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The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui

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Dr. Mikao Usui developed the Reiki System and founded the original Japanese Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai organization. This book shows you the original hand positions of Dr. Usui's Reiki Handbook. It has been illustrated with 100 photos to make it easier to understand. The hand positions for a great variety of health complaints have been listed in detail, making it a valuable reference work for anyone who practices reiki. Now that the original handbook has been translated into English, Dr. Usui's hand positions and healing techniques can be studied directly for the first time. Whether you are an initiate or a master, if you practice Reiki you can expand your knowledge dramatically as you follow in the footsteps of a great healer.

79 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

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Mikao Usui

6 books13 followers

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5 stars
405 (51%)
4 stars
251 (31%)
3 stars
104 (13%)
2 stars
20 (2%)
1 star
11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for JT.
1 review
March 8, 2009
As Reiki teacher in 7th generation after Sensei Mikao Usui I can only warn to copy and apply several of the hand positions shown in this book. This is definitively NOT the original Usui Reiki what is shown here!
Profile Image for Claudia Johnson.
12 reviews
November 18, 2014
First book I ever read on Reiki. I immediately found a Reiki Master and got my first attunement. Life-changing!
Profile Image for Mary E.
434 reviews3 followers
September 22, 2014
I have been a Reiki master for several years and found a great deal of helpful information in this book. I would recommend this book to all levels of Reiki practitioners.
Author 8 books1 follower
May 18, 2020
Excellent book!

I especially appreciated the parts on breathing and how this enhances the flow of reiki. The photos of the hand positions were very helpful. Finally, the section on the different diseases and the treatments for each was useful. I loved this book!
Profile Image for R.
33 reviews
August 26, 2024
Woah! The pictures (photographs) in this book! 😅 This book has a number of photos of direct contact from the male Reiki Master to female client that are directly on the breasts and genital areas. Not above the client, directly ON the client.
Not how I was taught, and not how I would ever want to give or receive reiki! I understand light, and appropriate touch can be beneficial, but I did not agree with the suggested hand placement photographs within this book at all.
The reiki Master in the photos was performing reiki on his wife- a dynamic that is not typical of a ‘regular’ reiki session, leading to questions as to why these photos were both taken and included in a book designed to instruct?
I asked my own reiki master about this and was advised that this is not necessary and should not be given in this way for so many reasons……
A problematic book for me because of this. There are better reiki books out there.
Try not to blend the original teachings of reiki with your own interpretation of physical necessity. Safeguarding, and maintaining client dignity and boundaries must be considered at all times.
Profile Image for Leena Aluru.
611 reviews41 followers
July 7, 2020
Im a Reiki practitioner and Mikao Usui is the grand master of Reiki.
This book is a guide for people already initiated into this self healing process. It rakes you through the hand positions, and combinations to heal often faced problems. My favourite part of the book is the Reiki Breathing the Master teaches. One should learn to incorporate it as much as possible.

This book is self explanatory and even if you've no experience in Reiki you could pick it up and try out the Breathing first and then the positions.

I've been practicing Reiki on myself and my family for the past 3 yrs and have found a marked difference in terms of anger /stress issues.

I strongly recommend this book as a go to reference guide to anyone wanting to take a few calm breaths , few minutes to regroup and bring in peace and tranquility to our lives.
Profile Image for Susanne Auer.
7 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2021
I am a Reiki Level 3 practitioner and would not necessarily recommend the book. I respect the research done on all the hand positions but rather than anything else I would solely use it as a kind of encyclopedia regarding what order of positions to use against which kind of dis-ease. I did not resonate with the author and some of his explanations based his seemingly very personal impressions.
Profile Image for Molly Lane.
12 reviews
January 17, 2025
I started reading this book in preparation for my reiki 1 attunement and have finished it before my reiki 2 attunement. I am finding it to be practical & helpful. I like how specific they get with treating different parts of the body (flagged a sinus page for husband and uterus page for myself) as well as specific ailments. Occasionally herbal remedies are recommended alongside reiki, and regular western medicine. The tone was really sweet though, it’s a husband and wife who reviewed material together and drew from their years of practice. There are anecdotes about practicing on each other, what works for one but not the other, and you can feel the love and affection they share for each other and their craft. Finally, there are tons of photos of hand positions so nothing is left vague to the visual learner! Would recommend, would refer back to, not sure I’d read it cover to cover over again.
Profile Image for Linda Imbert.
10 reviews
October 14, 2017
Un livre qui communique des informations détaillées sur la pratique des traitements de Reiki, tel que Mikao Usui l’a conçu et l’a enseigné. Des explications claires concernant un grand nombre de problèmes et des indications précises quant aux possibilités de traitement. Arjava ajoute de très intéressants commentaires sur les différentes parties du corps et des mentions sur des modalités complémentaires actuelles. On y trouve également des commentaires sur les racines bouddhistes du Dr Usui et les influences Shingon et Tendai, ainsi que la présentation de quelques techniques de Reiki complémentaires (TJR). Une présentation générale excellente: ce livre tout en couleur, avec beaucoup de diagrammes et plus de 100 photos, offre un contenu hors du commun. “Le Manuel Original du Dr Usui” deviendra le livre de chevet pour beaucoup de pratiquants de Reiki qui souhaitent étudier plus en profondeur cet art.
Profile Image for Dani Wilk .
50 reviews2 followers
September 8, 2022
Short, Thin, To the Point...
This is a much thinner book than I'd expected it to be. Less than 100 pages, it really is a straight-to-the-point type of book. While it specifies areas of attention for Reiki energy for certain ailments, great! - there's not a lot of text to read about the practice in my opinion. For those of us who love to read and understand very deeply the history and the practice, I don't think this is the best book choice. However, I may be over thinking it as a newly certified Reiki practitioner - maybe it really is just this simple. But the simplicity of this book almost makes it more confusing to me.
Profile Image for Adrian Stratulat.
30 reviews6 followers
August 15, 2017
O carte destul de dezamagitoare, desi contine si informatii interesante. 80% din ea consta in imagini cu pozitia mainilor, informatie care putea fi sumarizata in anexe de 5 pagini. Prea putine informatii despre teoria Reiki; pare sa fie adresata persoanelor care deja au cunostiinte de nivel intermediar despre Reiki, dar care vor sa perfectioneze unele abilitati.

Trebuie totusi mentionat ca am aflat lucruri utile despre pregatirea meditativa dinaintea unei sesiuni Reiki sau detalii despre tehnici avansate de respiratie.
Profile Image for Olympia B.
16 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2020
Very helpful handbook for any Reiki practitioner/healer. I specifically appreciated the effort put into explaining the meditation and breathing techniques one must follow before channelling Reiki. I also enjoyed learning about the hand positions described and taught by Dr. Mikao Usui as I was unaware of most of them.

A quick note: In order to use the techniques and treatments described you must first get your reiki degree by a reiki master. If you are interested in learning more about Reiki before deciding to get attuned, then I highly recommend looking into another book.
Profile Image for Alessandro Amici.
Author 2 books4 followers
December 31, 2019
Fantastica traduzione del testo originale scritto da usui, corredato con fotografie estremamente chiare che mostrano benissimo le posizioni delle mani da applicare sul corpo del paziente. Assolutamente da leggere e da tenere come riferimento per i trattamenti.
Profile Image for Sergio.
2 reviews
August 11, 2020
Good book for I level Reiki learning

Good book, but I was searching for some other deeper knowledge may be more explanation of practical excercises, how to feel better energy and more
2 reviews
January 23, 2021
Amazing book.and very Informative and nice.to see Information that was taught directly by the founder

Great to see.so many photos to have a direct visual of hand and body placement in order have the best results as the founder was teaching.
1 review
February 3, 2018
Enjoyable

Good read, easy to understand and very helpful pictures in the book. Downloaded kindle version so it was easy to highlight
Profile Image for Flavio Miguel  Pereira.
Author 5 books4 followers
June 17, 2021
After being attuned into Reiki i have tried to search Mikao Usui in life tricks and found this book. Far from the hands positions that are more than many any reiki introduced person should have it
1 review
November 4, 2023
Quite exhaustive

Self explanatory. Very educative book on Rei Ki. Thanks. Illustrations and photos are fine. Qudos to the authos. Recommend for all Rei Ki Practitioners .
Profile Image for Vanessa Ooms.
Author 2 books3 followers
February 17, 2024
This is a great handbook that distills down the Reiki practice in an easy-to-digest way.
Profile Image for Vanessa Liberatore.
113 reviews7 followers
Read
November 2, 2025
Honestly, I didn’t understand much other than that Western and Eastern reiki are very different.
22 reviews
November 6, 2025
Good introduction to Reiki treatments and practices.
Profile Image for Tina.
542 reviews33 followers
June 18, 2024
It was interesting to read and review the original hand positions of Usui. This is a good addition to any Reiki practitioner's practice and knowledge about Reiki.
10 reviews14 followers
February 27, 2022
I am very new to Reiki, and this book is definitely not a book for a beginner, I guess it gives you and extra approach if you are a reiki practitioner, shows you extra techniques, but it definitely is no a book to explain reiki to someone new.
Will read it again after I take my classes.
Profile Image for Mary Andrada.
2 reviews
March 5, 2017
Lots of useful information . Well written and easy to use

Well written and easy to use . I would highly recommend this book for and students new to Reiki. Loved it
Profile Image for Coffee Break.
4 reviews
July 30, 2016
The book is authentic and mostly addresses to those already initiated in Usui Reiki. It contains real therapeutic methods used by Mikao Usui, that can easily be put in practice for personal treatment and the treatment of patients. Also shows meditation and breathing techniques, alternative medicine treatments and explanations of different diseases. This book was a very pleasant surprise for me.
118 reviews20 followers
December 28, 2016
Interesting information, some very helpful. Would've been better as a translation of the entire document, as opposed to just the hand positions, though. Also, some of Petter's commentary and suggestions are annoying. My suggestion as an antidote to New Age health advice: start with Nora Gedgaudas's Primal Body, Primal Mind.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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