The Energy Center

The Dantian
The energy center of the body is important for the proper handling of vital energy and emotions. This center is recognized in various traditions: In traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts it's known as the Dantian, the Japanese name is Hara, and in the Sufi tradition, it is known as the Kath. 

The location of the dantian, which is your power center, is in the lower belly, about 4 inches below the navel. When you focus attention there, you can expand your awareness to your entire body. Once you're aware of your bull body, energy or power can be directed to anywhere it's needed. 

 

Martial arts practitioners focus their attention on the diantian in order to easily direct power where it is needed. People recovering from mood disorders can benefit from paying attention to the dantian because all emotions can be sensed their. To be in touch with the body requires paying attention to the dantian.

Dantian Meditation
Mindfulness may be practiced by focusing attention on an object, a feeling, or the dantian. This type of meditation is practiced by sitting or standing erect and keeping the attention at the level of the lower belly. By practicing belly breathing, it's possible to focus the attention on the breath and the dantian simultaneously. When you notice that your attention has drifted away from the dantian, simply take a deep belly breath and return the attention.

(It may be helpful to revisit the post on Noticing the Breath or Belly Breathing.)

The practice of qigong may be considered to be a specialized dantian meditation. In addition to the mindfulness benefits, qigong also provides physical and mental healing while building and storing a ready supply of vital energy in the dantian.

 

Moving from your center
In Eastern martial arts, the practitioner not only keeps his attention at the Dantian to more easily move his energy, but also to be able to move from the center. By letting one's movements come from the center, the movements are more powerful.

In the West, we teach the concept of utilizing the dantian power center but our teaching is indirect. For example, in baseball we teach players to swing the bat by swinging through the lower belly--because that's the center of power. The same concept is taught for swinging a golf club and tennis racket. There are countless other sports activities that use the conecpt of the lower abdomen being the power center.