What does Dao Yoga stand for, what is special about it?
Dao Yoga looks back on a long Daoist tradition. In a figurative sense, Dao stands for “the way” and yoga for “deeper knowledge”. So Dao Yoga can be a path to inner realization for the practitioner. As well as Daoist arts of movement, like Tai Chi or Qi Gong, the focus is on the cultivation of energy. While in Qi Gong the main focus is on guiding and leading of our different energies, in Dao Yoga the main focus is on the natural flow of breathing energy during physical exercises. This breathing energy is the central focus and thus the giver of the beat/timing and source of energy in one, which ultimately makes Dao Yoga unique.
But what exactly is meant by breathing energy and giver of the beat/timing in this context? Let’s first look at the breathing energy and split it into breath and energy.
In this way it is objectively possible to split breath into a strong or weak breath. The breath can be noisy or quietly, deep or flat, long or short.
The energy in the breath is not that easy to differentiate, as it has different qualities and cannot be objectively compared at first. This energy is also called Qi or life energy by Daoists. It is split into the main energies physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and sexual energy and is contained in breathing.
In order to make use of this power-giving life energy, it is extremely important that we make our body permeable so that the energy can reach every corner of our body. And this is the outcome of the physical exercises of Dao Yoga.
There are exercises for almost every area ofthe body, this includes standing exercises, breathing meditations, exercises on the floor and, above all, partner exercises, which give us information about energy strength but also the quality of our energy.
These partner exercises make e.g. blockades and their effect on our body visible and give us objective “feedback” on his personal level of training and his personal development, not only on the physical level but on all levels.
All of this can be developed in Dao Yoga through the conscious use of breathing energy, with the breathing rhythm playing a crucial role.
In contrast to what is probably the most common breathing technique practiced in the asanas (postures) of Indian yoga, which begins with a short inhalation followed by a long exhalation, in Dao Yoga you practice yin and yang breathing. Here the breathing is weighted roughly equally and is synchronized with the physical exercises and is therefore the giver of the beat/timing in one.
The Yin breathing (inhalation) with its described Qi quality (the absorption of energy) is about as long as the exhalation (Yang breathing), which is often practiced with an S-exhalation.
S-breathing is a special breathing technique used with the exhalation. It´s one part of the 6 healing sounds handed down from Taoism/Daoism. The tongue lies on the palate just behind the teeth and thus closes the energy pathways of the governor vessel on the back of the body and the conception vessel on the front of the body.
The S sound – as one of the 6 healing sounds – is also assigned to the lungs and supports us, among other things, in detoxifying our body.
This detoxification occurs with every exhalation and is further intensified by using S-breathing, which results in a slight vibration of the upper body.
This principle of Yin and Yang breathing is used in all Dao Yoga exercises. On the physical side, for example, hardening of the muscles can be dissolved by fresh energy replacing old, used up energy.
Through regular practice, the entire body becomes permeable to energy, mobility and the result is a recovery, e.g. of the muscles and joints.
Dao Yoga exercises can also release mental or emotional hardening or blockages through the transfer of fresh energy and thus lead to a balanced and contented life.
Back to the original question: What does Dao Yoga stand for, what is special and what is the gain?
Dao Yoga has a long tradition, has matured over generations, is verifiable and works. The special yin and yang breathing transfers fresh energy through our body and thus dissolves hardening and blockages. In this way, our entire body becomes permeable to energy and the result is recovery on all levels.
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