SUNDO Practice Principles
SunDo, like Qigong, is a practice method that unites the body, mind and heart, it activates and enlivens the body’s vital Qi energy.
SunDo is based on danjun haengong.
Danjun Breathing
Psychological stability and healing is difficult and requires practicing correct breathing. Earth energy and heaven energy meet in the lower danjun. The lower danjun generates energy and is similar to an electric generator. Energy is generated by the lower danjun and becomes the source of thinking, talking and acting.
Distracted thinking and worrying are dissipated when you focus your mind on the lower danjun. Correct danjun breathing provides a person with energy. When the energy is full then the head gets clear and the heart becomes brighter.
Relationship between the Body, Mind and Heart.
When the body is charged with vitality the mind gets clear and the heart becomes brighter. When the mind is clear the body becomes lively and vitality is abundant. Similar to Qigong, SunDo is a method that produces mental and physical health by working with the body, mind and heart. The body’s vitality is called Jung, the power that makes mental activity possible is called Ki, the energy of the heart is called Shin.
SUNDO Practice Description
1. Warm-up exercises
The Warm-up stretches serve as a way to activate and enliven the body’s vital Qi energy. Movements are practiced at quite a quick pace, students lightly stretch all major muscle groups, stimulate acupressure points along meridian lines and loosen the joints of the body so that Qi energy can begin to move freely. The activating sequence (16 min) prepares the body for longer-held postures in the breathing meditation and relaxes the abdominal muscles for more fluid breathing.
2. Breathing meditation
Deep breathing through the lower abdomen in a prescribed set of positions for each level serves to accumulate qi and bring life energy into the body. An associated aspect of this part of the exercise is strengthening the center and improving the postural correctness of the body. Breathing meditation is accompanied by a sung mantra, which helps practitioners maintain a precise breathing rhythm (approximately 40 minutes).
The time allocated for this part is significant. For those who initially have attention difficulties, this is the time to re-new the mind-breath connection and to acquire the correct body position. Patience is needed. Finding a relationship with the breath, discovering its strength and allowing it to nurture you, is definitely worth it.
Abdominal breathing has a number of positive health effects.
The positions for this part of the SunDo practice are variable. The difficulty of the positions and the way of breathing changes in the course of practice according to the exact prescribed methodology.
The first, third, fourth and fifth parts of the practice remain the same for all levels. Only the breath meditation positions, their numbers and the breath rhythm change.
3. Qi Circulation Exercises
This part of the practice is used to utilize the qi collected during the main breathing of the 2nd part. During a series of exercises, the qi is distributed to all parts of the body (about 12 minutes).
4. Organ Exercises (Ki Sin Bup)
We also distribute the energy to the internal organs to stimulate and strengthen their functions. Exercises are performed by pair: the kidney and the bladder, the heart and the small intestine, the liver and the gallbladder, the lungs and the large intestine and finally, the spleen and the stomach (about 5 min).
5. Strengthening Exercises
To end the practice, for an easy transition to the day-to-day life, a few fitness exercises are included – head stand, push-ups and sit-ups (approx. 5 min).
SUNDO Practice Steps
Until now you have calmed and moved your heart to your lower danjun. You became serene and balanced your body through slow breathing below the navel and doing your postures in silence. This was to create a flawless capacity to fill you with the bright energy of heaven.
“The first way of receiving heaven’s energy (first stage of SunDo: Jung-gahk-doh) is entering the order of the way (Dao) by rightly (Jung) knowing and realizing (gahk). Now you have to make the energy of heaven interact (Tong) with your energy and make that energy (gi) move freely in your body. Only by following this law (Tong-gi-bup) can humans move on to unify with the heavens (Sun), go with the way (doh) and be one within the union of heaven and man (bup). This is the way and law of heaven and humans becoming one (Sun-do-bup). Keep this way and law in your heart and go forth.”
Master Chung-woon.
Stage 1 – Jung-gahk-doh
a. Joong-gi danbup
Joong-gi danbup is based on the principle of the five elements. it is composed of 50 different haeng-gong postures.
b. Gun-gon danbup
This danbup is composed of ten motions (postures) of the celestial stems and twelve motions (postures) of the twelve terrestrial branches.
It is based on the formation principle of the universe.
Gun-gon danbup causes Yin and Yang energy inside the body to operate harmoniously and creates abundant vitality.
c. Won-gi danbup
This level views one year as 360 days so it contains 360 postures.
Observing the changing shapes of the moon, for example, from a full moon to the next full moon – in other words this month’s day 15 to the next month’s day 15 – makes one unit and so it becomes one month.
It also follows the lunar cycle, for example, from one full moon to the next is considered one unit (one month). Twelve times of this lunar movement is one lunar year.
The subdivisions of the seasons have been established by observing changes of the sun, moon and earth’s motion. Won-gi danbup’s haeng-gong applies the natural changes of energy flow to the human body. In order to do that, the Won-gi danbup’s haeng-gong has been composed of the principles of yin-yang, five elements, and the five operations and six energies.
Stage 2 – Tong-gi bup
This stage develops a high level of mental practice and the union of Jung-Gi-Shin is attained in a higher dimension.
Stage 3 – Sun-d0 bup
In this stage one unites with the universe and becomes a sun person. It is the last practice stage in which one completes enlightenment, joins and remains in the heavens and completes one’s destined life.
Practice Levels - Jung-gahk-doh
SunDo can be practiced by all age categories, at all levels, regardless of the initial physical condition. Students progress slowly and the level of difficulty increases when they move to the next level. Exercises and practices are safe and have a well-structured methodology.
The first stage of SunDo, Jung-gahk-doh, contains seven levels, each level is signified by a belt. To progress to the next level the practitioner needs to fulfill certain requirements. The Black Belt is the first level in the second stage, the Tong-gi bup. Please see the charts below.
Levels of practice
Jung-gi danbup – white, white and yellow belt: 2 tables with 25 positions
Gun-gon danbup – yellow belt: “Unification of the energy of heaven and earth”, 1 table with 23 positions
Won-gi danbup – red belt and blue belt: “Working with the original energy of the universe”, 3 x 10 tables with 12 positions
Chook-gi danbup – grey belt: “Supply primary energy”, 1 table with 5 positions
Jin-gi danbup – black belt: “Working with transformed energy”, one position.