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 by Keith Sherwood

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

After emerging from Universal Consciousness, creative feminine energy began to function as the driving force of evolution. It is feminine energy emerging from every corner of the universe and from every female of every species that provides the power to create and procreate.

Feminine energy is universal and life-affirming. It motivates humans to unite and to experience intimacy with one another. It can never be taken away from you; because of that, it makes everybody a healer; a lover; and, on the deepest level, a radiant, transcendent being who has the capacity to transform the world through their work and relationships. The energy we’re talking about goes by many names and has been venerated in many societies. Taoists in China call it Chi or Ki. In India, it's called Prana and Shakti. It doesn't matter what name it goes by; this extraordinary energy can be used to heal trauma and physical disease. You can use it to empower yourself and to heal restrictive patterns that limit you and disrupt your relationships. And, most importantly, because it only has universal qualities, it can be used to heal your soul and spirit on the deepest levels so that you can experience the transcendent love and joy that is your birthright.

Below are two simple ways to increase the amount of feminine energy available to you; first by finding your strong center in Hara, and then by learning to perform the empowerment mudra.

Finding Your Strong Center
Your Hara is located four finger widths below your navel and about one inch (four centimeters) forward from your spine. In Japanese, the word "Hara" means abdomen. Hara is often linked with another Japanese word, Tanden, which means "elixir field." Hara can therefore be understood to be the place in your physical body where you can find the elixir of life. It's also the place where you can reclaim your powerful center in your physical body.

Most people in the West are unaware of the importance of Hara, which is one reason why so many people still lack all the vitality and healing energy available to them. It also explains why so many people are out of balance—and why they're suspended from a point just above their shoulders and dangle there like puppets. Their physical body, its posture and the way it moves, reflects the fact that they have not made Hara a part of their everyday life. Problems such as poor posture, chronic muscle tension (which inhibits the flow of prana through the human energy system), compressed and twisted spine, cramped body organs, and poor circulation can be directly linked to being balanced from the shoulders—and not from Hara. Not being centered in your strong center can create additional problems. It can put strain on the joints and ligaments, which can contribute to mental and physical fatigue—even depression.

So, what is to be gained by Hara? A great deal. Finding your strong center in Hara will empower you. It will connect the energy centers in your abdomen with those in your heart and head. Your reproductive organs will receive more nourishment and will function better. And, by liberating the energy in your abdomen you will have greater access to your deepest emotions and feelings.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that most spiritual traditions agree that a solid foundation is a prerequisite for personal growth. Even nature itself reflects this principle. For a tree to reach the heavens it must have a solid foundation in the earth. Without this, the tree is liable to remain weak and reactive to each small change in the weather.

Exercise: Hara Breathing
To center yourself in Hara you will use a breathing technique that has been practiced in the Far East for centuries called "hara breathing." If you feel alienated from your body or empty and in need of inner strength, agitated or overwhelmed, or scared or angry, breathing into the hara will ease these feelings by bringing you back into your strong center and into balance with the rest of the world.

You can practice hara breathing in any position as long as your back is straight. For now, we suggest you perform hara breathing while you're lying down on your back. As you progress, you can practice the exercise in a sitting or standing position.

Begin hara breathing with your arms at your sides, palms up, and your fingers loosely extended. Your eyes should be closed and your jaw kept loose by allowing your mouth to drop open comfortably. From this position, begin breathing deeply through your nose for about three to four minutes. Then bring your mental attention to your hara, four finger widths below your navel.

Once you've brought your mental attention to hara, use the middle finger of your positive hand (right hand if you're right-handed, left hand if you're left-handed) to make small clockwise circles around hara. In a short time, you'll notice sensations emerging from that vital point. You could experience warmth, tingling and-or throbbing sensations, coolness or pressure. None of these sensations should worry you; they're all normal. After a few moments, place both your hands directly on your hara. At the same time, touch your tongue to your upper palate, directly behind your teeth. This will connect the female and male currents of prana in your energy field and enhance your experience.

Once your hands are in position, you will use the prana entering your energy field on each inhalation to activate your hara even further. To do that, inhale deeply through the nose into hara for a count of five. As you fill hara with prana, visualize that a fluid is flowing in, filling that vital point with energy and light. Retain your breath for a count of five while your mental attention remains focused on hara. During the retention, as the level of prana increases, you will begin to feel your hara heating up and your center of balance shifting into vital point.

After you've retained the breath for a count of five, exhale through your mouth for a count of five. There should be no separation between exhalation and the next inhalation. Only in the retention is the natural rhythm broken.

Perform this exercise two to three times a week for about twenty minutes. By mastering hara breathing, you will return to your true center which is in hara.

The Empowerment Mudra
Another way to enhance your power is to perform the empowerment mudra. The empowerment mudra is designed to enhance the transmutation of feminine energy into power and to distribute it uniformly throughout your subtle energy field.

A mudra is a symbolic gesture that can be made with the hands and fingers or in combination with the tongue and feet. The word "mudra" comes from the Sanskrit root "mud," which means "delight or pleasure." Although new to the Western world, mudras have been used in the East for centuries to enhance the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Taoists in Ancient China used them to find inner peace; Indian mystics used them to attain samadhi (enlightenment); and healers have used them to heal everything from headaches to arthritis.

Mudras work because they stimulate the flow of subtle energy, prana-chi, through specific energetic centers and meridians in the subtle energy system. By stimulating these points for extended periods of time, usually for five minutes or more, it's possible to release blocked energy that can heal self-limiting and destructive patterns and lead to enhanced levels of self-awareness.

Exercise: The Empowerment Mudra
To perform the mudra, find a comfortable position with your back straight. Then place the tip of your tongue directly behind the point where your teeth meet your upper gum. Put the outside tips of your thumbs together to form a triangle. Then put the tips of your index fingers together to form the second triangle. Once the tips of your index fingers are touching, put the outside of your middle and ring fingers together from the first to the second joint. Then put the inside tips of your pinkies together to form a third triangle.

When you look down at your hands, you will see three triangles. The first triangle has been created by your thumbs. The second triangle has been created by your index fingers, and the third triangle has been created by your pinkies. Hold the mudra for ten minutes with your eyes closed. After ten minutes, release the mudra. Then count from one to five and open your eyes. Your will feel wide awake, perfectly relaxed, and better than before.

By practicing the two exercises in this article regularly, for even a short time, you will experience the power that emerges from feminine energy—that's because all the universal feminine energy you will ever need is already within you.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015. All rights reserved.