Gassho Meditation: The Two-Hands Practice in Reiki

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Gassho meditation is one of the simplest practices in Reiki: you bring your two palms together in front of your chest, sit quietly, and rest your attention on your breath and on the point where your hands meet. The word gassho means “palms together,” and the practice is widely taught as a way to settle and center before a Reiki session or as a short daily habit on its own. There is nothing exotic about the mechanics, and you do not need to believe anything in particular for the basic act of sitting still with your hands together to be calming. This article explains what gassho is, how it is practiced, and where it fits in Reiki, while keeping a clear line between what the practice involves and any claims made about energy. The relaxation many people feel from sitting quietly is real; the idea that the posture moves a measurable energy is a traditional belief, not an established fact.

What Gassho Means

Gassho is a Japanese term, often translated as “two hands coming together” or simply “palms together,” and the gesture itself, hands pressed gently at the center of the chest, will look familiar to many people. It resembles a prayer posture seen across several cultures, though in the Reiki context it is presented as a meditative and centering position rather than a religious one. Mikao Usui, credited as the founder of the system that became modern Reiki, is traditionally said to have used gassho meditation as part of his own daily practice, and the gesture appears in the teaching of his precepts.

In Reiki, gassho is usually described as a foundation: a way to quiet the mind, settle the body, and mark the transition into focused practice. Practitioners often frame the posture as a way to bring attention to the present moment and to the breath. It is worth noting that the centering and relaxation people experience from this kind of seated stillness are well within ordinary human experience and do not require any special energy to explain. Where gassho is described as drawing in or circulating Reiki energy, that is a traditional belief framework, and there is no scientific evidence for such an energy. The gesture works perfectly well as a plain centering practice regardless of what one believes about it.

How to Sit and Position the Hands

The posture is straightforward. People commonly sit, either on a chair with the feet flat on the floor or on a cushion on the ground, with the spine comfortably upright rather than rigid. The eyes are usually closed or lowered. The hands come together palm to palm, fingers pointing upward, held lightly in front of the center of the chest, at roughly the level of the heart. The arms stay relaxed, with the elbows hanging naturally rather than lifted or tensed.

There is no need to press the palms hard together. A light, even contact is enough, and the hands should feel settled rather than strained. Some practitioners rest their attention on the point where the middle fingers or the palms meet, using that small physical sensation as an anchor for the mind. If holding the hands up becomes tiring during a longer sit, it is fine to lower them to the lap and simply keep the palms together there. The aim is a posture you can hold comfortably and quietly, not a precise pose to be performed correctly. Comfort and ease are the priorities, and people adapt the position freely to suit their bodies.

The Breathing and Focus

With the hands in place, attention turns to the breath. A common instruction is to breathe slowly and naturally, often in through the nose and out through the mouth or nose, without forcing the rhythm. Some teachers suggest gently directing attention to the lower abdomen, an area sometimes called the tanden or hara in Japanese practice, as a way to deepen the sense of being grounded. The breath does not need to be unusual or controlled; the point is simply to follow it.

The mental side is the same gentle attention found in most meditation. When the mind wanders, and it will, the practice is to notice that without frustration and return attention to the breath and to the point where the palms meet. Thoughts are not a problem to be eliminated; they are simply noticed and released. Practitioners may add a focus on the present moment or on a feeling of calm, and some bring the Reiki precepts to mind, but none of this is required for the basic practice. Stripped to essentials, gassho is sitting upright, hands together, breathing slowly, and resting attention lightly. That is the whole technique, and its simplicity is part of why it is taught so early.

When Practitioners Use Gassho

Within Reiki, gassho most often appears at the start of practice. Many practitioners spend a minute or two in gassho before a session to settle their own minds and shift into a calm, attentive state before they begin working with another person. In this role it functions as a kind of doorway, separating ordinary busyness from the quieter focus of the session ahead. Some return to it briefly at the end as a way of closing.

Gassho is also taught as a standalone daily meditation. In a traditional 21-day training period, students are often encouraged to practice gassho meditation each day, sometimes morning and evening, as a way to build a steady habit. Outside that structured context, practitioners may simply sit in gassho for a few minutes whenever they want to center themselves. Because the practice asks nothing more than a quiet place and a few minutes, it fits easily into a routine. None of these uses depends on a measurable effect; the value people describe is the familiar one of pausing, breathing, and collecting attention before moving on.

Building a Short Daily Gassho Habit

For someone who wants to try gassho as a regular practice, the appeal is that it is small enough to keep. A few minutes is a reasonable place to start, perhaps three to five, sitting at a consistent time such as the start or end of the day. Attaching the sit to something you already do, like the moment before your first task or just before bed, tends to make any short practice easier to maintain. The length can grow naturally if you find it useful, with some practitioners sitting for ten to fifteen minutes, but longer is not inherently better.

What makes a habit like this sustainable is consistency rather than intensity, and forgiving yourself for missed days rather than abandoning the practice over them. Because gassho carries no requirement to believe in Reiki energy, it is genuinely available to anyone, practitioner or not, who wants a brief, low-key way to pause and breathe. It overlaps in spirit with secular mindfulness and breath-focused meditation, both of which have a stronger research base for relaxation and stress reduction than Reiki itself. Approached simply, as a quiet posture and a few slow breaths, gassho is an accessible centering practice, and that is the honest and most reliable way to describe what it offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I do gassho?
There is no required length. A few minutes is a common and reasonable starting point, and many people sit for somewhere between five and fifteen minutes. In traditional training, daily practice over a set period is encouraged, but for everyday use the duration is flexible. Consistency tends to matter more than length, so a short sit you actually keep up is generally more useful than an ambitious one you abandon.

Is gassho the same as prayer hands?
The gesture looks very similar to the palms-together posture used in prayer across several cultures, but in Reiki gassho is presented as a meditative and centering practice rather than an act of worship. You do not have to direct it toward any deity or hold any religious belief to do it. People from various faith backgrounds, and people with none, use the posture simply as a way to settle and focus.

Can non-practitioners do it?
Yes. Gassho requires no Reiki training, no attunement, and no belief in energy. Anyone can sit upright, bring their palms together, breathe slowly, and rest their attention, which is the entire practice. Used this way it functions as a plain centering and breathing exercise, accessible to anyone who wants a brief, calming pause in the day.

Sources

  • Reiki from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, on Reiki as a complementary practice and the absence of evidence for an energy field.
  • Where Does Reiki Come From? from the University of Minnesota’s Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing, on Mikao Usui and the origins of the practice.
  • Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, on the relaxation and stress-reduction evidence for seated, breath-focused meditation.

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Reiki is a complementary relaxation practice; the existence of a measurable “energy” and any health benefits beyond relaxation are not established by scientific evidence. Reiki is not a substitute for professional medical care. If you have a health concern, consult a qualified healthcare provider.

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