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We
are happy to teach
these systems in formats ranging from one half day to a full two day
weekend. Workshops begin and end with ancient Burmese techniques of grounding, centering, shielding and cleansing to prepare for healing work. Then, working on your own and with a partner, you will experience sequences of Min Zin energy healing and various Letha Yoga stretches for use on different parts of the body. A few years ago, Bekki and Crow met a most remarkable man: Dr. Maung Gyi, strong, quiet-spoken, gentle, meditative, youthful for all his 80 years, with an amazing body of knowledge he is eager to share. We were captivated by him and his teaching. He is a living treasure, a retired university professor and Grand Master and Senior Instructor of Bando, the major Burmese martial art in the U.S., among many other things. Since meeting him, we have attended his weekly Letha Yoga/Min Zin classes. Since 2002, Dr. Gyi has encouraged us to offer this healing yoga and energy system to others to help spread the knowledge and the skills. "Min Zin" is simplified from a longer phrase in the Pali language of Burma. Min means "king, rule, influence, control or regulate" and Zin signifies "path, way, direction, technique or method of generating, storing and transmitting internal energy". The discipline of Min Zin is a complex of ancient shamanic energy healing techniques practiced by Dumsu (spirit priests) and Nat Kadaw (spirit healers) which has been preserved in several Buddhist monasteries in the remote Himalayan border regions of northern Burma, Tibet and India. Letha Yoga is a system of body manipulation, adjustment and alignment adapted from yogic asanas and principles and inspired by the shamanic foundations of Burmese culture. The word "Letha" derives from the ancient language of the Hpyu people who settled in northern Burma around 300 CE and means "hands of a partner". Thus Letha Yoga is a unique "yoga system assisted by the hands of a partner," two-person assisted yoga practiced for healing. Min Zin and Letha Yoga reflect the complexly interweaving cultures of northern Burma. Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism are strongly present, while ancient animistic beliefs and shamanic rituals are still widely practiced in the vast Himalayan regions. They have always been the main healing available to the poor, laboring peoples of Burma. They were still being taught at the Homalin and Halin Monasteries of northern Burma during World War II. Dr. Gyi was taken to the Halin monastery after being wounded in the war. He stayed to receive intense healing work (which healed his paralysis and saved his life) and learn the systems. Dr. Gyi has numerous historical manuscripts from the temples, some, hundreds of years old, written in silver on fan-folded water buffalo parchments. In his classes we have had the joy of Dr. Gyi trying out his translations of newly discovered but ancient Letha Yoga and Min Zin techniques on us. It is an amazing feeling to know that you are the first people in the West to experience a technique that is hundreds of years old. We have always benefited greatly by his work! These systems are easy to learn yet endless in their ramifications. They are as healing here and now as they were in Burma in ancient times. They leave one feeling relaxed, refreshed, invigorated and full of energy even after a long day of physical work. In addition to many of the massage therapists, yoga instructors and other healers from our area, the classes often include builders, carpenters, martial artists and others who use their bodies constantly. At the end of every class, everyone declares how good they feel. Advance registration is required to attend all Church of Earth Healing classes and workshops. See the Schedule for when and where Min Zin and Letha Yoga will next be taught. |