Most of us have an intuitive appreciation and understanding of the truth of this new way of thinking about health, but do not have any idea of how to start living a life that would allow us to connect every aspect of our existence. Most of us arrive at Dahn Yoga knowing that there is something that needs to change in our lives if we are to have the energy and health to live a full and happy life.

Dahn Yoga provides an opportunity for us to improve our bodies, change the way we think and feel about ourselves, and most importantly it provides an opportunity to reconnect with our souls.

We arrive at Dahn Yoga, most of us, wanting to improve our bodies, and very quickly realize that while it is the best place to begin, it is certainly not the end of what we accomplish. As we start paying attention to our bodies, as we practice the deep stretching exercises, we realize that there is energy inside and around us that we have not previously noticed. We realize that as we move with that energy, we breathe easier, we feel better, we quiet our minds and start making room to listen to our own inner voice.

With the guidance of the instructors, we improve our bodies, take time to quiet our minds, and in a manner of speaking, wash away the negative information we have accumulated in our brain and prepare it to receive positive ways of dealing with the situations in our lives. In that quiet place we leave behind, if only for a few moments, the daily activities that make us rush from one thing to the next without really stopping to ask ourselves if this is truly what we want or need to be doing. In that quiet place we have the opportunity to open ourselves to living in and for our souls. We could say we start to listen, to our hearts. We start to experience life in its purest form.

We start to appreciate our community, our immediate environment, and the Earth. We start seeing ourselves not only as an individual, member of a family or a cultural background, we start experiencing life as “earth human” with care and concern for all of creation.

This has been my experience. Yours might be totally different, and that is the beauty of Dahn Yoga, we find ourselves, our own way of being and of sharing in our lives.

I joined a year and four months ago.

When I joined I was skeptical because I have a serious back problem, my lower back is separated in two. When I would do a bad movement or carried something heavy I would aggravate the problem and be in pain. Other than that I lived without pain. When the pain got so severe I controlled it with pain medication and I stopped moving. Last time I had a horrible pain episode around 11 years ago I was living in Corpus Christi and no doctor would be able to help me. I came to Houston to see a back specialist who told me I would need back surgery. When I went back home I took the medicines and figured out that the least I moved the least it would hurt. I was afraid that at any moment I would be paralyzed.

I weighted 180 pounds and am 5.1′ tall. After 6 years I started loosing weight. I have lost 50 pounds and kept it off. So when I joined Dahn Yoga I was very careful. I could never sit on the floor for more than 5 minutes nevertheless lying down. Since I joined I have learned to stop being afraid of moving I know how to control pain and I am not afraid of pain anymore. I have also learned what it means to do something100% and know when I give my 100% and when not. I have learned to control my emotions and thoughts. At home I do the tapping at least 5 to 10 minutes a day. I know the importance of keeping my head cool and my dangun hot and strong. I also do other exercises at home. When at work, when I get frustrated with one of my students I stbreathinghing. I am vgratefultful to Dahn Yoga. It has helped me get control of my life. I have proven myself how strong and capable of doing anything I set my mind to do.

I am still working at many things and I love that I always have something new to learn.