Dantian, dan t'ian, dan tien or tan t'ien (Chinese: 丹田 dāntián ; Japanese: 丹田 tanden; Korean: 단전 danjeon; Thai: ตันเถียน dantian literally "cinnabar or red field") is loosely translated as "elixir field", "sea of qi", or simply "energy center". Dantians are important focal points for meditative and exercise techniques such as qigong, martial arts such as T'ai chi ch'uan, and in traditional Chinese medicine.[1][2]
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Traditionally, a dantian is considered to be a center of qi or life force energy.[1][2] The dantians are important points of reference in neidan, qigong, neigong, tao yin and other self-cultivation practices of exercise, breathing, and meditation, as well as in martial arts and in traditional Chinese medicine. The lower dantian is particularly important as the focal point of breathing technique as well as the center of balance and gravity.[3]
Taoist and Buddhist teachers often instruct their students to center the mind in the navel or lower dantian. This is believed to aid control of thoughts and emotions. Acting from the dantian is considered to be related to higher states of awareness or samadhi.
The Taoist concept of dantians as energy centers is similar to the Indian yoga concept of chakras as key points through where prana is stored (see also nadis).
Different schools of thought categorize dantians in various manners. Three main dantians are typically emphasized:[1][2]
The term dantian used by itself usually refers to the lower dantian, which is considered to be the foundation of rooted standing, breathing, and body awareness in qigong and martial arts. The lower dantian has been described to be "like the root of the tree of life".[2]
In speaking of the lower of the three points, the term dantian is often used interchangeably with the Japanese word hara (腹; Chinese: fù) which means simply "belly". In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditions, it is considered the physical center of gravity of the human body and is the seat of one's internal energy (qi). A master of calligraphy, swordsmanship, tea ceremony, martial arts, among other arts, is held in the Japanese tradition to be "acting from the hara".
The lower dantian corresponds to the yoga concept of the swadhisthana, or navel chakra. In yoga philosophy, it is thought to be the seat of prana that radiates outwards to the entire body.[6]
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