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Bowing Meditation: A Short History and Explanation
By Michela | January 9, 2010
This is an article I wrote for dahnyoga.com and dahnyogavoice.com. I feel like it’s time to share it on this blog. I find bowing meditation a deeply fulfilling practice, and I want others to know more about it. Of course, the only way to really know about it is to try it for yourself. Written instructions are in this previous blog post. BEST Life Media, the publishing company I work for, plans on releasing a short book about bowing in Dahn Yoga and Body + Brain Centers late this year.
For thousands of years, Asian cultures, such as that of Korea, have used bow meditation and other prostration exercises as part of their spiritual and physical practices. They were performed both as a preparation for sitting meditation, and as a meditation in their own right. Bow meditation was neither used as a form of worship, nor as a form of self-punishment. Practitioners did not bow down to anything exterior. Rather, they bowed in humble acceptance and deference to their own highest nature.
As Dahn Yoga founder Ilchi Lee wrote in his book Human Technology, “Bowing is one of the most humble and spiritual acts a human can perform. It is an action that simultaneously signifies acceptance and a deep understanding of and feeling toward its object. Moreover, through this action, we cast aside the narrow confines of the self and accept the energy of the universe.”
Japanese Zen master Shunryu Suzuki concurred with this view of bowing in his book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: “By bowing, we are giving up ourselves to the universe. To give up ourselves means to give up our dualistic ideas and become one. When you become one with everything that exists, you find the true meaning of being.”
Even today, many people engage in bow meditation—from Buddhist nuns in mountain temples to ordinary housewives. In one session they may perform anywhere from one bow to ten thousand bows. For instance, in his blog, Sumi Loundon writes about a friend of his in Korea who did 3,000 bows in one night.
On her blog, Sr. Ellie Finlay of the St. John’s Center for Spiritual Formation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, writes that bowing is good for “shifting very deeply ingrained habitual tendencies.” A repetitive full-body movement that involves strength, concentration, and balance, bow meditation is a means through which a person can become more aware of his or her thoughts, emotions, and habits, and through which they can reinforce or change them. It’s also a way through which the emotional heart can open, allowing a person to love and accept his or herself and others.
Besides its mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits, bow meditation also invigorates and strengthens the body. It’s a meridian exercise that strengthens the back and legs, warms the body (especially the lower abdomen), stretches the muscles, oxygenates and circulates the blood, and makes you sweat. As a stress reducer, bow meditation also enhances the immune system and generates a more positive and hopeful outlook on life. The health benefits are similar to those derived from Sun Salutations performed in Indian yoga.
Because of its advantages on multiple levels, many people even in Western countries practice this moving meditation regularly as a way to enrich and enliven their lives. In Dahn Yoga, bow meditation is not taught in the regular classes, but is often a part of special classes such as follow-ups to the Shim Sung workshop. And many Dahn Yoga practitioners do bow meditation as their daily meditation routine because it helps them calm their minds very effectively.
Click here to read testimonials about bowing or to leave your own.
Topics: shim sung, Consciousness, Body |
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:19 am
History of Bowing Meditation is really good and containing the correct information.
April 26th, 2010 at 6:45 am
Thank you for this reference. I’ve personally found that bowing is an amazing practice-it helped strengthened my concentration and there’s something incredibly humbling about it.
Lisa
Yoga Thailand
July 16th, 2010 at 2:30 am
your are the worst site i have visit
July 16th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Thank you for your sharing everyone. I love bowing too.