YOGA AND HEALING PRACTICES

Empowering people to awaken their natural healing energy is what Karen Murashige and Ka'ipo Park do best.

The two co owners of the Body + Brain Center Kaimuki offer holistic yoga practices through a Korean-based organization called Dahn Yoga, which operates centers all over the country.

One of almost 20 franchises of the Dahn organization, Body + Brain Center Kaimuki launched at the beginning of February, presenting three primary services.

The main training class is called Dahn Yoga, which opens with stretching exercises, rolls into breathing and then concludes with meditation. The purpose of this class is to open the meridians, or energy channels, so that energy can flow into the body and circulate to the areas that need healing. The center has nine Dahn Yoga classes throughout the week, including Saturdays.

The second training program is called Dahn Mu Do, a self healing martial arts program that has the same underlying energy concept as Dahn Yoga. Murashige instructs classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 PM.

A third part of the program includes a healing hula and chanting class taught by Park, who combines the energy basis of the program with hula and chanting. She holds classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday each week.

"The whole concept of what we want to do is let people realize that they have the healing capacity and natural healing power within them," Murashige explained. "Only you ultimately can heal yourself. So if you give yourself the opportunity to focus on where the issues are, then you can create the healing energy that goes to where you really need it."

As a licensed massage therapist, Murashige also offers private healing sessions, which focus on balancing the energy centers in the body and allowing energy to flow more freely.

The center's hours of operation are based on classes and appointments.

The cost is $18 per class, and the center usually offers a free trial class for prospective members. Thereafter, packages are available, such as a 10 class coupon for $150 or a one month or three month membership.

Body + Brain Center Kaimuki is located at 3569 Harding Ave., B.

For more information on the Body + Brain Center Kaimuki, call (808) 738 5522 or visit www.bodynbrain.com. For more information on the Dahn Yoga organization, go online to www.dahnyoga.com.

By Diana Nomura

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