'Hara' bout Some Grounding
Part of the allure and calling of an energetic practitioner is to connect to heavenly energy. We want to be pure, clear, channels for divine messages to deliver to our loved ones, ourselves and for some of us, clients. We focus on connecting to this heavenly Ki/Chi/Energy by clearing and opening our third eyes, working with the angelic realm, and meditating on our higher chakras such as the Soul Star and Stellar Gateway chakras. Building these connections do, indeed, increase our intuitive abilities and allow us to relay celestial information for ourselves and others with greater ease and clarity. BUT…
Let’s think about this logically for a moment. If we spend the majority of our time in the angelic realms, then we are obviously strengthening that part of our energetic body. These meditations are our exercises and we’re building up muscle, if you will, in our head area. As with anything, we’re always striving for a balance, bringing that Hermetic slide from one end of the spectrum back closer to the middle. We need to do the same thing with our energetic exercises to balance ourselves between Heaven and Earth. This is done through grounding exercises and techniques. We may think we’re grounding by taking a minute or two to grow roots out of our feet into the earth, but really, how much time are we taking to truly connect ourselves solidly to our base? When we devote the majority of our time working up in the ethers, we’re enlarging that part of us like a huge, helium-filled balloon. Now that’s all well in good, but if you’ve got nothing to anchor it to (earth energy) then you are going to float away with no stability or tethering to a solid base. You are literally going to be lost in space. We become top heavy and can’t keep ourselves up and this can manifest itself as a person who may be a direct conduit to the angels and give accurate, insightful readings but their own lives are a mess and they are unable to get their own scheiße together. The ideal imagery that we are striving for as energetic messengers is that of a pyramid.
When we work on grounding as our default daily practice, we create a stable, balanced foundation on which to work from. This doesn’t mean that you’re completely disconnecting from higher frequency energy because you’ve already strengthened that part of you; you’re simply remodeling and building from the ground up. When we sit in seiza, lotus or half-lotus during a technique or exercise, our bodies are actually replicating the shape of a pyramid, physically reflecting the energetic goal of our practice. Not that we should have a goal during meditation but that’s another topic for another day.
The Japanese energetic system is based upon three energetic points or diamonds: Earth, Heaven, and Heart. Consider it a different body map to use when doing inner work: an alternative to the Indian chakra system. A beginning exercise that becomes part of a strong daily practice is a breathing technique called Joshin Kokyu Hô which means, “Focusing the mind on one thing with breath.” This is a foundation technique in Reiki—the original Reiki spiritual healing system which Mikao Usui developed about 100 years ago—and part of a complete technique called Hatsurei Hô*. Since its migration to the West, Reiki’s original practices were altered and in the past 15 years or so, the traditional techniques have been reimplemented by inquisitive Reiki practitioners and teachers around the globe such as Bronwen and Frans Stiene, co-founders of the International House of Reiki. These original Reiki techniques, designed to generate more Ki through our energetic channels, are a gift to us all. Their origins appear to have stemmed from Tendai Buddhism, Qi Gong, Mikkyô, martial arts, and Shintô practices.
Before you begin:
Find a place where you will be undisturbed for at least 15 minutes. Decide on your meditation posture. Will you sit in seiza or lotus or choose to stand? After you decide on your posture, take a deep breath, hands in gasshô (prayer position) if you wish, and center yourself. Softly focus your eyes approximately 3 feet in front of you or close your eyes. Breathe in and out a few times.
Place your hands facing palms up on your legs. If you are standing, just allow your arms to rest comfortably by your sides, feet hip width apart.
Draw your attention to the hara; an area approximately 2-3 inches below your navel. This is in a similar area of the sacral chakra for reference. This is the seat of your earth energy-your original energy and the well source of your grounding energy.
On your in breath through the nose, fill your entire body with air allowing your belly to move outward as you do so. Breathe this air into your hara area and hold it for a moment before exhaling.
On the exhale, visualize the energized hara expanding like a balloon, filling your entire body, exiting through every pore of your body, radiating outward into the Universe.
Repeat the last two processes for at least 5 minutes and set your goal at 30 minutes total practice. If you get light headed, stop the exercise and drink some water to ground yourself.
Quite simply, this exercise works. But it’s not enough for me to tell you about it; you must practice it for yourself to reap the benefits. During your first sessions and as you begin to truly ground, you may find that anger and agitation begin to bubble up. Don’t worry, keep practicing and self-treat daily with Reiki or any other energy healing modality you use. It’s also beneficial to write in a journal to record all that comes up and begins to transform during this time. Ideally, this practice is to be used in conjunction with the five elements of the system of Reiki which incorporates the precepts, hands-on-healing, meditations and techniques, symbols and mantras and reiju/attunements.
Grounding guidance, information, audios and videos from the International House of Reiki can be found here.
If you are a Reiki II or III level practitioner practicing the above technique, you can draw the 1st symbol, CKR, in your mind’s eye on the in breath and then chant the mantra of the symbol as you exhale either out loud or mouthing it silently to yourself. This is a powerful addition to this exercise. You can do this throughout the entire exercise or until you feel you are ‘done’ and then return to only breathing. You can’t do this wrong, just be in the moment of your practice. You can also repeat affirmations using this technique if you feel guided.
If you’re interested in learning more about Japanese breathing techniques and Reiki, I recommend The Japanese Art of Reiki by Bronwen and Frans Stiene.
If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact me via the link below or feel free to leave a message in the comment box. I’m here to support you in any way I can.
*A history and guided practice of Hatsurei Hô can be found on a very affordable download entitled Reiki Hô, at Amazon. It is a brilliant companion to your daily practice created by International House of Reiki.