Moo Pal Dan Kuhm

[Makalakumu]

As part of our training, we practice a number of different breathing exercises. We do these in order to clear our minds, condition our bodies, and to get our energy moving.

The set that I am posting is called Moo Pal Dan Kuhm. Each one of these breathing excercises has a different purpose.

The first set of vids is Moo Pal Dan Kuhm 1-4.

 

[Makalakumu]

The second set of vids goes through Moo Pal Dan Kuhm 4-8.

 

[MBuzzy]

UpNorth,

Would you be so kind as to go into your interpretations of the purposes of each of the exercises?

 

[Makalakumu]

The first video in the series is called The Salute. This exercise is designed to draw energy in boost your grand circulation. I use it for a good stretch and to work different areas of my lungs.

The second video is called The Bow. This exercise is designed to draw energy laterally across your body. I use it again to mildly stretch my arms and to work on deep breathing in that position.

The third video is called The Punch. This exercise is designed to ground your energy and express in out and up. This exercise is particularly good for getting the legs warm and for moving kinks out of the limbs. The breathing is also different with this one. Instead of abdomenal breathing, this one uses chest breathing. Because of this, one feels a little light headed at the end.

The forth video is called Heaven and Earth. This exercise is designed to connect your energy to both places. I like it because it works a weak bow stance and it helps you find a rooted position.

The fifth video is called The Wave. This is one of my favorites. It is designed to open up the trunk and cause the energy to flow more freely. This exercise really helps stretch out the back and work out various kinks.

The sixth and the seventh videos are designed for healing. Particular parts of the body are isolated and one is supposed to imagine moving energy into those parts in order to aid healing. The knee and the back are two common areas that are injured in MA, so those are the ones that are focused upon.

The eighth video is called The Tree. This exercise is designed to pull energy in from all around and to ground it in your dantien. I like this one for its focus on balance and slow stretching movements. This one takes a surprising amount of skill because much of it takes place with your eyes closed.

 

[Chizikunbo]

What is the history/lineage of these???
Thank you ;-)
--josh

The first video in the series is called The Salute. This exercise is designed to draw energy in boost your grand circulation. I use it for a good stretch and to work different areas of my lungs.

The second video is called The Bow. This exercise is designed to draw energy laterally across your body. I use it again to mildly stretch my arms and to work on deep breathing in that position.

The third video is called The Punch. This exercise is designed to ground your energy and express in out and up. This exercise is particularly good for getting the legs warm and for moving kinks out of the limbs. The breathing is also different with this one. Instead of abdomenal breathing, this one uses chest breathing. Because of this, one feels a little light headed at the end.

The forth video is called Heaven and Earth. This exercise is designed to connect your energy to both places. I like it because it works a weak bow stance and it helps you find a rooted position.

The fifth video is called The Wave. This is one of my favorites. It is designed to open up the trunk and cause the energy to flow more freely. This exercise really helps stretch out the back and work out various kinks.

The sixth and the seventh videos are designed for healing. Particular parts of the body are isolated and one is supposed to imagine moving energy into those parts in order to aid healing. The knee and the back are two common areas that are injured in MA, so those are the ones that are focused upon.

The eighth video is called The Tree. This exercise is designed to pull energy in from all around and to ground it in your dantien. I like this one for its focus on balance and slow stretching movements. This one takes a surprising amount of skill because much of it takes place with your eyes closed.

 

[Makalakumu]

What is the history/lineage of these???
Thank you ;-)
--josh

I do not know the exact origin of these exercises. All I can say is that these were taught to me by my teacher, who learned them from his teacher, who learned them from his teacher...

...Who was Master Seiberlich of the MDK.

The history that I was taught regarding these exercises concerned Bohdidarma bringing them from India. I am highly doubtful regarding the historicity of Bohdidarma...which reflects upon this claim.

 

[Chizikunbo]

I do not know the exact origin of these exercises. All I can say is that these were taught to me by my teacher, who learned them from his teacher, who learned them from his teacher...

...Who was Master Seiberlich of the MDK.

The history that I was taught regarding these exercises concerned Bohdidarma bringing them from India. I am highly doubtful regarding the historicity of Bohdidarma...which reflects upon this claim.

thanks...
--josh

 

[kyosa]

moo pal dan kuhm translates out to "the 8 advanced breathing excersizes." they originally came from india and were created by a general (name unknown to me) who wanted his army to be strong not just physically but spiritually/internally too. these techniques were explained to me this way: our energy cycles completely throughout our bodies in a 24 hour cycle. by doing these 8 excersizes it allows our energy to cycle completely throughout our bodies which strengthens us internally and allows us to basically wash our energy and cycle it throughout our body and organs. the moo pal dan kuhm were done as warm up and cool down excersizes before working on sword spear and hand to hand combat aka physical excersizes of combat. they were mostly secret techniques and not readily taught or shown outside from being taught directly from your teacher. there are nuances to these techniques which i havent seen in doing breathing excersizes from other systems including tai chi chuan and bagua. hope this helps clear up some of the history of these techniques.

 

[Makalakumu]

I've never been able to establish a direct lineage for these other then through you and your teachers. I've shown them to my tai chi teacher and to a few others in an attempt to sort some of that out, but it really hasn't helped.

I've also shown these to other people in Tang Soo Do and the Moo Duk Kwan. Most don't practice this at all. If they do, it's different from what we practice...in that it resembles qigong from tai chi.

This brings me to my point regarding these exercises. They are different. The breathing is different. The movement is different. The actual effects you feel from doing them is different from what you feel when doing other energy work. I suspect the lineage of these techniques is VERY important to sorting out this mystery.