Hello and welcome to this meditation on activating the Hara center for vitality and power.
This meditation will start with brief instructions and then will be followed by a bell which will signify the beginning of this practice followed by an end at the end of this guided meditation.
The Hara center is an energetic focal point is two inches below the navel.
It is known as the storehouse of energy and power.
So by bringing our attention to this spot two inches below our navel we can generate this vital energy and power which can energize us in our practice.
And the Hara spot is well known in Zen Buddhism for example where if you either practice in Zen monasteries or have read a lot of books about Zen you'll know that a lot of Zen masters encourage their students to bring their focal point and put all their power in their Hara area which again is two inches below the navel.
So by the students bringing their mind's eye or attention to the navel as opposed to the nostrils for breathing for example they instead generate a sense of power and strength that isn't otherwise accessed when focusing on other meditation objects.
Now in this meditation we will be bringing our focal point to the Hara but in addition to that there will be an additional technique of visualizing an object of your choosing on the abdomen.
This could be a crystal,
A gem,
A coal,
Pebble,
A sphere of light and as you breathe in to the Hara or the abdomen you will imagine or visualize heat emanating from this object which then warms up your abdomen essentially powering up the energetic center of your Hara.
And as you breathe out you will see this heat begin to spread and reach your entire body.
So by the end of this practice as you continue to breathe in generating heat and as you breathe out spreading this heat to all of your body you will feel very strong currents of heat suffusing your body with this vital energy and that has its origin or center point in the abdomen.
So you can see that this practice can be very vitalizing and energizing and can be used to bring alertness throughout your day but also as a very good warm-up for other meditative practices.
In this practice I do recommend keeping your eyes open as is traditionally done in Zen Buddhism for example but you can choose to keep it closed if it's easier to visualize.
We'll begin now.
Take a moment and find an upright posture with your spine straight and your ears in line with your shoulders.
Bring your attention inward and bring your mind's eye or your attention to the navel area.
And specifically two inches below the navel.
Simply watch your abdomen rise and fall as you naturally inhale and exhale.
Not controlling the breath in any way but just observing your breaths at the abdomen.
If your attention has wandered away from the hara area,
Maybe two thoughts in your head,
Simply just observe and redirect your focus back to two inches below your navel and just watch the breath come in and out,
Rise and fall in the abdomen.
With your attention still rested in the abdomen,
Begin to now visualize a small object that's rested two inches below your navel.
This could be a crystal or a gem,
A coal,
A pebble or even a sphere of light.
Make sure that this object is roughly about two inches or so,
So not too big.
And try to keep the same object for the duration of this meditation.
Once you've chosen the object,
Now imagine that this object contains a bit of heat already present.
So it has a warming touch.
So as you inhale,
You'll notice your abdomen press against this object and begin to warm up.
And in turn,
With the vitality starting to develop in your abdomen,
You'll notice that this too contains a bit of heat.
So begin to see this heat now enter into the object.
Both mutually invigorating your abdomen with this vital energy and warmth.
As you exhale,
See this heat that is starting to develop in your abdomen just begin to spread out,
Entering your hips and reaching up to the lower chest.
And notice these areas begin to warm up.
If your mind has wandered,
Gently guide it back to the abdomen.
And first,
Just notice your breath at the abdomen.
Notice your abdomen rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.
And from there,
Notice that as you inhale,
The heat from your abdomen starts to enter into your object of choice.
At the same time,
Upon contact,
The object warms your abdomen.
And then as you exhale,
Notice that this heat now spreads across your body.
Notice that as the heat from your abdomen starts to spread,
Begins to warm up.
It now starts to spread from your abdomen to your chest and into your arms.
And now down into your legs.
You're not able to feel the heat all the way.
And simply just bring more attention to the abdomen and observe the object of your choice.
So fuse your abdomen with more heat.
And this vitality that is generated in the abdomen will eventually spread as your attention moves,
As your concentration begins to build.
So simply just trust the process and bring more focus to the abdomen.
And once this heat generates here,
It will then spread to other areas of your body.
Begin to now observe the heat generated from your abdomen.
Now begin to spread from the chest area,
The arms,
To begin to enter the neck and the head.
And also spread down from your legs,
Down to the feet.
With your attention still rest on the abdomen,
Observe the heat spread across your entire body.
So fusing your body with energy and vitality.
Now begin to watch your breath at the abdomen,
Noticing it rise and fall and generate heat.
And at the same time,
Observe the heat within your body.
Simply spread on its own accord,
Without you trying to move it or control it.
Now take a moment to drop your attention away from noticing the breath at the abdomen and noticing the heat that's built up within your body.
And just observe how you feel in this present moment.
How has your energy changed since the beginning of this practice?
Take a moment to now bring your hands to heart center.
You may open your eyes if they're closed.
And now thank yourself for taking the time to practice today.
