Hara is a Japanese word that means ‘the center’. It is the physical center point of your body and resides just below the navel. Hara is also the energy center of your body. In Oriental Medicine, the Hara area, which is the entire abdomen, is also an important diagnostic region. All organ and meridian imbalances can be diagnosed from the Hara. The Hara force is developed by building Qi, through breathing, exercise, and meditation.
Hara’s strength cannot be seen from the outside. It is perceived as a deep inner strength, with a peaceful behavior. When the Hara is strong, a person will be flexible yet stable, firmly rooted in reality, while emanating a state of spiritual alertness. A person strong in the Hara will be intuitive and able to follow their ‘gut’ reaction. This type of intuition is totally body-centered. It is not a sense of the mind. Rather it is a physical/corporeal awareness that is not dominated by thought processing.
Children naturally come from his Hara. They are body centered and comfortable with it. They move naturally from this centered space, and you can see that they are connected in body and mind. However, watch a young child who is thinking or worried about something, and watch him lose his balance! Unfocused and out of the present moment, a child will find it difficult to maintain physical balance.
As children grow, this natural physical center is superseded by developing mental function and thinking, which eventually, in most individuals, becomes the dominant characteristic. So what happens to Hara? As we grow older and focus more on the development of the mind, we begin to lose awareness of this other way of processing and responding to information. We lose touch with the part of ourselves that gives us a sense of connection with other human beings and, indeed, with all other forms of life.
In indigenous cultures around the world, people still have this connection. They live from the Hara. The way they respond to their environment is one that, more often than not, expresses their innate connection to the whole of life. They know it intuitively and physically. Your way of life needs this way of being. Living in balance with the rest of nature is a requirement for survival.
Eastern martial arts and meditation practices focus on developing Hara in her training. Here, the construction and storage of Qi is essential for the development of the Hara force.
So how relevant is this information to you?
If you want to have an inner strength that helps you stay focused and balanced when facing a physical challenge, then building Hara strength will help. If mental strength is what you need, once again, building Hara’s strength will help.
The ability to remain calm in difficult emotional circumstances? A strong Hara will be of immense value.
Wu Tao dances will help you focus and develop your Hara. Through the use of breathing, meditation, visualization and physical movements, you will accumulate your Qi energy reserve in your Hara. You will be there to call in times of physical, emotional and mental challenge.
For example: when you start to feel the beginnings of a cold (called wind invasion in Chinese medicine), you can use your breath to help circulate your Qi, sending it to your skin, to help you fight off the cold.
When facing an emotionally stressful situation, you can allow yourself to rest in your Hara, maintaining a peaceful openness and letting the emotions flow through you without becoming trapped or attached to them. Physically, you can use the Hara force whenever you would use your physical force. Try removing the lid from a jar which is difficult while focusing on staying focused on your Hara, chopping wood, or lifting a heavy object.
Being focused on the Hara is a meditation. It is the source of all strength and is the point where all aspects of your being come together. As the physical center, it grounds the spirit, allowing it to radiate and express its truth, and giving the mind a quiet place to focus.
Basic Hara Breathing Technique.
This can be done standing, walking, sitting, or lying down. If you want, lightly rest your hands on your Hara.
Start by inhaling and exhaling slowly. Focus on letting go of any tension as you release your breath. When you are ready, begin to breathe and visualize a large golden ball of energy or light in your Hara, just below your navel. As you inhale, imagine the ball expanding as you draw your breath directly into your Hara. As you exhale, visualize the ball contracting slightly and becoming very solid and heavy. Concentrate on keeping some of the Qi in your Hara as you release your breath. Continue this process until you feel centered and focused on your Hara.
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