Dahn Yoga
Testimonials of Barbara
Barbara
Five months ago a close friend of mine, whose opinion I value highly, shared with me his impressions of a Korean brain-knowledge, body-mind-spirit exercise system called Dahn Yoga. Cautioning me that the name was a bit of a misnomer, as it is much more than yoga, he shared with me how the daily exercise [...]
Barbara
Five months ago a close friend of mine, whose opinion I value highly, shared with me his impressions of a Korean brain-knowledge, body-mind-spirit exercise system called Dahn Yoga. Cautioning me that the name was a bit of a misnomer, as it is much more than yoga, he shared with me how the daily exercise classes, workshops and healing sessions had helped him with some health problems.
I did not have any major health issues, but I was curious. Feeling lethargic and worrying about maintaining my health as I got older (I am 58 years old), I had been searching for a regular exercise program. I did not like the emphasis on competitive body-building and the glaring TV sets at most gyms and health clubs. So I thought I had nothing to lose by trying Dahn Yoga.
The Dahn Yoga exercise program is rigorous. Initially, I could hardly stretch and found some of the positions difficult to do. But within a few weeks, I started to get more limber. The exercise routine varies each day with new instructors coming to the center to offer their expertise.
I go four-five times a week and find that people are commenting on how much younger I look. (I definitely feel younger!) My skin is more radiant and tighter.
Normally in spring, I suffer from allergies and I have noticed that they are hardly bothering me this year.
My digestion has improved; in particular, I no longer am constipated, which was a regular ailment.
The private healing sessions have helped me to relieve stress and release energy blockages. The regular exercise routine along with the healing sessions emphasizes energy flow along the meridians and healthy utilization of one’s organs. I believe that my body was under tremendous stress and my organs were underutilized. The Dahn approach appeals to me so much more than the Western orientation of prescribing pills to deal with the symptoms and not recognizing the whole human being.
In the periodic workshops, I have learned about the holistic Dahn approach to understanding one’s own body’s natural energy system.
The workshops, exercise program and healing sessions are done with utmost professionalism.
I am so glad that I found out about Dahn Yoga. I am sure practicing what I have learned in the last five months will add years to my life and make the next stage of my life more vital.
Content selected by: Ilchi Lee
Zhu Describe Dahn Yoga Experience
Zhu
I enjoy my Dahn program because:
It makes me feel like I am part of a big family. Everyone is polite and master Ahn & Kevin both excellent teachers. They make us feel welcome and happy to be in the center.
My Dahn Yoga practice has benefited me in the following ways:
I feel more at ease with [...]
Zhu
I enjoy my Dahn program because:
It makes me feel like I am part of a big family. Everyone is polite and master Ahn & Kevin both excellent teachers. They make us feel welcome and happy to be in the center.
My Dahn Yoga practice has benefited me in the following ways:
I feel more at ease with myself; better to deal with stress through deep breathing; more able to relax;
I believe Ilchi Lee should be recognized because:
Master Lee has created something extraordinary. A program that is for all age. Dahn yoga or DahnMuDo is not just like any ordinary yoga or martial art program. It’s a program for the fitness of the mind, body and spirit. Through Dahn Yoga/ DahnMuDo, one can learn to be a better person a happier person. I think that’s what makes master Lee’s program a standout from others. A happy person can make others around him/her happy, and in turn they can make others around them happy as well.
Banish winter depression with Dahn Yoga
Winter brings cold, dark days and reduced sunshine, and when combined with stress and problems, it can produce a depressed mood. This can show up as unexplained sadness, fatigue, grumpiness, general malaise and even full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Ilchi Lee, president of the University of Brain Education (South Korea), advises, “Don’t succumb to the impulse to [...]
Winter brings cold, dark days and reduced sunshine, and when combined with stress and problems, it can produce a depressed mood. This can show up as unexplained sadness, fatigue, grumpiness, general malaise and even full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Ilchi Lee, president of the University of Brain Education (South Korea), advises, “Don’t succumb to the impulse to hibernate during the winter months. Avoid the winter blues by staying active to circulate your energy, and building your vitality with a variety of Dahn Yoga’s Hold-for-Strength exercises.” These are effective postures for fending off winter depression, while keeping one’s body fit and stress-free.
Founded by Lee, Dahn Yoga (http://www.dahnyoga.com) is a body-mind fitness training, which focuses on brain-enhancing, energy-flowing health. With their roots in ancient Asia, the Hold-for-Strength exercises in Korean are called “Yeon-dahn” postures. “Yeon” refers to strengthening a sword’s steel blade by hammering it; “Dahn” means vital energy.
As Lee puts it, “Doing Hold-for-Strength circulates blood and energy throughout the entire body, opening the meridians [energy channels and chakras [energy centers to release stress, tension, pain, toxins and negative emotions that usually accumulate when one is less active.”
In Hold-for-Strength, people keep a position from one minute to one hour, depending on the condition of their physical stamina and mental focus. This concentrates energy in the lower abdomen area, which in traditional Asian health theory represents the body’s physical power center.
To develop the vigor and strength to dissipate winter’s depression, Lee recommends these healing exercises, progressing from the easiest to the more-challenging postures. Play pleasant music and try to empty your mind to a relaxed, almost meditative state. In all postures, relax your chest and breathe comfortably.
1. Reaching the Stars. This posture opens the acupressure points in the palms of the hands and in the soles of the feet to help release stagnant energy. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed inward and knees bent slightly. Curl your tailbone up under you. Raise your arms above your head, palms facing the ceiling, with elbows slightly bent. With fingers pointing inward toward each other but not touching, your arms should be above your head. If you are full of emotions and thoughts, bring your hands farther behind your head. Breathe slowly and comfortably into your abdomen. Initially hold the position for 3 to 5 minutes, and increase it gradually over time.
2. Embracing the Earth. This posture circulates energy through the heart, restoring vigor to the upper body, and relieves fatigue from depression, stress and emotional trauma. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Curl your tailbone up under you. Bounce your knees up and down a few times to release tension from the shoulders. Raise your arms and hold them as though you are gently hugging a globe. Your palms should face your body, and your fingertips should be an inch apart. Bend your knees, as though riding a horse. Maintain this posture for 10 minutes, and work up to 30 minutes over time.
3. Sleeping Tiger. This exercise builds energy in the lower abdomen, the body’s power center. It is good for fatigue originating in poor nutritional habits, chronic illness or sleeping problems. Lie on the floor with your arms to your side and your legs parted slightly. Relax your body completely. Now raise your arms straight up into the air, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Hold your wrists at right angles, so that your palms face the ceiling. Raise your legs to form a 90-degree angle at the knees and hips. Keep your knees parallel and shoulder-width apart. Hold this posture for 10 minutes, without dropping the legs. Work up to 30 minutes. After holding the posture, bring your hands to your abdomen. Slowly lower your legs into a comfortable cross-legged posture.
After completing a Hold-for-Strength exercise, people should shake their hands and feet and walk slowly around the room for around two minutes, breathing naturally.
It is best to select a posture that corresponds to their physical and mental condition at that moment. The aim is to increase people’s stamina so that they can maintain the position for a longer period. Lee suggests, “Build up the time you hold the posture slowly and don’t push too hard. Instead, relax, breathe, focus on your abdomen and smile.”
While performing Hold-for-Strength, most people experience various sensations in their bodies, such as muscle fatigue, joint pain, heat or cold, shaking and vibrating. Within reason, it is best to endure these physical responses as long as possible. Lee affirms, “Try to enjoy these physical responses, as they are actually positive signs that the body is releasing toxic energy and becoming healthy and strong — bringing you out of depression.”
For more information on Dahn Yoga, phone 1-877-HSP-YOGA.
Dahn Yoga: The power of Yoga
The power of yoga
Stars do it. Sports do it. Judges in the highest courts do it. Let’s do it: that yoga thing. A path to enlightenment that winds back 5,000 years, yoga has suddenly become so hot, so cool, so very this minute. It’s the exercise cum meditation for the new millennium, one that doesn’t [...]
The power of yoga
Stars do it. Sports do it. Judges in the highest courts do it. Let’s do it: that yoga thing. A path to enlightenment that winds back 5,000 years, yoga has suddenly become so hot, so cool, so very this minute. It’s the exercise cum meditation for the new millennium, one that doesn’t so much pump you up as bliss you out. Yoga now straddles the coninent — from Hollywood, where $20 million-a-picture actors queue for a session with their guru du jour, to Washington, where in the gym of the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and 15 other faithfully take their class each Tuesday morning.
Everywhere else, Americans rush from their high-pressure jobs and tune in to the authoritatively mellow voice of an instructor, gently urging them to solder a union (the literal translation of the Sanskrit word yoga) between mind and body. These Type A strivers want to become Type B seekers, to lose their blues in an asana (pose), to graduate from distress to de-stress. Fifteen million Americans include some form of yoga in their fitness regimen — twice as many as did five years ago; 75% of all U.S. health clubs offer yoga classes. Many in those classes are looking not inward but behind. As supermodel Christy Turlington, a serious practitioner says “Some of my friends simply want to have a yoga butt.” But others come to the discipline in hopes of restoring their troubled bodies. Yoga makes me feel better, they say. Maybe it can cure what ails me.
The article above is from Time Magazine. I hope many people can benefit from Dahn Yoga. Thank you.
listening, for once
What happens when you put your hands by your sides, stand quietly with your feet comfortably apart, and just listen? What do you hear that you might not otherwise hear?
Try it, and let us know!
What happens when you put your hands by your sides, stand quietly with your feet comfortably apart, and just listen? What do you hear that you might not otherwise hear?
Try it, and let us know!
Sharing a Dahn Yoga exercise
I wanted to share an exercise that’s really really simple, but has helped me immensely. If you are feeling overexcited, or have a headache, or can’t think straight, try this:
Lie down on your back, or sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Bring your heels close to each other, and start shaking [...]
I wanted to share an exercise that’s really really simple, but has helped me immensely. If you are feeling overexcited, or have a headache, or can’t think straight, try this:
Lie down on your back, or sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Bring your heels close to each other, and start shaking your legs rhythmically, toes tapping against each other and then out towards the floor. Relax your leg muscles as you do this, and focus your attention on your feet and toes.
I have found this very helpful for focusing myself. What was your experience?
