While your friends and loved ones may very much enjoy the usual gifts you buy each year, this season may be a good time to switch things up. Handing someone the gift of brain education system training is sure to be a surprise that will benefit them year-round.

Whole brain education is known to be the gift that keeps on giving, as it was developed by acclaimed author and philosopher Ilchi Lee.

Lee's systems revolve around the idea that eliminating negativity from the brain is the key to attaining true happiness and enlightenment. He has created special forms of meditation and yoga that are aimed at helping people embrace positive ideas and memories.

In addition to a number of books that Lee has written, the brain education system can be learned through online tutorials. This way, it can be an activity that the whole family can enjoy and learn from, bringing them together in the true spirit of the holidays. After all, helping them get one step closer to enlightenment is sure to be much more appreciated than a new pair of socks.

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Too often, people lack the ability to see another person's pain and recognize it as such. We have a tendency to feel empathy for our friends and family while neglecting the fact that others are just as human and in need of care.

These are the findings of a new study that was published in the journal Pain. Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium found that individuals are more likely to underestimate the pain and suffering of patients who have qualities that they deem unlikable.

"Our results suggest that the pain of disliked patients who express high [discomfort] is taken less seriously by others. This could imply less helping behavior by others as well as poorer health outcomes," wrote the study authors.

It is unfortunate that people sometimes are unable to look past their prejudices. However, Brain Education online has been shown to help people gain a sense of humanity. Whole Brain Education may instill in individuals a sense of positivity and love for their fellow man, while allowing them to eliminate negative thoughts and ideas.

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It's easy to see how people these days can experience ill mental health, considering the prevalence of alcohol and drug use, mind-numbing entertainment on television and the general distractions that can get in the way of a clear, pure thought process.

Perhaps as a result of these negative influences, researchers have found that the number of non-elderly people reporting mental health disability has been higher in recent years than the rates recorded for the late 1990s.

In a study, scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that an estimated 2.7 percent of people were on mental health disability from 2007 through 2009, compared to 2 percent of individuals from 1997 through 1999. This equates to an increase of nearly one half, which researchers said amounts to an additional 2 million people.

"These findings highlight the need for improved access to mental health services in our communities and for better integration of these services with primary care delivery," said lead author Ramin Mojtabai, M.D., Ph.D. "While the trend in self-reported mental health disability is clear, the causes of this trend are not well understood."

Author and philosopher Ilchi Lee believes that whole brain education techniques may help people strengthen their minds, embracing the positive and eliminating the negative. Lee says that many of today's mental illnesses stem from an inundation of superficial or harmful stimuli, but that there are many ways in which people can cleanse their minds.

For instance, the benefits of engaging in meditation when stressed are well-documented. Studies have shown that the practice is effective at helping people gain a sense of clarity in a world full of distractions.

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It's well-known that learning and forming healthy lifestyle habits early on is more effective than trying to change behaviors later in life. Now, researchers at the University of London's Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck have found that brain education techniques for kids may make a significant difference in improving concentration in infants.

A team of scientists tested their theories on a group of 42 babies who were about 11 months old. The young volunteers were instructed to pay attention to a butterfly on a computer screen and ignore distractions. The children were tested on their brain function both before and after the trial.

The researchers concluded that the 15-day training was effective in improving the infants' ability to avoid distractions, as well as their capability to shift focus.

"In the real world, sometimes we want to be able to focus on one object of interest and ignore distractions, and sometimes we want to be able to shift the focus of our attention rapidly around a room – for example, for language learning in social situations. This flexibility in the allocation of attention appeared to improve after training," said researcher Sam Wass.

Author and philosopher Ilchi Lee believes that brain education and learning are important aspects for all individuals, young and old. This research suggests that helping kids develop attention and focus skills early on may help them achieve academic success when they enter school.

Moreover, success in school has been shown to lead to a happy, fulfilled adulthood. While it's never too late to improve oneself, it may be best to start out young.

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Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia tested holistic stress and anger management techniques on a group of inner-city high school students and found that regular exercise and meditation greatly improved mental and physical health.

A team of scientists introduced the students to meditation practices, gave them pedometers to track their activity levels and educated the kids on anger management.

They found that these interventions helped lower blood pressure levels, reduce stress and anger and improve attendance. In students who meditated, a significant change in behavior and performance was observed.

"When you come to school with a stressed mind, you can't do as well. The benefit of calming your mind is preparing it to learn," said physiologist Vernon Barnes, study author.

Philosopher Ilchi Lee says that meditation, good health and spirituality are all key to attaining personal growth and enlightenment. Individuals who take the responsibility to tap into their brain power and control it to embrace positivity and peace and reject negativity and hate may take the human race one step closer to universal peace.  

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has integrated meditation practices into its curriculum for students studying marriage and family therapy as a way to teach them how to inspire empathy and focus on the present.

The practice of meditation has been shown to have many health benefits and strengthen the mind-body-spirit connection, but this suggests that it may also help people understand each other.

Student Rachel Cramer said the practice has taught her skills that will be valuable in her future career as a counselor.

"Although I thought I understood active listening intellectually, the actual practice of listening without trying to form a response or a counter-argument or an intervention, and just to sit and take in what the other person was saying peacefully, was a huge challenge for me," Cramer said.

She said it was helpful to think of problems as outside issues which can not be solved immediately in the present, and instead to think about the other person and how they may be feeling.

The fact that universities are recognizing meditation as effective therapy supports philosopher Ilchi Lee's beliefs that regularly focusing on the brain can have major mental health benefits. Additionally, using meditation as a way to gain empathy and understanding may bring individuals a little closer to becoming Earth Citizens.  

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In an article on the Huffington Post's blog, authors Ed and Deb Shapiro tell those seeking enlightenment and personal growth that it's simply a matter of exploring, not taking one's self too seriously and practicing meditation.

The Shapiros gave their advice recently to a crowd at a bookstore in New York City.

When they refer to "eating," they talk about taking in as much of the information on spirituality, healing and well-being as possible. A hunger for truth may be satiated by obtaining truths that give us substantial food for thought, the Shapiros said.

They also encouraged the audience to "play," or to have a spirit that is light and not too serious. This can help the mind stay flexible, forgiving and able to laugh at our human foibles.

"We need to dance, sing and even be fools, enjoying the exquisiteness of awakening," the Shapiros wrote.

Meditation is their third piece of advice, which they describe as turning on a light in a dark room. The practice involves looking within one's self for the answers while letting go of drama and ego.

The Shapiros' thoughts on life fall in line with those of author and philosopher Ilchi Lee, who believes that meditation has the potential to lead to enlightenment and peace on Earth.  

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A team of scientists at the University of North Carolina have conducted a study which suggests that even a relatively short period of meditation has the power to strengthen a person's brain. 

Researcher split a group of about 60 study participants into two sections: one that practiced 20-minute daily meditation for four days and another that listened to a reading of The Hobbit for the same time period.

The participants were given tests on mood and cognition both before and after the trial. At the beginning, all had similar scores on both exams.

While both groups experienced improved moods, the meditation group scored significantly higher than the listening group when tested on cognitive ability. In fact, the meditation group beat out the control group ten-fold when it came to a challenging test that required focus.

"It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation," said Fadel Zeidan, study co-author.

Authors said that exercising and controlling one's brain is a simple process with powerful results.

Results of the study support Ilchi Lee's methods of Brain Education, a meditation technique that is meant to enlighten practitioners and lead personal and spiritual growth.  

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Researchers at the University of California (UC), Davis have conducted a study which suggests that meditation may stimulate telomerase production in the body, leading to improved physical health through brain potential.

Telomerase is an enzyme which strengthens DNA and prevents cellular death. Previous research has shown a correlation between the substance and mental and physical health.

A team of scientists examined the telomerase levels in people who had completed a meditation retreat and compared them with a control group. They found that the enzyme activity was one-third higher in the mindfulness meditation group than in individuals who did not participate in the retreat.

"Meditation may improve a person's psychological well-being and in turn these changes are related to telomerase activity in immune cells, which has the potential to promote longevity in those cells. Activities that increase a person's sense of well-being may have a profound effect on the most fundamental aspects of their physiology," said Clifford Saron, associate research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

Results of the study suggest that individuals have the power to improve their physical health using their brain potential. In a journey toward personal development, Ilchi Lee believes that this may be an important tool to reach fulfillment. 

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Researchers at the University of California (UC), Berkeley have conducted a study which suggests that people who regularly meditate have a stronger mind-body connection than even dancers, who have been thought of as having superior control over their bodies.

The connection between the physical and the mental is an important aspect for individuals wishing to reach enlightenment through personal growth, philosopher and author Ilchi Lee believes. These findings suggest that brain potential has the power to aid individuals in this journey.

A team of scientists measured the physical and self-reported emotional responses of dancers, meditators and a control group while they watched sad movies.

The group of participants who meditated reported more accurate emotional responses when matched with their heartbeats, while the dancers and the control group had similar scores.

"We all talk about our emotions as if they are intimately connected to our bodies — such as the 'heartache of sadness' and 'bursting a blood vessel' in anger," said Robert Levenson, a UC Berkeley psychology professor and senior author of the study. "We sought to precisely measure how close that connection was, and found it was stronger for meditators."

While a connection between the mental and physical is certainly important and beneficial, an individual may not feel whole without spiritual growth. A strong mind-body-spirit connection is a true indicator of enlightenment.  

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