When you feel like you are coming down with the flu, what do you do? Do you go to the drugstore and buy an over-the-counter medication? Or do you go to the hospital? Or, knowing that there is not a cure for the flu, do you prefer to wait for the virus to run its course? Do you regret not having gotten vaccinated prior to the flu season? Or do you go to a local Dahn Yoga center?
Health is best maintained on a daily basis. In order to do this, one must have a clear and intimate understanding of the basic principles of how health is maintained in the body. By intimate, I do not mean an intellectual understanding. Rather, we must know our own body like we would know a loved one.
Taking care of ourselves, being in charge of our lives, is a way of saying we are worthwhile, an acknowledgment of our self-worth. We must awaken to the many inherent sensibilities and sensitivities of our body and be able to feel when we are moving toward health or away from it.
The first priniciple we must understand is our innate healing power. Our role as master of our body is to facilitate and enhance this process. I believe we should adopt natural self-care methods to prevent and treat common illnesses, thereby managing most daily health concerns. Our breathing, our body itself, and the life energy which flows through it become tools once we understand their principles and the basic skills for applying them.
Meridian exercise from Dahn Yoga is one of the most effective self-health management skills. These exercises have a low risk of side effects and are effective, inexpensive, and easily learned and used.
Meridian exercises taught in local studios are based on Dahn Yoga principles and techniques. Dahn Yoga provides an integrated training method that combines deep stretching exercises, meditative breathing techniques, and energy awareness practice to reach optimum health. As founder of Dahn Yoga, Ilchi Lee has systemized and developed new methods for the past twenty-seven years. Dahn Yoga strengthens the body and its natural healing power by strengthening the fundamental life force. Meridan exercise is basic Dahn Yoga training as well as a comprehensive health regimen that enriches the spirit while bringing health to body and mind.
To use this book, first look through the table of contents and identify your particular symptoms. Then find the corresponding exercises to relieve your symptoms. The exercises of Dahn Yoga not only reduce painful symptoms, but also enhance overall health to aid in disease prevention. You may individualize your exercise program according to your particular needs.
It is most important to physically practice meridian exercises regularly. None of the mothods presented here will help you unless you experience them in your body. Dahn Yoga's founder Ilchi Lee says, "I believe that consistent practice of meridian exercises can help maintain our health in the optimal state."
Ki, the life Dahn energy
Ki, also commonly spelled chi or qi, is a fundamental concept embraced by Asian philosophy, arts, medicine, and mind-body traditions. Ki is the word for the vital energy that is the true essence of every creation in the cosmos. Most people begin their understanding of Ki by experiencing it as bio-energy, or the basic life force in the body.
Ki is the bridge linking the body and mind; it is the essential medium of life, moving and flowing freely. The continuous joining together and drifting apart of Ki composes the rhythm of the phenomenon of life. Everything in existence undergoes constant change. Everything around us, as well as each of our very lives, is a temporary manifestation of ki.
Although immersed in this grand flow of energy every moment of our lives, we are unable to sense its currents without properly attuned senses. Our overdependence on rational thought and language has obscured our natural ability to sense the flow of energy. However, we can regain our innate ability to feel the slight but pervasive vibrations that define our existence. It is up to us to reawaken this sense. By opening blockages in the energy pathways and reawakening our innate ability to sense energy flow, we can recover our health and natural balance. When we develop sensitivity to ki, we will be able to reach our body's potential. |
