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Dahn Yoga Basics

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27
May 11

You Either Die or Get Better

 

Live

Live

 

My doctor of many years told me,  many decades ago when I was whining and complaining to him about some annoying but very curable ailment,  “Look at it this way,  Marci,  you’ll either die or get better!”  I didn’t think it was funny at the time even though I realized there was no way he could be wrong!

 

I began going to Dahn Yoga classes on Tuesday,   January 13,  2009,  the day after I signed up for 90 days. I had wandered over to the Glenview,  IL center that Monday after receiving a flyer in my door. The flyer,  I am now convinced,  came in response to my desperate and fervent cry that weekend that I needed to do something positive about my body and that I needed to do it right away!

 

I had just returned from visiting my daughter in California who was recovering from major surgery. The seriousness of her situation had made me very aware that our physical life is unpredictable and that our physical bodies need care. I had just moved to Glenview a few months earlier and after the exhaustion of moving had subsided,  had proceeded to become the proverbial “couch potato.”  I even looked like a potato rather than the stalk of celery I had resembled a short time earlier!

 

So,  I gathered my courage and went to my very first class at 6:45AM. On that first day I was wearing a fat Ace bandage wrapped around my right knee. My left knee felt no pain,  it was titanium,  having been replaced in 2001. My right, so-called “good” knee sustained a lot of stress from day-to-day twisting and turning. I often suffered from painful swelling due to inflammation in that knee, hence the bandage.  I remember being glad my new white Dahn Yoga uniform pants would hide my knee and I hoped no one would notice the bandage. For some reason, I felt like I was being sneaky wearing a supportive device on my knee in a yoga class.

 

Fate is cruel!  Master Soul, then manager of Glenview Center,  decided on that day to do a long exercise of toe tapping and,  then,  would you believe it,  knee bouncing! Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! Each member counted to 10 and we went round and round. Bouncing hard! I thought,  “I will not be able to do this!!” However, I continued bouncing, terrified as I was. I did it. Why? Mostly because I didn’t want to embarrass myself and “wimp out” in my very first class. As we entered what seemed like the thousandth round, I truly wondered how the strangers in my class would react when I died.

 

Finally, knee bouncing was over and we went on to other exercises and then to Jigam meditation. At some point, during the calm of the meditation,  I acknowledged to myself that I was still alive and was probably going to live.  During the sharing after class, I reported that I felt really good and I lied about worrying that I thought death was imminent!

 

The next morning I looked at my right knee and somehow it seemed smaller, tighter and stronger. I decided not to put on the Ace bandage that day. I said to myself,  ”Let’s just see how it goes.”

 

I have not (I mean, not!)  worn the Ace bandage since that day in January 2009!

 

I didn’t die. I got better! And I continue to get better physically, mentally and spiritually.

I am stronger and more flexible in my mind and my physical body,  my energy is brighter and I am lighter in spirit and in actual pounds!

 

What about you?

 

 

 

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23
May 11

The Benefits of Self-Compassion

In an article on msnbc.com, Robin Nixon reviews new scientific evidence indicating a link between what is being called ‘self-compassion’ and success.

While high self-esteem is often mentioned as a factor in success, research shows that self-compassion is more closely linked with success than is self esteem.  In fact, an overemphasis on self- esteem is sometimes linked with negative traits like narcissism, anxiety and depression.

What is it about self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, that makes us more sucessful?  In the article mentioned above Nixon writes, “Self-compassion, as defined by Neff in the academic literature, has three aspects: mindfulness, common humanity and kindness.” It is these aspects, rather than having high self esteem, that seem to make us more likely to succeed.

In reading this I was immediately reminded of a Dahn Yoga workshop known as “Shim Sung.”  Fundamentally, Shim Sung develops self compassion by strengthening the conviction that inside each of us there exists a “true self.”  The true self is the essential part of the mind unaffected by prejudices and preconceptions, wherein we find a fundamental love and compassion that transcends the boundaries of myself and others.  It is this part of the mind that can allow for a greater sense of self-compassion, and ultimately, outward compassion as well.

Compassion cannot be the result of philosophy alone.  True compassion comes from recognizing ourselves as fundamentally positive and interconnected beings and as such, allowing ourselves the flexibility to change without losing a basic sense of purpose and passion.

In the end, self esteem can be a fragile power, built upon judgments or wishes that often come into conflict with our real, unpredictable experience of daily life.  Self compassion, however, is a more robust system of watching oneself, learning from results, and trying to do better, all with acceptance and love.  When we truly see that we are not our thoughts, emotions, and preconceptions, we naturally become more compassionate to ourselves, knowing that at the core we are perfect and beautiful, and that everything else is simply a work in progress.

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11
May 11

Truth, Justice and the Earth Citizen Way!

Superman before using P90-X

News Flash!

From the world of cartoons and comic strips, something has stirred up real controversy.  Apparently Superman has renounced his United States citizenship… This according to Newsarama.com’s report on DC’s “Action Comics #900″.

There are those who see the fictional Superman’s renunciation as ‘unpatriotic’ or somehow insulting to the United States.  Others say it reflects the current global reality where problems and their solutions transcend national boundaries.

This comic presents some interesting questions… can the ‘way’ of a modern day “Superman” be limited to one nation?  Does Superman’s changing citizenship reflect the need to somehow grow beyond national identities and forge a global consciousness?  Have the ideals that the United States were founded upon matured to a point where they demand international consensus and action, rather than competition between states’ interests?

Interestingly, this same set of questions is the basis for the Earth Citizen Movement.  Founded by Ilchi Lee as a way to gather people with a mind to take responsibility for the earth, the Earth Citizen Movement promotes the idea that ‘we are all earth citizens,’ regardless of race, gender, nationality, or religion.

With our increasingly global network of communication we are witnessing the variety of human cultures, practices, technologies, beliefs, and customs more than ever before.  Within this diversity, however, we can see the faces of men, women and children who are fundamentally not so different from ourselves.  And we can recognize ourselves.

With this comes a new kind of awareness- that we are all residents of the planet earth.  And that in this age of increasingly powerful technologies and increasingly global crises, we cannot survive one nation at a time but only as one humanity and one earth.

As Ilchi Lee said in the Prayer of Peace, delivered at the United Nations in August of 2000:

God made the earth
We humans have to make it prosper
By realizing that we are of the earth
And not of any nation, race, or religion,
By knowing that we are truly one
In our spiritual heritage.

I can’t help but think that Superman would agree!

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10
May 11

Healing the healer

Are you a caretaker?  Are you at least partially responsible for someone else’s health, happiness, and peace on a daily basis?  Chances are the answer is yes.

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

Being a caretaker can be part of your career—as a nurse, teacher, or social worker to name just a few—or part of your lifestyle—as a spouse, parent, and increasingly as a son or daughter—or even be a part of your personality.

While being a caretaker is wonderful, all too often the last thing that gets accounted for is the condition of the caretaker him or herself.

Many of the individuals who find their way to Dahn Yoga Centers are caretakers.  Oftentimes they have come with the realization that after years of trying to help their families, friends, coworkers or clients, they themselves are somehow lacking in health, happiness or peace.

Often these individuals have noticed mental and emotional symptoms such as  anxiety and depression, or they have been diagnosed with what are still mysterious conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, or they simply have the sense that, despite their sincere efforts to love and care for those around them, something is missing.

When you start taking class at Dahn Yoga one of the first things you will notice is the emphasis to ‘focus on yourself.’

Focussing on yourself is an essential part of Brain Education—the process of awakening greater mastery of the brain and all its functions, including those for self-healing.  At first it may seem unnatural or even ‘selfish’ to focus on yourself, but soon you will appreciate the class as a time to reflect on, relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.

Have you noticed the instructions on an airplane, “In the event of an emergency please secure your own oxygen mask before attempting to help those around you who may need assistance,”?

Or have you ever heard the saying “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he’ll be able to eat for a lifetime,”?

Or how about Mohandas Ghandi’s famous quote, “Be the change that you want to see in the world,”?

These three different pieces of wisdom relate to the truth that it is through ourselves that we help others.  First we need to make sure our own health and happiness is sustainable.  Beyond that, we need to help others become self-sustaining rather than dependent on our help.  Finally, in order to honestly communicate what it is that we truly want, we need to become the very change that we want to share.

This ‘win-win’ principle becomes fundamental to sustaining (or surviving!) the energetic responsibilities of taking care of others.  Some people say all healing is self-healing.  So if you find yourself feeling burnt-out or your condition compromised please take a deeper look at what you need in order to be happy, healthy, and peaceful.   Because healing, like life, is a marathon rather than a sprint!

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5
May 11

Paddling to a new state of mind…

At the border of Minnesota and Canada there is an area known as Quetico Provincial Park/Boundary Waters Wilderness Area.  This vast expanse of wilderness is filled with forests and interconnected lakes that permit trips mainly by canoe, as native americans might have done hundreds and thousands of years ago.  Entering into a week-long canoe trip in Quetico you will leave behind not only civilization but also a lot of the habits that you developed in daily life.

The first thing that is apparent when you take a boat ride into the park is the space.  In many places the waters seem to go on to the horizon, or are broken only by a distant line of trees.  While this initially may be daunting as you realize you will have to paddle across the lakes, you will soon discover the relative ease of traveling by canoe.

Not that it won’t tire you out… it’s important to find a rhythm and work efficiently, especially with a partner, to save your energy.  If you don’t like deep water then you can keep near the shoreline as you learn to identify where you are on the map and how to reach your destination.

At various points you will have to return to dry land and actually carry your canoe some distance to reach the next traversable body of water.  These are known by the french word portage, which can be roughly translated as ‘carry-over’ or ‘crossing.’  At this point you will carefully manuever your canoe and belongings through a forest trail and you may realize the pros and cons of carrying more things on fewer trips or vice versa.

Perhaps the greatest change that you will experience on this kind of adventure is also one of the most subtle.  If you are like many people and you live in a world of technology, entertainment, commerce and communication, then coming to Quetico will dramatically change the amount and type of information bombarding your brain at any moment.

Without cell phones, billboards, radios, traffic, and city lights, your brain will begin to fall into the vibration of the natural world.  In Korean, this natural vibration of life is sometimes called yulyeo. There is a musical element to yulyeo.  Yulyeo, like music, is filled with different melodies, rhythms and arrangements, and altogther is creates a harmonious song that can be said to be greater than the sum of its parts.

At first the silence of nature may be almost deafening to unaccustomed ears.  But after a few hours you will be keenly aware of many things- the wind, the trees, the water, birds, and small animals, all with various sounds and movements.  Finally, with a little patience, your attention will settle on your own breathing, your heartbeat, the feeling of the sun and breeze on your skin, the smell of the water in your nose, and thousands of other tiny cues and signals from your own body.

This change in awareness is a change in the brain.  Sometimes just getting back to nature can be enough to rid us of accumulated stress and emotion.  But sometimes, although we surround ourselves with things that should be calming, we still have a hard time to let go of our worries and tension.  If this is the case then it is time to do something more directly for the brain.

One method for returning the brain to a more harmonious rhythm is called Brainwave Vibration.  Developed by Ilchi Lee and practiced at Dahn Yoga centers worldwide, Brainwave Vibration is a simple moving meditation designed to relax the brain’s super conscious neocortex and activate the deeper kinetic and self-healing functions of the limbic system and brainstem.  Once you try it you may realize you have unconsciously done this when you were upset and needed to clam down, or when comforting someone else.

In fact, even if you live in the middle of a big city you are still very much connected to the rhythm of life, or yulyeo. Because this is the natural rhythm of the earth.  It is around us, under our feet, in our eyes and ears.  Only when we are overwhelmed by the other rhythms and vibrations do we lose the sense of yulyeo, but it can be recovered at any time with patience and focus.

So, if you find yourself longing for more of this kind of experience, take a trip to Quetico Provincial Park for some time with nature.  Or head to a Dahn Yoga center and try Brainwave Vibration. Soon you will rediscover the natural peace and harmony that exists in all of us!

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30
Apr 11

Saving money starts with your good health.

Many of us have heard the saying “Health is Wealth.”  But have you ever been guilty of putting aside the things that you know are good for your health because of not enough time and money?

In an online article entitled “Five of the Worst Ways to Save Money”  on Moneyning.com, the number 1 worst way to save money is Neglecting Your Health.

Obviously, most of the time we don’t think about it as ‘neglecting our health.’  We often say… “I’ll do it when I have more time,” or “I want to take care of myself but I have bills to pay,” or ”My condition is not THAT bad, I’ll be ok.”

In a sense, all of these are true.  We are often limited in terms of time and money, and it may seem that doing something to ‘feel better’ is a luxury rather than a necessity.

But the above article points out that discounting the value of our health in the long run can cost a great deal more time and money than what it takes to stay healthy through good diet and exercise.  Lower working productivity, increased pain, fatigue or depression are just some of the possible long-term effects that come from ‘putting off’ doing something to feel better.  And the longer these symptoms persist, the harder they may be to correct.

When someone decides to try a class at the Dahn Yoga center, they often come after some signal or event in their life.  It can be as dramatic as being fired from a job, ending a relationship or losing a loved one, or as mundane as noticing a few more aches and pains in the body.  Whatever the reason, the impulse to do something to feel better is an important one, and it’s worth listening to that voice in your head that says “I should really do something about this.”

If your time or your money are limited, try to find the way to balance your ‘outside’ responsibilities with your ‘inside’ ones- specifically your health and peace of mind.  Treating health and happiness as responsibilities rather than luxuries is an important part of moving in a positive direction, and ultimately, maintaining your quality and length of life.

So the next time you’re faced with the decision of whether or not to spend time and money for your health, make your condition a priority.  Find a way to take at least a small step forward, even while you manage the other responsibilities in your life.  The choice between a small step and no step can make all the difference in the world!

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29
Apr 11

Choosing sunshine on a cloudy day…

According to meteorologist Tom Skilling of WGN in Chicago, we are on pace to have the cloudiest April in 118 years.  With that comes a couple of things- rain, cooler temperatures, and for many people, an increased sense of fatigue and depression.

Of course, everyone can react differently to the weather.  Some people seem to love nothing more than a rainy day.  I myself enjoy thunderstorms, especially on a hot summer night.  But extended grey cloud cover and rainy weather seems to get many people down.

This brings up the question, ’just how much depends on the weather?’  Or more generally, are we predominately influenced by outside factors—environmental and social—or can we choose our own feelings and outlooks?  And how can we better create our state of mind the way we want?

Dahn Yoga classes incorporate exercises like stretching, breathing, core strengthening, and energy meditation to develop more ‘energy’ connection.  Energy is the thing that connects the physical body with the non-physical mind.  In fact, ’Dahn’ can literally be translated to mean ‘Energy,’ so the whole Dahn Yoga practice is in a sense designed to strengthen the energy, or mind-body, connection.

By strengthening this energy connection it becomes easier to connect our thoughts and intentions with a corresponding feeling.  For example, let’s say I have had conflicts with coworkers in the past.  I know that getting upset does not help the situation, it only makes things worse and it actually puts me in danger of getting fired!  Intellectually, I know I should try to remain calm and in control, but my ability to do this in a moment of conflict depends on whether I can watch my feelings and choose the one that I want, even when the external situation would otherwise make me upset.  It is this watching power, or awareness, that is developed through the Dahn Yoga energy practice.

So if you’re looking for more power to choose a positive frame of mind, try a class at the Dahn Yoga Center.  Because in life, as we know all too well in Chicago, we may be waiting a long time before we finally get that sunny day!

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25
Apr 11

Finding common ground from the inside out.

In an article entitled “The Science of why we don’t believe Science” Chris Mooney explains some of the social and psychological reasons why people seem to hold onto their thinking about the world even in the face of ‘damning’ scientific evidence to the contrary.

I found this an interesting discussion of the controversy around a wide range of topics, from global warming to President Obama’s religion and birthplace.

Briefly, the article points out that in the face of contrary opinions or evidence people often become even more entrenched in their point of view because reasoning is closely tied to emotional reactions.  Having one’s beliefs threatened, or seemingly threatened, by new evidence elicits a fight-or-flight response not just in the physical body but also in thoughts and emotions.     The result?  Increasingly polarized opinions and arguments such as those that surround most of today’s hot-button topics.

I believe the abovementioned article provides some insight into the difficulty of reaching concensus on any controversial topic, wherein individuals or groups become increasingly irrational or defensive in their arguments.

How, then, can we go about making more peace and understanding so that we can move forward to greater prosperity?

In thinking about this question I was reminded of Dahn Yoga’s Shim Sung workshop (also known as Finding True Self or Self-Discovery Workshop).

An essential part of the Shim Sung workshop is the realization that “I am not my thinking, I am not my emotion, but they are mine.”  This taking-ownership of our thoughts and emotions, as opposed to reacting without awareness, is an essential first step in being able to find common ground with those who think or feel differently from ourselves.

Often times  our own unconscious judgments make us feel stressed even when intellectually we see no reason to be upset.  This unconscious stress influences our emotions and reasoning, making patience and understanding increasingly difficult.

One of the key aspects of the Shim Sung workshop and all Dahn Yoga programs is awakening to the information that is contained within our bodies.  By calming the mind and using the body, we gain greater awareness of our feelings and thoughts, and with that greater power to choose which ones to act on.

These days we have a world of information literally at our fingertips, but utilizing and sharing this information for positive purposes will require the ability to control our thoughts and emotions.  As mentioned in the article above, merely presenting evidence to counter someone else’s opinion usually doesn’t change that person’s mind.  Only by finding the common ground, the “True Self” that we all share, can we begin to understand and trust each other enough to overcome our own doubts about all things new and different.  That, I believe, is a great skill to practice.

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22
Apr 11

Thinking about the Earth on Earth Day

In an article on “Cosmic Log” on Msnbc.com you can see a visualization of what the planet earth looked like around 500 million years ago.  When you look closely, the familiar image of the blue and green ‘marble’ spinning through the blackness of space turns out to be strikingly different from how it looks today.  The continental land-masses are grouped together in the southern hemisphere in an arrangement that feels ‘alien’ to anyone familiar with a modern globe or map of the world.   The fact that our own planet has changed so dramatically, albiet over an incredibly long time span, is poingant as we think about the earth on Earth Day.

The visualization was created by a team at the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo.  Abel Mendez, who led the team, says that he thinks the project will help people realize how fragile the planet is, and how it changes.

It is interesting to consider our role in this process of change on planet earth.  Of course, all of recorded human history is limited to pretty much the last 10,000 years.  When compared with the length of time that earth has been around, which scientists estimate at more than 4 billion years, one thought must be how incredibly short humanity’s time here has been!  And yet human beings clearly can produce dramatic changes to the planet in a relatively short time.

There is a traditional philosophy in many cultures which values harmony and respect for the balance of nature.  This philosophy, known as ‘Hong-ik’ in Korea, can be described simply as ‘widely beneficial’ lifestyle which takes into account the good of the group as much as the individual.  As we reflect on the state of our planet earth on Earth Day, it seems we need to truly embrace this ‘Hong-ik’ mindset to better deal with many of the issues that are so troubling in our modern world, from war to pollution, health and the meaning of life.  Because if we cannot move forward together, we will inevitably fall apart individually.

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31
Jan 11

Korean Tai Chi gave me Pain Relief

There is so much to say about Dahn Yoga and Dahn Mu Do, that I have to share my own story.  I now teach Dahn Yoga everyday and find so much satisfaction in it, because I can see the benefits that I received ripple out to everyone else too.  My own story is one that I hope will give people hope who have tried different therapies or treatments and nothing has worked.

I used to be a hardcore snowboarder and with that came some nasty spills and wipeouts.  Although I had almost broken my neck, had a few concussions and generally rode as hard as I could, I really only had one complaint.  I had a pretty nagging tailbone injury that never seemed to go away.  I went to see a chiropractor, and I saw massage therapists, and also alternative therapists, and never experienced any changes.

It wasn’t until I began to practice Dahn Mu Do, the traditional form of Korean Tai Chi, that I noticed something different.  In fact, it happened so softly, that I recall walking around one day, perhaps 6 months after I began training, and saying to myself, ” Didn’t I used to have pain in my tailbone?”  I was so shocked, because I didn’t even notice when it had gone away!  I was thrilled as you can imagine, but I noticed some other wonderful things that I didn’t foresee as well.  The next winter when I went back to the mountains to snowboard, I was in a very different mind set and mentality about riding.

I no longer gravitated to the board park, or bombed the hill as fast as I could, trying to break the sound barrier.  Through my practice of Dahn Mu Do, I began to noitice that I could FEEL my body so well, and through the curves and carves, I could gather energy in my body through rhythmic, flowing motions aligning with the snow.  I realized that there are certain rules that govern nature, and when I align myself with these rules, I can go faster, with more connection and with more joy than ever before.  I was no longer skimming over the snow like a hockey puck, I was one with the mountain, with nature and with the flow of life.

I can’t tell you how wonderful snowboarding became after I deepened the connection to myself.  You can call it maturity, but I give the credit to my Dahn Mu Do practice, which taught me how to become one with myself and with my energy.

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