The same can be said of the brain. To function well, it must be flexible, moving from one task to another with ease. Unfortunately, the brain can succumb to limiting habits very easily. Even small children tend to favor that which is “easy,” and they avoid things that are “hard.” This tendency will often prevent a child from discovering his or her true potential.

For example, a child may decide at a very young age, “I can’t sing.” To some degree this may be true. Perhaps his or her genetic makeup simply does not include the traits required for genuine musical talent. Maybe he or she is completely tone deaf. But does that mean he or she cannot improve and achieve some level of musical proficiency? Probably not. The child may never be an opera star, or even a suitable member of the local choir, but he or she very likely can gain some musical competence. By deciding not to attempt singing, the child has unconsciously denied the brain the opportunity to develop the complex synaptic connections involved in musicianship.

01. Lie down on your abdomen. Stretch your arms straight out above your head. Breathe in and lift your arms, legs, and chest off the ground. Balance on your abdomen. Hold the posture for 10 counts. Breathe naturally while holding the posture.

02. Exhale and slowly lower your arms and legs to the ground. Repeat 10 times.

Little Brain Relaxation:

01. Lie on the floor or a mat, arms to the sides, palms facing upward, and feet shoulder width apart.

02. Breathe in, focusing on the chest, and slowly breathe out, relaxing the body completely.

03. Bring your hands to each of the five “little brains,” one at a time—liver, heart, stomach, kidneys, lungs. In your mind, say, “I love you,” to each of the organs. For the kidneys, slide the hands under the lower back.

04. Continue to breathe, and relax the entire body. Feel the warm energy from the hands penetrating into the body.

Now make it harder by doing it in groups. Tap one organ three times, and then call out another. Place your hand on the wrong spot on the body when you call out the last item. Call out, for example, “Liver, liver, liver, stomach” but place your hand on your heart. See if they can follow your words, not your movements.

These postures stimulate energy and blood circulation to the various major organs of the body. They are based on the system of energy pathways used by acupuncturists to promote health and to treat diseases. Theoretically, if an energy pathway related to a particular organ is completely open, it will ensure total health in that organ. These exercises help open energy pathways related to the specific organs.

She had met with our headmaster and discussed with him that one of the most difficult habits she’d like to change is to wake up earlier for work. After doing some brain wave training, she was advised to focus on her brain stem as soon as she wakes up in the morning and then to watch how she reacts differently.

When she woke up the next morning, she did as she was told, and amazingly enough, she felt very awake and bright at 7 am. And please let it be noted that she is someone who normally snoozes through noon….

The training was deep and pretty intense. It helped me to go into much deeper meditation than in the classes we used to have, which seemed a little ironic to me since you’re moving in constant vibration. ^^

I saw this proverb on a sign in front of a church in Jamaica Plain. It is the opposite of the way I feel when I do exercises Ilchi Lee has taught such as jin dong (vibration), ji gam, or dahn mu (energy dance). My mind slowly opens more and more. It feels more flexible, calm, beautiful and bright.

“Feel your brain.” You frequently hear this at Dahn Centers, especially during Brain Respiration training. Although the brain processes all the information that it receives through its sense nerves, it does not possess receptors that allow it to feel itself. So, how then can we “feel our brain?”

To begin, we must understand that our body is composed of matter, energy and information. Matter flows through our body via blood vessels, information flows through our body via the nervous system and energy flows through our body via meridians. Just like the vascular and nervous systems, meridians direct energy to the organs of the body. Ilchi Lee
Although we cannot ordinarily feel the flow of this energy, we can when we concentrate, keeping our focus on the “here and now.” It is through focused awareness of energy that we can feel the brain. Each person possesses a different degree of this awareness, but anyone can easily cultivate this sense through concentration and practice. An example of this sense is the ability to sense the “atmosphere” of a place or situation. The degree of this sense depends on how sensitive your senses are and how focused your consciousness is.

The most effective way to feel your brain is to utilize your hands and head (scalp). Our palms are very sensitive to energy because they contain energy points that are connected to our entire body. Our scalp contains several important energy centers (or acupressure points) and functions as the conduit through which energy enters and exits. Important energy points include the Baek-hoe at the top of the head, the Ah-mun at the back of the head, the Tae-yang at the temples, and the In-dang at the center of the forehead. These energy centers are also linked to the various lobes of the brain: the Baek-hoe corresponds to the parietal lobe (sense of touch), the Ah-mun to the occipital lobe (vision), the Tae-yang to the temporal lobe (hearing and memory) and the In-dang to the frontal lobe (reasoning and emotion).

Ilchi Lee, Dahn Yoga

Most importantly, you should take care not to allow negative information to enter and dominate your brain. The true purpose and goal of “feeling your brain” is to help you to manage your brain well, so that you may make positive and powerful choices in every situation.

Tapping into your brain

Bounce your body lightly up and down in place with your hands comfortably at your sides. Relax your body.

Lightly tap your fingertips together, 50 to 60 times. Stop and hold your hands slightly apart, concentrating on the feeling of your hands. You will feel something similar to an electrical flow between them.

Bring both hands to your head and tap the main energy points in the following order: Baek-hoe, Ah-mun, Tae-yang, In-dang. Tap approximately 30 to 40 times on each point. Repeat the entire process three times.

Breathe naturally and comfortably. Make sure to breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Feel energy enter the Baek-hoe, pass through the brain and exit through the mouth.

Next, focus on your Baek-hoe as you breathe in and on your Tae-yang as you breathe out. Try to feel energy enter through the Baek-hoe as you breathe in and exit through the Tae-yang as you breathe out.

Now, focus on your Ah-mun as you breathe in and on your In-dang as you breathe out. Try to feel energy travel from the back of your head to the front. Feel your brain become lighter with each breath you take in and out.

Next, focus on your Baek-hoe as you breathe in and on your In-dang as you breathe out. Try to feel energy enter into the Baek-hoe as you breathe in and exit from the In-dang as you breathe out. Feel your brain become lighter and brighter with each breath you take in and out.

Now, focus on your Baek-hoe as you breathe in and on your fingertips as you breathe out. Feel energy enter through the top of the head, pass through the upper chest and both arms, and exit through the fingertips.

Next, focus on your Baek-hoe as you breathe in and on your toes as you breathe out. After you breathe in, hold your breath for a moment as you tighten the anus. When you tighten the anus, the energy immediately comes down to the Dahn-jon (lower abdomen). Hold your breath for two to three seconds, move your consciousness to your toes, and relax the anus as you breathe out. If you breathe in this manner, you will be able to feel the energy flow from the top of your head, through your entire body, and all the way down to your toes. Feel your whole body become lighter and revived with each breath.

Sit down slowly and rest your hands on your knees with both palms facing up. Breathe in deeply and naturally from the Dahn-jon and focus on the feeling of your brain. Feel your brain expanding and contracting with your breath as energy enters and exits through the energy points.

Slowly raise your hands with the palms facing each other and place them in prayer position at chest level. Keep breathing through the Dahn-jon and feel your heart and brain at the same time. Smile naturally. Feel your lower abdomen get warmer, your heart become relaxed and your brain become revived and bright. Feel your Dahn-jon, heart and brain connect as one.

Slowly lower your hands, place them on your knees again, and take three deep breaths while concentrating on your Dahn-jon. On the last breath, inhale deeply and then lean your upper body forward as you exhale through your mouth. Straighten your upper body and open your eyes. Rub your hands together and then brush off your face, your entire body and your ears. Exhale through the mouth as you brush off your body, arms and legs.

Steve Kim is the center manager of Sedona Center, Sedona, Arizona, USA .

To know more about Dr. Ilchi Lee visit Ilchi Lee’s Official website.

At the Dahn Center where I work, in Newton, Massachusetts, members anticipate Fridays with excitement and trepidation. They love how they feel after class on Fridays. But they don’t always love the process. On Fridays we do an intensive exercise to release stress that combines vibration exercise, (jin-dong), and Yeon-dahn, where participants hold a posture for 20-25 minutes.

Friday classes are for purification. First, we pat our bodies all over to awaken the blood and energy flow. Then we dance around the room wildly, eyes closed, to traditional Korean drumming music (Salmunori). We sweat, breathe hard, and release accumulated tension and fatigue from our bodies, finishing class by accumulating new energy through Yeon-dahn.

At the end of class, we finally rest. The last few minutes of breathing are luscious and pure. Our rest is well earned. Our bodies and minds feel light and clean. To immerse yourself in vibration exercise, you must understand its purpose. The exercise allows you to access Yuln’yo, the deepest vibration within your being, which originates in your brain stem. Hidden, it makes you breathe, allows your heart to beat, and sustains your life. Lost in our emotions and thoughts,we are not normally in contact with this vibration. However, during vibration training, you can move out of your conscious mind and into your unconscious. As you access this “no thought, just act” mode, your body will move freely and creatively. You can release stagnant energy that has accumulated from too many emotions, too much thinking, and too little action. Yuln’yo will open your heart and heal your body.

However, accessing this state takes effort and requires proper guidance. Many times, members have stood before me, vibrating at two percent of their possibility but swearing it is their 100 percent—they are stuck thinking they’re doing their best, instead of actually doing their best.

Helpful Tips

1. Focus on yourself. Trust yourself. Give 100% effort!
Yuln’yo comes from within. You have to focus on you or you cannot find it. To reach your depths, you have to totally throw yourself into the motion and you have to trust that your body will move in a way that heals you. One example is if you are not in great physical condition, you may not want to give your 100% because you fear injury. At this time, it is important to focus on “try again, try again, try again.” If you do, you can slowly increase your limits; if you don’t, you will stay in your fear.

2. Sensitize your body before vibration by patting all over.
It is hard to focus inside if there is no sensation to focus on. So wake up your body’s sensitivity first by patting all over. The especially important areas are your heart chakra (the middle of your chest) and your lower Dahn-jon (your abdomen below the belly button). For your heart chakra, tap first with your fingertips on your sternum, and make a gentle “aaahhh” sound. Continue for at least one minute until you can feel vibration in your whole chest. Then increase the intensity to patting your chest and upper abdomen with your palms and making your “aaahhh” sound louder. Continue for at least one minute until you can feel the sound coming all the way from your toes. Finally, become Tarzan! Beat your chest wildly and yell as loud as you can, focusing on your toes. You can deeply open your heart chakra at this moment. After patting your whole body and chest, finish with patting your Dahn-jon 100 times.

3. Focus on your feet during vibration.
Which part of your body do you use the most? Probably your head! That means energy easily stays in your brain, but no so easily reaches your heart and the rest of your body. Because your habit doesn’t normally incorporate the lower part of your body, you need to make extra effort to include it. During vibration, keep feeling your feet. When you feel your feet, energy will automatically come down out of your head and circulate through your whole body.

4. Cool down and accumulate energy in your Dahn-jon to finish.
Vibration exercise makes your energy circulate fully and rapidly. You can feel the heat, pulsation, and vibration throughout your body at the end. What is important is to catch the energy at this moment. If you don’t, the new energy will quickly leave your body and vibration exercise will be just a workout, missing its potential to be a deeply healing exercise. During the postures, keep concentrating on the sensation inside your lower abdomen and breathe naturally. Automatically, energy will collect in your Dahn-jon and you will sink into your unconscious world.

Vibration exercise is similar to many dancing traditions seen in ancient cultures throughout the world. We have an intuitive sense that by investing our full being in free motion that we can commune with our deepest selves and the cosmos. During vibration exercise, go deep inside and contact your primal self. You can travel to many places in the world, to many different times. You can become Yuln’yo and meet the part of you that is deeply creative and beneficial to all.

Yuln’yo
by Dr. Ilchi Lee, from Healing Society: A prescription for Global Enlightenment

The eternal Cosmic Order that governs all, this I call Yuln’yo. You cannot touch Yuln’yo, or smell it or see it. Yuln’yo is the essence of the order that has governed all life since the beginning, having itself no beginning or end. Yuln’yo is not some cold set of physical laws that dictates the interactions of matter, but a pulsating, warm consciousness that envelops and gathers all. Yuln’yo expresses itself through light, sound, and vibration that form the natural symphony of the cosmos. We can most immediately feel the power of Yuln’yo through our heartbeats, the steady and faithful pounding that started in the womb and is now echoing through the universe. This is the rhythm of life. Through this rhythm, we can join the everlasting harmony of the cosmos.

My Friday Class

“I think doing vibration exercise is the first time I was able to feel my organs, feel my intestines. It really makes your energy start moving, so I could feel my energy body much more strongly. Also, the first time I ever heard my hand vibrating was after vibration exercise. We did the exercise and then held our hands out and I could hear them! It gave me a very strong sense of the reality of energy, the reality of vibration, and the increasing sensitivity of my being. I mean how do you hear something like that?! But I did and more than once!”
– Jeanne Benjamin, mother and psychologist, Newton , MA

“I try to do [vibration exercise] as strongly as possible. It is a great relief of energy—the more one gives to it, the more one gets back. It’s a great way to shake [out] all the tension from the week.”
– Juan Carlos Arean, father and Program Manager for Family Violence Prevention Fund, Newton , MA

Ilchi Lee

Ilchi Lee is a pioneering Brain Philosopher and Educator. Ilchi Lee is founder of Dhan Yoga (known as Dahn Hak or Dahnhak) state it to be a Korean yoga style. For more information about Dahn Hak and Dr. Ilchi Lee visit his official website.