The Power of Music and Dance: Noraebang and Nobody

A noraebang (literally song room) is a private Karaoke room that you can rent by the hour. I was really resistant about going to noraebang when I was invited in New York but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Because it's in a small room, you can really sing your heart out and it doesn't matter how bad you sound. Actually, I found that as time went on and we sang more and more, I was less self-conscious and my singing got better (or it seemed that way to me, anyway).

I haven't been to noraebang in Korea yet but I sometimes create my own noraebang in my office. I found lots of songs with lyrics on youtube. It's a great way to release stress and change my mood.

Every Tuesday night, I teach English to a group of Dahn masters who work at Kookhakwon. Tonight we did a little noraebang with "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. Here's the link just in case you're interested ;):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU4nOERhczc

"Nobody" by Korean girls-group, Wondergirls, is the most popular pop song in Korea right now. After English class, I joined in a group who were practising the dance for an event tomorrow in Cheonan. Here's the music video with English subtitles. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnVycboTpI0

You may be wondering, Why all this singing and dancing?

More and more research is being done to show the positive effects of music and movement on the brain. Music is one of the important tools that is used in Brain Education. In fact, Ilchi Lee talks about changing your brain and life by integrating positive music, message, and action.

I am consciously choosing to integrate music into my life more because I know it is one of those right-brain things that makes my soul happy and gets me out of my thinking, analytical brain. I may not be the best singer or dancer but to me, that's not the point. Through music and movement, I can change my energy and the kind of energy I am sharing with others.

Genius and Success

In our Brain Education and Consciousness class, we are reading the book, "Power vs. Force" by Dr. David Hawkins. Like "A New Earth" by Eckart Tolle and other books like it, it is the kind of book that I feel changes me as I'm reading it, although the content is difficult to explain in words. I've read it before, but reading it again, I have more faith in the power of Power vs. Force.

Dr. Hawkins wrote the book, based on his Ph.D. thesis, in which he used a technique called kinesiological testing or muscle testing to callibrate the level of consciousness of human behaviour. The results were universal--words like "love", "peace", and "joy" made people's bodies stronger and thus callibrated higher, representing "Power". Words like "shame", "guilt", and "fear" made them weaker and callibrated lower, representing "Force".

Because we are all connected, the level of words, thoughts and behaviours we choose affects our own well-being but also the well-being of others. I often look at the levels of consciousness to notice where I am at any given time and what kind of energy I am sending out to the rest of the world. Hawkins goes onto describe how the use of power and force is related to health, sports, politics, the arts, and other aspects of our lives and our world.

Tonight I did a presentation (with the help of my classmate, Kim Jin Yi who translated what I said and the notes into Korean) on three chapters from the book, "Power in the Arts", "Genius and Creativity", and "Surviving Success".

To summarize what I summarized:)

• Art, music, and architecture that endures does so because of its beauty and its ability to benefit all of mankind.
• Although genius is often confused with a high IQ, it is something that is available to all of us and is more accurately desribed as a high degree of insight in any given area of human activity.
• Success is not about one "has" (material wealth) or "does" (one's positions or activities) but is about one has "accomplished" as a result of one's life experiences.
• The ability to create beauty, to access genius, and to achieve Success is in all of us.
• The way to access these intrinsic abilities is to choose them (or accept them) and to recognize that they are gifts to be used in order to create beauty and success in the outside world.

As Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, said: "I really don't believe in greatness that is bestowed as a rare gift to a few lucky ones. Rather I think everyone has greatness inside them...Greatness must simply be chosen. And if you choose it, it will happen."

Balancing the Brain: Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

I've been wanting to write about Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor for a while now and was inspired by the news of her appearance today on the Oprah show.

Dr. Taylor was one of the keynote speakers at the International Brain Education Conference held this year at the United Nations. I was honoured to have the opportunity to meet her at the UN when she arrived. When I shook her hand to welcome her, I felt her warm, open heart and her strong energy.

Dr. Taylor's story has touched many. Inspired by her brother's struggles with schizophrenia, she became a Harvard-trained brain scientist who advocated for people with mental illness. At the age of 37, she experienced a stroke and had the unique experience of watching herself as she lost functioning in the left side of her brain and her language and analytical abilities.

Through the stroke, she gained a greater awareness of the right side of her brain and developed her intuition, creativity, and sense of inner peace, an experience that has changed her life. She is now dedicated to helping others balance their brains to improve their quality of life and the lives of others--through the arts, meditation, yoga, and other methods such as Brain Wave Vibration.

You can read more about her appearance on the Oprah show here:


You can also watch, listen to, or download Jill Bolte Taylor's series of interviews with Oprah on the Soul Series webcast, recorded for Oprah's XM Radio show:

Learning Korean is Good Training for Life

I believe things happen for a reason. I've learned that in many ways, my life is a kind of training and the events in my life--the things I experience and the people I meet--help me to study myself. When I can see myself more clearly, I can choose the kind of life I would like, and then take action to create that life.

I think there are many reasons why I am learning Korean, many of which I probably don't even know about yet. By learning something new, I can see the way I learn. I knew I was a visual learner, but I'm also coming to understand that I learn by understanding the meaning of something and connecting it to what I already know.

Learning Korean also makes me vulnerable. As a kid in school I never knew what it was like to be at the "bottom" of the class. The academic subjects came easily to me and, if they didn't, I could choose something else I was good at. Similarly, if I tried a new sport or skill that was too difficult for me, I could just quit and find something else I was more interested in (a.k.a. I felt competent in).

So, I ended up practising what I was good at and the other parts of my brain and body became underused.

By learning Korean, I'm experiencing what it's like to struggle with learning. Sometimes when our teacher asks me a question and I don't understand, I watch the teacher's mouth move, but it's like I don't hear anything. It seems like the whole class is waiting and watching. I can feel my brain and body getting more and more tense. I'm thinking to myself, this is not "Relaxed Alertness" (one of the optimal conditions for learning mentioned in a book I'm reading, "12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action" by Caine et al.). I'm waiting for the hole in the floor to open up, but it's not happening:).

The good thing is that being challenged by Korean is teaching me some very important things about myself : how to persist, how to learn something new that doesn't come naturally (or doesn't seem to), how to create my own optimal conditions for learning no matter what's happening around me, how to build competence and confidence from the inside out rather than just rely on the external recognition that comes from being good at something, how to have patience for other people who are learning new things, the list could go on and on.

Everytime I have one of those classes where I am waiting for the hole in the floor to appear, that's a pretty good clue that the approach I'm taking to learning Korean is not working. So, I go back to the drawing board and think about what changes I need to make in my attitude or habits.

Life has a way of giving us challenges so we can overcome things that are holding us back. Through learning Korean, I am overcoming my fear of not doing well or of not knowing the answer to something and building true confidence and competence based not on knowledge or skill, but on determination and persistence.

In the meantime, I keep telling myself the same things we teach the kids in Brain Education: "Trust your brain.", "Don't give up on your brain", "Keep smiling", and "Don't forget to exhale".

More Pictures from Sokcho

Here are some more pictures from the Ilchi Ki Gong Festival in Sokcho. My camera battery died at the festival just before the Canadians performed so I missed getting a picture of their performance but started taking pictures with my cellphone. These pictures have been on my phone for almost 2 weeks. I was determined to post them.

To transfer them to my computer, I had to 1) buy a USB cable to connect the phone to my laptop and 2) get help downloading a driver for the cable from a Korean website so that I could transfer the pictures. I am thankful for a helpful salesperson at Kyobo bookstore in Cheonan and for one of my colleagues here at UBE who is great with computers and also my HSP 12 Steps trainer (more on this later). I hope you enjoy these!

Marek and Josee accepting an award on behalf of the Canadian team

A cute little boy imitating the sounds of a cow on I-Brain while his mom enjoys some relaxation time.

The Eastern Sea

Raw Fish: This was good Brain Education. I did a lot of smiling and exhaling and created many new synapses, I think :).

New Brain Wave Vibration Website

The upgraded Brain Wave Vibration website has information about what Brain Wave Vibration is, how it is helping people heal their bodies and their minds, and news and research related to the brain.

http://www.brainwavevibration.com/index.cfm

Hope for the Flowers

I first saw this book in the Kyobo bookstore in Cheonan about two weeks after I had arrived in Korea. The hand lettering and simple but lovely pictures caught my eye, as did the word "hope".

The story is about two caterpillars who get tired of eating and getting bigger. They decide to climb "the pile" of caterpillars that everyone is climbing, only to find that there is actually nothing at the top.

All along, they have this voice inside of them that makes them think there is more to life than just eating and climbing the caterpillar pillar. Finally, they find that the way to find who they really are and their true purpose is to risk their lives by becoming a butterfly.

The story, written in 1972, has been shared around the world as a parable of hope. It gives hope that amazing transformations in individuals and in the world are waiting to happen and that in what seems like an ending, a new beginning is created.

Introduction to Brain Education for Cheonan Officials

On Tuesday, October 7th, a Korean newspaper hosted a lunch reception for city officials and educators from the city of Cheonan and the surrounding area as an introduction to Brain Education. The reception was opened by a group of children performing Yullyo or Pyoong Ryu Do (traditional Korean drumming and dancing)--their energy and enthusiasm was amazing. Their performance was followed by a demonstration of Brain Education exercises and activities by a group of students from a local elementary school. Their faces were so bright.

The principal of the school then spoke about the impact that Brain Education (BE) has had on his school. His school is a small "country" school near UBE, where half of the students do not live with their parents and where poverty, alcoholism, and drugs are issues the families struggle with.

Through implementing BE, students have developed confidence and the ability to release their stress and frustration. Students displayed less behavioural problems, better focus and concentration, and greater empathy for their fellow students and teachers. The principal described research that was done to show these effects as well as research that showed changes in the students' brain waves. Several of the students went on to participate in the National Olympiad competition held here in Korea.

I was asked to speak to the audience to share my experience with Brain Education, why I had come to Korea, and my plan for the future. I introduced myself in Korean and then the rest of my sharing was translated by one of the teachers in the BR English program--a program that combines principles of Brain Education with learning English.

I talked about my desire to help people and how Brain Education provides practical tools for helping people young and old develop their potential. I shared the benefits I had experienced through BE and the positive impact on schools in the US and on the students I had taught at Burlington Centre. I talked about the hope that BE has for helping to solve the world's problems through IBREA and its work with the United Nations. I shared my wish to become a Brain Management Consultant--someone who helps people to manage their brains well for the purpose of creating health, happiness, and peacefulness in individuals, communities, and around the world.

After several congratulatory messages from government officials, Ilchi Lee, the President of UBE and IBREA, led the audience in Brain Wave Vibration. Afterwards, principals and city officials alike looked refreshed and you could tell they had a greater awareness of their bodies--they were pointing to different parts of their bodies and asking about exercises that could be helpful. Over lunch, I joined a table of principals, who were curious to hear more from the principal who had shared about the success of BE in his school and about the success of the program in many schools throughout Korea.

It was a great experience to be a part of this event. I was moved by the children's performances and by the principal's sharing about the changes he has seen in his school. He truly is interested in the holistic development of his students. The event itself was quite formal but the energy in the room became lighter and more relaxed as the city officials and principals watched the children, heard from the principal, and experienced Brain Wave Vibration.

I am hopeful that similar events will be held in Canada to introduce Brain Education as a way for organiziations and communities to help individuals and families achieve physical, emotional, and cognitive health, creativity and productivity, and harmony.

On the last day of their tour, the Canadian group visited the Changgyeong Palace and the Gyeongbok Palace Museum in Seoul, where I met them at the end of the day. Sporting their beautiful new Korean clothing, the Canadians seemed to fit easily into the serenity of the palace grounds.

While some of the Canadian contigent was reflecting on their stay here in Korea and eager to return home, others of the group were preparing for a temple stay in Seoul or for further travels in Asia.

I am thankful for the opportunity to have been part of the tour and to have spent time with the Canadians. Over the 10 days they spent together, they received and created some wonderful energy that I know they will carry back to Canada and share with others.

To all of the participants of the Canadian Meditation Tour, Kamsahapnida (Thank you) and Saranghamnida (I love you)!

A Visit to a Dahn Centre in Seoul

The Canadian Meditation Tour visited the second oldest Dahn Centre in Korea--established in 1987 and located in Seoul. After joining in a regular class, everyone felt relaxed, refreshed, and re-energized. I'm not sure which is bigger--the maple leaves on their shirts or their smiles! :)

International Ilchi Ki Gong Festival

Views of Mt. Seoraksan on the way to Sokcho

The International Ilchi Ki Gong Festival was held in a city called Sokcho on the Eastern Sea. Demonstration teams from all over South Korea and from the U.S., Canada, and Japan participated. Ki Gong is a series of postures or poses that helps the balance, circulation, and accumulation of energy in the body.

The Canadians won a "Harmony" prize for their performance.

Traditional Samulori Dancers Open the Festival

The Winning Team

The International YEHA Demonstration Team

Love Is All Around

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

In Korea, words like "love", "happy", "dream", "vision", "peace", "soul", "spirit", and "heaven" are everywhere. This is a kleenex box that was on the bus UBE and KIBS staff took to the Ilchi Ki Gong Festival in Sokcho on the Eastern sea.

It reminds me of one of the principles of Brain Education--that we can change ourselves and the world around us by changing the kind of information we choose. If we focus on "negativity", we will easily find and create negative experiences. Look for love and compassion inside of you and in your surroundings and you will find and create it. If you look for love, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around :).

Opening of the Hongik Historic & Cultural Park

October 3rd is a national holiday in Korea to celebrate Korea's "birthday". In commemoration, a festival was held at UBE/Kookhakwon to celebrate the Opening of the Hongik (people working for the benefit of all humanity) Historic and Cultural Park.

Koreans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Americans joined together to mark this special day. A giant statue of Dangun, the founder of Korea, was unveiled as a symbol of a culture whose citizens worked for peace and the benefit of the earth and all of humanity.

During the festival, I joined with the staff of UBE and KIBS (Korea Institute of Brain Science) to promote I-Brain, a product that was developed by KIBS. Like I-Pod, I-Brain allows you to store music, videos, and text and download additional programs from the internet. I-Brain also has interactive programs for relaxation and to help stimulate different parts of the brain. The English version will be available in Spring of next year.

I really enjoyed watching people, young and old, enjoy relaxing and through Brain Wave Vibration and other programs.

Preparations for the Celebration are Underway under the watchful eye of Dangun

Canadians Gae and Gabriel practising for their performance

Dangun was everywhere!

UBE Colleagues at the I-Brain Booth

Mt. Moak

Before travelling to Jeju Island, the Canadian group, along with American and German Dahn members, visited Mt. Moak, the place of Ilchi Lee's enlightenment. It was a beautiful and sacred place.

Beautiful Jeju Island: An Island of Peace

I've been fortunate to be able to participate with the Canadian contigent on the Korean Meditation Tour over the past few days. Here are some pictures from our trip to Jeju Island, designated by the Korean government as an Island of Peace...

Mt. Hallasan, Hallasan National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Our Canadian Group and Some New Korean Friends