, support this condition — but the essence is always the same: you are opening the channel, not controlling the outcome.

A fuller invocation might be: May this Reiki be for the highest good, for the harm of none, and for the benefit of all. May the healing that takes place be complete and permanent on all levels of being.

You can also ask for guidance directly: Guide my hands to where they most need to go. Then bring the knuckle to the third eye — yin tang, between the eyebrows — and one hand to the crown before beginning treatment. This supports intuition and orients the practitioner before touch.

The practitioner does not force energy but allows it to flow, observing and tracking sensations, breath, and subtle changes. Reiki has its own intelligence and works through you.

Chiryo: the third pillar

Chiryo is treatment — of yourself, or of another. For daily hatsurei-ho practice, this means self-treatment.

Practicing Reiki on yourself is a great way to enhance the flow of the energy, embody this practice, heal yourself, and invite in self-transformation. Experiment with hand positions, pressure levels, and combinations of hand positions while feeling the impact in your own system.

Hand positions move through the body systematically: head, neck, torso, back, joints, feet. Covering the ears can treat the entire body, as the ears contain points that correspond to all systems. Whatever you are covering is what you are treating, so you can always place your hands directly where there is pain or discomfort. Reiki will be guided by its own innate intelligence and move to wherever it is needed.

Practice daily self-treatment for 45–60 minutes, especially for the first 21 days after attunement. The Gassho meditation should also be practiced daily during this 21-day integration period.

The five principles as part of daily practice

Hatsurei-ho also includes the five principles. Mornings and evenings, sit in Gassho and repeat these words out loud and in your heart:

Just for today, don't get angry. Don't worry. Be grateful. Work hard. Be kind to others.

In the West, we often prefer to ask for what we want rather than what we don't want. So the principles can also be spoken as: Just for today, I am peace. Just for today, I trust. Today I open my eyes to see all the gifts I receive at every moment. Today I serve honestly with all my heart and honor all living beings.

Daily repetition of these principles aligns consciousness toward health, happiness, and ethical living.

Why Western students often miss this

The session sequence — Gassho, then Reiji-ho, then Chiryo — is the formal language of Reiki practice. In many Western lineages, students learn hand positions and symbols but are not taught this sequence as a daily discipline. The result is a practice that works, but without the structural container Usui built around it.

Reiki is both structured and evolving — it allows a personal relationship with it. But the structure matters, and preparation time should equal or exceed session time. A brief invocation before each session, together with a longer practice at the beginning and end of the day, keeps the channel clear and the practitioner grounded.

The body functions as a channel for Reiki, and structural alignment supports unobstructed energetic flow. Misalignment in posture creates kinks in the hose, restricting qi flow. The same principle applies to practice: without the structural sequence of hatsurei-ho, the flow is less organized.

Reiki is a people's medicine, simple and radical in its empowerment. The daily practice is not complicated. It begins with sitting, bringing the hands together, focusing on the tips of the middle fingers, and saying: Reiki, please flow through me.

Frequently asked questions

What does hatsurei-ho mean? Hatsurei-ho is a formal daily Reiki practice built on three pillars: Gassho (meditation), Reiji-ho (invitation and guidance), and Chiryo (treatment). Usui prescribed it to his students as an important step in all Reiki exercises — Gassho was so important that it is engraved on his gravestone.

Do I need an attunement to practice hatsurei-ho? Anyone can practice Reiki. The daily sequence of Gassho, Reiji-ho, and Chiryo is available to any practitioner. An attunement amplifies your strength and teaches the formal language — it is not a gate. Reiki may be invited through formal invocation, simple intention, or spontaneous prayer.

How long should I practice hatsurei-ho each day? Practice Gassho for 20–30 minutes each morning or evening. Daily self-treatment of 45–60 minutes is recommended, especially for the first 21 days after attunement. The Gassho meditation should be practiced daily during this 21-day integration period.

What is Pericardium 9 and why does it matter in hatsurei-ho? Pericardium 9 is the acupuncture point at the center of the tip of the middle finger of each hand. In Gassho, you focus your entire attention on the point where the tips of the middle fingers meet. Focused attention at Pericardium 9 activates energetic sensation and flow in the hands. The pericardium channel is also responsible for spreading the influence of shen throughout the body-mind, and it protects the heart from taking on other people's dis-eases during a Reiki session.

I teach Reiki as something anyone can practice — you don't need to be chosen, gifted, or already "spiritual" to begin. If you'd like to learn it with me, my online Reiki class is open here: Learn Reiki online.