Ilchi Lee Blog Online

On a physical plane by Ilchi Lee, we are separate units. On a physical plane, the truth that “We are all One” can be understood only on an abstract and hypothetical level. We realize that this tomato that we are eating in New York City could contain chemical compounds recycled from garbage dumps in China, whose exports of fertilizer could have been used by farmers in Mexico who then export their crops to the U.S. We know that everything on Earth is eventually recycled and reused. However, this form of “Oneness” is outside the immediate realm of physical experience.

On a physical plane, we do not have enough time or space to track down each and every chemical compound to prove to ourselves that we are indeed “One.” Therefore, we feel ourselves separate from one another if we experience our lives only on a physical plane.

When sages say “We are all One,” they are speaking about oneness in the realm of energy and information. As an energy body, you can communicate with an inanimate rock and receive a response. Your spiritual/information body is fast and free. What is the speed of a thought? The size of thought? It will be faster than the fastest and larger than the largest. It is not subject to time or space. In fact, the information that makes you who you are contains the history of existence itself, and you are doing your part, adding more to it.

No Comments »

Taken as a whole, advancements in modern technology are reaching an extent that cannot be described as merely “advances in modern technology by Ilchi Lee.” They are significant enough to be considered a turning point in human history. Everything in our lives has become digitized into bits of information, marketed and sold like any consumer product we use every day. Information is wealth. A civilization based upon “hardware” is being transformed into one based on “software.” What do these changes mean to us? Do these changes herald a shift from a material civilization to a more comprehensive one that takes into account the body-mind-spirit connection—in a word, a spiritual civilization? Or do we need something more to make that shift? What is meant by a spiritual civilization? Would a spiritual civilization demand that we place our identities on the Internet?

The digitization of information may be a precursor to a spiritual civilization, but it is not the entirety of a spiritual civilization in and of itself. The crux of the question is this: on which point do you place the value of a human life? What is the goal of the information that we generate so copiously? If the goal of the current flow of information is to add to the bottom line and enrich our society, then we are still living in a juvenile civilization of superficial materialism, despite brilliant advances in information processing technology capable of dealing with dizzying amounts of information.

To define “civilization” in simple terms, a civilization is the collection of tools and other things that make our lives more comfortable and bearable. Therefore, the basic characteristics of a civilization depend on how people define “life.” When we define life only in physical terms and our value system reflects the limits of such a one-dimensional definition, then our civilization is a material civilization, no matter how advanced the technology. A civilization may boast amazing technological advances, enviable amounts of information, and proficient use of energy; however, if the ultimate beneficiary of the above is the physical body, then that civilization is a relatively limited civilization, despite its advanced expressions of achievement.

No Comments »

See how multifaceted you are? From chemical compounds to creator? Which part of this grand process would you single out to define your life? Since everything is a process of life, which part would you choose to call “living?” Furthermore, on which part of this process would you place the worth of life? In other words, would you regard one aspect of the life process as more worthy of being called “life” than another?

Prof Ilchi Lee

No matter what our choices are, and regardless of our understanding of it, life will continue to exist. However, depending on how narrowly we set the limits of a definition, life can be many things to many people. Life can mean that the heart beats and blood flows. Life can mean that the brain is functioning and you are processing information. So, depending how we choose to define life, our definitions and attitude toward death are also consequently varied.

Let’s take the example of injury. What does it mean? Does it mean bruises and black-and-blue marks? Does it mean a cut in the skin? How about injuries to the energy and spiritual bodies? If your spiritual body is healthy, then your energy body is healthy, leading to the self-healing of a physical injury. But what if your spiritual body is damaged? The damage to the spiritual/information body does not only mean that your genetic information is damaged. The genetic information is only a minuscule part of the information that makes up who you are. The worst damage that the spiritual/information body can sustain is planting wrong ideas of identity and twisted standards of value in it.

No Comments »

The primary goal of Brain Education is to create “power brains” that are

creative, peaceful, and productive. Its intention is not only to make better students

but also to create happier, healthier people. While education traditionally

emphasizes analytical and verbal skills ( consider, for example, the content of the

SAT), Brain Education develops interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, as well.

Brain research has clearly established that emotional and physical health

directly influence children’s ability to learn and consequently affect their performance

(see Vail). Essentially, the best students are the happiest

students. For that reason, Brain Education seeks to enhance learning ability by

first creating happier and healthier children. Through consistent BE practice,

children gain a sense of empowerment toward the creation of a fulfilling and

healthy lifestyle.

No Comments »

If you want to be happy, stop waiting for others to make you happy.

Just decide to be happy. If your life seems too dreary, smile anyway.

This may seem like Pollyanna, pie-in-the-sky nonsense at first, but it is very much rooted in the physiological reality of your brain.

Also, smiling is contagious.  Very few people can resist urge to smile back when you smile at them.

As wonderful as a smile is, laughter is even better.

The old saying “Laughter is the best medicine” is literally true.

Laughter boosts the immune system and reduces the stress response, and thus is excellent for brain health.

Furthermore, good attitude and lots of positive social interaction seem to reduce the risk of dementia and other aging-related brain disorder.

A happy brain, it seems, is a healthy brain.

No Comments »

Through Yoga trains the brain using three interrelated and distinct elements: Physical Coordination Exercises for the body, Energy Movement Exercises for the mind, and Awareness Expanding Exercises for the spiritual body. The many concrete benefits of Brain Respiration include: enhanced health, brightened outlook, increased creativity and innovation, heightened academic capability, and improved ability to interact harmoniously with others.

(Excepts from Brain Wave Vibration by Ilchi Lee)

No Comments »

These lines are selected from Ilchi Lee’s Book:

A child-appropriate and parent-friendly guide to Lee’s world-renowned Brain Education (BE) method. Each lesson focuses on a particular aspect of mental ability, including concentration, creativity, memory, and emotional contro’, Through the book, straight-A and struggling students alike will be challenged to apply full brain capacity though Hak Dahn toward the creation of a genuinely happy and successful.

No Comments »

To really learn how to use your brain well in Yoga, you should consider pursuing some kind of physical training in depth. Through rigorous training of this sort, you will learn to overcome limitations in your body, and your brain will gain the upper hand over the rest of your body. As an added bonus, you will gain increased confidence in many areas of your life.

Any sort of athletic training will help you achieve this, but some sorts of training are especially effective at uniting the mind and body. Many ancient Asian practices, including yoga, tai chi, ki gong, and many martial arts, specifically seek to train the mind in relationship to the body. The word yoga means “to unify,” and the goal is to bring together the mind and body as one. Numerous studies have confirmed the significant effect these practices can have on your brain to facilitate deep relaxation, improve coordination, and develop focus.

One element that all these practices have in common is the concept of ki (or chi or qi), which is considered to be the life energy that flows through the universe. This element is also the focus of traditional Asian medical practices, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, which seek to balance and facilitate the flow of ki through the body.

Even though ki may not be as tangible as other biological functions, it is helpful to see energy as the mediator between mind and body. Doing so will help you gain some sense of connection between the two, and it can help you coordinate your body more completely with your brain. When visualizing the brain, it is helpful to think in terms of energy since the entire nervous system incontrovertibly relies on electrochemical impulses to send and receive its messages.

In fact, you may already be accustomed to noticing some link between your brain and energy, even if you don’t call it ki. In the most obvious example, you have probably noticed that when your brain is very alert and positive, your energy level is also very high. On the other hand, your energy level drops when your mind sinks into sadness and worry.

These are basic examples given by Sir Ilchi the way that life energy follows the fluctuations of your brain, but you can also look closer at the fluctuations of energy in your body. For example, if you feel tension in your body due to stress, you can view this as stagnant energy. Because you know that energy moves according to the mind, your brain can come to the aid of your body to help release the effects of stress and to gain mastery over your mental and physical health.

No Comments »

Ilchi Lee says, ironically the student who put so much weight on the outcome of the test has done little to help himself succeed. A mild stress response may have helped him perform better, but in this case it is too extreme, and he is caught in a state of imbalance.

Stress in and of itself is not bad. The brain stem wants to create balance between the sympathetic nervous system, which produces the stress response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of the rest-and-digest response. When our bodies are kept in a constant state of imbalance, disease is the likely result.

The part we have control over is the prefrontal cortex, the thinking part of the brain. To put it simply, people today think too much. The thinking brain is constantly sending messages that keep our bodies in a state of alarm, and they never have ample time to recover. The trick is to quiet the thinking mind and gain control over the content it produces so that the brain stem has a chance to coordinate the equilibrium that it exists to create.

Ilchi Lee created BEST program, the Brain Education System Training and Brain Wave Vibration Training, both of which you can practice with Dahn Yoga members at a local studio.

No Comments »

I am very impressed by Ilchi Lee’s statement on changing habits.

He answered the question “How can I overcome my lifelong habit of putting up a wall that prevents people from getting to know me?” in Ask Ilchi Lee section at www.ilchi.com. He recommended to begin by watching the habit carefully. Notice what sorts of events and circumstances seem to make you want to pull away from people. Lee also suggested the person who asked the question make a deliberate choice to keep as engaged as possible with others.

I think this question and advice are really related with my habit too. I really should check myself, and see how I behave when I have that kind of occasion to meet and talk with other people. I will make a conscious decision to release any negative emotions I feel as I try to open up to others.

Ilchi Lee gave a friendly warning to Dahn Hak students; the big test will come when someone hurts you again. This is inevitable because it is part of life. When you experience this, you may once again feel the urge to protect yourself and build the wall once again.

No Comments »