You may have been following my blogs and posts for a while now. Then you know that I get a lot of inspiration in nature. In the month of February I rented a small cottage in a mountain village in the Sierra Nevada. I would like to take you on a journey through an experience I had this week while hiking in the mountains with the concept of ‘Hara’.
Before I tell you more about my personal experience, a little background about what Hara actually is.
In our training, we study not only the circulation of our life functions (Ki) in the meridians, but also the manifestation of Ki in what we call the Hara. Hara is Japanese for belly, the area between the diaphragm and the navel. In Japan, Hara not only means belly, but also your physical and energetic center. The physical center because in Hara is your center of gravity. The energetic center because our life energy is most present there.
In Japanese forms of martial arts such as Aikido and Karate, Hara plays a central role. Dynamic stability, flexibility, and the ability to adapt quickly come from this physical and energetic center. ‘In Hara’ not only means being physically stable, but also being energetic and mentally stable. Therefore, when the center is strong, everything around it can be in an active state of relaxation.
For us as Shiatsu therapists, Hara is an important concept because when we as therapists touch and apply pressure from within Hara. By being present in Hara, we can apply pressure without using muscle strength. And what is even more important, we are energetically stable ourselves. Our touch is neutral and without our own bias or ego to want to impose anything. A way of communicating with our client through a silent, sincere presence.
To be able to be present in the Hara as a Shiatsu therapist, we do the necessary body exercises in the class to be aware of our own center. Exercises that are also done in martial arts such as Aikido, but sometimes also exercises from Qi Qong or other exercises.
In addition to giving Hara Shiatsu ourselves as Shiatsu therapists, we also study the Hara of our clients. We do this by palpating the abdomen. Everything comes together in the abdomen and much can be learned about a person’s condition. After all, it is the energetic and physical center of a person. That makes studying the Hara something special. Something you learn in training through a lot of practice, but also by studying yourself and experiencing what influences your Hara and your own energetic state.
Hara is therefore our energy center. It determines how stable we are energetically and physically. But Hara is not a one-way street that determines how we interact with our surroundings. Various factors influence our Hara. Our Hara is changeable and reacts quickly to things like our mental state and the environment in which we find ourselves. It was this last factor that I became very aware of during my last hike in the Sierra Nevada a few days ago.
Now, during my trips through the mountains, I don’t consciously explore my Hara. I simply love nature and the mountains. But there are moments during my trips when I feel like I’m in a state of deep meditation. My mind is not present for a moment. Usually when I am sitting on a rock and look around and let the beauty of nature work its magic on me. A wonderful feeling. I feel the energy, the vibrations of nature. On the shady side it is heavier, in the sunny side it is lighter. Depending on the clouds, there is a play of light and dark. Actually, there are not really good words to describe this. It is more of an experience. Something that words are simply not enough to describe.
A few days ago I was again sitting on a rock in the middle of the Sierra Nevada. I had a view of a valley below me and to my left I could see in the distance the mountain called Mulhacen. My dog, who often accompanied me to rest and also to look around. I looked around and felt the nature and all the beauty around me. My mind was as well as absent and I enjoyed the feeling of being completely alone. What suddenly became clear to me is that the nature around me was not only tangible outside of me, but also within me. And especially in my Hara. Especially to feel this way. Pleasant with a deep contentment from within to be here. Also healing compared to the hustle and bustle of the past few months.
This experience gave me a deeper understanding of how quickly Hara reacts to our environment. How decisive our environment can be for our well-being and how we feel. Now we can’t always choose our environment in which we find ourselves, but we do have some influence over our environment. Our physical environment, but also our social environment
For the time being, I’ll be here in the mountains for a few more weeks and I’ll mostly enjoy the nature around me.
Do you want to experience for yourself how Hara works and whether the Shiatsu profession suits you? Then come to our Introductory days. We have put together a nice program for you.