Yeon Dahn Explained: Melting Your Stress
Posted on: 12/29/2009
One of the many exercises found in a Dahn Yoga class is Yeon-Dahn. “Yeon” refers to strengthening a sword’s steel blade by hammering it; “Dahn” means vital energy. Accordingly, like other Dahn Yoga techniques, these simple postures cause life energy to accumulate and circulate more freely in the body. Unlike dynamic exercises such as Brain Wave Vibration, however, Yeon-Dahn postures are meant to be held for extended periods of time.
By holding these postures, practitioners not only increase their physical stamina and core strength, but also enhance their mental focus.
When practicing Yeon-Dahn, it’s best to progress from the easiest to the more challenging postures. It also helps to play pleasant music, and to concentrate on the lower abdomen, where the energy center known as the lower dahn-jon (dan tian/dan tien in Chinese) exists.
Your level of concentration and physical fitness determines which posture and holding period is most appropriate and beneficial. You can hold a posture from one minute to one hour or more. The more you practice Yeon-Dahn, the more your stamina will increase, and the longer you can hold a particular posture. Or you can move on to holding more difficult postures.
The most common beginner’s posture that’s performed in a regular Dahn Yoga class is known as Sleeping Tiger. Sleeping Tiger is a lying posture done on your back with your arms straight up into the air, elbows bent slightly and wrists bent at right angles so that the palms face the ceiling. The legs are also raised with the hip, knee, and ankle joints at 90-degree angles. This posture is one of the most effective for building energy in the lower abdomen, the body’s power center, without requiring as much physical strength as other postures. It is good for fatigue from poor nutritional habits, sleeping problems, or chronic illness. It has the added benefit of providing an internal buffer against stress, and fostering a positive outlook on life.
Yeon-Dahn can improve your physical, emotional, and mental condition relatively quickly. It is a form of meditation that can teach practitioners a lot about themselves, and can foster a sense of accomplishment that empowers them to take on other challenges in their lives. This exercise is an important part of the Dahn Yoga healing toolkit.
16 Responses to "Yeon Dahn Explained: Melting Your Stress"
01/07/2010 at 8:17 pm
My mom loves yeon dahn training,She is 76 years old!!! She said she can sleep better after training~~~!!!
01/08/2010 at 7:24 am
Doing Yeon-Dahn may not be easy at first, but like any other exercise that you may do, you need to start small and build up. It helps to build up your strength and confidence, and helps to bring your mind and body together by helping to stop all of the extraneoous thinking that goes on in our minds. We are all burdened by lots of thoughts throughout the day, and by doing some yeon-dahn your mind will become quieter and more peaceful. What’s wrong with that!
01/08/2010 at 10:37 am
I started Dahn yoga 2 week ago, I was having for four months very bad episodes of anguish and anxiety, as an Holistic Health practitioner I refuse to take antidepressants, so I tried to combine herbology/homeopathy and yoga, so I started in Dahn yoga and is the best thing I did for me and my emotional health. Whoever is criticizing this millenarian philosophy either is lack in information or has hidden interests.
01/08/2010 at 2:12 pm
Yeon-dahn makes me stronger mentally.
I can connect mind & body and quiet busy mind through yeon-dahn.
Amazing training.
This is part of my life.
01/08/2010 at 8:55 pm
When I first started, there were yeon-dahn exercises that I could only handle for several seconds. Today, I could last even for an hour at certain yeon dahn. The physical strength builds up over time as more and more energy blockages open. It’s amazing training, I like it:) It’s energizing and empowering!
01/08/2010 at 9:27 pm
I feel so stable and balanced in my mind and body when I practice yeon dahn dilligently.
This morning I actually fell asleep for the last 10 minutes of the 30 minutes time I was holding the yeon dahn posture! I was so suprised! And I felt so great afterward.
01/09/2010 at 7:58 pm
Before I joined Dahn Yoga, I went to the hopsital every day after work even though I was very good at all kinds of sports. I tried Yeon-dahn training with some members after the regular class. After 21 days we decided to do for 100days because we realized how helpful it is to energy body, not to speak of physical body. Everytime it was hard and everyone got wet. But they loved it!!!! Do you know how good it is? You can’t tell before you experience. It is much much better than staying in a sauna for an hour. Once you like it, you can’t stop.
01/10/2010 at 12:53 am
Yeon Dahn has helped me to gain more energy, be more alert and focused, and also strenghten my core muscles and energy Centers. I am grateful that I can train my physical body as well as my energy and mind all at the same time. I have found that Yeon Dahn training has helped with coordination and mindfullness for other activities too. I have shared it with athletes, dancers and comedians, all with very positive reports on how well it enhances their own performances. Yeon Dahn is a completely different concept than just exercise. After a gym workout, one usually feels tired or drained. But after Yeon Dahn, even though one will get a great physical workout, you will feel energized, centered and have more endurance.
Thank you to Ilchi Lee for sharing this great tool!
Nate Guadagni,
Dahn Yoga Instructor.
West Linn OR
01/10/2010 at 3:07 pm
Yeondahn, Is my most favorite practice that we do at Dahn yoga. I am sure other yoga traditions have similar practices but I did not experience before coming to Dahn. Isn’t it great to be able to sweat so much just being still. While I am holding a posture I can watch many things about myself.
I can watch where the weak parts and strong parts are. I can see how my mind wants to give up and thinks that I can not do something, which in fact I can. I can watch myself get stronger as I get older. I can watch how my mind tries to find lot’s of dramatic excuses not to keep going. But the best part is how quiet and calm my mind feels when I am finished.
I was assisting in a workshop that one of my students was attending several years ago. While the members were holding a very difficult posture, the instructor said “You will never die form this posture” My student began to laugh and laugh out loud. He shared later that statement really helped him to realize how silly and dramatic it to be thinking he could not do this when in fact there he was doing it. He still appreciated that moment now.
I practice Yeondahn as often as I can in my morning practice.
01/10/2010 at 11:14 pm
I experienced yeondahn for 100days everyday for an hour. It made me very confident and proud of myself.
it’s best training for self -discipline
01/12/2010 at 1:49 pm
In 2008, I had surgery on my right foot and a month later I broke it in another place. As a result of the surgery and the second break, I had been off the foot for 4 months. Atrophy had set in my right leg, ankle and foot. Since I could not walk, I began doing Yeon Dahn (sleeping tiger) every day. I started out only doing ten minutes a day, and worked myself up to an hour within 3 weeks. After two weeks of doing Yeon Dahn, I could walk very slowly without the surgical boot or crutches. Through the Yeon Dahn, I able to build my strength back and get the energy circulating in my leg again. Yeon Dahn also helped me to remain confident during the healing process.
01/12/2010 at 6:16 pm
Ha Ha Ha….
I love it….
Because Whe I was join Dahn yoga my body is so tense like stick…
But through Yeon-Dahn Training….My lowback touch the floor.
I will recommend Yeon-Dahn training 1000% to you.
If you want HSP.
Thank you.
01/13/2010 at 2:19 am
I love doing yeon -dahn!!! Absolutely love it! I do my own yeon-dahn training in addition to my bowing/praying meditation at home. My core /center is so much stronger than ever. I have more focus and more energy 🙂
And no, they don’t FORCE you to do these trainings. You go at your own pace. They encourage you to do your best and try to overcome your own limits little by little, your choice. 🙂
I made my choice and I don’t regret it one bit. 🙂
01/13/2010 at 1:19 pm
I think that Yeon-Dahn has helped me with my yoga practice. The two have worked together. Yeon-Dahn is more social, my goal with Dahn Yoga has been to experience traditional postures in a classroom session with other people. Before joining the Dahn Center I felt blocked physically and emotionally even though I was still practicing yoga on my own. Being taught Yeon-Dahn over the years in a classroom has enabled me to reach a goal in solitary Indian meditation that I had been trying for decades to achieve. When I first started taking classes sleeping tiger was only done on Fridays and the classes were fun but not very demanding. Then it became a daily practice and the classes became valuable because I was constantly encouraged to push against my limitations. Thank you DY for this gift, it has been worth the effort.
01/16/2010 at 10:15 am
The YeonDahn training has helped me alot to increase my strength.
When I started I had really weak body but after I did yeondahn training I was able to do more in my daily life also I now hardly get sick
Dahn Yoga Voice 
01/07/2010 at 5:07 pm
I love doing yeon-Dahn. It gives me such a strength and a great challenge for my body. It empowers me so much,that after 30 minutes of yeon-Dahn, you feel that your mind and body are connected and feel centered.