Dahn Yoga Health Centers in Nevada

The trees that surround your house, the shiny dew that greets you in the morning, the mountains yonder and the river under the bridge are all manifestations of the Earth’s body. Bread, vegetables, and fruits are all products of Earth’s body. Water, which composes about seventy percent of our human bodies, flows from the Earth. All life is born, reared, and returned to Earth. We can most palpably sense the ‘Motherliness’ of the Earth through the embrace of her lands and bounty of her seas. All of nature is her body. Everything from the wisps of clouds in the sky, to the blind worm in the soil, from the deepest of her oceans to the tallest of her peaks, are her organs and cells, to be nurtured and cared for.

Imagine … and see her again, being blessed by the sun in the day and the moon at night. Have you ever lain in a sunny field of grass, and felt the warm rays of the sun enters through the mouth. Our lives are sustained by the circulation of heaven’s and earth’s energy.

Thirty percent of the air we breathe is oxygen. Oxygen comes from trees and plants, which breathe in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out. Trees and humans thus have a symbiotic relationship in life. I would now like to introduce you to a simple meditation that you can do, one that will help you feel the Earth through the life of a tree. This meditation is best done in the outdoors, filled with trees, but it is also possible to practice indoors.

Close your eyes and imagine a tree in front of you, its strong branches packed with healthy leaves and filled with vitality. The oxygen that the tree pumps out comes into our bodies to help generate the energy that allows us to live. Conversely, the energy that we breathe out as carbon dioxide feeds the tree, and helps maintain its life. Feel the air as it enters through your nose and into your body. Feel every particle, every molecule, of the air as it flows through your nose, mouth, and into your lungs, being absorbed by each single cell in your body. Feel the refreshing and literally life-giving pleasure provided by the simple act of inhaling. Now exhale, letting your body relax, newly invigorated.

Ilchi Lee Articles

Although every experience that occurs in the world of the five human senses is, strictly speaking, an energy experience, you can experience energy directly as three main sensations; a sense of tickling electricity, a sense of the pulling and pushing of a magnetic force, and a sense of heat and cold. When your senses become trained with practice, you begin to have a deep sense of energy as it moves through your mind and body. We can call this the language of the soul. With this you can communicate with all of existence, and fully utilize the information contained within the flow of energy. A sharing of the soul can only occur via communication through energy. Therefore, it is only possible to commune with Mago when we have reawakened our ability to sense energy, which has long remained dormant.

When you can sense the energy, you don’t need research studies to tell you that the climate is warming, species are disappearing by the hundreds everyday, and the rain forests are losing ground at an alarming rate. You don’t need specific numbers. You can feel the deleterious effects that these have on Earth. Just feel. Feel how the Earth feels. Feel how the sea feels. See how the sky feels. And see how Mago feels.

As Ilchi Lee writes in his book energy is the universal language that we humans must adopt in order to engage in spiritual growth. Energy is the language of the soul that provides the path that will lead you to Earth, to the cosmos, and ultimately, to yourself.

Many people have romantic ideas about enlightenment. Many of them pursue enlightenment as a means of escape, chasing after dreams of eternal peace or freedom, or trying to escape real world suffering or difficulty that they feel unable to deal with. Such is not enlightenment.

Enlightenment has a definite purpose and goal. If you wish to surround yourself with a nebulous cloud of feel-good love and peace, then you harbor a huge misconception. People often think that enlightenment is an eternal state of peace and quiet. Perhaps in a metaphorical sense this is so, but you must not remain there for long. A child may be pure and innocent, but what power does a child have to change the world? Remaining in a state of isolated peace and quiet may be good for an individual, but is useless in bringing peace to the world. True enlightenment imparts wisdom and strength to effect positive change the real world. If enlightenment has no bearing upon the state of the real world, what good is it?

According to Ilchi Lee research first, and foremost, enlightenment is a choice. Enlightenment is not the creation of a new state of being, but acknowledgement of something already existing within you. It is the recognition of your body and mind as instruments of your soul. Enlightenment is choosing to recognize that your soul is your true self, an integral part of the cosmic rhythm of life without beginning or end.

Body exercises tips by Ilchi Lee.

PURPOSE: Assesses the lower body’s flexibility, which is important good posture, normal gait patterns, and for various mobility tasks, getting in and out of a bathtub or car. HOW TO TEST: From a sitting position at the front of a chair, extend one leg out and reach toward your toes. Measure the approximate number of inches (1 inch = 2.5 centimeters) between the extended fingertips and the tip of the toe.

BACK SCRATCH

PURPOSE: Checks shoulder flexibility, which is important in everyday tasks such as combing hair, getting dressed, and reaching for a seat belt.

HOW TO TEST: With one hand reaching over the shoulder and behind the head and the other reaching behind the waist and up the middle of the back, measure the approximate number of inches (1 inch = 2.5 centimeters) between extended middle fingers.

8-FOOT UP-AND-GO

PURPOSE: Assesses agility and balance, which are important in daily tasks requiring quick maneuvering, such as getting off a bus or getting up to attend to something in the kitchen. HOW TO TEST: Count the number of seconds required to get up from a seated position, walk 8 feet (2.44 meters), turn, and return to a seated position.

Although the mind is important to the creation of a young energy age, one cannot ignore the body itself. Energy travels through the body in a definite way, and it only makes sense to work with it, not against it. For that reason, the Jangsaeng method advocates specific angles of the body to consider when walking. You may be used to walking unconsciously, so at first this may seem a little burdensome. But after a little practice, it will become automatic and will feel completely natural.

The basic posture of Jangsaeng Walking is simple. Walk while focusing on these basic principles:

The basic posture of Jangsaeng Walking is simple. Walk while focusing on these basic principles:

*    Tilt the lower part of your pelvis forward.
*    Breathe with your lower abdomen.
»     Let your heel tap the ground gently as you step forward, with a straight leg. »  Feel your weight transfer fully to the balls (Yong-chun) and     toes of your foot. »  Keep your feet parallel, stepping on either side of an imaginary line.
*    Angle your body one degree forward.
*    Swing your arms freely.
*    Smile!

Ilchi Lee books on brain and breath respiration.

In Eastern thought, there is a saying, “Where the mind goes, energy follows.” Essentially, energy flows following our conscious thought. In fact, ev- erything that we accomplish in this world begins with a conscious thought. For example, if you admire a tall building in the middle of the city, you can say that it all began in the mind of the architect working in tandem with the investors, contractors, and workers who brought it into being. As all these minds came together, energy began to flow toward the fulfillment of the vision. In that way, imagination became reality. Every space mission, every classic piece of art, every saintly act began as a thought in someone’s mind.

MIND OVER MATTER

The same is true for the energy we feel in our bodies. When imagining that we can feel energy through our hands, it really happens that way, and if we imagine that energy is collected in the lower abdomen, then energy is really collected in the lower abdomen. One can only feel energy by focusing the consciousness—not by knowledge, analysis, or judgment.

Ilchi Lee tells that Jangsaeng Walking is partially based on this notion that energy follows the mind. Part of the goal is to teach the body to walk youthfully, which might be something you have never really done since bad habit can start early. Through walking youthfully. your body will regain the attributes of youth, as will your mind. Finally, my hope is that this feeling of energetic youthfulness will follow you into all areas of your life, creating a more vital and satisfying style of life.

You are not simply your thoughts, habits, memories, emotional responses, triggers, and biases. That would be like saying a computer is merely a collection of microprocessors and disk drives. But a computer, properly assembled, becomes a tool for writing this book, sending people into space, or changing the world. So too are you not simply the sum of the three parts of your brain, but their combined potential. It is possible to view the transition periods of later life not as crises but as opportunities to redefine the person you are. Brain Integration fuels that redefinition.

Brain Integration unifies the disparate centers of your brain, restoring the flow of energy and renewing communication. The process allows you to let go of the sense of self that depended on aspects of your life that have changed, and empowers you to create a new identity based on today—your new pursuits, relationships, and passions.

Imagine being able to shed your outdated sense of self and to let go of the unwanted influence of other people and events. You become free to decide what parts of your new life will define you and to July experience your emotions without fear. Brain Integration establishes new, robust connections between your three brain centers and the hemispheres of your brain—the linear and analytical left brain and the creative and intuitive right brain. You will be able to unleash your creativity, control your emotions, and approach situations from both a rational and intuitive perspective.

Instead of a brain fragmented by traumas during the aging process, you will find your lifetime of experiences and knowledge meshing like the parts of a wonderful machine, carrying you to new levels of insight, including:

*    Expanded awareness of your environment
»    A sense of the oneness of existence
*    Greater self-awareness
*    The development of new talents
*    Deeper, more satisfying emotional relationships
»    Greater wisdom

Older individuals who practice Brain Integration frequently find themselves attracted to new pastimes and activities, discovering new life purposes, and healing their relationships with friends and family. Who knows, vou might discover a love for writing vou never knew you had, decide to mentor a young scholar, or join a new7 circle of friends who are on the same life journey as you are. Brain Integration is challenging, but once vou have completed the first three steps, you will be ready.

1.    EXERCISE REGULARLY.

Brisk cardiovascular exercise brings rich, oxygenated blood to the brain. Ilchi Lee advice aged people that they  should get at least 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise 3 times a week. Also, do strength training at least twice a week, because muscle development also produces more energy for the brain.

2.    REDUCE STRESS.

Stress is a major cause of illness, thanks to the effects of the hormone cortical. Too much cortical can wear down the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory function. Yoga Exercise and meditation can help.

3.    GET PLENTY OF SLEEP.

Sleep deprivation is the number one cause of fuzzy, disjointed mental function. Studies show that people who get at least eight hours of sleep each night can avoid some age-related brain decline.

4.    EAT LOW-FAT AND HEALTHY.

Glucose spikes and fatty plaque deposits that accompany overeating can damage the brain. A lower-calorie diet promotes better circulation and also controls weight, leading to lower blood pressure.

5.    GIVE YOUR BRAIN A WORKOUT.

Try to do or learn something new each week, whether you are writing a letter with the hand you do not usually use or developing your knowledge of a new language. Challenging the brain with novel tasks and activities creates new neural pathways, makes it more versatile, and improves its multitasking ability.

The word jangsaeng is a Korean word used by Professor Ilchi Lee that roughly translates as “longevity.” However, the word in English does not quite carry the same connotation. For us, longevity primarily means long life in respect to passage of time. But the Korean word suggests not only living many years, but also living them in a truly vital way. Jangsaeng person carry a youthful vitality into their older years that may be otherwise missing in their peers. To have Jangsaeng, you must have much more than long life. Jangsaeng people have a spring in their step and twinkle in their eye that is an inspiration even to the youngest ones around them.

In the West, we have done much to promote longevity. People today are living longer and longer as Western medicine advances. But extended life span should not be the only goal. It is more important that we live more fulfilling, happy lives, not just longer lives. This book exists to promote Jangsaeng, a lifestyle that promotes a positive, healthy living through awareness and utilization of the brain.

In the appendix, you will find a description of Jangsaeng Walking and Dahn Exercises (page 179), a way of walking that keeps the body and the brain energized and youthful. This is one example of how the things we do evervdav, such as walking, have great impact on the quality of life. All the information in this book is meant to promote the Jangsaeng lifestyle by helping people get the most out of their brains in their later years. Please use it to create a Jangsaeng Brain and a Jangsaeng Life.

Before we move on to the steps of BEST, a word of wisdom about changing the way vou think right now. One of the blessings of the aging brain is that you have a deep reservoir of existing knowledge that helps you gain immediate perspective on a situation.

This means that you have the insight to savor a particular moment in time, a kind of insight that a younger person often lacks. Whereas young people are usually looking toward the future and the next hurdle with little regard for the present, your time-tested perspective allows you to pause and truly be in the moment, which is where all of life’s true delights arise. But this is not a characteristic restricted to those of retirement age. No matter in DahnHak what your age, you can train your mind to perceive and live in the moment. In part, that is what BEST is all about: extracting all the learning, delight, and peace each moment has to offer, then moving on to the next.

According to Ilchi Lee Brain Respiration rules, training your brain to approach life in this way will make your maturity a marvelous adventure. Instead of experiencing a decline, you will relish the vivacity that few people of any age genuinely experience, because you will have made the most of your brain’s unlimited potential.