Hi Dakota,
Thank you & Allycat for your questions as I have had to reflect on the importance of back positions & why they are like Rodney Dangerfield and "get no respect". :)
In my first class we were taught the back positions & told it was important to do them, even with self treatment ( getting as close as possible & within reason since many of us arent that flexible). I found a RM closer to home however & under her direction the back positions were not done routinely. ( I just checked the manual from that class & the back positions are included) The group I joined did not focus on the back either. I lost touch with the practice until some of us finally started doing back & front. ( So, all of us taught by the second master were delinquent in routinely utilizing the back positions). It is not surprising that you encountered 3 masters that never stressed them. My guess would be that the back positions were eliminated in Reiki shares, over time, simply due to the time factor. If you have a limited amount of time available to get everyone on a table it may have been phased out gradually without anyone even realizing what was being lost. (It is easier for many people to lie on their back than their front and this may have been a factor as well)
There are energy pathways or meridians on the back ( kidney & bladder for example). Working the spots that eliminate waste from the body is important when dealing with disease, illness, etc. What goes in must come out! I remember being told, in my first class, that the bladder & kidneys were key to improving health issues. Detoxifying self after attunement or with self treatment is important.
The basic Reiki treatment is the ideal. There are times we can not provide that & then we do what we can. IMHO, we have lost touch with the whole concept of promoting balance when we routinely do that. But if we were taught that the back is not that important......
peace & joy,
holobon
