Ilchi Lee

"Emotions play a major, although unconscious, role, in gaining weight and trying to lose it and keep it off," believes Ilchi Lee, president of the University of Brain Education (South Korea). He points out, "When people say they want to lose weight and get in shape, emotional reasons explain why they put on pounds in the first place. Assuming they exercise and diet, while striving to slim down both old and new emotions arise to challenge, even defeat, their effort."

Lee founded Dahn Yoga to provide people with the tools to regain and maintain their body-mind fitness, combining ancient Korean health practices and modern brain education. He states, “This brain-and-energy-based training works well to manage weight and health.”

Karen, who came to a Dahn Yoga Center in New York with health and weight problems, shares, “Last year I was unhappy, physically weak, and obese. For too long, I had been putting barriers around myself to keep the world at a distance. My excess weight had weakened my body and undermined my well-being. Because my large size threw off my balance, I injured my knees and shoulders.

“Dahn Yoga has given me the means to change myself. Over a six-month period, I gained a strong, fit body, and shed 70 pounds. I have more energy, confidence and emotional strength. At last, I have peace of mind.

“With warm support from my Dahn instructors and fellow members, I’ve been through a wonderful transformation! One of the best bonuses has been finding myself. Buried deep within me is this positive, powerful person who I always was. I’m so happy and grateful that I have discovered her!”

Regarding Karen’s case, Lee comments, “Weight and health matters are always intertwined with emotions – each are the cause and effect of the other. Karen broke this vicious cycle with exercises, dieting, appropriate mindset, and communal support. The stronger these four factors, the better the weight-and-health results.”

For people desiring to shed many pounds, keep them off, and get their bodies in shape, the Dahn Yoga programs for exercising and dieting were described.

As for the role of emotions in controlling weight, Lee affirms, “Exercise and diet will succeed only if people develop a proper weight-loss ‘mindset’ that involves two stages: First, releasing their negative thoughts and emotions that led to amassing the weight. Second, getting a positive state of mind and high self-esteem to maintain the discipline needed for exercising and dieting.”

Being overweight provides unconscious psychological “benefits.” Lee observes, “Excess weight may be compensation for the internal lack of security, recognition and control – all of which are traceable to a deficit of love.” Extra weight may represent a way of appearing to be powerful to others, when the actual feeling is the opposite. For some people, the layer of weight may stem from fearing intimacy.

While losing weight, people may experience an inner conflict between two opposing emotional messages:

1. Good feelings from making progress toward their weight-loss goals.
2. Anxiety from losing the unconscious benefits from the excess weight.
As Lee puts it, “When taking steps to lose weight, you have to chose the emerging ‘thin you’ every day.”

Discovering who they really are inside can help keep people on the weight-loss path. Beyond the ego’s weight games is a person’s “true self.” As Lee describes it, “In Dahn Yoga’s self-discovery process, you can learn to access your inner resources – confidence, willpower, strength, love, joy, peace etc. Accessing and enlarging these resources can help you develop a new ‘sense of self’ that no longer needs to be encased in a large body.”

While on the exercise-diet-mindset path, encouragement and support by instructors and peers, such as at a Dahn Yoga Center, are invaluable. According to Lee, “It is difficult to change deep-rooted weight and health conditions alone, especially as feeling lonely is often a cause of the need for extra weight.”

For January 2008, certain Dahn Yoga Centers are offering free, open classes in weight loss and health gain. Find out their locations and schedules.

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