Kouk Sun Do - The Art of Breathing

The ancient people who lived in the Northeast Asia, such as Mongolia, Siberia, Manchuria were equestrians, nomads and hunters. Their life required continuous move from one place to another for better grass fields and game and they needed to adjust themselves to the frequent changes of environments.

Their lifestyle and continuous relocation were mainly motivated by the changes of the Sun, the moon and the stars. They slowly and naturally began to recognize through accumulated experiences and observations that there was certain rule in the changes of nature, the universe and the lives around them.

They thought the fundamental source behind all of these changes was Ki. It was the inception of the concept of Ki. For them, time, space, energy, materials, nature and human beings were only a different aspects or transformations of the same one Ki. This understanding of nature is precisely the same as modern physics. In modern physics, it is also said that time and space, material and mind, and energy and movements can be merged into one. From this Ki perspective, everything else forming the universe was explainable using the concept of Ki. From this understanding, they developed a practice to attain the power of Ki, Sun Do, the way of receiving universal life energy which was mostly represented by the power and virtue of the Sun.

This understanding of the flow of Ki was later adopted by the people who developed the I Ching, from which the core notions are Yin (- energy), Yang (+ energy) and the Five Elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Metal and Earth are derived.

For the nomads, the main observable objects in the sky representing the Ki were the Sun, the Yang energy and the Moon, the Yin energy.

Sun Do practices this Ki and attains the power and virtue of Ki and in order to live in harmony with all beings. The leaders of ancient Northeast Asia were persons who accomplished this goal by practicing Ki.

Certain transformations in body and mind are supposed to happen for those who practice regularly.

Normal changes are the purpose of practice, but some abnormal change could occur if the practitioner does not follow the instructions exactly.

Normal changes:

- feeling refreshed

- feeling light and flexible

- feeling hunger easily; effective digestion; passing gas & belching

- sweat on the hands and feet

- easy excretion

- normalized heart beat

- recovery from disease

- feeling heat at the Danjeon for those who with Yin energy

- feeling cold and/or diarrhea for those who with Yang energy

- feeling slight vibration in body

Abnormal changes:

- pain in diaphragm

- heavy feeling at stomach area

- headaches

- eye fatigue

- overall fatigue

Other changes

- disease could become worse before being healed by the natural force of Ki

- people with high blood pressure should avoid performing headstands and certain other exercises

Normal changes at the Advanced Level

- recovery from disease

- grey hair turning black again

- skin blotches disappearing

- skin becoming healthier

- weight problem resolved as weight becomes normalized

- feelings of powerful physical strength

- feeling peaceful and balanced

- becoming generous and sincere

Abnormal changes at the Advanced Level

- experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations

This psychic phenomenon happens due to the intense focus of the mind during practice. Practitioners should be careful not to be misled by these phenomena and should consult with instructors.

Sun Do practice is done while performing Danjeon breathing. For many, Sun Do is actually known as Danjeon Breathing. Danjeon Breathing is a term used by Grand Master Chung San to help beginners to understand Sun Do and its practice more easily. Performing the sets of postures while doing Danjeon Breathing is called Danjeon Haeng Gong and it forms the basis of the practice session during routine classes.

Basic Danjeon Breathing method is done as follows:

Focus all of your body and mind at Danjeon;

• Breathe only through the nostrils;
• Breathe deeply and naturally;
• Breathing should be as slow, steady and smooth as possible;
• The length of inhalation period and exhalation period should be the same (for beginners);
• Visualize breathing in the fresh life energy while breathing in, and visualize breathing out the toxic energy while breathing out;
• The lower abdomen should rise up while breathing in, and down while breathing out;
• The belly above the navel should not be moving and should be completely relaxed; and
• Use your focus, not muscle, to move the lower abdomen

Beginners should learn the exact location of the Danjeon, and how to do Danjeon Breathing from instructors.

It was clearly stated by the Grand Master that Danjeon Breathing could not be learned by merely reading a description from a book. Breathing is a very critical life mechanism and even a slightly wrong breathing practice could result in a grave physical problem or even a mental disorder.

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A being which breathes is a living being, and a being which does not breathe is a non-living being.

In addition to simply breathing in oxygen (O2) and breathing out carbon dioxide (CO2), Sun Do sees the breathing mechanism as the Ki respiratory mechanism for living beings. Breathing oxygen is the role of lungs, and the breathing Ki is the role of the Danjeon, our body’s energy center. Sun Do breathing is the way of breathing Ki through the Danjeon.

Living and dying is a reflection of the gathering and dissipation of Ki. Concentration of Ki is life, dissipation of Ki is death. Full of Ki means healthy and vital life, lack of Ki means weakeness and disease, and full dissipation of Ki means the end of life.

An old person with full Ki can be full of vigor and have peachy cheeks under grey hair. He can finish his mission in life and go back to the eternal place without leaving a tomb.

A living being must have a form and a function. The form is the body and the function is respiration, or breathing. A being without a Ki respiratory function is not a living being. Therefore, growth and evolution of a living being is equivalent to the growth and evolution of breathing.

Body and mind are not two different things, but are two different forms of one Ki. Therefore, Sun Do practitioners concentrate on body and mind together and cultivate the body and mind simultaneously.

The Ki of a practitioner and the Ki of the universe are not two different things. Breathing is the only way to connect the practitioner’s Ki and the Ki of the universe. Through breathing, Sun Do practitioner is connected to and can communicate with the universe and all beings in the universe.