Centering, Qi Gong and Breathing, Energetic Acupuncture
Where is the center of the human body? “The dantian is located
between the kidneys and the navel….three cun [body inches] below
the navel. This is where yin and yang are brought into balance.” So it
was written in an ancient Chinese text, the Classic of Difficulty.
Many meditative forms urge concentration, or placing one’s
awareness, on this area below and behind the navel. Qi Gong, a
commmonly practiced Chinese breathing and meditative exercise
often utilizes this concept: relaxing the breathing and feeling the
movement of the dantian with the breath.
This practice is thought to lead to the cultivation of qi, a Chinese
word meaning both breath and energy. When the body’s center is
relaxed, then the dantian is able to regulate “the metabolism of the
inner organs, meridians, blood and qi, enabling them to flow
unimpeded.” [Dong Shaoming, “Heaven Earth”, Vol1, #3, p6.]
When the center is thus relaxed, the periphery becomes
balanced in turn. For example, when one has pain it should be
acknowledged, since it has entered one’s consciousness, but one
should then return the awareness to the dantian, allowing the center
and the breathing to relax. Focusing awareness on a painful area,
allows that perception to take up more and more of one’s awareness,
which may in turn feel as if the pain is worsening. If the center, the
dantian, can maintain relaxation, it may in turn help the pain. Pain is
considered in Chinese medicine a blockage of qi and blood flow;
focusing and relaxing the dantian may help ease this blockage.
This concept is practiced in some styles of Japanese
acupuncture, which utilize the palpation of the Hara, the abdomen
including the dantian. Areas of tension and tenderness are treated,
most often by distal points on the limbs. These points are able to in
turn lead to less pain and tension of the Hara. And this, in many
cases, improves symptoms for many patients. Again, when the
center is relaxed and comfortable, the rest of the body can follow.