Today it is practiced by ethnic Burmese in parts of Southeast Asia, India.Bando yoga is used for three main purposes. These are for maintaining overall health, prevention of illness and disease, and restoring or recovering from illness and injury. It is not a yoga system for enlightenment but for developing and maintaining efficient functionality in our everyday life, whether it be as a worker/laborer, monk or warrior. There are three systems of Burmese yoga:
- dhanda yoga (Development of flexibility by using the staff)
- longyi yoga (Development of flexibility by using cloth or rope)
- letha yoga (Partner-assisted improvement of circulation and stimulation of joints)
Min zin
Min zin is an internal system of exercise and energy-healing from Myanmar. It can be used to defend against threats that are physical, mental (e.g. negative impulses and emotions) or spiritual in nature.
Min zin was probably based on similar arts from ancient India, Tibet and China. Myanmar has long been a major crossroads between China, Tibet and India. From 500 BC to 300 AD in particular, thousands of monks from China traveled through northern Burma on their pilgrimage to the holy sites in India. Many of them settled in the monasteries on the northeastern borders between Myanmar and China. There monks taught different styles and systems of qigong to local monks.
There are different levels and types of min zin. It is used for a variety of purposes, including healing or enhancing one's martial prowess. The main objectives of min zin are to:
- control disruptive and destructive emotions,
- improve physical well being and health,
- achieve emotional balance and spiritual tranquility.
Naban
Naban is the traditional form of wrestling from Myanmar. Originally based on Indian wrestling, it is practiced primarily in rural areas. Naban is especially popular among the Himalayan tribes. The Chin and Kachin people are both known for their skilled wrestlers. Techniques include joint locks, strikes to pressure points, and chokeholds. Any part of the opponent's body is a legal target.
Khmer traditional wrestling
Khmer traditional wrestling (Bok Cham Babចំបាប់) is a folk wrestling style from Cambodia. It has been practiced as far back as the Angkor period and is depicted on the bas-reliefs of certain temples. Although predominantly a male sport today, Khmer wrestling was once practiced by both sexes as female wrestlers are also displayed on the Banteay Srei temple. In Khmer wrestling, the dancing is as important as the wrestling. There is a pre-match ritual dancing before the match in which the wrestlers dance and move to the music.
Matches consists of three rounds. Victory is obtained by forcing the opponent on their back. The person who is able to win two of the three rounds is the winner of the match. After each round the loser is asked if he wishes to continue with the match. The match is accompanied by the music of two drums (called skor ngey and chhmol which means female drum and male drum).
Traditional matches are held during the Khmer New Year and other Cambodian on holidays. This sport used to be a means of choosing tribal and regional leaders. In the olden times, elders taught the young in their village on the full moon night after harvesting. It would take place on a rice paddy outside the village and under the moonlight.
Source : Wikipedia.
