Unleashing Brain Potential in Miami
By Ryan Sims
On Friday January 17th, educators from around south Florida met at the Miami campus of Union Institute and University for a conference on Brain Education. In attendance was Ilchi Lee, founder of the International Brain Education Association (IBREA). He was there to give a keynote speech about the future of education and was introduced by Power Brain Education Program Director, Dave Beal. Mr. Beal began by leading the group through a series of warm-ups, which briefly demonstrated a few exercises from the Brain Education program. Ilchi Lee then took the floor and began his presentation on Brain Education, IBREA, and the future of education in a changing world.
Mr. Lee highlighted the success of the Brain Education pilot program that was implemented in El Salvador. In 2012, the program was expanded to more schools within El Salvador and is now being prepared for implementation in 180 schools around the country. Similar programs are also in place in Liberia as well as the Philippines. Ilchi Lee continued the presentation by outlining some of the substance and ideas behind the Brain Education program. “The current education system kills confidence. Brain Education is a shift in education, to respect the brain,” explained Lee. The purpose of Brain Education is to help people “achieve health, happiness, and peace by realizing the highest value that the brain possesses.” The presentation concluded with a discussion and question and answer session that covered topics including the effects of technology and smartphones on the developing brain, the over-diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, and Brain Education’s positive effects on people with Alzheimer’s.
Viewing CHANGE
The following day, the University of Miami hosted a screening of Ilchi Lee’s internationally acclaimed documentary CHANGE: The LifeParticle Effect. Almost 200 people viewed the documentary and were treated to a lecture by the film’s creator, Ilchi Lee. Lee explained that after seeing the film, “you are now prepared for change. The key is simple. It is that you have an infinite power within you. It’s simply a matter of using it. Many people are unaware of this power. They don’t know how to use it. To use it you have to know your value.” Lee explained that there are ways to help realize your value and that these lie within the powers of your brain. Lee spoke for almost an hour and led the audience through exercises, as well as magnetic meditation.
After the screening and lecture, there was a line out the door of audience members hoping to have their books and DVDs signed by Mr. Lee. Audience member Monica Gutierrez, a Miami resident, shared her takeaway from the film: “The movie hit the nail on the head. So many people are stuck in life and don’t realize that they have the power to do positive things for themselves. I think that if more people were reminded [of] this, the world would be a much different place.”
