10 Reasons to Be Grateful Right Now

November 12, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Many spiritual teachers tout the benefits of gratitude practice, and I agree. This exercise, especially if done daily, helps reorient the negative, judgmental mind away from depressing, problem-focused thoughts toward more positive, uplifting thoughts. Instead of worrying and obsessing over what is not working in your life, you are able to realize that there is much more good in your life than you may have assumed. Gratitude practice follows the old advice to “count your blessings” when you’re feeling down.... Read more

How to Go on an Information Fast

October 28, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Many health experts tout the value of dietary fasting, which involves abstaining from most or all food, and sometimes from liquids, for a period of time. They theorize that this gives your body time to rest from constant digestion and your organs time to rest and recharge. Many people have claimed great physical healing, and sometimes great spiritual advancement, through this practice. But have you ever considered that food is not that only thing we consume? Today especially, we are... Read more

9 Tips for Using Information More Mindfully

October 15, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Sometimes I think about how different the world is today, compared to when I was growing up in South Korea. In those days, TV was only beginning and most people had not even seen a computer, much less had one in their home. Most of our information came from schoolbooks and what our parents and teachers taught us about life, and maybe from an occasional trip to the cinema. We didn’t have to think much about sorting out “good” and... Read more

Ten Values to Live By for Everyday Enlightenment

October 1, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Occasionally, I have heard people say “fake it ‘til you make it” about the process of finding success in the world. The phrase suggests that it is best to act, dress, and behave like a successful person, even if you aren’t yet. There is some wisdom in that for creating a success mindset, and I think the same might apply to the process of spiritual growth. Just like you can act with the confidence of a successful person even when... Read more

How to Regain Your Center After Emotional Upset

September 17, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

As we grow spiritually, our ability to maintain equanimity also grows. Slowly but surely, we learn how to control our ego, the part of us that wants everything to go our way. For the more trivial annoyances of life, such as getting cut off on the freeway or enduring an embarrassing moment, this is not too hard to accomplish. We can simply step outside the situation for a moment and realize that it is not really all that important. With... Read more

The Longing for Deep Connection with Ourselves and Beyond

September 3, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Psychologists tell us that a strong support system of family and friends is necessary for a happy, healthy life. In today’s world, that should be easier than ever since we can connect to each other so easily over the Internet. On social media, most people have hundreds of “friends,” often from all over the world. Yet, psychologists also tell us that more and more people, including an alarming number of very young adolescents, are suffering from a sense of social... Read more

Sundo’s Ancient Map for Spiritual Completion

August 20, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Life is a journey with many milestones. As we grow and mature, there are many experiences, both negative and positive, that we think of as transformative: graduating from school, getting married, becoming a parent, losing a loved one, and so on. When we look back on these events, it is like we have become slightly different people at those times; we have reached a new stage in our development, and we can never go back to seeing the world in... Read more

Discovering Your Divinity

August 6, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Humans are interesting creatures who seem to possess conflicting characteristics. On the one hand, we are capable of horrific acts of violence more senseless and cruel than those of any animal on earth, and, on the other, we are able to be kind and compassionate in ways that are truly selfless and heroic. Sometimes it seems like there must be more than one type of human, but, no, we are all just people, whether we live the life of a... Read more

Ten Simple Ways to Take Back Your Brain and Own Your Life

July 23, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

Do you ever feel like you’re not in charge of your own life, that you’re just a cog in the machine of life? Or, maybe you think there is nothing you can do to change the world; there are a lot of big problems, but there’s nothing you can do about that. If so, that’s probably because your brain is running on software uploaded by the world around you, not your own. It doesn’t have to be this way, though,... Read more

An Ancient Path to Soul Completion

July 9, 2019 By Ilchi Lee

When I first started teaching, I gathered with my students in a small park in South Korea. Today, my students have much nicer facilities, practicing the exercises and principles I teach in centers around the world, now known in English-speaking countries as Body & Brain Yoga centers. I have struggled sometimes to know what to call the practice, however, because it is both old and new, in many ways like yoga and tai chi, yet in some ways different. It... Read more