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Dahn Yoga is the study of life energy,
based on the authentic mind/body training of ancient Korea and
recreated for contemporary times by Ilchi Lee. "Dahn"
means energy, vitality, and origin of life, and "hak"
means study, philosophy, and theory. Dahn Yoga is the study of energy
(Ki, Chi) and how to use it to regain true mastership of life
by restoring mind/body communication.
Dahn Yoga practice is scientifically
designed to work every muscle, tendon, joint, organ and gland,
while moving fresh, oxygenated blood throughout the whole body.
It teaches practitioners to experience their Ki- energy and balance
the flow of energy within their bodies. The conscious action of
focusing Ki-energy inside their body tends to stimulate their
innate natural healing power. This enhances the abilities to deal
with environmental stress.
Dahn Yoga helps people lead a healthy
life by activating their energy system. It also enriches their
emotional life by increasing creativity and sensitivity. And finally
it helps them make their life significant by awakening to life’s
truths. Dahn Yoga practice has over 5,000 years of history as an
ancient Asian training art. It has been modernized as the name
of Dahn Yoga to integrate body, mind and spirit into one, through
stretching, breathing, and meditation.
"Ki" is the Korean word
for cosmic vitality that is the true essence of every creation
in the cosmos. It is also known as “Chi”. Most people begin
their understanding of Ki-energy by experiencing it as bio-energy
or the vital life force in the body. Ki-energy is the connection
between the physical body and the conscious mind. When practitioners
learn to control the Ki-energy in their bodies, they begin to
understand that they have control over their bodies.
In the Orient, people have understood
this energy and have used it in various fields such as oriental
medicine, the arts, politics and culture for thousands of years.
Recently, much scientific research has been conducted on studying
the sources and power of life force energies. Dahn Yoga systematically
teaches awareness of Ki-energy and how to integrate its use into
daily life. With an increasing awareness of Ki-energy and connection
to it, we can easily travel into our inner world. It helps us
to recognize this energy as the ultimate source of all life and
thus realize our true nature, that is, our true selves. |
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The
roots of the Dahn Yoga Practice extend several thousand years back
into Korean history. It began as an ancient Korean training program
to educate the population on how to develop both mind and body.
It was practiced on a daily basis with the intent of maintaining
health and developing potential power to become ideal humans. Dahn Yoga contributed to the mental and physical well-being and
political unity of the Korean people.
Up until two thousand years ago,
this educational method was practiced and transmitted by wise
men to each generation. However, the Korean people failed to keep
the Dahn Yoga tradition alive. The Dahn Yoga tradition was rediscovered
by Ilchi Lee through his own journey into self-realization
and rigorous self-discipline. He took the traditional system
and modernized it. He began teaching Dahn Yoga at the public parks
in South Korea to anyone who was interested in the exercises.
In 1985, Ilchi Lee opened the
first Dahn Center in Seoul, Korea. Since that time, the program
had expanded throughout the world with 360 centers offering Dahn Yoga training to over 1 million people. The tradition of offering exercises
continues in 2,000 public parks in Korea and other countries.
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The purpose of Dahn Yoga is to give individuals
the opportunity to realize their own personal power. Through experiencing
Ki-energy, the true source of life, they discover how Ki-energy
works in their bodies and how they can utilize it for optimal
health.
During Dahn Yoga Practice, practitioners learn to
communicate with their bodies. They discover that they can become
the real masters of their bodies with the ability to control and
regulate their bodily functions. By stimulating the Ki-energy
circulation, the body’s natural healing power is activated. When
their bodies are recharged with fresh Ki-energy, the practitioners
can lead themselves back to optimum health, naturally healing
most physical and mental diseases.
When practitioners arrive
at their goal of a healthy life, they usually extend their intentions
towards creating harmonious relationships with their family, friends,
acquaintances and nature. This new healthy life style by practitioners
contributes to leading the rest of the world into a new culture
supporting happier and healthier human beings.
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