Do You Read in the Bathroom?

I laughed when I first arrived at UBE and saw magazines and newspapers in the bathroom stalls. Before coming to Korea, I met with my dad and his wife, Judy, and shared a story about how when I was in Manhattan staying with fellow IBREA staff (originally from Korea), I noticed that many times they went into the bathroom with a book or a magazine and stayed there for a while. Also, there was a stack of books and magazines on the shelf behind the toilet.

I kept thinking to myself, "That is very strange. Why do they do that?" I was always taught that the bathroom was a place where you "do your thing" and get out. Finally, one day, I decided to ask why because I was curious. One of my colleagues explained that in the past, people used newspaper as toilet paper so they would take newspaper with them, read it, use it and then dispose of it. Another colleague explained that often there were many people in a home or work office so the bathroom was a good place to have some place to think. This all made sense to me and I was glad I asked.

We receive a lot of information about what is right and what is wrong (directly and indirectly) and these ideas influence the way we see the world and other people. Sometimes we aren't even aware of the way the information we have chosen to keep in our brains influences the way we see the world and others.

Whether or not you think it is okay to read in the bathroom may seem trivial but many conflicts between family members, neighbours, communities, and countries have started over small things. If we can become conscious of the kinds of information we have in our brains and how it affects our relationships with ourselves, with those around us, and with the Earth, we can choose what kind of information to keep and to not keep. The third point of the Brain Declaration that was read at the Brain Education Conference and Olympiad at the United Nations highlights this: http://ibreaus.org/braindeclaration/.

In this case, I've decided to not keep the idea that reading in the bathroom is wrong because: 1. It's not wrong, it's just another way of using the bathroom and 2.Holding onto the idea that it is wrong isn't helpful to me or others, nor does it contribute to creating a better world. Here at UBE, I've even been known to flip through a magazine or two while using the facilities :).

This is a picture of my room in the dormitory. I sleep and do exercise here (bowing in the morning and Jung-Choong breathing in the evening). I sleep on the floor on a thick quilt. The floor can be heated by water but I haven't had to turn on the heat yet.

Because many Korean homes have this type of floor, called ondol, Koreans tend to sit and sleep on the floor. Having a heated floor in the winter helps promote the "Water up, fire down" principle of health or having a warm belly/lower body and a cool head/upper body.

Doing bowing and Jung-Choong Breathing also helps promote "water up, fire down". Bowing allows me to clear my thoughts and to feel my body and connect with myself. I found this article about an oriental medicine doctor who recommends 108 bows every day to everyone he knows: http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/life/essay_view.asp?cat_seq=25&content_seq=420&priest_seq=0&page=1

Jung-Choong Breathing is a series of breathing postures that help to circulate energy in the body and accumulate energy in the lower abdomen. After doing Jung-Choong Breathing, my head feels refreshed, I can breathe deeper and have more energy. Here's a link to a description of the method, which was developed by the Korea Institute of Brain Science (KIBS): http://brainkibs.org/RnD/JCprogram.asp. KIBS is an NGO (Non-governmental organization) in consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC. Together with IBREA, KIBS co-hosted the Brain Education Conference and Olympiad.

One of the principles they refer to is the "Water Up, Fire Down" principle, along with "Where your mind goes, energy follows" (basically, where you direct your focus is where your energy goes so keep focusing on your lower abdomen while holding the postures), and "Jung Choong, Ki Jang, Shin Myung" which means that when you 'fill up' your physical power in your lower abdomen, your emotions will shine brightly and your thinking will be clearer.

Meeting the Brain Education Department

The Graduate Studies building with Mt. Huksong in the background.

Yesterday I met some of the professors who work in the Brain Education Department. I was very impressed and excited by the breadth of their research interests.

In addition to Professor Shim, whose research I talked about in the Hike to Mt. Huksong post, I met Professors Yoon, Kwak, and Kwon.

- Professor Yoon has a background in Clinical Psychology and studies Emotion/Attention and Brain Education.

- Professor Kwak has a background in Educational Psychology and does quantitative research about Brain Education. She has developed the Brain Operating System Quotient Index.

- Professor Kwon has a background in Educational Anthropology and uses qualitative research to study the interaction between teacher and student in Brain Education programs.

To help me decide about my own research focus, I have also been reading the abstracts, which are in English, of theses of past students. The topics covered include education, health, peace, and gender equality. I am really excited to read research that supports the health and wellness principles I learned as a Dahn Yoga member and instructor and by the greater implications this research has for IBREA's work with the UN community.

The university was originally named the International Graduate University of Peace when founded in 2002. The name was changed to the University of Brain Education last year to reflect the founder's belief that understanding and using the brain well is the key to solving many of the world's problems and ensuring peace on earth.

A Trip to E-Mart

Today I took a taxi by myself to E-mart (the Korean equivalent of Walmart) to buy some supplies I needed. From UBE, you have to call a taxi. It costs about 10, 000 won (or 10 USD) to get to Cheonan. The taxi driver asked me where I was from and told me his brother lives in Vancouver.

E-mart is clean and there are lots of people working there and giving out free samples of food and other products. Walmart couldn't compete in the South Korean market so the company that runs the E-mart stores bought it out in 2006.

These are pictures of the street E-mart is on. You can see the taxi stand and some building going on in the background (there is lots of construction happening in Cheonan, especially new apartment buildings outside of the city).

Hike to Mt. Huksong

A view of Cheonan.

This is Professor Shim in front of an old fortress. KBS (The Korean Broadcasting Service)'s broadcasting tower is in the background.
Professor Shim took Professor Hong and I on a hike to the top of Mt. Huksong, behind UBE. The hike was good brain training for me. I actually asked to go on the hike because I saw a grassy path behind the university and heard that I could take it to the Cyber University building. When Professor Shim offered to take us, I didn't realize he meant to the top of the mountain.

The walk (after the grassy path:) was very steep. My legs felt like jelly, there were mosquitoes, I was sweating a lot and breathing very heavily, and a lot of doubts came into my head. I thought to myself, this hike is a lot like life. I wanted to achieve my goal (get to the top) but there were a lot of thoughts and emotions trying to convince me that it would be better just to turn around. Despite the obstacles, I kept making the choice to keep going. As you can see from the pictures, it was well worth it.

Later, Professor Shim, who works in the department of Brain Education, told us about his research on brainwaves. He uses EEG measurements to show the benefits of Brain Education on the brain. He studies the relationship between the brain and the mind so that people can understand how their thoughts and emotions affect their brain and therefore their physical, emotional and spiritual health.

The Institute for Traditional Korean Cultural Studies

Today I was fortunate to have a tour of the displays at the Institute for Traditional Korean Cultural Studies.

The building was completed in 2002, although the Institute has been doing work as a not-for-profit research and educational organization for many years.

The Institute was created to help the Korean people recover over one thousand years of traditional history, culture, and philosophy that were literally removed from Korean history when Japan occupied Korea. Similar to Poland during the Russian occupation, the Korean history was distorted and changed by the Japanese and taught in schools and universities so even today, many Koreans do not know the extent of their rich history.

The institute does training here as well as in schools, companies, and organizations. Currently, there is a group of employees from the National Tax Agency who are staying here and participating in training.

This is a picture of Korean pilots having a tour of the displays at the Institute. They are looking at the Chun Bu Kyung, a traditional spiritual text; a picture of a three-legged blackbird, a traditional symbol whose three legs represent heaven, earth, and humanity; and a cute statue of Dan-gun, known as the "founding father" of Korea and the first king of the Gojoseon Kingdom (2333 B.C. - 108 B.C.). Under Japanese occupation, the existence of this nation was considered to be a myth.

This kingdom was said to be one where people lived to help each other and where the physical health, emotional well-being, peacefulness and spirituality of all people was nurtured.

This article describes how Korea is changing its textbooks to reflect its history more accurately: http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20070223009

Pictures of UBE

Some of the beautiful gardens and landscaping on the university grounds.

This is the Kuk hak, or Traditional Korean Studies, building.



This is the Graduate Studies building (offices, classrooms, and the dormitory are located here).

This is the view in the morning from the dormitory room.

Cheonan City Scape

I arrived in Korea yesterday. Professor Hong, who is the English professor here at UBE (that's her picture), met me with a smiling face at the Incheon international airport and we took a bus to Cheonan.

In Cheonan, I ordered my first meal in Korean (more like a snack--it was a bagel and iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts). I will be more adventurous with food soon:). Actually, I was speaking English and the clerk was speaking Korean but I understood what she was saying (mostly:).

From Cheonan, we took a taxi to UBE (about half an hour). The road to the university was winding and surrounded by rolling hills. There are lots of seroka (this is the bird's name in Polish, I'm not sure what it is in English) and pine trees. At night, it was very quiet and the crickets and cicadas were singing. I slept very well on the heated floor in a room in the dormintory and felt refreshed in the morning.

The term will start next Saturday so there are mostly staff at the university. I will find out more today about the program, where I will be living, and where I will be working part-time.

I promise to post some pictures soon!

Dahn Yoga Centre Celebrates Six Years in Burlington

On Tuesday, we celebrated Burlington Dahn Yoga Centre's six years in Burlington and one year at the new location.

Here are some pictures of instructors and members enjoying stretching led by Mary Lou and a delicious potluck!

Members and instructors also enjoyed participating in fun games led by Scott, watching a Dahn Mu Do (Energy Martial Arts) demonstration by Marek and Sung, and hearing from Marek, Scott and Sam about their experiences of participating in the Olympiad at the United Nations.

IBREA Volunteer

This summer I had the opportunity to help in the preparations for two major events co-hosted by IBREA at the United Nations.

The 4th International Brain Education Conference on June 20th included UN delegates, representatives from the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) community, principals and teachers, brain education instructors, and parents from around the world. Everyone gathered to hear distinguished speakers including Jill Bolte Taylor, who was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people of the year, and reknowned neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, talk about education and the brain and the success of Brain Education programs in schools and other organizations.

Here's a link to a video of the conference:

http://www.ilchi.com/ilchi-lee/news/transport-yourself-to-the-u.n.-conference-with-ilchi-lee/

The 4th International Brain HSP Olympiad held August 12th was an opportunity for children and adults from around the world to participate in friendly events which showed the potential of the brain. Following the events, a series of lectures highlighted the brain and the cultivation of youth leaders as key to world peace and successful management of the earth.

I am especially proud of "Team Canada" (Marek Kazmierczak, Scott Johnston, Dalton Johnston, and Sam Johnston from Burlington) who with much sincerity participated in HSP events for the first time at the preparation camp and Olympiad. Team Canada came away with two awards: Marek received 1st Place in the HSP Body Sense Perception event and Sam received 3rd Place in the HSP Brain Window event.

Here is a link to an article about the Olympiad, where you can see "Team Canada" member, Scott Johnston, participating in the HSP Gym event and read more about the events and the lectures...

http://www.ilchi.com/ilchi-lee/news/the-4th-international-brain-hsp-olympiad-held-at-the-united-nations/