​​Unlocking the power of balance 

From Jung’s desire to unite the wisdom of Eastern and Western thought, as well as the conflicting pieces of the mind, we see a common theme of balance that’s perfectly captured in a Taoist symbol we know all too well — the ubiquitous yin and yang.

Dark and light, surface and interior, mind and body, self and others — the famous, but glossed-over symbol gets us to the root of Taoism and the power its practices have to help us live better, more meaningful lives: the interplay of yin and yang emphasizes our need to reclaim balance and live at peace with ourselves and the world.

And Taoist practice is one of the most effective ways to find this powerful sense of harmony.​

The change you’ll see from SunDo Taoist Meditation 

SunDo meditation is directly connected to this theme of balance. Its exercises awaken old memories of stress, denial or trauma stored within the body or mind. The awakening process occurs slowly, over time, and only when we feel confident and resilient enough in our practice to experience change. 

Through deep breathing, SunDo gently brings these repressed parts of our subconsciousness into conscious awareness, uniting them to create greater physical and mental well-being.

A shift in temperament takes place as practitioners gain the benefits of SunDo breathing meditation and the Taoist principle of oneness. They establish an essential foundation for on-going practice in their individual journeys toward personal well-being and wholeness. 

Whether you simply begin paying attention to your breathing or become immersed in a daily deep breathing routine, SunDo meditation can help you find a way to create more balance and harmony in your life.  

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At One World Wellness, we hope to hold space within this program for people going through emotional difficulties such as stress, anxiety, grief or depression. The Body-Mind & Breath Program begins on September 26, 2018.

Participants are invited to try the gentle postures of Hatha yoga and SunDo, a Taoist yoga practice which also includes healing breathwork and meditation. There will also be time for small group or individual discussion and processing of personal insights, challenges, and goals with a highly-trained therapist.

Register by September 12 to receive $20 off standard price. This program has spaces for 8 students which may fill quickly. Payments can be made online through PayPal with an account or credit card.
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​SunDo is also one of the oldest forms of Taoist-style "Yoga"

We don’t often think of Taoist practices as yogic arts – conventional thinking regards them as distinct from the Hindu yoga disciplines. So why do many SunDo postures look exactly the same as postures you would see in a Hatha or Yin yoga class? Because over the many millennia in which these practices developed, in both the Taoist and Hindu traditions, certain ways of positioning the body were universally recognized as having powerful effects on energy flow.

However, SunDo distinguishes itself from Hatha yoga practice by holding postures in stillness — hence, its influence on the Yin yoga world.
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As we discussed above, stationary poses are an important part of SunDo because they allow users intense focus on their breathing, but, unlike other yoga forms – even the soft Yin yoga poses – postures are always and completely secondary to the breathing. ​And, eyes are kept mostly closed to maintain a meditative state the focuses soley on the breath in the dantian (lower abdomen).

If we do not have control over our breath, we cannot cultivate and circulate Qi energy in its purest form. In fact, poses can actually drain us of Qi if they over-emphasize fast or shallow chest breathing, causing us to expend more energy holding positions than we can cultivate during practice. This may be a reason some students of yoga have hit a plateau.

Yoga in Sanskrit means “to yoke,” join, or attach. Such is the power of SunDo, the art that yokes or trains the body through postures, the mind through focus, and the spirit through breathing and Qi cultivation. In uniting the effectiveness of longer-held “yoga” poses with the deeply focused breathing of Taoist disciplines, SunDo offers practitioners the best of both worlds.

Learn more about SunDo practice at One World Wellness in East Haven!

How brainwaves change through the power of deep breathing

Scientists and meditation practitioners know that focused deep breathing quickly changes the way our brains work in the moment. Throughout most of our waking hours, our brains emit Beta brainwaves, which keep our minds attentive, and cautious. It’s a good state for accomplishing many of our daily responsibilities with necessary care, however, as we all experience at certain points, this state can also wear us down.

The slow rhythmic breathing of Qigong and other Taoist breathing practices such as SunDo or Dahn Yoga trigger a very different mental state — taking the brain from stressful beta waves to soothing and rejuvenative theta waves, which are optimal for deep relaxation, healing, clear-headedness, and strong immune function.

Theta brainwaves (4-7 cps) occur in sleep and are dominant in our highest state of meditation. Normally, we only experience theta waves drifting off to sleep, during some dreaming, and as we return from the depths of Delta sleep. The constant and rhythmic deep breathing method of SunDo can induce blissful meditation in practitioners while at the same time providing ultimate health and wellness benefits. 

Next time someone suggests you take some deep breaths or try a little yoga, hold off on the snark and give it a shot. There’s a good chance you’ll be surprised, and now we have the science to back it up.

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​To learn more about Taoist deep breathing practice and how breath meditation can lead to greater relaxation and optimal wellness, visit www.oneworld-wellness.com. SunDo is a style of Taoist practice characterized by subtle breathing techniques performed while holding various postures. Practice is divided into sequences that activate, build and circulate vital life energy or Qi.

Taoists already knew about deep breathing as a stress reducer

The understanding of breath as a restorative force and tool of self-mastery came in its earliest incarnations from practitioners of Taoist arts over many millennia.

We know a universal theme in Taoism is restoring and maintaining balance in ourselves, nature, and all aspects of life. If one aspect of our mental or physical state is compromised, it adversely affects many other parts of our being in a sort of domino effect. However, breath is one of very few major bodily functions we can actually control. Taoists knew they could use breath to re-establish mental and physical balance regardless of environmental agitators.

Practitioners of breath-focused practices like SunDo understood something fundamental and primal about the way our bodies and those of our animal kin functioned — control of breath meant control of self. Scientists put this theory to the test, in animals not capable of consciously regulating their own breathing patterns, and the results, you might say, took their breath away.
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​The mice breathe easy

Mice have an instinctive behavior many of us are keenly aware of — when they find themselves in a new space (like an apartment), they scurry about wildly, sniffing and quickly trying to make sense of their surroundings. Their quickened breathing, activated by cells in their respiratory pacemakers that trigger sighs every few minutes, would swiftly elevate the mice to a nervous, agitated state in the presence of a new environment.

If they didn’t have this sighing impulse, though, would their behavior be different in a stressful situation? Scientists were able to test this theory by breeding mice with just one of these cells that could easily be disabled. When these mice were exposed to new cages, they remained calm and stayed put, grooming themselves without haste.

Scientists deduced that the respiratory pacemaker, doesn’t just regulate breathing function; it also checks its work by adapting brain activity to the status of the animal’s current breathing patterns. No choppy sighs — no nervous mice.

SunDo practitioners breathe their way to good health

In a class with forty minutes of breath meditation, SunDo students aim to breathe as smoothly as possible. Instructors monitor progress by checking the breath's motion. If it flows like a gentle wave, the student has good breathing. If there are stoppages or fluctuations, a student must remain lying down to practice breathing in a relaxed state until they are ready for postures with breathwork. 

Early Taoist observed breathing done by young children and babies. They saw that the belly swells and then relaxes with each breath cycle. And that the belly was full and flexible. Unfortunatley, most adults living in these modern, more stressfull times have lost the ability to breathe smoothly. Lack of full deep breathing often leads to a range of illnesses both physical and emotional.

To reclaim the breath is to be able to control the rate and depth at which we breathe. Changing the way we breathe may change the way our bodies respond to stressors and the way in which we live our lives.

Physiologically, anxiety feels all-consuming. It's complex in its causes, so a simple remedy of slow, deep,  controlled breathing often comes up short in our momentary reasoning. 

But here’s the thing — breathing is actually the very thing that controls our anxiety. A cluster of cells in the brainstems of mammals, known as the “respiratory pacemaker,” appears to regulate our anxious responses by taking cues from the speed and depth of our breathing.

Until recently, the respiratory pacemaker, was something of a “black box” mystery to medicine; scientists knew it was active somewhere in the gray area between the mind and body, but didn’t understand how exactly it worked there.
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​This past spring, Stanford University published a study on the breathing patterns of mice, that  changes all of this and begins to unravel the mystery that has long obscured the relationship between the brain and the physical functions of the body.

We’ve seen countless cultural traditions use focused deep breathing as an essential part of their meditation and wellness practices across history, and now, with a deeper look into the complex functions of the “respiratory pacemaker,” science has the clear evidence to show that deep breaths really are worth the hype.

At One World Wellness, breathwork is a part of everything we do from stretching to postures to meditation ... our studio speciallizes in teaching SunDo, one of the most ancient practices of Taoism. Known for obtaining perfection in breath retention ability, early Taoist practictioners found a way not only to balance the body and mind, they went far further to realize the pure experience of spirit through breathing. 

Although we modern humans may not attain this advanced level, everyone needs to start somewhere! Reducing stress and curbing anxiety can be the first stepping stones on a healing path toward optimal dimensions of wellness. Because of ancient Taoist masters, we now have access to powerful breath practices in stressful times and science definitely confirms it.
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