Ilchi Lee's Blog, page 29

Ilchi Lee’s Picture of a Purpose-Driven Life

Those who keep taking action for their growth will not only achieve their dreams but also discover joy and find their lives complete.

People sharing their everyday lives online has become an ordinary part of modern living. But I hadn’t gotten into it very much until recently, when I started uploading videos daily. I finally realized how much sharing something as simple as riding an electric bicycle around my neighborhood in Sedona could serve as a model for a purpose-driven life.

For instance, when I was riding, I attempted to go up one of the many steep hills in my area. Because I knew there was a chance I could fall, I prepared beforehand. I put on gloves and readied my mind. In the same way, I always make myself ready to fall whenever I challenge myself and take action. There’s no growing in leaps and bounds without getting hurt or success without obstacles. There are always going to be difficulties when we do something worthwhile. I accept that as being completely normal and expected, and I rise to the challenge with serenity.

Then as I go through the challenge, I keep encouraging myself, telling myself to keep going and just take action. These are the messages I choose to give to my brain. Success doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It results from the choices we make. First we choose a particular goal and then we choose to keep moving toward it.

I always make myself ready to fall whenever I challenge myself and take action. There’s no growing in leaps and bounds without getting hurt or success without obstacles.
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The more we keep moving and taking action, the more ideas will come to us. We’ll see the next action to take and then the next one if we keep our goal in sight. It takes courage to keep choosing, to keep taking action, and to keep overcoming obstacles. But there is joy in that choice. That’s why I always want to challenge myself with big goals and visions.

Use Water Up, Fire Down

Meeting challenges becomes easier when we have a Water Up, Fire Down energy state. In this state, we have a cool head and a fire in our belly; we’re ready to take decisive action. We can manage our stress and energy levels.

Making Water Up, Fire Down energy flow inside is the core principle and basic foundation of every training method I’ve developed. Brain Wave Vibration, Intestinal Exercise, Belly Button Healing, abdominal breathing, meridian exercise, and even the various qigong forms will give you Water Up, Fire Down. I also made this new vibration exercise you can do every day to maintain Water Up, Fire Down:

Turn Imagination into Reality

With Water Up, Fire Down, we can open the curtains of our own making and dare to imagine a limitless future. Then we can act. Imagination becomes reality through experience. And the current reality isn’t final; the future is made through dreams.

Imagination, experience, reality, dreams, and the future are all energy (LifeParticles) and the workings of the information in our brain. The energy of our thoughts becomes the energy of reality through our actions. We imagine what we want in concrete detail and then boldly press the action button to actualize it. The more energy and consistency we put into our actions, the more we cut through our doubts and judgments, the faster our dreams become real.

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Growth through Action

Whatever happens as we act is neither a success nor a failure but simply a process for creating the future. It’s part of our training and growth toward bigger challenges and better realities. Knowing this, we can keep taking action dispassionately and courageously.

Being dispassionate means staying calm no matter what situation comes up and being able to see it objectively. When we’re calm, like when we have Water Up, Fire Down, we can find something helpful in any situation. Our environment could change anytime, but that environment is no more than a stage that we must utilize. It’s not the environment that is the leading figure, but we ourselves who lead the action.

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[Video] Live Q&A with Ilchi Lee on the Awakened Brain on Brain Education TV

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, I answered questions about what it means to have an Awakened Brain live on the Brain Education TV YouTube channel. Brain Education is a training method I developed for living a purpose-driven life as your true self. I had so much fun doing the live with my Brain Education students Linda and Gabi. Please enjoy the full recording.

Check out the Brain Education TV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrainEducationTV

Or my own YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/IlchiLee

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The Best Memorial Is Paying It Forward

[Photo by @iheartcreative via Twenty20]

We can express our gratitude best by serving our community and country.

Like the Memorial Day holiday coming up in the United States, many cultures have ways in which they honor people who have died or sacrificed themselves in some way for the greater good. The desire to appreciate people who have given much for the sake of others is natural—a part of our grander nature. If we look closely at ourselves, we’ll also find that the desire to work for the good of others is also innate. In Korean, this characteristic of our true selves is called Hongik.

Learn more about what it means to be Hongik ►

In addition to being grateful for the service of others, we can celebrate the spirit of holidays such as Memorial Day by paying it forward and expressing our Hongik nature in our own lives. This wider service to others—to our country and community—is the next step in the evolution of our love. On the way to having the most encompassing, unconditional love, we pass through love of self to love of family and then to love of country. Anyone can express this love in their own way, even if they do not join the military or make the ultimate sacrifice. We can find a way to make our country and community the best it can be based on our own talents and interests.

In addition to being grateful for the service of others, we can celebrate the spirit of Memorial Day by paying it forward.
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Yet, paying it forward doesn’t necessarily have to be a sacrifice. It can involve ways to help other people that also make us happy. Being Hongik also serves as its own reward—a reward not given to us by anyone else. Acting in a Hongik way lets us express our true nature, which expands our heart and mind.

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It may be hard to believe that we all have the capacity to be Hongik when we are bombarded by bad news. Everyday, we hear about the pain people inflict on all living creatures. Even war exemplifies this dichotomy. It reflects love of country and family while being a reason for people to kill each other.

The hurts and fears we’ve accumulated throughout our lives can shroud our Hongik nature and make it difficult to act with love. While this is one reason for the bad news we hear about, it also acts as a counter force that makes choosing our better nature even more important. By acting in Hongik ways, we are feeding the love that always exists beneath our fear and pain. It’s this love that can heal our wounds and give us hope, not only for ourselves, but for all of humanity and the earth.

So as you express gratitude for the sacrifice of your country’s protectors, why not think about ways you can show your love for your community and your country?

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[Video] The Soul Needs Training to Grow

Does your body know who its master is? Or does your brain? Or do you find yourself being led around by your likes and dislikes or your discomfort and pleasure? If we really want to grow and improve, we have to show our body and brain who their master is—the soul. Our souls came to earth to grow and become complete. However, to grow our soul, we need to train. We need to be able to control our body and brain. It might not be the easiest thing to do, but since we came to this earth for that purpose, it is necessary.

Learn more from this segment of my lecture at the first gathering of the Humanity’s Leadership Team in Portland, Oregon in June of 2003.

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Join Ilchi Lee for a YouTube Live with Brain Education TV

Ilchi Lee will be a guest on the Brain Education TV YouTube channel for their YouTube live next Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 12 pm Eastern/9 am Pacific. Lee will answers questions on “The Awakened Brain.” Join him to understand how you can use your brain more powerfully, productively, and authentically. He’ll also discuss his 40 years of work with Brain Education and what living with an “awakened brain” really means.

Click here to watch!

Join Ilchi Lee for a YouTube Live with Brain Education TV
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Brain Education TV is a popular YouTube channel based on Ilchi Lee’s personal development system called Brain Education. Hosts Linda Yoonjin and Gabi Petrylaite provide practical tips, lead Brain Education mind-body exercises, and share stories related to mental health and wellness. They aim to help young adults cope with the depression, anxiety, and loneliness that is so common today. Their work has expanded off YouTube to teaching Brain Education programs to high school students, speaking at conferences, and providing personal coaching.

Learn more about Brain Education TV

Ilchi Lee developed Brain Education over the last 40 years, combining his own experience with research. It has become an academic study and has been practiced by millions around the world.

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3 Self-Care Tips for Caregivers

[Photo by davidpereiras via Envato Elements]

Take care of yourself mindfully in short bursts together with your loved ones.

Many adults have an important role: they are caregivers. They care for their children and perhaps their parents too. They may even do it professionally. They are the pillars on which those who cannot fully care for themselves lean. Caregivers are a constant expression of love.

While spending much of our time caring for others can give us joy and purpose, it can also take its toll. Many caregivers don’t have enough time or energy to care for themselves. And if they are taking care of someone with a serious illness, they may feel depressed about the nature or course of their loved one’s disease. Caregivers may also feel guilty about their limitations or just worn out.

Regardless of the joy or pain we experience while taking care of others, we all need self-care. To balance the needs of others with our own, I would suggest focusing on the basics. We all know we need to eat and digest well, sleep well, drink enough water, and exercise regularly. I would also add that we need to breathe well—slowly and deeply from our abdomen.

Yes, this is easier said than done. How can we take care of all of this with limited time and energy? How about doing them mindfully in short bursts and together with our loved ones as much as possible.

1. Do everything mindfully.

By mindfully, I mean continuously focusing on ourselves, specifically, on our core. Keep about 40 percent of your awareness on the inner part of your abdomen below your naval. This area houses an important energy center, the one that fuels your physical power and well-being. By keeping part of your mind there, you can stay centered and grounded. Doing this also helps you maintain what’s called Water Up, Fire Down energy circulation, which is the basic energy flow in the body. We need this cycle of energy to be flowing smoothly for our overall wellness.

To help you feel your core and keep your awareness there, you can activate and strengthen it. Simple exercises such as tapping your abdomen with your palms or fists (Abdominal Tapping), pulling your lower abdominal muscles in and out (Intestinal Exercise), repeatedly pressing your belly button (Belly Button Healing), and abdominal breathing work effectively and don’t require you to be physically fit. Even Longevity Walking, though it doesn’t target the abdomen directly, is helpful because it strengthens the lower body and engages the core muscles.

These exercises not only pour more energy into your abdominal energy center, but they also make your belly warm and soft. Having a warm and soft belly helps the blood, lymph, and food in your gut circulate throughout the body better. It also relaxes your shoulders, hips, and back so you are less prone to pain or injury.

2. Do them in short bursts.

Particularly with exercise, if you feel like you don’t have time to do a lot of it, squeezing in just a minute here and there can make a difference. You can also do opportunistic exercise and combine exercises with other tasks and behaviors. For instance, you can do Intestinal Exercise while you’re doing the dishes, riding in a car, watching TV, or waiting in line. Practice Longevity Walking instead of walking unconsciously wherever you go. Stretch your arms as you walk through a doorway in your house, move your hips as you clean to keep your joints relaxed, do push-ups against a table when you pass it, or practice Toe Tapping and abdominal breathing before you fall asleep.

Taking a one-minute mindful exercise break every hour helps you schedule in short bursts of High Intensity Integral Training (#HIIT) types of exercise.
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This works even better if you do a strong exercise like jumping jacks or push-ups (if you are physically able), because one study conducted at McMaster University in Canada saw that 60 seconds of strenuous exertion has the same benefits on the body as 45 minutes of moderate exercise. These minutes also give you the opportunity to stop your stressful routine and concentrate on yourself. Pay attention to what’s going on inside you as you exercise for added effectiveness and TLC.

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3. Do them together.

The same exercises and habits that are good for ourselves are good for the people we care for, whether young or old. Making a one-minute exercise habit with your loved ones (adjusting the exercises to their abilities) helps them be healthier and helps reduce the conflict among your various responsibilities. Let one-minute exercise breaks be a normal part of your everyday family life.

Discover the ways applying these three tips works best for you. By filling up our own energy cup until it overflows to the people around us, we can keep going for the long haul without burning out.

Editor’s Note: For instruction in using Ilchi Lee’s methods of self-care, you can go to a Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi center. Located around the United States as well as several countries around the world, these centers have individual and group classes and workshops that help you be empowered and resilient in any situation. Find a center near you at BodynBrain.com.

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[Video] Five Steps of Brain Education

Have you ever thought that you own the thoughts and emotions occurring in your brain?

The thoughts and emotions in our brain can be our cage or our springboard to infinite growth.

Through the five steps of my Brain Education method of personal development, you can change your thoughts and emotions. You can learn to use your brain for your own purpose and, ultimately, become your brain’s master.

In this clip of a lecture I gave at a gathering of the Humanity’s Leadership Team in Portland, Oregon in 2003, I give you an overview of Brain Education’s five steps and help you understand what it means to be a master of your brain.

Hear the whole recorded lecture in The Soul Needs Training to Grow CD.

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Just Love Yourself

Celebrate yourself; praise yourself; sing and dance to love yourself.

There’s a message that comes down to me repeatedly these days: “Just love myself.”

Many of us already know that there is no infinite love, the greatest love, where you yourself are left out. How can we love without condition or barrier if we don’t love ourselves? Love begins with ourselves.

When we can’t feel this, we may feel lonely and become more concerned with how much other people love us or with finding people to love. We may find ourselves begging for love, trading for love, or waiting for love.

If the love we hope for from outside of ourselves doesn’t come, we may think, “I’m unhappy.” The brain gets shocked then by that thought. “My master is telling me that she’s unhappy,” the brain judges. “So I have to start being unhappy.” Then thoughts and energy that make us unhappy come from the brain, and our lives gradually become more and more unhappy.

But when we really love ourselves, we discover that we don’t need to beg or wait for love from others. We know that love isn’t something that comes from somewhere distant or from the person next to us. It’s already inside us, not something we wait for.

How to Love Ourselves

We also realize that our unknowable loneliness, fear, different forms of victim consciousness, emotions, and attachments were all illusions and obstacles in the path of our lives. Many people live having lost themselves in these illusions, so they think that they are powerless and inadequate. They don’t feel they are worth loving. If we want to truly love ourselves, we need to let go of our preconceptions and attachments and let our hearts and minds be truly free. Underneath all of those illusions lies love, for love is what we truly are.

To wipe away this false picture, we don’t need to fight it; just accept it instead. Loving ourselves means loving our dreams, our shortcomings, our struggles, even the part of us that shakes from fear and failure. No reasons or conditions are needed to love ourselves.

Loving ourselves means loving our dreams, our shortcomings, our struggles, even the part of us that shakes from fear and failure. No reasons or conditions are needed.
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Once we accept ourselves unconditionally, the next step to loving ourselves is celebrating and praising ourselves—even bragging about ourselves. Give our brains positive information about ourselves.

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We can do this by giving ourselves compliments, or by clearing our thoughts and emotions with breathing and meditation. Another of the simple ways we can celebrate and praise ourselves is through dance and song.

Rather than doing dances and songs that were made by someone else, it’s better to make up your own. Dance and sing without learning or thinking as an outpouring of your heart, as an expression of love for and pride in yourself. It’s alright to sing nonsense or if your tune is off. It’s fine as long as you feel good. Just enjoy it.

Our confidence will come alive once we’ve celebrated and praised ourselves enough, and that will lead to feeling better, being healthier, and our capabilities being expressed. Those who actively create love for themselves this way instead of waiting for it also create happiness for themselves. Loving ourselves leads to more brightness, harmony, and balance within ourselves. Soon our outer lives will come to reflect the brightness and love inside.

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[Video] Examine the Information Inside You

If we want to have health, if we want peace inside and out, we need to play well with ourselves and each other. To do that, we need to be careful of how we manage our brains, especially, the information that informs our worldview. Our lives depend on the quality and quantity of the information in our brains.

We receive endless information every single day. Rather than being unconscious of it, we need to look at the information in our brain and ask ourselves whether it’s productive, creative, and peaceful. We only need to keep the information that supports our true value, the value of our true selves. The rest of the information we can purify through meditation. Then we can have true peace and personal growth.

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Meditation for Giving Gratitude to Our Parents

[Photo 177294667 © Fizkes – Dreamstime.com]

Loving and being grateful for our parents is a way to love ourselves.

This weekend is Mother’s Day in the United States (Sunday) and Parents Day in South Korea (Saturday). These holidays remind us of the love our parents gave to us and of what they sacrificed to care for us throughout our lives. They are an opportunity for us to show our gratitude toward them in whatever way we can. We may spend time with them if they’re nearby and/or send gifts, or we may keep them in our thoughts and prayers if they’ve passed on.

My own parents were a big support in my life, especially my father. Throughout my life, he always believed in me, even when I was still struggling to get my bearings. He was someone with whom I could always have deep conversations and who was my spiritual friend. Both of my parents have left this world, but I still feel them by me, giving me support and love.

Of course, not every memory of our parents may be happy ones. We may have learned harsh lessons from them, or they may have not lived up to the ideal we have of parents. Many families have disintegrated, and we may still have traumatic scars from our families being broken apart.

Despite this hurt, I believe it’s still important for us to be grateful to our parents in the same way we are grateful to be alive, that we are grateful for the air that we breathe and the sun that warms us. Our parents did what they could, and in the end, we are here because of them.

Loving our parents is an extension of loving ourselves; it’s a step on the way to a greater love—the unconditional love of all things. Forgiving and being grateful for our parents despite any pain we’ve experienced can heal ourselves and open our hearts to the grander being that we really are, for unconditional love is our true nature.

Whether you have a wonderful relationship with your parents or you have some lingering pain you haven’t been able to let go of, try this meditation for connecting with your parents on a deeper level and expressing your gratitude to them for giving you life.

First, Connect with Yourself

From where can true love and healing come from? The most authentic love and healing comes from our most authentic self, which we can feel in our heart.

First sit with your back straight and tap around your chest with your fingertips, palms, or fists. Tap strongly enough so that you can feel the vibration your tapping makes deep into your chest. As you tap, exhale any stuffiness or tension you have out through your mouth. Tapping this way will help you release any sadness that covers your heart and help you feel your heart more deeply.

Try these other exercises to connect to yourself ►

After about five minutes of tapping, rest your palms on the center of your chest. Bring your awareness to the center of your chest, where there is an energy center associated with love and emotional well-being, also called your heart chakra. Keep returning your focus to this point, bringing it deeper and deeper, as your breathing and tension gradually calm without effort.

As you quietly look within, listening attentively, you may feel different emotions, think many thoughts, and may even see colors or images in your mind’s eye. You may not even feel anything at all, experiencing numbness instead. These phenomena you experience come from the energy surrounding your heart center. They are covering the pure energy of love that is who you really are. Keep experiencing them as you focus on this area and letting them go right away, digging deeper inside your heart. (You can lower your hands if your arms become tired.)

Continue this until you feel lighter, clearer, or calmer in your chest. You may even feel love bursting out of your chest if your heart opens enough.

Then, Connect to Your Parents

Still focusing on your heart, imagine your parents entering the space of your heart chakra, one at a time. At first, experience any emotions that come up when they come into your heart space. Just watch these emotions as they come and go.

Then tell each parent everything you want to say to them. Don’t hold anything back, whether it’s positive or negative. Don’t judge yourself or feel guilty; completely express yourself in this safe space and time.

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Next, Forgive.

Forgive your parents for any way you feel they’ve wronged you. Also, ask their forgiveness for any way you were not completely loving or courteous to them, whether you felt it was deserved or not.

See how apologizing to your soul can help you take back the reins of your life ►

Finally, Thank Your Parents

At this point, gratitude toward your parents may flow naturally from your heart. But even if it doesn’t, honor the purest part of you by thanking your parents. Thank them for giving you life and for doing the best they could in their circumstances and with their abilities. As much as you thank your parents, treat your own life, and life itself, as precious. From gratitude toward your parents can grow self-respect, and the desire to seek greater meaning and purpose for your life, if you don’t have them already.

Do this to be truly grateful ►

Then send the love in your heart to your parents, letting that love heal the bonds between you and letting the love in your heart become bigger and stronger in the process.

Finish the meditation with three deep breaths.
 

How do you feel? I hope you can share what you experienced through the meditation with me. And I hope you can honor your mother and parents this weekend with real love and gratitude.

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