Dahn Yoga enthusiasts relate stories of inspiration, personal development and success
(Ilchi Lee founded Dahn Yoga and brought it to the United States. Although he no
longer is part of the company, he is still known as the company founder.)
Inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places. A photograph, a song, a book, a landscape, a sunset, a story between friends – all these things can open up new vistas in the mind that shimmer with possibilities.
Believe it or not, even something as simple and reliable as a daily yoga routine can lead to personal development and inner growth. This ancient mind-body system helps individuals pursue inspiration and fulfillment over many years.
Compared to other, more vigorous exercises, yoga may seem too mild to light a fire in one’s soul – yet this simply isn’t true. Like tai chi or reiki, yoga is about the steady, peaceful accumulation of inner forces.
As pianist Glenn Gould once said about art, the justification of yoga is “the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations. The purpose…is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenalin but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.”
This sentiment may be behind many of the inspirational stories that Dahn Yoga members have about their experiences with the holistic regimen – stories like that of Patricia Beck, an enthusiast from Burke, Virginia.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news was a serious blow to Beck’s confidence, and one that made her reappraise her spiritual self. In a recent interview, she credited Dahn Yoga with helping her concentrate on getting well and appreciating each day.
“The mind/body/energy connection that I developed through my classes helped me use this situation as a healing experience, with less fear and more acceptance,” Beck explained. “Throughout my life, my focus had been external; on a fundamental level, my cells weren’t being nourished.”
A psychotherapist, she has since adapted some of yoga’s spiritual facets into her practice, which she said has helped her work with patients rather than against them.
Other Dahn Yoga members report similarly subtle but positive benefits of meditation and self-exploration. For instance, Bettie Carroll-Wallace had an inspirational story of her own, which she related in a video interview last year.
During her time in the U.S. Army, she’d lost a significant portion of hearing in one ear while working in the ground crew of an airbase. However, after 47 years of tinnitus and partial deafness, Carroll-Wallace said that doing Dahn Yoga helped her relax, reflect and even recover a little bit of her hearing.
Related articles
- Andover Dahn Yoga Class (dahnyogama.com)
- Dahn Yoga Cherry Creek – Center of the Month (dahnyogacolorado.com)
