The Hara — Returning to Your Energetic Center
- Ornela Ritter
- Feb 8
- 3 min read
In a world that moves quickly, many of us live more in the head than in the body. Japanese Reiki meditation invites a return to the hara — the quiet center below the navel where breath, awareness and grounded presence meet. This article explores grounded awareness through simple practices like Joshin Kokyu Ho, we can rediscover a natural rhythm of calm energy and inner balance.
Grounded awareness through Reiki, breath and Japanese meditation
In Japanese Reiki and Zen traditions, true stability does not begin in the head — it begins in the hara, the energetic center located just below the navel.
Often called the tanden, the hara is the place where breath, body and awareness meet.
When attention settles here, the nervous system softens, thoughts slow down and presence becomes natural.
Mikao Usui (1865–1926), founder of the Japanese Reiki system, taught Reiki as a path of self-cultivation — returning to balance through breath, presence and grounded awareness.
Meditation, in this sense, is not about escaping the body.
It is about returning to the center.
Why the Hara Matters in Reiki and Meditation
In Japanese Reiki practice, grounding awareness in the lower abdomen allows energy to gather naturally — without force.
Many traditions share this understanding:
Zen breathing strengthens the tanden.
Aikido describes the hara as the origin of harmonious movement.
Tibetan teachings guide restless energy downward to calm the mind.
Zen teacher Dainin Katagiri described it simply:
“The hara is a point of balance and source of ki, or life-force energy.”
Modern life often pulls attention upward into speed and mental activity.
When awareness returns to the hara, emotions begin to move more freely and the body regains a sense of stability.
Grounded awareness begins in the body — not in thinking.
Breathing Into the Hara — Joshin Kokyu Ho
In traditional Japanese Reiki, breath is the bridge that reconnects us with our center.
One of the core practices is Joshin Kokyu Ho, often translated as breathing of the pure mind.
Joshin Kokyu Ho (浄心呼吸法) is a gentle breathing method where awareness settles into the hara through natural, unforced breath.
Jo (浄) — pure, clear
Shin (心) — heart or mind
Kokyu (呼吸) — breath
Ho (法) — method or practice
Rather than controlling energy, the practice allows breathing to slow down until presence arises naturally.
Zen teacher Taisen Deshimaru emphasised:
“Your breathing should be slow and long and reach far down into your abdomen, your hara.”
When the breath drops downward:
shoulders soften
the mind becomes quieter
energy gathers without effort
A Simple Hara Breathing Practice
Inhale gently through the nose.
Imagine the breath flowing downward like a quiet river into the lower abdomen.
Allow the breath to rest there for a moment.
Feel the subtle expansion in the hara as energy gathers naturally — without force.
Exhale slowly through your skin into your surroundings, as if the whole body is breathing.
Energy follows the mind.
And often the most challenging step is simply bringing awareness back to the hara — again and again, with patience.
There is nothing to achieve.
Just return to the center, and let the breath do the work.
Practicing Together — Healing.Barcelona
Breathing into the hara deepens naturally through regular practice.
Beginning with just a few minutes each day can gently grow into a grounding ritual — and practicing together in a shared space can make the experience even more supportive.
During our monthly online Reiki Meditation at Healing.Barcelona we explore this practice as a gentle way to cultivate grounded energy and inner stillness.
The intention is not performance — but presence.
We continue this practice together in our free monthly online Reiki Meditation — a shared space to reconnect with breath, body and inner stillness.
If this resonates with you, you are warmly welcome to join our free Healing Circle — a shared space to come home to breath and stillness.
You can register through the form on our Home page.
Reiki meditation is a gentle way to return to yourself — integrating breath, awareness and subtle energy into everyday life. Through practices such as visualisation, grounded breathing and quiet presence, a deeper sense of balance can unfold naturally over time.
There is no single right way to practice. What matters most is finding a rhythm that feels true to you, and allowing it to become a quiet, supportive part of your life.
Return to the hara, and let the breath guide you home. — Healing.Barcelona
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