The five Reiki principles: “Just for today”

When people think of Reiki they usually think of hands. Yet one of the most lasting things Usui left his students is five short sentences. The hand positions are for the body; the principles are for the mind and the heart. Together they are Reiki.

Usui headed these sentences as “the method of inviting happiness”. They are not a list of rules but reminders you return to every day.

The five principles

• Just for today, I will be grateful for all my blessings.
• Just for today, I will not worry.
• Just for today, I will not be angry.
• Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
• Just for today, I will be kind to my neighbour and every living thing.

Why “just for today”?

These two words matter as much as the principles themselves. Usui does not say “never be angry again”; nobody manages that, and failing brings guilt. He asks only for today. Today is twenty-four hours, and twenty-four hours can be carried. Tomorrow is a new day, and tomorrow you decide again.

You do not have to hold all five at once. You can start with the one you need most today.

Gratitude: making what is there visible

The mind naturally looks at what is missing. Gratitude deliberately turns that gaze. It does not multiply what you have; it makes it visible. Nor is it denying difficulty: it is being able to see the small things that help, even inside a hard day.

A small step: in the evening, write down three things that made your day a little easier. Do not look for big events; “I found time to rest today” is enough.

Worry: separating what is mine to do

Worry is usually built on things that have not happened yet; it is trying to carry tomorrow's load today. This principle does not ask you to ignore responsibilities, but to tell apart what is in your hands and what is not.

A small step: write your worry in one sentence, add one action you can take today, and do it. If there is nothing to do today, today's work is a meal, a walk or sleep.

Anger: pause, then respond

Anger is a natural emotion and it carries a message: a boundary has been crossed. The principle does not ask you to suppress it; it asks you to be able to stop before anger makes you hurt yourself or someone else. Staying calm is not staying silent about injustice.

A small step: the moment you notice anger, take three slow breaths, perhaps with a hand on your chest. A few seconds are the difference between saying a sentence and not saying it.

Honest work: being fully there

This principle is not only about a job. Housework, a student's homework, a retired person's garden are all work. Honest work is often small and invisible: taking the same care where nobody is looking. Accepting your limits, asking for help and resting are part of it too.

A small step: choose one task today and give it your full attention for fifteen minutes.

Kindness: starting with yourself

Kindness begins with listening to the person in front of you and continues with care for animals and nature. But we need to show the same understanding to ourselves. Would you say to a neighbour the harsh sentences you say to yourself?

Being kind is not saying “yes” to everything. Being able to say a respectful “no” when needed is part of the care you show yourself.

How to say the principles every day

Usui's advice is simple: morning and evening, hands joined in front of the chest, say the five sentences aloud. It takes less than a minute. In the twenty-one days after an attunement I suggest placing this just before your self-Reiki: hands joined, five sentences, then the first position.

I also give my Reiki I students an audio lesson on the principles; in its “Say it with me” part you repeat them with me as I read. Do not try to memorise them; within a few days they come by themselves.