admin November 13th, 2008
Additionally, a Swedish study found that people who exercised at least twice a week when they were younger had a much lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s in old age. Walking, interestingly enough, was the most common form of exercise reported by the participants.
According to Ilchi Lee research on brain respiration walking is especially good for the brain because it involves a wide variety of brain functions working together simultaneously—balance and coordination come together in tandem with our five senses and our conscious mind. Essentially, walking is a kind of simultaneous cross training for the brain.
Consider the complex operations that are at work whenever you use the Jangsaeng Walking technique. All your senses must be engaged for total body awareness as you check body angles. Your arms swing freely on both sides of your body, engaging both sides of your brain. Your sense of balance is challenged and reinforced, and your conscious mind must work in tandem with your bodily movements. It is truly an ingenious process that we engage in everv time we walk, and it is a great wav to help maintain the brain.
admin November 10th, 2008
Ilchi Lee tells that if you are just satisfied with your familiar living style, you cannot give fresh stimulation to the brain, and this causes the degeneration of the brain. The decrease of the neurons caused by the aging process occurs main-Iv in the cerebrum and cerebellum—the centers of the intelligence function and motor control—and they degenerate easily. In other words, some disorders involving our intelligence function and motor functions will occur.
Loss of cognitive function through dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may be the most feared possible outcome of old age. Fortunately, walking has been shown to have high preventive value in this regard.
It has long been known that exercise can help protect the brain against the effects of aging. However, one study took it a step further. In that study, walking was shown to reverse brain shrinkage in a group of sixty- to eighty-year-olds. Their brains literally became bigger over the course of the study.
admin November 8th, 2008
Read Ilchi Lee books on Dahn Hak and Dahn Yoga.
You might say that Jangsaeng Walking began as a “lucky break.” I (Ilchi Lee) was horseback riding one day when the horse came to an abrupt stop, and I was catapulted off, sustaining serious injuries for which doctors prescribed a full month of bed rest.
Having always been extraordinarily active and healthy, as well as having helped people heal their bodies for nearly thirty years, I was determined to get started healing my own. while I respected the doctor’s opinion and recommendation of bed rest, I began hatching a plan to get my body moving again the moment the doctor left the room. Though any movement was excruciatingly painful, I began by simply breathing deeply and making small movements. Within one day of the accident, I was able to take a few standing steps.
Over the next few months, as I worked to bring life back into my injured body, the Jangsaeng Walking method came to life as well.
Forced to slow down because of my injury, I was able to observe my body in different ways than I had before. As I walked, I noticed that my posture and body angles had changed over the years, from that of a confident, young man, walking upright, to that of an “old man,” upper body leaning backwards, head back, and body weight on my heels.
When I complained of these changes in my body to others, they simply replied, “Of course. You’re getting old.”
admin November 5th, 2008
FORGIVENESS—Forgiving others for past offenses is healing for you and for them. Reconsider old grudges and rivalries and ask yourself if there is any value in holding on to them. It is unlikely. Instead, forgiveness enriches your life and the lives of those you pardon. Leave the past in the past and turn the page. It truly is a divine act.
INTEGRITY—In the later third of life, you are in a perfect position to reflect upon where you have been and where you are headed. Thus, you can examine to what degree your words and actions of the past and present agree with the inner framework of your value system. Undoubtedly, you will find some lack of consistency between the two. Now is your chance to live fully integrated with your highest ideals, and more importantly to be completely true to your highest sense of self.
HEALTH—Finally, focus your mind on the health of all things: the Earth, yourself, and those around you. This means eating well and exercising, but it goes beyond that. It means living in ways that preserve the planet, which usually means living simply. We have much more than we need; most of us could live with far less money and far more joy by peeling away some of the layers of material possession from our lives. By orienting your thoughts toward what is healthy, simple, and beautiful, you will find your body and mind blooming.
Brain Education System Training is more than a program or a course of study. It is a way of living. Engage in it to the fullest and you will find your- self more aware and more alive than you ever thought possible. The power of successful aging lies within you. It is about how active and healthy you are, how well you adapt to change, how connected with others you remain, how much you devote yourself to the welfare of others, and how you define your purpose in life. Generosity, kindness, compassion, and patience are not only ethical choices; they are essential to successful aging. Live with love, live long, and live happy.
Read Brain Education Articles By Illchi Lee
admin November 2nd, 2008
These exercises are meant to build your internal energy system. They could be considered Brain Sensitizing exercises because of their strong effects on the body, but they will also assist you in your process of transformation. They can be used to build strength, stamina, vitality, and will power as you work toward new goals. Some of them can be quite demanding, but stick with them. You’ll be surprised by how much better you feel.
UP-THE-WALL ENERGIZER
When we feel fatigued, we don’t usually want to move our bodies. However these times are when we need exercise most. When you don’t have enough stamina to complete your exercise routine, try this simple but powerful energy- building exercise.
Lie on your back with your buttocks close to the wall and your legs elevated and resting against the wall. Place your hands on your abdomen. If this pose causes discomfort because your hamstrings are tight, move your buttocks a few inches awav from the wall.
Stretch and straighten both legs up to the best of your ability. Flex your feet and push out your heels. Keep your head on the floor and your lower back as close to the floor as possible. Breathe deeply into your abdomen. Close your eyes and focus on the energy flow inside your body.
admin October 31st, 2008
This game can be done alone, but it is good for a few extra laughs when done with a friend. Even though you are constantly making noise, you will find that your mind empties during the exercise, which in turn makes room for creative ways of thinking.
Look in the mirror into your own eyes or into the eves of a partner. Begin to carrv on a conversation of nonsense words, including all of the requisite gestures and facial expressions. Continue for as long as feels natural, until your “conversation” is over.
This exercise will increase your energv awareness while also releasing vour natural inner grace and expressiveness. You should practice the Feeling Energy exercise on page 68 before attempting this.
Sit comfortably on the floor in a half lotus position. Follow the directions for the Feeling Energy exercise on page 68. Focusing on the palms, allow your hands to follow the flow of energy freelv. You will feel the whole bodv move naturallv. This is the beginning of energv dance. Let vour bodv move naturallv with the flow of energy. It is ideal to have background music that can naturallv lead the bodv movement while practicing.
admin October 29th, 2008
Breathing: When you stretch, focus your mind on an area where you feel pain. Inhale gently through the nose and imagine healing energy flowing to that part of your body. Open the mouth slightly and exhale naturally, and feel the blockage being released from your body.
This group of exercises will help you keep your body loose and relaxed during Dahn Hak practice. Many of them focus on keeping the joints functioning smoothly, which is very important for lifelong mobility. This is also absolutely essential for brain health, because inactivity leads directly to the decline of the brain. You have probably heard the saying, “Use it or lose it.” We might revise that to read “Use your body or lose your brain.” These exercises can be used for basic body and brain maintenance, and to help keep the effects of time at bay.
BOUNCE ‘N’ SWEEP
Use this simple technique to quickly release tension from your body, especially from around the shoulders and upper back. You can imagine that you are sweeping stress out of your body as vou bounce up and down.
As Doctor Ilchi Lee instructs about this exercise stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your feet parallel. ® Bring the backs of your fingers under your armpits. Quickly sweep down the sides of your body as you bend vour knees slightly. Repeat this movement 10 to 20 times in quick succession, creating a bouncing, rhvthmic motion.
admin October 27th, 2008
When you are exercising, you should make sure you have good posture and alignment. Through the years, your body has probably developed habits that are less than ideal. If you conscientiously strive to improve your posture, you are essentially retraining your brain to adopt a healthier habit. When you do the standing exercises suggested in this Dahn Hak book, try to keep this posture.
As with any physical exercise sugessted by Ilchi Lee, be careful not to exceed your body’s limitations. Remember—you don’t have to be perfect. Practice consistently and you will improve one step at a time.
Shoulders: Relax vour shoulders.
Waist: Straighten vour waist and curl vour tailbone inward like a hook.When you curl the tailbone, the S-curve of the spine is straightened and a gentle strain is present in the lower abdomen.
Knees: Bend your knees slightly and naturally. Avoid locking the knees, because this can block the energy flow.
Legs: Spread your legs at shoulder width. Spreading the legs too wide can scatter the energy in the lower abdomen and lower body.
Feet: Place your feet parallel to each other, in the shape of the number eleven. Spread the feet no more than shoulder width to avoid losing the energy stored in the lower abdomen.
Soles: Balance your body weight evenly on both soles.
admin October 25th, 2008
Brain Sensitizing consists of three key practices. The first involves stretching exercises of the kind often found in Dahn Yoga, Pilates, tai chi, or martial arts. As each muscle of your body is activated in deep stretching poses, corresponding areas of your brain awaken, improving coordination and balance. The second practice involves breathing methods combined with dynamic body positioning, again often part of meditative practices and yoga. Finally, there is basic energy meditation. This practice encourages you to view Ki energy as the link between body and mind, expanding your awareness and increasing brain clarity. Many practitioners find they are able to begin changing negative habits using this technique.
For older Americans, the loss of cognitive abilities because of some form of dementia is a greater source of fear than even the possibility of a heart attack or a stroke. As Ilchi Lee says yet most neuroscientists agree that the human brain has the capacity to function beautifully past our 100th birthday. Then what makes the difference between the eighty-year-old man who cannot remember his children and the woman of 102 who paints and writes poetry when she’s not competing in the Senior Olympics? Regularly exercising the brain’s “muscles”—the neural connections, or dendrites, that support cognition, imagination, and creativity. Brain Sensitizing helps to counteract the mental decline associated with aging by providing natural stress relief and eliminating blockages of Ki energy.
Brain Sensitizing sparks the creation of new neural pathways in the brain, awakening underused areas of both the left and the right hemisphere in order to keep the centers of learning, information processing, and memory sound and thriving. As brain cells die, this process helps to replace them. Practitioners also find they are better able to exercise control over their brains, transforming lifelong patterns of thinking, breaking bad habits, and letting go of ingrained prejudices. In the end, your goal should be a brain that is peaceful, creative, and productive. As Dr. David Myers says in his book The Pursuit of Happiness, “Well-being is found in the renewal of a disciplined lifestyle, and the giving and receiving of acceptance.”
admin October 23rd, 2008
Looking from the Western perspective, Brain Sensitizing works to restore proper balance between two systems—the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In other words, it works to relieve the effects of the stress response, which has been concretely linked to so many of today’s common health problems.
Stress is of particular concern in the area of brain health, due to its effect on learning and overall brain function and it also effect during Yoga Practice. In small doses, the chemical cascade associated with the fight-or-flight response can be good for the brain, motivating us to act and keeping us on our toes. But when we get a constant stream of stress hormones, as is often the case for people today, it can wear down on mental function, especially in the area of memory and mental acuity. Over time, this can result in truly debilitating effects on brain performance. Through Brain Sensitizing activities, you can learn to regulate the effects of stress, returning your body and brain to the rest-and-digest state of being.
Read all about Prof. Ilchi Lee expert of brain and breath respiration.