Pal Dan Gum

Purifying & Recharging Your Body
Pal Dan Gum

Pal Dan Gum comes from ancient Chinese and Korean art. It is composed of 8 different movements, designed to release tension, balance, and energize the body. Through these gentle movements, you will be able to ease some of the tensions held in your muscles and joints. Keeping your body healthy and being mindful of your stressors will help you both at home and work. As your body feels looser, more energized, and composed, you will realize that your mood will be altered positively as well. The following video depicts our team demonstrating the 8 silken movements of Pal Dan Gum adapted from Capacitar International.

What Are the Exercises?

1. Upholding the Heavens
   Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Inhale and with palms up, slowly raise your hands above your head. Interlace your fingers and turn your hands palms upward. Stand on tiptoe and stretch toward the sky as if your hands were touching and upholding the heavens.

2. Opening the Bow
   Stand straight with feet separated more than shoulder-width, knees bent, as if you were riding a horse. Cross your wrists and arms in front of your chest, hands clenched, left arm in front of the right. Extend the index finger of your hand and imagine that you are holding a bow. Pull the bow string with the opposite hand, while keeping your front arm fully extended.

3. Touching Heaven & Earth
   Stand straight with your feet separated, wrists crossed at the level of the solar plexus. Inhale and extend your left arm above the head with palm touching the sky. Lower your right hand behind your back with palm touching the earth. Inhale as you push up to tough the sky and down to touch the earth.

4. Looking Behind You
   Stand straight with feet separated shoulder-width, knees relaxed, arms crossed in front of your chest, left hand in front of the right. Breathe deeply while pulling your arms to the sides and back, turning your head slowly to the left, looking back as far behind you as possible. Your chest is arched up and out while your palms touch the earth.

5. Swinging the Truck & the Head
   Stand straight with feet separated shoulder-width in a horse-riding position, knees relaxed, hands on your hips. The weight of your body is equally distributed on both sides. Breathe deeply and exhale as you bend your upper body to the left, feeling the stretch on your right side. Slowly and carefully stretch forward, then to the right, then to the back, as if you were stretching in waist circles.

6. Stretching Backwards
   Feet are separated, knees slightly bent. Place your palms on your lower back, fingers downward. Inhale, bend your knees and arch backwards, with your head and eyes arched upward. Exhale and gently straighten up.

7. Stretching the Legs- Standing on the Toes
   Stand straight with feet separated, knees relaxed, hands at your sides, palms down, wrists and fingers flexed upward to feel the stretch. Inhale deeply and raise your heels up slowly, until you are standing on your toes, while you flex your fingers and palms backward.

8. Punch with Fists
   Stand straight with feet separated, knees bent. At waist level with palms facing upward, make fists with your hands. Inhale, open your eyes wide, and as you exhale, punch your left fist (then your right) directly forward, turning your firsts over so that they face downward when fully extended. As you punch your fists forward, discharge your breath and your inner tension with a loud “Ho” or “Ha” sound.

9. Roar Like a Lion
   Pull arms outward and to the sides, extending the fingers to form claws. Pull arms forward, bending forward with a ferocious roar, stretching all muscles in your face and jaw. As you do this movement, imagine you are able to release all the tension and words that are stifled in your throat and jaw.