Also to know is, what does Hara mean?
Translated from the Japanese hara simply means belly, yet there is so much more to this intriguing word. At a deeper level the word, hara, means one's true nature; who one truly is as a human being. So it is not just a physical centre in the body but also the centre of one's true nature.
One may also ask, why Shiva is called Hara? Shiva receives the name as “Shiva” - “the auspicious” of accepting the sanctified water poured by C. Brahma to the feet of Lord Vishnu. Hara is the abbreviation from “Harati”. which means that one who snatches or clears away.
Keeping this in view, what is the Hara in Zen?
The Hara or lower Dantian, as conceptualised by the Chinese and Japanese martial arts, is important for their practice, because it is seen, as the term "Sea of Qi" indicates, as the reservoir of vital or source energy (Yuan Qi). It is, in other words, the vital centre of the body as well as the centre of gravity.
How do I strengthen my Hara?
Place your hands on your lower abdomen and breathe slowly in and out through your nose, letting tension drop away with every exhale until you can feel your breath move under your hands. (see Figure b) Notice if you set the hara on the exhale that the belly does not deflate or lose its sense of expansion.
