Dahn Yoga DC Metro Member’s blog

Joanne Steller
Marketing Consultant

When I began my Dahn training at age 56, I could not have foreseen the incredible change for the better it has helped me create in all aspects of my life.  Even the basic yoga exercises were difficult for me at first.  I had little stamina and had even less discipline to stay active physically.  I came to realize that the stiffness and lack of flexibility I routinely experienced physically was an apt reflection of my state of mind as well.  The Dahn method of experiential learning helped me overcome the barriers I had been putting in my own path when trying new things I have never done before.  My thoughts like  “not at my age” or  “I’ll never be able to that,” have become “I can do it,” and “I’m going to keep doing it as long as I live.” Through regular class participation and by attending increasingly more advance workshops over the past three years, I have felt and seen many benefits.  I am stronger and in better physical condition today than I was in my 30s.  I have asthma but the bouts of respiratory difficulty, discomfort and illness have abated, even at the height of allergy season and without the daily medication that often felt worse than the disease.  One of the best health benefits of this training has been learning about the physical manifestations of stress.  In Dahn, we learn to relieve and release stress; one can literally feel stress melting away to calm relaxation through the yoga exercises, meditation, and healing activities that are part of the program’s Brain Education System Training (BEST).  The basic sensibility and profound impact of this learning on my own circumstances has inspired me to teach, and I am leading classes at the Dahn Center and in my community with increasing frequency.  My life vision too has a new, improved lens that has helped me see ways to create stronger, better relationships with my husband of 34 years, my two adult daughters, my extended family, friends, and colleagues.   Dahn training also has provided me with excellent tools for my professional life.  As I travel throughout North America as a marketing consultant in the performing arts, I find myself practicing and benefiting from Dahn principles in everything from the counsel and coaching I provide clients to the process of using America’s stress-filled air transportation system.  Of all the many self-help programs I have tried over the years, this is the only training that has inspired and taught me to keep going. I have, and that has made a huge difference in me and has awakened me to the difference I can make in the lives of others.   

Suzi Katz  

In 1989 I fell while I had a 60 lb backpack on.  The accident ruptured one and herniated two discs in the lower lumbar region of my back.  It was excruciating pain, but I was determined to not undergo surgery, contrary to what the specialists wanted.  After many months, my acute pain became more chronic in nature-but I was very limited physically…Do you know what it is like to wake up in the morning with your lower back aching, extreme stiffness in your feet, and experiencing  dull pain radiating down my right leg?  That is how I felt everyday-I was able to walk but it seemed I was slowly deteriorating inside.  I learned to live with this pain, going through many sessions of physical therapy, MRI’s, Cat Scans, EMG’s and chiropractic spine manipulations. 

Prior to this, I led a very active life- I loved being outdoors-gardening, hiking, playing tennis & golf, played softball, took bike and  white water rafting trips, went fishing.  I also took aerobics, jazzercise, tap danced and was an avid jogger…..Under doctors orders, I had to stop all of these activities for fear I would be at risk in rupturing another disc. Walking at a slow pace was all I could really enjoy now. 

A few years ago, when I turned 50, I suddenly experienced a “new” type of pain in my lower back.  This pain prevented me from lying on my back.  If I did sleep flat, I would wake up with such sharp pains that I could hardly get out of bed.  My body literally felt like it was 100 years old….. After much testing it was determined that I now had degenerative disc disease.  

In my work I travel quite a bit. Since my professional life is very demanding and stressful, at every chance I could get, I would indulge myself and schedule a message (usually deep tissue or shiatsu) at the hotel spa.  But even that was not pleasurable anymore-lying on the message table put a tremendous strain on my back. 

In addition, I have a young son (5.5 yrs) who needs me very much.  He is the joy of my life-but I couldn’t lift him, or play with him as much as I wanted without having my back go out.   

I NEEDED TO FIND A WAY TO FEEL BETTER-I COULD NOT LET MY BODY CONTROL MY LIFE ANYMORE.  I NEEDED TO RELAX, LEARN TO STAY CALM ,STRETCH MY MUSCLES.  I WANTED TO HAVE A STATE OF WELL BEING AND HEALTH AGAIN…. 

POST DAHN YOGA 

It was meant to be-One day I was visiting a girlfriend, and I saw a Dahn Yoga flyer wedged in her screen door. They were offering an open house demonstration.  This intrigued me….I went with a friend, and joined that evening, with the thought that I would give it a try for 3 months.  I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic at first.  My back problems were not just a little muscle spasm; there was physical/ structural damage.  I figured yoga could increase my energy, and improve my flexibility to stretch my back muscles-but get me out of chronic pain?  No way- 

After 3 months I saw a gradual transformation.  I could for the first time in years lay flat on my back without much discomfort.  After 6 months, it felt normal.  I couldn’t believe how I was improving !!!!  I have been a member now for over 2.5 years.  Every week I see the positive effects…. Improving energy flow-ridding toxins, relieving stress, removing stagnant energy  and opening meridians. I am feeling better and better releasing more endorphins and stimulating my body’s healing process.  

I attribute all of this to the masters who take very good care of me-my healing sessions are vital to keep my energy level up and my dah-jah healthy. They provide gentle yet supportive encouragement.  Attending regular Yoga classes combined with healing sessions has been key.  The Masters are  great healers.  They have been a source of strength to me.  They have taught me to learn to accept my pain. They truly care about their members, being empathetic, and nurturing.  I am committed to Dahn Yoga.  It will continue to be an integral part of my life. THE BEST 5 PROGRAM HELPS ME LIVE A HEALTHY, AND HAPPY LIFE.    I admit it is hard to balance my work/personal family time to practice home exercises.  I need to improve on that…My job is very demanding.   But when I walk into the Dahn Yoga in Bethesda, it really is a happy (smile), healthy and peaceful place.  I look forward to   learning more about my inner self; improving my mind; achieving a healthy body and creating spiritual enlightenment.   

Sara Arnold 

I started yoga classes at the Dahn Center in Gaithersburg in August, 2006.  I’ve practiced other yoga styles in other places and noticed the physical benefits, so I figured this would be the same.  I didn’t realize at the time that Dahn yoga not only benefits me physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.  Dahn hak is not just physical training, it involves all aspects of body, mind and spirit. 

The integration of these aspects of Dahn are most evident with Shim Sung training.  Shim Sung training is about who we really are, what we really want, and what our purpose I life really is.  So much of our time in our daily life is spent seeking the answers to these questions in the context of our preconceptions and the perceptions of others are not who we truly are, which is why we don’t find the answers to life’s most basic questions outside of ourselves.  We can only answer these questions when we find our true selves within ourselves.  That is what Shim Sung is all about. 

During the training, I discovered many preconceptions I had about myself and others.  I am a physician in the Navy and spent several months deployed in support of Operation Iraqi freedom and Operation Enduring freedom.  For several years I have been carrying around very painful memories from those deployments and other events in my life which would manifest as anger, frustration and depression.  I had to take medications to control my moods and go to anger and stress management sessions for a year.  This therapy only worked at the surface and did not treat the underlying problems, so I gave them up.  I wasn’t until I could go to Dahn Yoga healing, meditation, and Shim Sung training that I could learn to deal with my problems and become a happier, healthier person.

Patty Krauss

Performing artist, Educator

 Dahn Yoga has helped me with my chronic fatigue and strength issues. Now I have more energy and a “toolbox” of healing methods to use in every situation. The Gaithersburg Dahn Yoga center is a wonderful, vital asset to the community. It is a place where people can come together to heal, laugh, grow be themselves and heal the community.

Since I was a young child, I trained in ballet, jazz and lyrical dance. My favorite part of the training was ballet bar and floor preparation. When I started Dahn Yoga, I realized why I always enjoyed the repetitive movement at the bar and holding postures in floorwork. It was meditation for me. I could focus just on what I was doing - and I loved challenging my body to go further and further. I found that feeling and more when I went to Dahn Mu Do school. In focusing in the postures, I was able to feel calm and centered but also feel my body and soul as part of a bigger structure. During the practice, I truly felt myself and my life as part of a huge cosmic energy dance. I am so grateful to my Mom who worked a second job to ensure my sister and I had a chance to dance and deeply appreciative of Ilchi Lee who created Dahn Mu Do, which made me realize my true essence as a cosmic dancer.

“Do you know that your path can wind, go over hills, through dales and glens, pass through sleepy hollows, cross rivers and oceans and babbling brooks? Know you that it can go under the sea, over the sea, or perhaps to the other side of the moon?

How will you know if you are on the right path? When you’ve a smile on your face; when what you’re doing makes you HAPPY.  The right path is wherever you are happy.

And if the path has a fork in the road and you have an option, and neither one makes you happy, and you’re confused, do not make a decision. Do not! Stand there with a smile on your face, right where you are, and allow the confusion to subside. It won’t take a century, only moments.

Never make a decision when you are confused.  Allow the answer to come.

When you ALLOW it, the path will become clear because it will FEEL good.

It may not be right for others, but it will be for you. Understand?”

~ Ramtha, from Ramtha Intensive: Soulmates
(the book) through JZ Knight

When you encounter difficulty, it does not mean you can’t make it or it “just wasn’t meant to be” — you make the choice about what you want and then find a way to get there. The most important thing is to keep going. I saw this poem the other day and I really liked it:

 In Darkness
Bless my time in darkness
that it may simply be
a waiting within
a chrysalis

And I will emerge anew

 –Barbara Davis-Pyles

Sometimes during training you can get frustrated — and even though you are going forward it feels like a set-back. Like feeling sad or sick. Sometimes we feel if we are “getting better” we shouldn’t feel sad, or angry, or anxious, or sick. But we have SO many layers of these feelings in our body — in continuing our training it is like opening a door — and walking forward, and then opening another door — and another — before we open a door and not only feel, but know, love and trust our true self. Acknowledge your feelings and just go through them to the next. No need to hang out in the room with them — we don’t have to relive our past — we just go to the door and open it.

Did you know that the Brain Education System Training (BEST) is the core curriculum of what we do in Dahn Yoga class? The BEST training has five steps — taking yoga class is the first step — it helps to awaken and sensitize our brain. Each level builds on the achievements of the last. By recognizing our brain as a great tool for us to use, we can better manage our emotions and thoughts.

My initial awakening workshop was so fun — I loved having the challenge of developing my Dahn Jon — we did tapping, intestine exercise and Yeon Dahn exercise. We discussed principle as well. I also realized that not just my body was strong — my mind, demonstrated by my focus in the training, was strong too!