Follow a complete optional practice, with a supported lap-rest alternative throughout.
A guided self-practice
A gentle self-practice
A repeatable, adaptable self-practice: settle, rest your hands comfortably, attend without seeking a sensation, and close clearly. Adapt the posture or shorten the session whenever needed.
Silent visual guide · read along at your own pace. Breathe normally; the animation is not a breathing timer. Pause, adapt or stop whenever you wish.
Choose a supported seat
Choose a place where you can sit comfortably for a few minutes. Let the chair or cushion support you. Keep your feet resting, your spine upright without strain, and your hands wherever they can rest easily.
Choose a part of this practice
Read the complete practice
- 0:00 · Choose a supported seat
Choose a place where you can sit comfortably for a few minutes. Let the chair or cushion support you. Keep your feet resting, your spine upright without strain, and your hands wherever they can rest easily.
- 0:35 · Let the room be ordinary
Notice the room around you: the light, the sounds, the surface beneath you. You do not need to close your eyes. Let your breathing find its own pace, without making it deeper or slower.
- 1:10 · Rest the hands
Rest your hands in your lap, or lightly on your thighs. Feel the simple contact of hand and body. Let the contact be light. If a position becomes uncomfortable, change it. Comfort is allowed to matter.
- 2:10 · Attend without searching
Let your attention rest with the contact of your hands. There is no particular sensation to find. Warmth, coolness, tingling, or nothing at all can all be present. When your attention wanders, name what took it away, and return to the contact. This returning is the practice.
- 3:40 · Return to the room
Slowly let your attention widen. Feel your feet, your back, the support beneath you. Notice one thing in the room that you can see. Take your time. There is nothing to switch off, and nothing to prove.
- 4:30 · Close clearly
Move your fingers and your feet. If you keep a short record, write the date, what you did, and one sentence about what you noticed. Then finish, and go on with your day.
Read once, then choose
This page brings the preparation and position options together. Read the steps before starting, or follow one at a time while keeping your eyes open. Choose a place where you are free to pause other tasks. Sit in the familiar supported position you prepared. Keep your usual clothing on and any aids you need within reach. You can end before beginning, after one step, or whenever you wish.
No fixed duration is required. If you have only a little time, use the beginning, a supported hand rest, and the closing. You do not need to make up skipped positions later. The confirmation at the end accepts either trying the exercise or choosing to pause. It is a record of your choice, not a test of endurance or a report of a special feeling.
Begin with an ordinary intention
Let your hands rest in your lap, on your thighs, or on a comfortable support. Look around and notice where you are. Choose a simple intention such as 'I will give this a little attention and keep it comfortable.' Let your breathing continue normally. Eyes may stay open; if you close them, you can reopen them whenever you like.
Check the practical arrangement before moving on. If something pulls, presses, or feels awkward, change it now. You may decide to remain here for the whole exercise. Resting is not a waiting stage before the real practice; it can be your chosen practice.
Explore only what you want
If you want a change, try a light hand rest on the opposite supported forearm. Use one side, both sides in turn, or neither. You may then consider an outer upper-arm rest, a brief hand at the crown, or a light upper-abdomen rest over clothing, as described in Comfortable hand positions. Each is an option, not a route you have to finish. Avoid the eyes, throat, breasts, and intimate areas.
Between choices, lower your hands and check whether you want to continue. If no touch is preferred, keep them supported in your lap. Do not hover to compensate for a skipped position. Notice ordinary information, such as whether your arm wants support, without deciding that a sensation reveals a health change. If discomfort or unease appears, stop the position or end the exercise.
Close and return to your day
Return both hands to a comfortable resting place. Open your eyes if they were closed, look around, and notice the next ordinary thing you plan to do. Take the time you need before moving. Use your usual supports and approach to standing or transferring; the course does not require you to stand at all.
If useful, note one fact: 'I tried the forearm option', 'I preferred my lap', or 'I chose to pause'. You do not need to rate calmness or decide whether anything unusual happened. The next page, Noticing without judging, offers a short reflection when you are ready.
Three complete practice sequences to choose from
Choose the length that fits your available time today. Each sequence is complete in itself; a shorter sequence is not an inferior version of a longer one.
The 5-Minute Daily Reset (Quick Grounding)
A compact, focused sequence designed for busy mornings, a pause between work tasks, or a moment of quiet before sleep.
1. 1. Arrive and ground
1 minuteSit comfortably in your chair with feet flat or supported on a cushion. Let your spine be supported by the backrest. Take two natural breaths and release shoulder tension.
2. 2. Rest hands in lap or on lower abdomen
3 minutesPlace both palms loosely in your lap or lightly across your lower abdomen over clothing. Keep elbows relaxed at your sides. Feel the gentle warmth of your palms and the rhythm of your normal breathing. Return gently whenever attention wanders.
3. 3. Conscious closing
1 minuteGently move your fingers and toes. Open your eyes if they were closed. Look around the room, take an unhurried breath, and move to your next task when ready.
The 10–15 Minute Everyday Self-Practice (Standard Rhythm)
Our core daily practice sequence, providing gentle transitions through four supported resting positions.
1. 1. Settling and opening intention
2 minutesSettle into your supported seat or lying position. Place a cushion across your lap to support your forearms. Formulate a simple intention: 'I will offer myself unhurried attention.'
2. 2. Forearm or heart rest
3–4 minutesRest one hand lightly on the opposite supported forearm, or gently over your upper chest below the collarbones (avoiding throat pressure). Let your elbows rest completely on your lap cushion.
3. 3. Upper abdomen / solar plexus
3–4 minutesTransition one hand at a time down to the upper abdomen, just below the ribcage. Feel the natural rise and fall of your abdomen with each breath.
4. 4. Lower abdomen and lap grounding
3 minutesMove both hands to rest flat on your thighs or across your lower abdomen. Allow all effort to dissolve into the support beneath you.
5. 5. Waking transition
2 minutesAcknowledge the practice. Open your eyes softly, stretch your hands and arms gently, and take a sip of water before returning to your day.
The 20-Minute Restorative Practice (Deep Unhurried Flow)
An expansive, restorative self-care sequence for weekends or quiet evenings, exploring supported positions with spacious transitions.
1. 1. Complete physical setup & support
3 minutesArrange your space. If lying down, place a pillow under your head and a bolster under your knees to ease your lower back. If seated, ensure back, feet, and elbows are cushioned.
2. 2. Optional crown hover or brow rest
3 minutesRest one hand lightly at the top of your head, or hover your palm 1–2 inches above your brow without straining your shoulder. Lower your hand immediately if fatigue appears.
3. 3. Upper chest & collarbones
4 minutesRest both palms flat across your upper chest, fingers pointing toward opposite shoulders. Keep touch feather-light over clothing, with elbows propped by cushions.
4. 4. Upper abdomen & lower ribcage
4 minutesSlide your hands smoothly down to the base of your ribcage. Notice the warmth beneath your palms and the expansion of your breath.
5. 5. Lower abdomen & hips
4 minutesMove hands to your lower abdomen, fingers resting gently above the hip crease. Let your abdominal muscles soften completely.
6. 6. Integrative lap rest & deliberate awakening
2 minutesReturn both hands to your lap or side cushions. Rest in quiet stillness. When ready, slowly open your eyes, stretch gently, and enjoy a warm drink before standing.
Sources and further reading
- International House of Reiki: What hand positions to use for Self-Treatment with Reiki? — This Reiki school describes sequences as learning structures rather than one mandatory order. The positions here are original optional course adaptations, not a historical sequence or a medical prescription.
- NHS: Breathing exercises for stress — Background for supported sitting, comfortable clothing, and not forcing the breath. The course does not reproduce the NHS timed breathing exercise.