The Reiki power symbol can be used to connect with Reiki energy at the beginning of a session and also to help boost the power of the energy when required during a session.

• Mentally beam a white CKR, SHK, HSZSN symbol through your hands as you work with a recipient
• Visualize the 3 symbols on the palms of your hands before the session
• Draw the 3 symbols with your tongue on the roof of your mouth and project it on the back of your hands as you perform the session
• Draw the 3 symbols on your hands with your index finger before the session
• Draw the 3 symbols in the air and beam it in the direction of your hands

There are many ways to channel Reiki through the symbols. As you practice, you will discover your preferred method and be able to send Reiki when and where it is needed.

Initially when you first practice distance Reiki, follow the guidelines below to connect and perform the distance session correctly. Find a quiet place and ensure you have enough time to not be interrupted. Focus on the following:

• Decide which distance method you are going to use to channel Reiki before you begin the session. Ground yourself and connect with Reiki.
• Clear your mind and release any expectations regarding the session. Remember that you are the channel for Reiki, which will do the work and will be travelling across time and space to connect with the recipient of the session.
• Once you feel the connection with Reiki, begin transmitting Reiki energy using the method you had decided upon earlier. Remember that all methods are effective, so try them all to decide on your preferred method(s).
• Continue the distance session for as long as you intuitively feel it should continue. Reiki will go where it is needed and continue to work even after you have ended the session. The key with distance sessions is intention.
• End the session with a positive vision of the person, place, event or situation you have been focusing on. You can also imagine a different scenario for sessions with a focus on the past. After the distance healing session, release the outcome to the wisdom and love of Reiki. Trust that Reiki will be a part of the best possible outcome for the recipient.
• Disconnect from the recipient once the session is over and wash your hands under cold running water. Drinking a glass of cold water can help to ground yourself.

Because the recipient is not in front of you when you are performing a distance session, find a way to visualize what is happening during the session. Listed below are a number of methods You can use these methods to help you visualize or represent the recipient in your mind.

Surrogate Method

You can use anything as a surrogate to channel Reiki. At the beginning of the distance session, clearly specify that the surrogate is taking the place of whomever or whatever you are sending Reiki to. A photograph, teddy bears, crystals or the details of the person or thing written on a piece of paper are all examples of an effective surrogate.

Many Reiki practitioners have their favorite surrogate and use it for all of their distance sessions. A ball can be used as a surrogate to channel Reiki to mother earth. You can channel Reiki to your car before each journey by using the steering wheel of the car as a surrogate.

For instance, say you want to channel Reiki to a sick friend located in another country who asked for a Reiki session. First find a photograph of your friend. Then write down her name, and the location she is in.

Choose a time when you both will be able to relax and won’t be disturbed. Place the photo and the piece of paper in your hands. Set your intention out loud adding that the photo and piece of paper will be used as a surrogate for your friend.

Then focus your attention on your friend and visualize her lying in her bed or sitting in a chair depending on what you have arranged with her. Holding the photo and piece of paper in your non-dominant hand, draw the complete Reiki sandwich over the top with your dominant hand.

Intone the symbols and hold the intention that it be for your friends highest good. Close your hands together and imagine sending healing light to your friend. Keep your hands closed for at least 5-minutes. As you become more experienced you will find that you will be able to intuitively work with the differing energy levels.

Once you have sent the Reiki, take a moment to thank Reiki and any guides who assisted you in the session. Since the symbols transcend time and space, you may set the intention that the Reiki energy be channelled for a specific amount of time over a number of days. As long as the recipient takes the time each day to tune into your Reiki signal, they will receive and benefit from the energy.

Thigh & Knee Method

Another method often used for distance healing is the thigh and knee method. While in a seated position, use your knees and thighs as the surrogate for the head and body of the recipient.

Your right knee is the recipient’s head, the middle of the right thigh is the recipient’s body and the remainder of your right thigh is the recipient’s legs and feet. The left knee and thigh will represent the back of the recipient’s head and body.

Your left knee is the back of the recipient’s head, your left mid-thigh is the recipient’s back and the rest of your left thigh represents the back of the recipient’s legs and feet.

This treatment takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Using your left hand for the left knee and thigh and your right hand for the right knee and thigh, you can work with the three positions for approximately five minutes each.

You can draw or visualize the three Usui symbols (complete Reiki sandwich) with each hand position. Intone the words of each symbol three times. Complete the session as usual by thanking Reiki energy and sweep the recipient’s aura by rubbing your knees and thighs.

Visualization Techniques

There are two basic ways of using visualization to perform distance healing. The first involves visualizing the person who wishes to receive Reiki.

Close your eyes and set your intention. Repeat the recipient’s name three times to focus your mind and establish a connection between yourself and the recipient. Imagine the recipient in a miniature form resting in the palms of your hands. Open your eyes and project the symbols from your third eye onto the recipient resting in the palms of your hands.

Alternatively, place the recipient in one hand and draw the symbols over them with the other hand. Intone the name of the symbols three times and include the intention that it be for the recipient’s highest good.

Gently cup your hands together. Keep your hands close together for 5-10 minutes or until you intuitively feel the session is complete. Visualize a healing light enveloping the recipient. Close your eyes and transport the recipient back to their location.

Say goodbye to the recipient, leaving the healing light with them to continue and complete the healing process. Complete the session by thanking Reiki energy and wash your hands in cold running water.

Example: Alternative Visualization Technique

Say you have a friend who has the flu and has asked for a distance session. Close your eyes and visualize being in your friend’s home. Have your friend lie down on a bed or couch. Set your intention and then project the three symbols onto your friend while intoning their names. You will conduct a complete session in your mind’s eye.

Visualize a healing light enveloping your friend. Say goodbye, leaving the healing light with the friend to continue and complete the healing process. Complete the session by thanking Reiki energy.

Got questions? Refer to the Reiki: Level I, II, and Master Manual here!

Traditional Distance Reiki Healing Technique

Whenever you perform distance Reiki, your intuition is helpful because you will not receive instant feedback from the recipient during the session as you would in an in person session.

Permission: Ensure that whenever possible (though the recipient may be seriously ill and unable to talk to you), you have the recipient’s or a close family member of the recipient, permission to channel Reiki to them in order to maintain an ethical practice and integrity as a practitioner.

The decision of whether to conduct a Reiki session with someone, no matter how much you feel they need one must remain with the individual. Never force your positive intentions to channel Reiki on someone else against their will.

In some cases, you may receive a request for distance Reiki on another person’s behalf. If you aren’t sure that you have the person’s consent, you can:

1. Simply refuse to conduct a Reiki session.
2. Perform Reiki on the person who is requesting Reiki for another. By doing this, both the person asking and the person in need can benefit as Reiki will go where it is needed.
3. Connect with the person and get their consent intuitively. You can do this by meditating, and creating a picture in your mind of the person with whom you want to connect. In your mind’s eye, ask them the question: “Do you want to receive long-distance Reiki from me?” If you get a clear yes or no, then proceed accordingly.

You can also conduct Reiki with a specific intent so that it flows only where it is desired. In other words you can send Reiki without explicit approval, but you need to first make it clear in your mind that, if the recipient does not want Reiki, that the energy will go where it is wanted.

You may have strong feelings one way or another about getting permission to channel Reiki. Follow what feels right for you and remember these are only guidelines.

Basic Technique: Below is the basic Reiki distance healing method using a photograph. Remember these examples serve as a guide; try different methods until you find the one that you feel suits you the best.

1. Confirm you have the recipient’s permission to send distance Reiki.

2. Holding the photo of the recipient (image pointing up towards your face), mentally draw the symbols on top of that photo while intoning their names out loud three times each to create a virtual Reiki sandwich.

3. Say out loud the name of the recipient three times as you close your hands gently together to cover the photo.

4. Imagine being in the room with that person so you can “see” the recipient in your mind sitting or lying down and ready to begin the session.

5. Visually draw the virtual Reiki sandwich on the body of the recipient, intoning the names of the symbols three times.

6. Conduct a complete Reiki session in your mind exactly as you would in an in person session. You can accelerate the session so that it takes a few minutes to complete the session. Pay special attention to any places you are intuitively drawn to on the recipient’s body.

7. Once the session is complete, cleanse the recipient’s aura. Wash your hands in cold running water, ground yourself, and thank Reiki and your guides for participating in the session.

Got questions? Refer to the Reiki: Level I, II, and Master Manual here!