Working with the HARA in Yoga
What is the meaning of HARA ?
Hara, a term from the Japanese culture of spirituality, means centre, core of being and not just our belly or abs in the physical sense, but more importantly our physical centre of gravity, our so called gut instinct as well as our spiritual centre. The area protects many of our major organs, therefore it often stands for the core of our being, the place where we get our energy fed and from where it starts expanding. Alternatively, it is also the place where we often experience a lot of colours and transformations, and where any imbalances of energy can be experienced. In Eastern medicine, it’s believed that organ imbalances can be diagnosed by your Hara. When your Hara is calm and balanced, your entire being is balanced.
Its location is a few centimetres below the belly button, between the front and back of the body and is associated to the solar plexus. Hara is considered the house of Chi, as per the taoist tradition from where Yin Yoga stems from or Prana, if we refer to the traditional Hatha Yoga. Think about it energetically as also the space of our third chakra, Manipura Chakra, that represents our vital energy, self-esteem, and also our metabolism and process of digestion. It’s seen as the unification of the physical, spiritual and psychological dimensions and helps us connect to all the areas of Life.
Learning to tap into this life force, activate our Hara centre during our Yoga practice, can strengthen our energy, presence, vitality as well as create mental well-being, deeper awareness, a smoother connection to the breath, better emotional self-regulation and last but not least, a better quality of sleep. Some beneficial practices that use the power of the Hara are Ujjayi breath and mindful breathing from the lower abdomen, breath retention practices while engaging the bandhas or energetical centres, any therapeutic asana practices that focus on more grounding sequences by relaxing into the shape or posture and initiate the movement from the abdomen. Moreover, any rituals that involve self-care, nourishing our mind and body and self-healing like gentle massages, journaling, being very mindful when we drink a cup of tea or getting a warm bath with essential oils, anything can help restoring balance in our centre of being, in the Hara.
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