Don't Forget Do-In: Self Hara Massage for Strength & Clarity
Don’t forget Do-In!
Self Hara Massage, also called Do-In, is a powerful option for boosting your strength and clarity.
Self hara massage is a simple 5-10 minute practice you can use anytime you like to get a boost of strength and clarity. If you haven’t been in shiatsu school for awhile, which I think is pretty much everyone right now, you may have forgotten a very basic yet powerful practice that you probably learned during your training: Do-In (dō-een’), a form of self shiatsu. In order to provide a quick pick-me-up option for you, we put together a protocol for doing hara (abdominal) Do-In. It’s a great way to shift your condition for the better, both physically and mentally.
What is hara?
Hara is a Japanese word. Anatomically, it refers to the abdomen, but it means much more than that. Hara is the center of a person, not only physically, but also energetically. Some believe it to be the spiritual center of the body. Each individual is seen as a microcosm of the universe, and the hara is seen as a microcosm of a person's whole life. When you strengthen your hara, you’re shifting your whole being towards wholeness, vitality, and balance.
Hara: Translating Dreams into Reality
The hara is the seat of the digestive system. Not only does it transform food into energy, it supports us in transforming ideas into reality.
We consider the hara to play a major role in translating our ideas, images, and dreams into physical reality. There are several reasons that we connect hara to the activity of manifestation. First of all, it is the physical seat of our digestive system, which converts food into usable fuel for our body to function and act in the world. The hara transforms food into energy so that we can act, so that we can carry out our visions on the physical plane. The hara also holds the reproductive organs, which function to spark and create new life in manifested form.
Another factor in the hara’s function to translate dreams into reality it that it is the energetic center and physical component of the conception vessel meridian, an electromagnetic current which runs up the front of the body. The word conception is defined as ‘the process of becoming pregnant .” When the conception vessel meridian is flowing with strength and balance, it gives the capacity for visions to begin forming into third dimensional reality through a process of fertilization. Ideas become pregnant. They enter the phase of developing into physicalized form. When conception vessel is flowing well, our ability to conceive is enhanced.
A third factor that contributes to the hara’s role in manifestation is related to the hip structure.The hip structure is the bony aspect of the hara, and the hip joints are the mechanism that set the hara into motion. The hara and its motion are prominent factors in moving our intentions into the life sphere; they play a strong role in determining what unfolds there.
Self Hara Massage
You can empower your capacity for conscious creation by doing self hara massage for a few minutes. Try it every morning for 30 days and you will see substantial positive results in your life. When your hara is more clear and balanced, your whole life becomes more clear and balanced. This also spreads out into the world around you. Whatever appears to be unfolding in the external world, be it political, environmental, social, viral…. there is always a potent option for addressing it: working within yourself to create the change you want to experience. And the hara is a very potent part of yourself on which to focus. It could be where your greatest leverage lies.
At the basic physical level, doing hara Do-In has many positive effects in the body including better circulation, digestion, absorption, and oxygenation. Blood quality improves. Hormonal function steps up, reproductive organs awaken and sexual energy receives a boost. The flow of Conception Vessel, the meridian that energizes our ability to materialize our thoughts and dreams, is increased. The physical and energetic benefits are tremendous!
Download Hara Do-In Directions
If you want to try hara Do-In and want some guidance on a simple protocol, below is a link you can click to download your copy of Hara Do-In Directions we put together. You can follow up this Do-In with any other self development work you enjoy. In fact, this podcast episode guides a process which begins with hara Do-In and then goes into light body activation material, including working with the root chakra, earth and other cosmic alignments.
30 Day Challenge
By doing hara Do-In for a few minutes a day, you can strengthen your physical, emotional and mental health and watch the effects ripple out into your life sphere. We challenge you to do this hara massage every day for the next 30 days and see what unfolds in your life. As we focus on the theme of hara and conception vessel for this next month, we ourselves will be doing this every morning in order to strengthen our own haras. It would be great to hear back from you at the end of 30 days to find out what you notice in yourself and your life.
Learn How to Give a Hara Treatment
If you want to use your hands and heart to support those around you, we offer a great video instruction course on traditional hara treatment. You don’t have to be a shiatsu therapist to take this class - anyone can learn these skills to increase the health of family and friends. In fact, shiatsu was traditionally used as an everyday tools for families to take care of themselves, rather than reserved for professional practitioners. However, the bulk of people who enroll in our online courses are professional bodyworkers looking to deepen and expand their repertoire. Click the link below for information & enrollment:
Other Ways to Support Hara Health
Here are some other ways you can support the health of your hara:
give yourself good quality fresh food, cooked with love, and eaten in a relaxed manner
trust your inner guidance to lead you to the most optimal supplements, teas, and special treats without being too rigid
get plenty of rest in a dark, quiet room
spend plenty of time in nature; give yourself some moments to sit and absorb the healing frequencies of earth
cultivate nourishing thoughts and beliefs
keep reaching for relief/improvement in how you feel no matter what is going on around you - contentment is a skill you can practice
Self hara massage can be transformative work. In a way it’s so simple, while also being very penetrating at physical, emotional and mental levels. Taking care of your hara increases your capacity for conscious creation, empowering you to manifest your visions into this earth plane. Here’s to hara health for all of us!