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The brain waves produced in your cerebral cortex are real, and affect your bodys overall balance.
There is a training technique designed for brain-body healing, so simple that it can be learned in minutes. And yet, it is profoundly effective. Dont just take my word for it. A few years ago, research done at Cornell University in New York found that with just three months of practice, participants scored 15.5 points higher in a brain function test.*
What they practiced was Dahn Yoga, and what weve learned in the four years since that study, through more observation and testing, is that the key to this success lies in our brain stem, the part of the brain tied directly to the spinal cord and through which all information to and from our bodies must pass. The cerebral cortex, the gray matter of the brain, does the conscious thinking; the brain stem regulates our physical functions and serves as the gateway between thought and action. Our stressful lives put pressure on our brain stem and cerebral cortex. Have you ever lain awake at night, worried about something at your work, or because of family stress? Have you ever experienced stress so high that your brain felt fuzzy? If so, the problem may well have been that your brain stem was out of balance with the rest of your body. The brain waves produced in your cerebral cortex are real, and affect your bodys overall balance. So, the very simple exercises involved in Brain Wave Vibration, a practice incorporated in
* Study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Prospective study of new participants in a community-based mind-body training program, by Sung W. Lee, M.D., M.Sc., Carol A. Mancuso, M.D., and Mary E. Charlson, M.D., July 2004.
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Dahn Yoga technique, can have a profound effect on your ability to focus, think clearly, heal your body and find peace.
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Music and Your Brain
In his book This is Your Brain on Music, neuroscientist and musician Daniel J. Levitin discusses the effect music has on the human brain. He notes that music is unique in its ability to stimulate all areas of the brain at once. He says, Musical activity involves nearly every region of the brain that we know about, and nearly every neural subsystem.
Over the years, I have worked to develop Dahn Yoga into a Brain Education system, one that integrates all parts of the brain to work together harmoniously. Dahn Yoga itself comes from a Korean tradition rather than an Indian background; but like all yoga, it is concerned with regulating and invigorating the energy flow in our bodies. I have tried to take the idea a step further and consider the effects of such energy flow on our brains. The brain-body connection is so crucial in overall health and well-being that I feel no one can be truly healed without both elements in harmony. Since the goal of Brain Education has been brain integration, and that means getting the various parts of the brain working harmoniously, rather than competing with each other, music seems an ideal tool to use. I think, as does Levitin, that this may explain why children who study music seem to be more successful in learning difficult concepts. When I train people in the Brain Wave Vibration method, I use sa-mul-no-ri, the traditional drumming art of my native Korea. It has very ancient roots, originating in farming rituals thousands of years old. Many if not most ancient cultures used drumming and other heavily rhythmic styles of music in their spiritual rituals. I doubt this was by mistake. They saw the difference this made for them in focus and concentration, not just during the rituals but afterward in the peacefulness and happiness of their people. Everyone involved had been doing a form of Brain Wave Vibration. In this 21st century world of honking horns, buzzing cell phones and jarring office environments, it seems to me we need Brain Wave Vibration even more than our ancestors did, with their lives already tied to the rhythm of the seasons and the natural world.
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rhythm that seems appropriate to you. At this stage you should focus on relaxing the body as you move to the rhythm. Begin by gently shaking the head left and right. As the neck starts feeling relaxed, shake the shoulders up and down. Let the sensation spread through your body. As you shake, imagine you are shaking off all your concerns. Try to release all tension from your body.
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The feet contain a wide variety of acupressure points that are stimulated through this exercise. Because all the energy lines in the body end in the feet, you can energize your whole body when you stimulate your feet.
1. Maintain healthier brain waves 2. Manage your stress 3. Activate all parts of your brain 4. Develop positive habits 5. Create happiness 6. Restore a healthy energy condition to your body 7. Expanding your awareness of yourself and the universe
Brain Wave Vibration, by quieting the thinking mind, allows you, at least for a few moments to tap into the greater rhythm and flow of the universe as a whole.
Toe-Tap Vibration 1. Lie down on the floor comfortably. Place your arms and
legs on the floor and close your eyes. Breathe in and out several times to release excess tension.
2. As you are lying there, gently shake your head from side to
side, allowing your shoulders, arms, legs and your whole body to relax. Imagine that all your stress is melting into the ground.
4. Repeat this 3 times. 5. Touch your heels together, tap your toes together; then
part the toes again, trying to touch the sides of the feet on the ground. Repeat several times in quick succession. Adjust the speed on this motion depending on your comfort level, but repeat at least 50 times without stopping.
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8/27/08 3:35:45 PM
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