Why is meditation the foundation of Japanese Reiki?

Okay. Is meditation the foundation of Japanese Reiki? I would say the Reiki precepts would be the foundation of the system of Reiki from a Japanese perspective. But saying that, uh, yeah. How do we become these Reiki precepts? Yeah. How do we do that?

Well, we can use meditation, we can use contemplation. So we can contemplate the Waka, the Japanese poetry written by the emperor that actually helps us move into a space of knowing the precepts better. We can practice Joshin Kokyu Ho, where we breathe in and down into the hara. And then we expand that energy out.

Our awareness expands out. So it's teaching us that we are all interconnected. It's teaching us not to be angry, not to worry. To be grateful, to be true to who we are. That is a part of this universe. And to be compassionate to ourselves and to others. So meditation is certainly an important part of the Japanese system of Reiki.

If you'd like to know more, come and join me at Shinpiden+.
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高山のかげをうつしてゆく水の
ひきにつくを心ともがな

While still
Reflecting the image of lofty
Mountains, water in streams strives
To seek humbler levels, as should
These hearts of ours.

— Empress Shōken (昭憲皇太后)

Did you know that poetry is a part of the system of Reiki? It's true! Waka (Japanese poetry) has been practiced by Japanese Reiki practitioners since the early 1900s. These poems were a source of deep inspiration for Mikao Usui, the founder of the system of Reiki, and were used as tools for contemplation and spiritual growth.

This waka by Empress Shōken offers a beautiful teaching about humility and aspiration: water holds the reflection of the great mountain above it, yet it does not remain there — it flows downward, always seeking the lower place. This is not defeat. This is wisdom. The poem invites us to carry what is noble within us while remaining humble in how we move through the world. Listen to this song and contemplate the words.

The poem reminds us:
— True humility does not forget what is noble — it reflects it
— Greatness is not found in rising above others, but in flowing humbly among them
— Water does not cling to the mountain's image — it carries it forward
— The lower path is not the lesser path
— A humble heart can still hold something vast within it

In the context of the system of Reiki and spiritual growth, this waka teaches us about 謙遜 (kenson) — humility. Spiritual practice asks us not to elevate ourselves above others, but to flow gently downward, remaining open, grounded, and close to the earth. Like water that reflects the mountain yet seeks the valley, we are invited to carry what is highest within us while walking humbly in the world.

Empress Shōken's words do not ask us to abandon what is noble. They simply remind us that a truly humble heart can hold both, the reflection of the mountain and the willingness to seek lower ground. The question is not how high we can rise. It is how gracefully we can flow.

🌸 Deepen Your Practice: 21-Day Waka Journey
This waka can be used by Reiki practitioners for daily contemplation. If you're drawn to this wisdom, imagine spending 21 days exploring the profound spiritual teachings hidden within Japanese poetry.

Join my 21-Day Waka Course where you'll:
Discover 21 waka poems that can be used in traditional Reiki practice
Learn how Mikao Usui and his students used poetry for spiritual development
Receive guided reflections to deepen your understanding of each poem
Explore the connection between Japanese aesthetics (mono no aware), nature, and inner cultivation
Transform your spiritual practice through the timeless wisdom of waka

Each day brings a new poem, a new teaching, a new opportunity to cultivate your practice.
👉 https://reikiwithbronwen.com/courses/...

🌸 Visit reikiwithbronwen.com to explore courses
🎙️ Listen to Reiki Women Podcast for ongoing inspiration
Let this be the year you trust your heart and deepen your practice.

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#Waka #JapanesePoetry #EmpressShoken #ImperialPoetry #JapaneseCulture #MeijiEra #昭憲皇太后
#Meditation #Contemplation #MindfulnessMusic #SacredMusic #InnerPeace #HeartMind

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Why do some Reiki masters charge $10,000 for a course?

Hmm. It's sort of an old fashioned Question. I'm not sure that that still happens. But anyway, Hawayo Takata who brought the system of Reiki to the West in 1938, she did charge in the 1970s, $10,000 in the 1970s. Oh my goodness. $10,000 for a Reiki course for Shinpiden to learn how to practice that.

Mind you, apparently she also sold her house to learn how to practice the system of Reiki back in her day. So there was always a lot of money involved in these experiences back then. Today it's not the case. Of course I think you should pay for a course. You should pay for a teacher's time and effort.

The quality of the course that you're actually doing. Of course you should. It does say Reiki master as well, which is interesting. So, uh, you know, I don't even use the term Reiki master, it's a Western term. I could almost say it's an old fashioned term. I think people are realizing that we are more teachers and that we are not yet masters of anything.

Well, I'm not. If you'd like to learn more about all of this, come and join me at Shinpiden Plus. Learn more about the class on the link below: https://reikiwithbronwen.com/courses/shinpiden/



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What is the difference between Reiki I, II and Shinpiden?

Okay, so Reiki I is Shoden, Reiki II is Okuden, and Shinpiden is Reiki III. When you get to Reiki III, that's when you can teach others. Uh, but in Reiki I and II, that's where you actually learn all the information, all the practices and techniques, or most of them.

Yeah. So they're all there for you to learn, to develop and to spend a long time with. If you are in Japan and you're a member of the association there, you would be spending years and years and years. You might spend 10 years on Reiki one and two before anyone might consider making you a Shinpiden teacher.

If you'd like to learn the third level with me, come and do my Shinpiden+ course, explore the class details on my website.
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What is Hatsurei-ho? Well, it's a Japanese word, and it means to generate greater amounts of KI, greater amounts of energy. Now, in truth, there are different ways that we could do Hatsurei-ho and I personally have broken it up into two different versions. So we have Hatsurei-ho version one, Hatsurei-ho version two, Hatsurei-ho version one, uses a dry bathing Kenyoku ho technique.

Then Joshin Kokyu Ho is where you work with the hara. So breathing deeply into the body and expanding that energy out into the world. And you're purifying the mind with the breath at the hara. And then there's the practice of Seishin Toitsu. So Seishin Toitsu is where we sit in Gassho with our hands like this, and we start to move energy with the breath through the body, down into the hara.

Now they're all about expanding or mm, concentrating our energy making it stronger. And they all work from the Hara, these practices.

The second version of Hatsurei-ho is in a book by a student of the founder of the system of Reiki Mikao Usui the book is actually, I've got the

translation of it here. This is by Tomita Kaiji. The version in his book teaches you how to sit, with Joshin ho. So sitting once again, breathing down into the hara and expanding it out just like the first one. And then you contemplate a poem, Waka. So, a certain type of poem from Japan, a short poem written by the Emperor Meiji they call that Gyosei.

And you contemplate that poem and it helps you to become more self-aware. It's a really interesting practice. And then it moves into Byosen. So scanning the body with the right hand, sensing energy with the body, and then when you feel a shift or a change, placing your hand to the body and sitting with that energy.

So version two, I really love because it takes us through meditation, contemplation, energy awareness, and then hands-on healing.

If you'd like to know more or would like to know how to do it, then come and do my Shinpiden+ course. ​ Visit my website to learn more.
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What would Mikao Usui think of modern Western Reiki? 

Question, what would Mikao Usui think of modern Western Reiki? I don't know. I don't know. Would he actually know that it had anything to do with what he was teaching? I have no idea. I'm sure some of the things that are taught within the system of Reiki in the West, he would be flummoxed by and even by possibly what's even taught in Japan. It's a hundred years ago, if I look at the association that exists in Japan that's been a hundred years of how many presidents have they had?

Eight presidents, nine presidents. Each time things change as well with that. And within the West, things obviously change. So things keep changing. And I can only hope that we can hold onto some of that original experience of what it might've been like to have been with Mikao Usui back in the early 1900s.

That would've been so amazing. Imagine having learned with him. I would've loved that, but it's not the case. So all we can do is try to trace that back as well as we can, and really try to bring that sense of what he might have taught to our teachings. But whether he would recognize what we do today.

I'm sure he'd recognize some things and other things, obviously not. Yeah. But if you'd like to know more about the Japanese aspects of the system of Reiki, then come and join me at Shinpiden+ online.

You will find the full class details here: https://reikiwithbronwen.com/courses/shinpiden/



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