My Lineage
Reiki has been passed from teacher to student through generations of practitioners, preserving the teachings, practices, and spirit of Reiki. My practice is rooted in the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition and follows the lineage of Mikao Usui → Chujiro Hayashi → Hawayo Takata → John Harvey Gray → Brian Brunius.
Mikao Usui (1865–1926) was the founder of the Reiki system of healing and spiritual practice. A lifelong student of meditation, spirituality, and personal development, he developed what became known as Usui Reiki Ryoho in Japan during the early 1920s following a profound spiritual experience on Mount Kurama.
Usui established Reiki as both a healing practice and a path of self-cultivation. He taught thousands of students during his lifetime, emphasizing not only physical healing, but also spiritual growth, compassion, and the cultivation of a balanced and peaceful life. His teachings remain the foundation of Reiki practice throughout the world.
Mikao Usui
Chujiro Hayashi (1880–1940) was a direct student of Mikao Usui and one of the most important figures in the preservation and transmission of Reiki after Usui's death. A retired naval physician, Hayashi brought a practical and organized approach to Reiki practice, helping to develop many of the treatment methods and hand positions that continue to be used today.
Hayashi founded a Reiki clinic in Tokyo where practitioners worked together treating clients and refining treatment protocols. Through his teaching and stewardship, Reiki continued to flourish in Japan and was ultimately passed to Hawayo Takata, who would carry the practice beyond Japan's borders.
Chujiro Hayashi
Hawayo Takata (1900–1980) played a pivotal role in bringing Reiki from Japan to the Western world. Born in Hawai‘i to Japanese immigrant parents, she encountered Reiki while seeking treatment in Japan during the 1930s. After experiencing its effects firsthand, she trained extensively under Chujiro Hayashi and eventually became a Reiki Master.
Returning to Hawai‘i, Takata devoted her life to practicing and teaching Reiki. Through decades of teaching, she introduced Reiki to thousands of people and initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters. The vast majority of Western Reiki lineages trace their roots through her work and dedication.
Hawayo Takata
John Harvey Gray (1931–2011) was initiated as a Reiki Master by Hawayo Takata in 1976 and became one of the most influential Reiki teachers of his generation. Together with his wife, Lourdes Gray, he spent decades teaching Reiki throughout the United States and internationally, helping preserve the teachings he received directly from Takata.
Gray viewed Reiki as both a healing art and a spiritual practice rooted in compassion, service, and personal growth. Through his teaching, mentorship, and commitment to lineage preservation, he helped transmit Reiki to multiple generations of practitioners and teachers.
John Harvey Gray
Brian Brunius is a Reiki Master Teacher and founder of the NYC Reiki Center and Koshin Reiki. For more than thirty years, he has devoted his life to the study, practice, and transmission of the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition. Through decades of daily practice, teaching, and lineage preservation work, he has dedicated himself to preserving the depth and integrity of traditional Reiki teachings.
Brian's understanding of Reiki is rooted in long-term study with John Harvey Gray and was further shaped by the guidance of Elaine Abrams. In addition to teaching thousands of students, he has devoted significant effort to preserving historical Reiki materials, documenting oral teachings, and helping future generations connect with the original tradition. Through his teaching, mentorship, and stewardship of the lineage, he continues to carry these teachings forward today.
Brian Brunius