Do you know anything about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)? Think acupuncture, and even by extension Tai Chi and Qi Gong.
Recently I learned about a cool TCM concept, dantian.
Dantian are power centers in our bodies, similar to chakras. There are only three, known as: upper, middle and lower.
The upper dantian (shen) is said to relate to spirit and intelligent consciousness. It is located on the body approximately where your 3rd eye is.
The middle dantian (qi/chi) is known as the home of universal energy and sits right around the heart chakra, in the center of your chest. This one is directly linked to the idea of life force.
The lower dantian (jing) is said to comprise and reflect our genetic makeup, and is considered the source from which the physical body/essence is made manifest! Jing is also often equated to kundalini energy (from the vedic or yogic traditions.)
This dantian is located 2 finger widths below the navel.
So what?
Well, just like we know that there are incredible benefits from doing different kinds of yogic breathing, we can do the same with dantian.
In fact, it’s believed that when an individual’s essence, their lower dantian or jing, is healthy and robust, that life force rises into the middle dantian (qi), helping us open our hearts.
Jing is also related to the kidneys and adrenals as well as our fight/flight response. Doing breath work here, can ease feelings of anxiety and distress as well as support our physical bodies.
Cool huh?
So I decided I wanted to strengthen my jing by doing a breathing meditation.
This is a way to consciously move energy between the lower and middle dantians.
Want to give it a try? It’s #68 on the podaces, and is called, Ignite Your Power Center.
If you’re anything like me, it’s way easier to stay in those upper realms than be in the lower chakras. But to be balanced, grounded and healthy, we need to awaken and heal these parts of ourselves.
This technique oxygenates your body, awakens and moves qi (life force) and is healing to our systems on so many levels.