Practise the hands-together meditation with comfortable adaptations.
Practice workshop
A quiet Gassho
A short, adaptable hands-together practice. Sit however is comfortable, rest attention at the meeting point of the middle fingers, and return gently when attention wanders.
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.
Settle
Begin by finding a comfortable seat. Let the chair or cushion take your weight. You do not need a special posture. Let your shoulders drop, and let your breathing stay ordinary.
Choose a part of this practice
Read the complete practice
- 0:00 · Settle
Begin by finding a comfortable seat. Let the chair or cushion take your weight. You do not need a special posture. Let your shoulders drop, and let your breathing stay ordinary.
- 0:28 · Bring the hands together
If it is comfortable, bring your palms together in front of your chest. Keep the contact gentle. If your shoulders or wrists complain, lower your folded hands to your lap, or rest your hands separately. The adaptation is part of the practice, not a failure of it.
- 0:58 · Rest at the contact point
Let your attention settle where the pads of your middle fingers touch. There is no special sensation to seek. Simply notice the contact, and notice the next breath. When a thought, a sound or a task takes you away, see that clearly, and come back to the contact. You can return as many times as you need.
- 2:08 · One principle
If you wish, quietly recall one Reiki principle in the wording you learned. Let it suggest one small, realistic intention for today. You are not promising to be perfect. You are choosing a direction.
- 2:40 · Close
Lower your hands to your thighs. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Take one ordinary breath, look around the room, and finish at the time you agreed.
Stepwise Gassho Meditation
Gassho ('two hands coming together in prayer') is the core contemplative practice of Usui Reiki. Follow this structured sequence to steady your attention before symbol study, personal practice, or a shared session.
1. Posture and Seated Support
1 minuteSit comfortably on a stable chair or floor cushion. Keep your spine comfortably upright without strain. Place your feet flat on the floor, let your shoulders drop away from your ears, and allow your jaw to soften.
2. Bringing Palms to the Heart
1 minuteBring your hands together in front of your chest at sternum level. Let the fingers point upward with gentle contact between opposite palms. Comfort adaptation: If holding your hands up produces shoulder tension, lower your folded hands to your lap or rest your forearms against a supportive pillow.
3. Attending to the Middle Fingers
2–3 minutesRest your mental focus on the tactile sensation where the pads of your middle fingers touch. Keep your eyes closed or held in a soft, unfocused downward gaze. When distracting thoughts, sounds, or tasks arise, notice them without frustration and gently return your attention to that contact point.
4. Silent Recitation of the Five Principles
1 minuteInwardly intone the five Reiki principles: Just for today: do not anger, do not worry, be grateful, work with diligence, be kind to people. Let each phrase settle as a realistic guideline for your day rather than an impossible demand for perfection.
5. Unhurried Close and Grounding
30 secondsLower your hands to your thighs, palms resting comfortably. Take one ordinary breath, feel the firm ground beneath your feet, open your eyes, and look around the room to orient yourself before moving on.
Give attention a simple place to return
Gassho is the hands-together practice introduced on pages 10–13 of the manual. In its meditation instructions, the meeting point of the middle fingers becomes a focus for attention. The exercise is simple enough to use before symbol study or an ordinary self-practice. Your aim here is to notice when attention wanders and return gently, rather than to empty your mind or hold a perfect pose.
Choose a chair, bed or other supported position. Bring your palms together in front of your chest if that is comfortable. Rest your forearms or lower your hands into your lap when needed. If bringing the hands together is unsuitable, let them rest separately and choose the felt contact of one hand with your lap as your focus. An adaptation should help you attend, rather than become another task to endure.
Review the return, rather than the sensation
Afterwards, write one sentence about the conditions that helped: perhaps a supported back, an open door, or a shorter duration. Then note one distraction and how you responded. “I remembered tomorrow's appointment and returned to my fingers” is a complete observation. Warm hands, a busy mind or no memorable sensation do not determine whether you practised correctly.
The manual suggests longer sessions. Begin with what is manageable and extend only if you wish. If the posture or inward attention feels unpleasant, stop or change the exercise. Ordinary comfort and choice belong inside the practice, not after it.
Sources and further reading
- Free Reiki Course Level 2 manual, page 12 — Gassho meditation instructions and posture adaptations; this lesson offers a shorter starting duration.