Hand Positions vs. Intuition in Reiki

When I teach Reiki, one of the most common struggles I see is students second-guessing themselves. The moment I say, “Trust what you feel,” the mind jumps in with doubts: Am I making this up? Am I missing something? Shouldn’t Reiki feel a certain way?

That’s why I recommend starting with the traditional hand positions. Think of them as your training wheels. They give you a clear structure to follow when your inner compass still feels wobbly. By placing your hands on the main areas of the body, you’ll always be offering Reiki in a complete and balanced way—whether you feel energy strongly in that moment or not.

Mikao Usui didn’t actually hand down a rigid set of hand positions in the way most Western Reiki classes teach them today. In his time (early 1920s Japan), Reiki was much more fluid. Usui taught his students to scan the body with their hands (a practice called Byosen Reikan Ho—sensing areas of energetic imbalance) and to follow their intuition.

One of his students, Chujiro Hayashi, was a retired naval officer with medical training. His background shaped the way he practiced Reiki—structured, orderly, and methodical. He created a more systematic set of hand positions that could be taught and repeated consistently, almost like a protocol.

When Hawayo Takata studied with Hayashi and later brought Reiki to the West, she simplified his system even more. She taught specific hand positions that anyone could follow without worrying about “doing it right.” For beginners, this was invaluable, especially for people who weren’t used to sensing subtle energy.

Here’s the truth: both approaches are valuable.

Hand positions give you a full-body Reiki session, covering all the bases. They help when your intuition feels shaky or when you’re working on yourself and need a framework to keep you focused.

Intuition allows Reiki to flow in a way that’s deeply personal for each client. Sometimes the energy will call you to linger on a shoulder, or skip the traditional spots altogether. That’s not you “making it up”—that’s Reiki showing you where it’s needed most.

The hand positions aren’t a crutch; they’re a foundation. Once you’re steady, your intuition becomes the natural extension of your practice.

Here’s what I tell my students: start every session with hand positions until you feel comfortable. Then notice:

• Do your hands naturally want to move somewhere else?

• Do you feel warmth, tingling, or heaviness in a spot that isn’t the “next” hand position?

• Does your client sigh, shift, or relax more deeply when your hands rest in one area?

That’s your intuition linking up with Reiki. The more you practice, the more you’ll trust those nudges.

In my own practice, after more than twenty years of doing Reiki, I no longer use set hand positions—I simply let intuition guide me once the flow begins. That way I know I’ve honored the energy of the person in front of me, not just the map.

A Helpful Tip for Beginners

If you’re worried about how long to spend in each hand position, try Reiki music with interval chimes. Many tracks are set to chime every 3 or 5 minutes, so you don’t have to watch a clock or lose your focus. You can find these easily on any music platform.

At the end of the day, Reiki is simple. Energy goes where it’s needed. Hand positions are a map; intuition is your compass. Use both, and you’ll never get lost.