Ilchi Lee

Sung Won Lee, M.D., secretary of the International Brain Education Association (IBREA) and a lecturer on Brain Education and Dahn Yoga, was quoted in an article in the June issue of Prevention magazine called “Let Your Brain Reign: Figure out your naturally sharpest moments, and do everything a little easier, better, and smarter” by Sara Reistad-Long.

According to the article, “Your energy level isn't the only thing about your body that varies over the course of the day. Your brain obeys its own rhythm, too – based largely on your sleep pattern, exposure to light, and genetic makeup – and getting in a groove with its tempo can make you healthier, happier, and more productive.”

The article goes on to divide the day into one-to-three-hour segments and explains which hormones affect a person’s energy level, mood, interactions with others, and cognitive abilities at that time. The author gathered the advice of several experts, including Dr. Lee, about the optimal activities to engage in to take advantage of one’s biological state.

Dr. Lee contributed to the 9 to 11 a.m. section and the 2 to 3 p.m. section of the day. The Prevention article calls 9 to 11 a.m. the prime time for creativity because at that time, “Your brain now has moderate levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which in reasonable amounts can actually help your mind focus, says Dr. Lee.” The hour from 2 to 3 p.m. is a good time for a break because “To digest your lunch, your body draws blood away from your brain to your stomach, says Lee. Aim to eat a lunch closer to 2 p.m., as the midday meal can make you wish there were a couch close by…If you're at work and need to fight off drowsiness, Lee suggests a quick walk around the block or drink of water – both will get your blood moving away from your stomach and toward your head. ‘Water increases vascular volume and circulation, promoting blood flow to your brain,’ he says.”

Dr. Lee was interviewed for this article because of his medical background and his experience with research and Brain Education. As a researcher at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, he performed a study of the effects of Dahn Yoga classes, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (2004, Vol. 19). Dahn Yoga and its related educational workshops are part of the Brain Education System Training (BEST), developed by Ilchi Lee.

Dr. Lee is a board member of the Korea Institute of Brain Science (KIBS). He presented Brain Education and its benefits to a United Nations committee meeting when KIBS was reviewed and eventually named a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Last year he toured Dahn Yoga centers around the U.S., lecturing on Ilchi Lee’s Jangsaeng Walking method, a way of walking that aligns and energizes the body, adding longevity and vitality to life. He also gave a presentation about Brain Education at California State University, Fullerton, home of Jessie Jones, Ph.D., co-author of In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging with Ilchi Lee.

In spite of the underlying hormonal signals that influence people’s level of stress, activity, or relaxation, Dr. Lee emphasizes that we can actually regulate or counteract the effect of our hormones, and take charge of our brains and lives. He explains that these rhythms are the result of human evolution, and may not be adaptive to a modern lifestyle. However, Brain Education and other mind-body holistic exercises give practitioners the tools they need to generate energy, focus, or relaxation, whenever they want.

Brain Education can do this because it is a 5-step personal development system designed to improve brain function, as well as overall health and wellness, for individuals at every stage of life or state of health. It uses simple physical and mental exercises proven over nearly 30 years of experiential learning and development, along with the latest scientific findings about brain function.

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