Early Years
Ilchi Lee was born in 1950 in South Korea to a family of educators, months after the start of the Korean War.
As a student, Ilchi Lee had severe learning disabilities. Such things were not diagnosed at that time so he had many problems in school. His academic performance was so poor that his high school records include a degrading comment that labeled him "a student with no promise for the future." After graduating from high school, young Ilchi failed the college entrance examinations, twice.
His learning disabilities were of the greatest concern to his father, a teacher at the local elementary school, who blamed himself for failing to educate his own child. He retired early and this greatly affected Ilchi, who responded by cleaning up a local garbage mound and creating a garden of pumpkins that he shared with neighbors. Through this experience, Ilchi became aware of the transformative potential of work, the joy of sharing with others, and the value of his own contribution.
From left, Ilchi Lee in his early twenties, Mt. Moak where he had 21 days of intense ascetic practice, Anyang Pagoda Park where Ilchi Lee taught his Brain Education methods to the public for free
After that experience, Ilchi exercised more regularly and was able to focus on his studies. He was later admitted to college on his third attempt. In 1977 he graduated from Dan-Kuk University of Seoul, South Korea, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Pathology and Physical Education. While in college he operated a Taekwondo studio. During that time he accumulated diverse intellectual and experiential knowledge about the human body. After college, Ilchi operated a private clinical pathology practice in his home town. He also continued to train and study in Taekwondo and other mind body practices. He developed an interest in the relationship between certain postures or stances and their effect on the body.
From his early youth, Ilchi Lee had been driven by questions about the true meaning of his existence. Dissatisfied with intellectual answers, he had turned to training his body to gain a sense of centeredness and peace. Then the summer of 1980, when he was about 30 years old, he climbed up Mount Moak in Korea in pursuit of answers. Following 21 days of intense ascetic practice and meditation, during which he neither ate nor slept, he experienced a very special state of awareness through which he found the answers to his questions. He came to an intuitive understanding that his amazing experience was directly related to the brain, and that it was an experience others could share. Since that time, he has devoted tireless efforts toward research, development, and experiential learning in the utilization of the infinite ability possessed by the human brain.