Dantian

Dantian (丹田; Pinyin: dāntián, Romaji: tanden) in traditional Chinese medicine is a center of qi, the vital life force. Three main dantian are typically emphasized: the lower dantian, situated at the lower belly, called hara in Japanese; the middle dantian, at the level of the heart; and the upper dantian, at the forehead between the eyebrows or third eye. Jing (essence) is purified into qi (vitality) in the lower dantian; qi is refined into shen or spirit in the middle dantian; and shen is transmuted into wu wei or emptiness in the upper dantian. The dantian are important focal points in traditional Chinese medicine, for meditative and esoteric practices such as qigong, neidan, neigong, daoyin, Taoist sexual practices, and reiki and for martial arts such as tai chi.