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Hara Techniques / Yin Leg Meridians / Foot Techniques
The Hara is defined by the ribcage above, below
by the oblique lines between the anterior superior
iliac spines and the pubic bone (in other words, the
hip bones). The navel lies in the center of the
hara. To begin hara techniques, first gently locate
all these landmarks on your receiver.
In our
beginning level hara technique we will use a few
simple techniques to contact and move the entire
hara. Approach the hara with great reverence and
sensitivity; you have a whole life under your hands.
Begin by resting
the weight of both
hands in hara.
Compare left and
right hara regions.
Compare upper
and lower hara
regions.
Stirring the soup....
The Sandwich. Closeup on
left, farther shot of
practitionerʼs positioning on
right. Let the weight of your
hand on top rest on the hara.
With the hand underneath,
gently squeeze the muscles
on both sides of the spine
simultaneously.
Feel for a
sense of connection between
the two hands.
Picking up the Leg / Leg Rotations
Prepare to move into rotation.
Crawl down Stomach Meridian.
L hand is mother hand.
R hand is messenger hand.
Lean back to pull receiverʼs
leg onto your leg.
Lean back to raise your leg
and elevate receiverʼs leg.
Put your hand below the knee
joint.
Bend the receiverʼs knee
toward the chest. Put your
own leg back down.
Move into a lunge position with your
outside leg. You are now ready to
rotate the leg!
Transition to Yin Leg Working Position
Brace the receiverʼs knee with
your hara so that you can...
...move your hand from the
leg to the ankle.
Steer the leg into the working
position for the Spleen
Meridian. (The bottom of the
receiverʼs foot should be
facing the side of the calf on
the other leg.)
Allow the
receiverʼs leg to stretch open
on itʼs own. Get your own
body out from underneath the
leg.
The traditional Spleen meridian starts at the medial
edge of the big toe, and travels up the medial aspect of
the instep and over the medial malleolus to ascend the
inner surface of the leg, in the groove posterior to the
kneecap, then up the medial edge of the rectus femoris
just medial to the midline of the thigh. It moves up the
groin briefly before ascending the abdomen, lateral to
the Stomach meridian along the outside border of the
rectus abdominis, then ascends the ribcage diagonally
and laterally, then up the lateral edge of the breast to
the second intercostal space, then descends to its last
point halfway down the side of the ribcage.
(Beresford-Cooke, Carola, Shiatsu: Theory and Practice,
Elsevier 2003. p188.
Treating the Spleen Meridian
in the leg. L hand stays in
hara as mother hand. R hand
is messenger hand.
In the lower leg, locate Spleen
in the groove found just
medial to the sharp bony ridge
of the tibia (shin bone).
In the upper leg, locate
Spleen on the medial border
of the rectus femoris (the
muscle on the top of the leg
that you can easily grab on
yourself)
Move the leg into the Liver Meridian working position. The bottom
of the receiverʼs foot should be facing the opposite knee.
The traditional Liver meridian begins on the lateral side
of the big toenail and ascends the dorsum of the foot
between the first and second metatarsals to the medial
side of the ankle. From there it runs on the posterior
border of the tibia to a point two-thirds of the way up
the leg, where it begins to curve away from the bone
towards the medial end of the knee crease. It runs up
the inside of the thigh under the gracilis muscle,
through the genitals, up the groin and the lateral
abdomen to the sixth intercostal space.
(Beresford-Cooke, Carola, Shiatsu: Theory and Practice,
Elsevier 2003. p125.
Treating the Liver Meridian in the leg. L hand stays in the hara as mother hand. Locate LV3 at the
meeting point of the bones of the big toe and second toe. Follow the meridian into the medial aspect
of the calf. In the upper leg, Liver often matches up with the inseam of the pants.
Move leg into Kidney Meridian
position, bottom of foot facing the
opposite thigh.
The traditional Kidney meridian begins on the sole of the
foot, in the hollow where the instep meets the ball of the
foot. It ascends the inner aspect of the foot to a point
between the ankle bone and the Achilles tendon, circles
back on itself around the inner surface of the heel, then
ascends again by way of SP-6, up the inner curve of the
calf muscle to the point at the back of the knee on the
medial side where two tendons of the hamstrings join. It
goes straight up the medial surface of the thigh, posterior
to the adductor muscles, to the area where the groin
joins the perineum It goes internal at this point, reemerging on the abdomen immediately above the pubic
bone and about half a thumbʼs width from the midline,
and then ascends the torso, widening to outline the edges of the sternum, and ending in the hollow
below the medial end of the collarbone.
(Beresford-Cooke, Carola, Shiatsu: Theory and Practice, Elsevier 2003. p101.
Treating the Kidney Meridian in the leg. L hand stays in the hara as mother hand. Find KI 1 in the
center of the sole of the foot below the ball. Locate Kidney way to the back of the calf, and way to the
back of the thigh, almost to the Bladder Meridian.
Transition to Foot Techniques - Picking up Leg
Lean back to pull receiverʼs
leg onto your leg.
Lean back to raise your leg
and elevate receiverʼs leg.
Put your hand below the knee
joint.
Bend the receiverʼs knee
toward the chest. Put your
own leg back down.
Move into a lunge position with your
outside leg. Optionally perform leg
rotations.
Prepare to reposition
yourself for foot technique.
Transition to Foot Techniques - Repositioning your Body
Brace the receiverʼs knee with
your hara so that you can
move your hand from the leg
to the ankle.
Use a supporting hand
beneath receiverʼs knee.
Straighten the receiverʼs leg
as you move towards....
...sitting in seiza position with
the receiverʼs ankle over your
thigh.
Foot Techniques
Rotating the ankle.
Make
circles with your entire hara.
The receiverʼs nose should
move when you do ankle
rotations.
Pumpkin scoop. Lean away
from the receiver to scoop
your loose fist from heel to
toe.(1)
Lean towards the
receiver to scoop from toe to
heel.(2)
1
2
Yang Leg Meridians
The traditional Stomach meridian is one of the longest in
the body. It is one of the three great Yang “postural”
meridians and supports the front of the body in the same
way that the Bladder supports the back and the Gall
Bladder supports the sides. It begins under the eye to
the jawline, where a secondary line branches out to the
corner of the hairline. The meridian then descends on
either side of the esophagus to run horizontally along the
superior edge of the clavicle to its midpoint, whence it
descends to the nipple. It then runs down the ribcage
and narrows to descend the abdomen in a straight line to
just above the pubic bone, outside of the thigh
It
descends the lateral border of the rectus femoris (just
outside the midline of the thigh) to the lateral border of the kneecap, then down the tibialis anterior,
just lateral to the shinbone, to the center of the front of the ankle and down the dorsum of the foot
between the second and third metatarsals to the lateral edge of the nail of the second toe.
(Beresford-Cooke, Carola, Shiatsu: Theory and Practice, Elsevier 2003. p197.
L hand is mother hand, in hara. R hand treats down to Stomach 36 below the knee. Stomach can be
found just lateral to rectus femoris (the muscle on the top of the leg that you can easily grasp).
R hand becomes mother
hand. L hand moves to meet
it.
L hand becomes mother
hand. R hand treats down to
the meridian to the ankle. In
the lower leg, Stomach can be
found in the muscle just
lateral to the hard surface of
the tibia (shin bone).
This
muscle is tibialis anterior.
Transition to Gall Bladder Meridian
Holding at the receiverʼs
ankle, lift the receiverʼs
straight leg into the air.
Use your other hand to bend
the receiverʼs knee.
Brace the receiverʼs knee with
your hara so that you can
move your hand from the leg
to the ankle.
Brace the receiverʼs knee with
your hara so that you can
move your hand from the leg
to the ankle.
Move the leg into the Gall
Bladder working position.
Receiverʼs foot should flat on
the floor next to the other
knee.
Working Gall Bladder in Supine
L hand is mother hand, in hara. R hand treats down Gallbladder
in the thigh. Gallbladder often lines up with the outside seam of
the pants, right down the iliotibial band of muscle.
Now, switch your knee to be
against your receiverʼs thigh,
so that youʼre free to treat the
lower leg.
Treating the Gallbladder
Meridian in the lower leg. L
hand remains as mother hand
in the hara. Gallbladder can
be located just medial to the
fibula; the harder-to-find bone
more to the lateral side of the
lower leg.
Gall Bladder Spinal Twist
Hold below your receiverʼs
knee joint and remove your
knee from their leg.
Stretch the knee towards the
chest.
Stretch the leg across the
body.
Place your hand on the receiverʼs shoulder to create a
satisfying oppositional stretch between the two hands,
through the Gallbladder meridian. This is a great stretch
for releasing tension through the low back, and through
GB 30, where accumulated tension can lead to sciatic
pain.
Transition to the other side
Bring the knee to the chest.
Bring your L hand to below
the knee to support the leg.
Move your R hand to support
underneath the ankle.
Bring your L hand to support
beneath knee knee as you
move towards...
Sitting below the ankles with
both feet in your lap. You can
lean back to stretch the entire
spine.
Now come to an upright
kneeling position with your
receiverʼs feet in your hara.
This frees your hands to...
...bend your receiverʼs knees
as you crawl in towards their
body.
Place your hands below the
knee joints. Separate your
hara from your receiverʼs feet.
Stand up and put your feet on either side of your receiverʼs
hips. Place your knees just below their knees on their ST 36
points. Now you can rotate your receiverʼs hips by moving
your own hara and lower body.
Continue holding your
receiverʼs knees to their
chest. Step over to kneel on
the new side of your receiver.
(Side and Front views)
Use your L hand, supporting
just below the knee, to gently
straighten the R leg.
(Side and Front views)
Move your L hand to support
below your receiverʼs L knee
joint.
(Side and Front views)
Move your R hand to the
hara.
Brace your receiverʼs knee
against your hara. Move your
L hand to the ankle.
Steer the leg to lie straight on
the ground.
This completes the supine yang leg sequence on one side.
You can repeat on this side. Whenever youʼre comfortable,
you can put the entire leg sequence together and treat both
the yin and yang meridians and the foot of one side before
moving to the other side.