In your Chanrou class, you may have heard the teacher say:
"Let the energy radiate outward from the solar plexus." "Feel the solar plexus open." "The movement originates from the solar plexus."
You nodded, but a question lingered in your mind: Where is the solar plexus? What is it? Why does Chanrou value it so much?
The solar plexus, mentioned in Chanrou's classes, is both the body's nerve center and a symbolic center of energy. Understanding it can help you find the source of your breath, strength, and confidence in your practice.
What is the solar plexus?
The solar plexus, anatomically known as the celiac plexus, is located below the diaphragm and behind the stomach—approximately above the navel and below the sternum.
It is one of the largest autonomic nervous plexuses in the human body, composed of a large number of interwoven nerve fibers, extending in all directions like a radial network—the name "Sun" comes from its radial structure, just like the rays of the sun scattering outwards.
The solar plexus connects to and regulates almost all organs in the abdominal cavity—the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and small intestine—making it one of the most important neural control centers for the body's visceral functions and a key hub for controlling the autonomic nervous system, especially the parasympathetic nervous system.
In the graceful Arch & Curl extension and forward bend, this position is the center of spinal undulation—the core of where the movement begins and returns.
What is its relationship with the autonomic nervous system?
The solar plexus is part of the autonomic nervous system—the system you cannot directly control with willpower, responsible for regulating breathing, heartbeat, digestion, and immune responses.
It receives signals from both the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and repair), and is the meeting point of the two systems in the abdominal cavity.
This is why when you are extremely stressed, you feel a "tightening in your stomach"—that tightness is the solar plexus responding to stress and being locked up. This tension can lead to spinal stiffness, shallow breathing, and put the whole body into a defensive mode.
When Teacher Chanrou says, "Relax your abdomen and let the breath enter the solar plexus," she is actually guiding you to reduce the tension in your nervous system, allowing your body to switch from a "fight or flight" mode to a "flow and repair" mode.
What is it in Eastern tradition?
The concept of the solar plexus is not limited to Western anatomy.
In the yoga tradition, it corresponds to the third chakra (Manipura Chakra) – symbolizing personal strength, will, and confidence. "Manipura" in Sanskrit means "shining jewel," symbolizing the energy of fire – the power of transformation, digestion, and outward radiation.
In the systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong, this area is close to the "middle dantian" and is an important place where qi gathers and transforms.
Many people feel a "stomach contraction" when under stress, which actually means that this energy center is blocked. It's not just a metaphor—when the fascia and nerves in the solar plexus area are under tension for a long time, breathing really does become shallow, the spine really does become stiff, and emotions really do become more difficult to flow.
In designing the Chanrou system, Juliu Horvath incorporated the wisdom of Western dance, Eastern martial arts, and yoga. The role of the solar plexus in Chanrou embodies this fusion of East and West—it is both a real anatomically existing neural network and a crucial center for energy flow.
Why does Chanrou place such importance on the solar plexus?
It is the radiation center of action energy.
Chanrou emphasizes the "inside-out" logic of movement—movements don't begin at the extremities, but radiate outwards from the center of the body. The solar plexus is one of the starting points of this radiation. Imagine your movements originating from a point behind your stomach, with your hands and feet merely dancing branches—when you feel the movement flowing outwards from the solar plexus, the extension will have a texture of growing from the center, rather than the feeling of isolated muscle exertion.
It is a bridge between emotions and the body.
The solar plexus is where emotions leave their most direct traces in the body. Long-term stress, anxiety, or emotional repression often cause this area to become tense and contracted.
Through gentle, flowing movements, we physically release the tension in this area. Many participants have found that when the solar plexus is "opened," not only does their breathing become deeper, but their anxiety and depression also dissipate—sometimes it's a sudden urge to cry, sometimes it's an inexplicable feeling of lightness. This is not accidental, but rather the body releasing the tension that has accumulated in this area over a long period.
It is the deepest level of the "core".
Many people's understanding of the core is limited to the superficial abdominal muscles—the six-pack abs, "tightening the abdomen." But Chanrou's core concept goes far deeper than that. The area where the solar plexus is located is the convergence point of the entire deep support system, including the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor muscles. When this area is truly opened and activated, you don't feel a single muscle exerting force, but rather a feeling of support that expands from within the entire abdominal cavity—like a light turning on inside your body.
How do you feel the solar plexus during practice?
Relax your stomach
Don't try to force your stomach in like you would during weight training. Instead, maintain a flexible space in your abdomen—neither collapsed nor tight, but rather a full and elastic feeling.
Breathe backward
As you inhale, imagine the airflow not only entering your lungs but also pushing forward along the front of your spine—behind the solar plexus. This helps you achieve a full, curved motion during Arch extensions, rather than breaking your lumbar spine.
Central radiation
Before each movement, bring your attention to the solar plexus. Feel the movement originate there and then flow out towards your fingers and toes. No force is needed, only intention.
When your solar plexus is flowing, you will look both powerful and exude a composed elegance.
This area is one of the places in Chanrou that is most worth spending time to feel. Once you truly feel it open up, you will understand why Teacher Chanrou always talks about it.
