A full Reiki treatment involves the placing of the practitioner’s hands on the body of the recipient with the intention (on the part of the practitioner) of channeling healing energy to the receiver. No pressure at all is required, and since our physical body is surrounded by the aura and etherical bodies that connect with our physical body, Reiki can be given even without touching the physical body. Before starting a Reiki session the practitioner should keep the following things in mind.

• Wash the hands with salt and water both before and after the treatment. This removes negative energy.
  
• Ask the recipient to remove any tight belts, watches or anything from the pockets.
  
• The receiver should be relaxed and comfortable. The room should be darkened and quiet, without undue disturbance. The Reiki practitioner should also be comfortable.
  
• Soothing, soft music should be played preferably the timed segments so that one need not concentrate on timing for each point.
  
• Before starting the session, do have a good talk so that you know what points to concentrate on, and also to give the recipient an opportunity to unburden him/herself. This also makes for a bond between the practitioner and the receiver, and makes the latter more receptive.
  
• Always start with thanking the three Grandmasters, your own Master, and all those who have enabled you to learn Reiki.
  
• When giving treatment, it is important to keep your fingers and thumb together. This will concentrate the energy and create a stronger flow. Hands should remain cupped for maximum energy flow (because of pyramid effect).
  
• If at anytime during the treatment you find heaviness collecting on your hands, or feel pain or something like an ache, shake off this sensation – literally, making gestures of shaking, first with one hand then with the other.

After covering the front points, with your forefinger, draw anti–clockwise spirals from the shoulder out to the tips of the fingers on each side, and from the shoulders again out to the tips of the toes. After this, ask the recipient to turn over – if he/she is asleep, awaken him/her very gently.

When the full body treatment has been completed, you must ‘Sweep’ the excess energy off, by stroking firmly down the spine, from the throat chakra to the root chakra, thrice. For diabetics alone the ‘Sweeping’ is done in the opposite direction i.e. from the root to the throat chakra. After this, the chakras may be balanced (balancing of chakras is optional, you may do a balancing after a series of treatments). The most important way to increase the effectiveness of Reiki is to emanate it from love, compassion, kindness and with feeling of joy, cheerfulness and well being of others.

Balancing
Place one hand above the root chakra, and the other above the third eye chakra, palms downwards, about 4–6" above the body (the recipient will be lying on his/her stomach since balancing is done after the full treatment). You will feel a weight or a pull in each palm, wait until the pull/weight feels equal in both hands. Then move to the next chakras i.e. the hara and throat chakras, repeating the procedure. Then move the hand that is above the Solar plexus to meet the hand that is above the heart chakra, so both hands are side by side. Slowly lower both hands down to the heart chakra, and then take them off the body.

When the Reiki treatment is over, massage the entire body, and make the receiver get up slowly, not quickly or abruptly.