Ilchi Lee Educating Brain, Dahn Yoga

The great news is that you have infinite power to change and refine your brain. A few decades back, scientists
thought that people could have very little influence over their brains. It was assumed that by the time people reached adulthood their brain connections were permanently and indelibly in place.

 In childhood, one might be able to exert some influence over the development of the brain, but for the most part these things were genetically determined. It was thought that the old adage “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” was literally true.
More recently, scientists have discovered that the opposite is true. There is a quality to the brain called neuroplasticity that allows you, right up to the end of your life, to restructure and adapt your brain according to your needs. You
can learn new things and adapt to new environments, even in extreme old age

from’ Brain management’ by ilchi lee

Live in the moment

- We all rush around at such great speed that we are always looking ahead. What’s next? What’s on my list? At least once each day, stop and be in the moment, using all your senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. It might be in the produce section at the grocery store-it doesn’t matter. Stop and just be. Appreciate being where you are, doing what you are doing. Ask yourself what is memorable about this moment.

As you get older, it is as important that you have a dream for your life as it was when you were young. You may have a better chance of achieving it, now that the basics needs of life – financial security, starting a career, raising a family, etc. – are no longer of primary importance to you. Make a plan for who you want to be one, five, or ten years from now. This does not have to mean starting a new career or taking on some huge project. More importantly it means becoming the kind of person you really want to be in terms of character and your interaction with world round you. If you have ever thought to yourself, “I want to leave the world a better place than I found,” now is the time to act on that desire. To find your vision, find what really fills you with a sense of joy and contentment. For most, this will probably involve contributing something of value to your community or the world. Don’t be afraid to set your goal high and to dream big.

I remember one time when I was a young man there was a bridge under which people threw a lot of garbage. The garbage just piled up week after week. People complained about the garbage, but no one ever did anything to change the situation.

 So one day, I decided I would do something about the problem. I began to clear the garbage away, one piece at a time. When all the trash had been hauled away, I buried it in a hole that I had dug in the mountains. I then planted pumpkin seeds in the ground covering the trash. Soon, big, beautiful pumpkins were growing there.

 This was a huge moment of discovery for me. It came at a moment when I felt truly hopeless about my life. In my early twenties, I had failed the college entrance exams three times. I realized that all I really needed was the opportunity to do something positive for peopel, and that something positive could even come from a pile of trash.

 True brain mastery is the ability to see possibility, even where others see only trash. Those pumpkins grew so well precisely because the garbage had been there before; the trash added nutrients to the soil.

 For real brain mastery, you must learn to see your life in the same way, realizing that all the difficult, ugly parts of life can become the compost from which grows your own fulfillment. The trick is to keep a positive mind so that all the beautiful possibilities of life can be seen.

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.

Brain Wave Vibration is a rhythmical training method; it begins with moving your body to the beat of music, and from there the sensation expands as you find your body’s natural rhythm. In a sense, you could say you are calibrating your brain to get back in sync with your body.

  People use rhythm instinctively to help calm their own brainwaves. When a baby cries or fusses, what does a mother do? She rocks and gently bounces the baby until the baby quiets down. No one had to teach the mother how to do this; she does so very naturally. Children will also rock and bounce themselves on their own to calm themselves, if the parent is not there.

Ilchi Lee has created Brain Education. The process of Brain Education is divided into five steps. As you progress through the twelve lessons, you and your child will move naturally through these five steps. However, perfecting any one of the steps is a lifelong journey, and the skills gained in earlier steps will continue to be utilized in later steps.

Step 5: Brain Mastering

Children now fully understand what it means to have a creative, peaceful, and productive “power brain.” Equipped with a sense that life is meaningful and purposeful, they are able to maintain a calm, centered way of life most of the time. Although total mastery may not be possible in their lifetime, participants can continue to observe and improve their use of the brain to achieve goals and character growth. This step primarily corresponds to this blog.

Step 4: Brain Integrating

At this stage, new connections are formed between hemispheres and diverse areas of the brain. The goal is to fully access all layers and connect both hemispheres of the brain for optimal learning and brain functioning. These abilities are then applied to creative problem solving. This step primarily corresponds to this blog too.

Recently I discoverd something very important to me.  That is my heartbeat.  My heartbeats non-stop since I was even a fetus in my mother’s womb.  That means there is a part of me that never quits once I decide to do something.  That is a new level of determination for me to use for my goals in life.  Since Dahn Yoga and Brain Education focuses alot on connecting the mind with the body. I was actually able to listen to my heart beat.  This is a great emptyness meditation by the way.  Afterwards I really felt appreciation for life and everything involved in my life.  Just thought I would share that.

Think of the factors involved when you make choices.  Ask yourself are these the appropiate things to consider when making a decision.  Of course it depends on what you value and what your goals are.  The end result will be whatever you decide no matter what it always is and always will be.  It may not be easy to accept that but it is not a bad thing to choose it is just is that a choice.