When people hear the word lineage in a Reiki context, they often picture a list of names on a certificate. Teacher to teacher, tracing back to the founder. A credential. A proof of authenticity.

Lineage is more than that. And in some ways it is also less.

If you’ve practiced Western Reiki, you’ll be familiar with chakras - the seven energy centres running from the base of the spine to the crown, drawn from the Indian yogic tradition. You may have learned to assess them, balance them, or direct energy toward specific ones during a session.

The traditional Japanese system of Reiki doesn’t use chakras.

If you’ve encountered Reiki before - received a session, taken a class, or simply read about it - what you’ve most likely encountered is Western Reiki. A system involving hand positions, chakras, and a structured attunement ceremony. A practice focused primarily on treating others.
This is not what I teach.

At first glance, a frame drum and a Reiki practice might seem like separate things. One is ancient and percussive, physical and rhythmic. The other is quiet and internal, working with energy and attention in ways that are often subtle and hard to describe.

If there is one thing that sits at the heart of the system of Reiki, it is self practice.

Not sessions with others. Not formal teaching. Not lineage or certificates or levels. The daily, quiet, ordinary practice of returning to yourself.

The word translates as inner teachings. Where Shoden laid the foundation, Okuden deepens it - refining attention, expanding practice, and inviting a more intimate relationship with the system.

At the heart of the system of Reiki are five short phrases. They are among the first things taught in Shoden, and they are the last thing we do together before a class ends.

For many people, the attunement is the most mysterious part of Reiki. It’s often described in dramatic terms - a ceremony that opens channels, activates abilities, or initiates the student into something new. My experience of it is quieter than that.

Shoden is the first level of Usui Reiki Ryoho - the system of Reiki founded in Japan in 1922 by Mikao Usui Sensei. The word itself translates as first teachings, though “first” here doesn’t mean beginner in a dismissive sense. It means foundation. The ground from which everything else grows.

Most people come to Reiki expecting a definition. Something clear and manageable - a healing modality, a form of energy work, a Japanese practice involving hands.