Dahn Yoga Health Centers in Nevada

Mind control means governing Ki by focusing and controlling awareness. Learning how to control Ki, ultimately, is learning how to control the mind. To achieve mind control, we must first free our minds of busy thoughts. For people first beginning this practice, sitting quietly, emptying the mind of busy thoughts and concentrating the awareness is not easy. This is the Jung-gong approach. Dong-gong, in which the practitioner assumes specific postures and concentrates his or her awareness on movement and breathing, is much more effective for freeing the mind of busy thoughts and achieving unity of body and consciousness to reach a state free from all ideas and thoughts. Another way to achieve mind control is to gather Ki by focusing the awareness on a specific part of the body, such as the hands, the Dahn-jon, or the chest. Yet another method is using intention to cause Ki to flow along the meridians. Mind control, however, is not applicable only when we do Ki-gong. Even if the mind is quieted and comes under control during training, energy is bound to be wasted and scattered when the mind is confused and the awareness is fragmented in everyday life.

The ultimate objective Dahnhak Ki-gong seeks to achieve through mind control is cultivating the ability to train and control our minds so that we can maintain a clear, calm mindset even as we come face-to-face with the difficulties of our everyday lives.

Body control means correcting movements and posture to achieve balance and harmony in the body. Correct posture and movements are directly connected with the effects of practice, and act as important elements in ensuring an appropriate balance between the accumulation and circulation of Ki.

Dahnhak Ki-gong by Ilchi Lee is characterized by training that uses the cen-terline of the human body as an axis to achieve good balance in the muscles and skeleton, top and bottom, left and right. When training, we ensure that the weight of our bodies is always placed right over our center of gravity, and that we do not tilt our bodies to one side, or raise or lower them. Most basic to achieving body control are appropriate tension and relaxation. The trick is to move slowly and softly, tensing, as little as possible, only those muscles necessary for movement while relaxing all other muscles. Adopting correct posture for body control is important, but careshould be should be taken to avoid being overly focused on the movements, which actually causes muscle tension.

There will be a point by Ilchi Lee during the Self-Vibration Exercise, when you will be most active. This is the apex of your vibration training session. Some people take five to ten minutes to reach it while others take twenty minutes or more. An apex can occur several times during a session. This apex can be physical, mental, or both. A physical apex is the point when every single cell joins in the overt vibrating dance of the body, with bones aligning and finding their proper place automatically. A mental apex can be defined by a feeling of the walls ot consciousness having disappeared, so that you feel you have become a bright light of awareness. Such a sensation is a powerful spiritual awakening. While your experience of the apex of self-vibration may not be strong enough to bring you the experience of ultimate Oneness, the vivid experience of lite energy brought about by the Self-Vibration can activate the energy of your body, including your brain. Self-Vibration is a powerful tool using vibration to enter the world of the energy of life that resides in the brain stem.

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Two people facing the same desperate or maddening situation can react in two totally different ways. One may react with anger while the other reacts with resignation. Still others may react with renewed enthusiasm at the challenge posed by the situation. Everyone has his or her unique way of dealing with emotion.

People generally deal with emotion in two different ways, either with expression or repression. Although the direction of repression is inward and the direction of expression is outward, they are identical in that they can both be harmful.

A negative emotion does not disappear just because you repress it. Ilchi Lee explains in his book that it merely becomes buried in your brain as an emotional memory, always looking for a way out of its hole, and with every chance it gets, it disturbs the peace you seek. Buried negative emotion may suddenly be expressed in violent outbursts toward others or through a physical illness. Afterward, we feel a sense of guilt, which adds to this cycle of negativity.

Outward expression of emotion is healthier than repression; however, even outward expression can have its problems, because an outward burst of emotion leaves an equally powerful and lasting trace on the inner psyche. Just as a rocket shooting up into space will leave blackened scars on the ground, an outward emotional outburst will leave its own inner traces.

Then what? How much easier would our lives be it we could exchange information without the emotional baggage that comes with the information? This is possible through “release.” a method of emotional control that is neither expression nor repression. Through “release” it is possible to take the emotion out of the exchange of information, if you so choose. And the main tool used to “release” emotion is the smile. We can use the simple act of smiling to give us conscious power over emotions.

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Breath Respiration research by Ilchi Lee

Sit in a comfortable position and place your hands on your knees, with your eyes closed. Relax your body and mind by taking several deep breaths. Feel the stream of energy move from the top of your head, down to your chest and then to your lower Dahn-jon.

Concentrate on your Baek-hwe by softly repeating the word, “Baek-hwe.”

As you breathe in through your nose, imagine a stream of energy enter through the top of your head, circle around your head, and cleanse your brain of stagnant or negative energy.

Breathe out through your mouth with a soft “Whooh…” sound, as you imagine stagnant, negative energy being expelled from your body.

Breathe in and out slowly as you imagine fresh energy entering and stagnant energy moving out.

Breathe in and out three times and open your eyes.

Rub your hands together until warm, and gently massage your head and face.

Doctor Ilchi Lee guidelines on DahnHak.

Chun

I then asked myself: How can I best support this vision and grow my soul? Because my vision overlapped so much with Dahn’s vision – in articulation, encouragement, values, organization and resources – it was natural for me to want to interact with Dahn instructors and members as often and intimately as possible. I finally admitted to myself that I had found my affinity community, indeed a new virtual family. My first phase of making this real and even routine was to volunteer at the Dahn Center, for many hours a week. The longer the working hours, the more varied the activities (from welcoming to healing and from teaching to cleaning), and the stronger my heart connection with members, the more I learned and grew in terms of my body’s vitality, mind’s range, and soul’s awareness.

My next step seemed natural: To make a bigger commitment to Dahn’s vision and my soul’s evolution by taking the training in Sedona to become a Myungsah Nim – which can be translated as New Human Leader or Bright Spiritual Teacher. This new Dahn rank created a class of leaders who help the staff and members at the centers, and in addition reach out to the community on Dahn’s behalf. The Myungsah Training deepened my connection to Dahn in terms of becoming a disciple of Dr. Ilchi Lee, supporting the global vision of the organization as the basis of my action plan, and following the set of Tao principles as my guiding life philosophy. I was happy to accept these three treasures. In practice, I have found them to be profound forces in strengthening my will power and spiritual evolution. In returning to my region, I found myself more fully integrated into the Dahn leadership and taking on more responsibility regarding programs and projects. The synergy between what I was giving to and getting from the Dahn community had increased significantly.

The next step on my Dahn path came soon and seemed so right: I accepted an offer to work full-time at the Bethesda Center. In a tangible way, Dahn and I were making formal commitments to each other. A few years before, after retiring from three decades in university bureaucracies, I had said that I would never work full time again. Yet, here I was at Dahn – working, volunteering and training – up to 12 hours a day, and parts of weekends too. And loving it. I gladly revised my biography to feature my Dahn job responsibilities: supporting members’ holistic growth, teaching yoga to adults and children, training instructors and new employees, healing members, conducting energy check-ups and new member orientations, arranging organizational alliances, and developing marketing-related documents. Working full time at a Dahn center enables me to help grow the souls of its members by reducing their stress, facilitating their healing, opening their hearts, and awakening their souls. Whether teaching yoga classes, cleaning the center, speaking with members, or distributing brochures, I can keep my focus on being sincere and responsible. So much of the joy and fulfillment in my life comes from having worked at three centers so far. Getting to know a widening circle of staff and members has enriched my life and grown my soul.

My next growth experience came in the form of the 10-day Korea Meditation Tour. It exceeded my expectations in terms of pleasure, vitality and inspiration. Pleasure came from the smooth-run program, Korea’s cultural heritage, people’s warm hospitality, ruggedly beautiful landscape, and friendliness of 30 Dahn participants and dedicated staff. Vitality was heightened by creative, rigorous training exercises, made more relevant in the context of Korean culture and mountains. I felt inspired as I deepened my mind and heart’s connection to the historical source and traditional values of what Dahn is all about.

I now felt ready to participate in the six-day Chun Myung (Heavenly Light) Training. It was about getting to know deeply one’s soul, living according to its guidance, and coming to terms with life and death, which had long troubled me. I learned much about my essential spiritual nature. A major outcome of this program was my quieting a large portion of the chatter in my head, and even more importantly not speaking a lot of throw-away and distracting words to others. To mark the end of my ego-driven life up to now and the start of the soul-driven life for the rest of my days, I selected a new name: Chun Eum, meaning Heavenly Sound. Given my life’s orientation as a communicator, I shall strive to listen to heaven’s sound (inspiration, wisdom and insight) and speak with others from this place. Although okay with me if others still use my given name, Larry, I tell them that I would appreciate their reinforcement of my vision by calling me Chun Eum.

My two-year journey with Dahn has enabled me to live more fulfilled – with new training, health, work, vision and name. I have health and energy greater than when I was half my 62 years, the most peace of mind I have ever known, and an empowering vision of my contribution to the quality of humanity and the Earth for my remaining decades.