‘Bowing is, in essence, about recreating yourself as you want. It is about learning to let go of old things so new things can come to you,’ Ilchi Lee, founder of Dahn Yoga
Do you have a bowing practice? 
In the Western World, most people associate bowing with Buddhism (think of the Zen practitioner’s 108 bows, or the Tibetan Buddhist full-body prostrations), Islam (bowing performed with timed prayer), or the simple half-bow that serves as a greeting in East Asian countries (the equivalent of our handshake).
Bowing is introduced in Dahn Yoga as a mind-body-spirit practice, not connected with any particular religion or dogma, but as a way to integrate the three bodies and communicate with our inner essence. Practitioners most often get a chance to learn bowing before or after the Shim Sung (Finding True Self) workshop. Bowing is about the development of internal and external grace. It exists for self-reflection and is a conversation with your own true nature. Bowing is also a low-impact, symmetrical exercise that produces a light cardio-vascular workout. When practiced regularly, bowing can help maintain a sense of vitality and help you grow your awareness of how energy works in your body.
Soon, for the first time, we will have a book in the Dahn Yoga library devoted solely to the practice of bowing. In July, Best Life Media publishing company will unveil its new book- ‘Bowing: A Moving Meditation for Personal Transformation’, written by the Dahn Yoga Education Team. The book reviews the purposes of bowing, and the benefits of bowing. It also explains bowing for spiritual growth and other interesting facts such as the purpose for performing the traditional numbers of bows (9, 21,49, and 103.) The book is well written and appealing to look at, as a small, hard-cover gift book. You can find it at a local Dahn Yoga Center in mid-July.
Do you have a bowing practice? Please share your comments or send your stories about the journey you have been on through bowing.
Author Genia Sullivan started a bowing practice in 2000 after taking the Shim Sung workshop. She tries to bow (almost!) everyday, even if it is just a few, and is currently teaching Bowing Workshops in Sedona, AZ.
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Tags: Washington DC, Yoga Meditation
Thanks for the article Genia! I also enjoying bowing very much and think it’s an amazing exercise.
As someone who works for BEST Life Media, I wanted to note that if you go to a Dahn Yoga center and they don’t have the Bowing book, you can ask them to order it for you, or buy it from our website: http://www.bestlifemedia.com. Since the book is so new, some of the centers may not have ordered it yet. Although my impression is that the centers in Washington, DC are especially proactive and cutting-edge.
Thanks!
What is so amazing is that I just went through a mini bow training at our center in Montvale. I was really impressed with how I felt after bowing for just one week! I then started to look for the book which wasn’t in our center yet, and low and behold it was Genia! We only met on a few occasions at CGI, Closter. We all miss you there but you obviously are doing bigger and better things for Dahn Yoga. Good luck to you, and thank you! Bowing is awesome!