Yesterday I was watering the allotment. This involves carrying two watering cans, a fair distance, a number of times……

When I do this I think about my Shiatsu training and the idea of ‘coming from Hara.’ This is the abdominal area and all my movements when giving a treatment ideally come from this area.

Whilst training I remember trying to do every task from Hara – washing-up, gardening, hoovering – one fellow student even tried to brush her teeth from Hara 😁😂😁

Why is Hara such an important focus in Shiatsu?

In Shiatsu it is the centre of energy in the body.
In a treatment my energy flow is at it’s best when it comes from the Hara. This in turn helps the flow of energy in the client’s body.

It represents the ‘Intuition’ rather than the ‘analytical.’ In a treatment it is a grounded and quiet space. This helps the client to feel safe and secure. It also allows me to hear what treatment the body is asking for.

How is the Hara relevant to everyone?

Often in a treatment it becomes clear that either the client is caught up in their own thoughts – constantly using their analytical brain – or that their life demands they use their analytical brain a lot.

I often suggest to a client that sitting quietly and connecting to their Hara (their intuition) may help still their mind – and may also generate more energy across their whole body.

A good exercise to begin to connect with the Hara is to practice some deep breathing. Taking slow deep breaths right down into the belly area.

Also taking a moment to sit quietly before deciding on a decision. What is your ‘gut’ saying? What is the quiet, centred area of your body saying? What is your Hara saying?

This maybe useful as we head out of lockdown. There is likely to be more decisions to make – and maybe coming from Hara can help.

Xx

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For more information on Shiatsu you may like to head to the Shiatsu Society page – http://www.shiatsusociety.org