Senior health issues can really impact an older individual's quality of life. Decreased well-being can hamper mobility and stop people from visiting family and friends or doing the activities they once enjoyed. This is why taking proactive steps to preserve health into old age is such an important part of life.
In order to help address the senior health care dilemmas of more older individuals, author and philosopher Ilchi Lee recently took to the airwaves in Korea to lecture audiences on ways they can preserve their health as they get older.
In particular, he talked about a practice known as Jangsaeng walking. In Korean, the term Jangsaeng refers to longevity. Through this practice, individuals are able to maintain a clear brain and healthy body, thus enabling them to stay at the peak of physical and mental health.
Aging is an inevitable part of life. Just as autumn follows summer, the body will eventually begin to wear down after years of vitality and youth. However, many people consign themselves to this fate, simply accepting that their mental and physical health is out of their hands. While aging cannot be prevented, it can be forestalled.
This is where practices like Jangsaeng walking come in. Individuals who participate in this type of physical activity often report feeling remarkably youthful and vigorous, even at a point in life when conventional wisdom would suggest it is time to start slowing down.
Aging and death are a normal part of life but that doesn't mean that a person should not worry about having good health and being able to enjoy their final years once they start getting older.
Military veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often face the difficult struggle of trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives. While there are treatments available, new research may have more soldiers trying Ilchi Lee's lessons in Dahn Yoga, as meditation could help them reduce their symptoms.
The study, published in Military Medicine, suggests that veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were able to reduce their stress symptoms by 50 percent after meditating for eight weeks. The researchers noted that although the research only used a small pool of five veterans for the study, they saw the positive results as a good sign.
"Even though the number of veterans in this study was small, the results were very impressive," said lead researcher Norman Rosenthal. "These young men were in extreme distress as a direct result of trauma suffered during combat, and the simple and effortless Transcendental Meditation technique literally transformed their lives."
Those suffering from PTSD may want to keep this study in mind and look into meditation techniques in order to help calm their symptoms.
Ilchi Lee's methods of meditation can help us channel our inner selves in order to grow as humans. By channeling this energy, we find that we are able to zero in on our daily tasks with a sense of calmness.
Country music superstar Dolly Parton recently told Music Rooms that she insists on taking the time to meditate before a show if she's feeling a bit anxious. Although she's been in the business for decades, Parton said that she still gets nervous before performing, which has caused her to rely on the relaxation technique before getting up on stage.
"If I ever get to the point of being nuts, I go off somewhere and pray a little bit and try to anchor myself and do some meditation and deep breathing," she explained to the news source.
Parton is not alone in thinking that meditating can help calm her down. The Mayo Clinic suggests that people experiencing stress or anxiety should take a quick break to meditate, as it is a fast way to help ease the mind from various problems.
It is not always easy for a person to decipher their life purpose. Many times is it is hidden from plain sight and individuals must go searching for it. However, there are some well-established ways for seeking this type of spiritual fulfillment and satisfaction.
For example, Chunhwa meditation has been used for years to help practitioners get in touch with their inner self and listen to what it is trying to tell them. In 2009, Ilchi Lee hosted a stop on the Chunhwa Meditation Tour in Nice, France.
During Chunhwa meditation, a participant seeks to deeply experience their true self. By opening up the lines of communication between the soul and the consciousness, an individual may discover their life purpose, which often leads to greater fulfillment in life.
The event in Nice was held to help more individuals become aware of the benefits of this type of meditation and to encourage them to practice it. If more people across the globe were to participate in Chunhwa classes, it could lead to a more enlightened population that feels complete and fulfilled.
Ilchi Lee has many thoughts on health, and he has been fortunate enough to receive several opportunities to share these novel ideas with the rest of the public. For example, in March of 2007 he was invited to lecture on the subject of longevity on Korean national television.
The Korean Broadcasting System, or KBS, asked the philosopher to talk to its audiences about Jangsaeng, which refers to the topic of longevity in the Korean language.
Many of Lee's teachings deal with the topic of health and how individuals can maximize the positive energy that flows through their body. This can help them live more fulfilling lives well into their senior years.
For individuals who are interested in living long, healthy lives, certain techniques, such as meditation, can help them maintain healthy brain function for many years to come.
By expounding upon these ideas to a national TV audience, Lee was able to share his message of hope and peace with millions of people. Following his advice could help many individuals improve their health and enjoy longer lives
Ilchi Lee believes Sedona is a powerfully spiritual place for travelers to visit and so does Sherman's Travel, who named the Arizona town one of the most sacred destinations in the world.
Here, there are pockets of energy flow that help increase brain wave vibrations in people when they meditate among the red rock hues of the desert.
"Sedona is equally popular for its inspiring red-rock landscape and proximity to the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest as it is for resorts, eclectic shops, fine dining, and spiritual enrichment," says Sherman's Travel.
The area is considered one of the best places in the world to practice meditation, prayer and physical healing because of the vortex pockets of energy, according to the travel guide.
Spiritual healing is one of the best reasons to visit Sedona, Arizona. In addition to the many spa retreats, there are dozens of outdoor sites to practice quiet contemplation and let the energy waves flow over one's bodies.
As they recite their prayer of peace, travelers will begin to see their life's purpose and feel their spirit connecting to their body more than ever before.
Ilchi Lee practices what he preaches when it comes to meditation and exploring the potential of his brain. This has led him to participate in many organizations that are devoted to plumbing the depths of human potential and determining the full extent of man's capabilities.
For example, in 2005 he was inaugurated as the second President of the University of Brain Education in Korea, which seeks to further the cause of Brain Education.
The University was established in 2002 as a graduate school for individuals who are interested in contributing to the international community through their work. Through the research opportunities and Brain Education programs offered by the school, students may learn how to tap their full potential to lead professional lives that serve a higher purpose, such as world peace.
Through his involvement with the school, Lee has been able to spread his message about the importance of using meditative principles to achieve a calm and focused mind. This may help individuals in their professional pursuits, regardless of the specific field they ultimately choose to
Located high in the Andres Mountains, Machu Picchu is one of the most serene and mythical places in South America.
It is the perfect destination for solo contemplation; surrounded by ancient stone buildings and soaring mountain peaks, it's hard for travelers to not surrender to the awe inspired by such a place.
While there, people can experience the healing energy harnessed by the Inca civilization to begin a process of spiritual healing. Machu Picchu was built to connect directly with the environment – temples acknowledge the mountain landscape, stone calendars use the sun's light to dictate agricultural seasons and sculpted rocks mimic peaks.
There is a connection travelers feel to the Earth when they wander around the site.
Perhaps the best time to visit is at dawn, "when the sun's rays creep silently over the jagged silhouette, sometimes turning the distant snowy peaks fiery orange, and then slowly, with great drama, [casting a] brilliant light on the ruins," according to Frommer's travel guides.
Ilchi Lee preaches meditation as a form of spiritual growth; thanks to Machu Picchu's connection to the spiritual world and landscape surrounding it, the site is a wonderful place for silent contemplation.
For Ilchi Lee, the key to achieving world peace is for people from all corners of the globe to lay down their allegiance to specific religions, races, cultures and nationalities and begin identifying first and foremost as Earth Citizens. In furtherance of this goal, the author and philosopher has hosted many events on the topic.
For example, in March of 2001 he gathered spiritual leaders and interested individuals from several nations around the world to Mago Garden in Sedona, Arizona for the third Meeting with the Creator.
During the event, four speakers, including Ilchi Lee, talked about ways that people can live more fulfilling lives in the 21st century while working toward better themselves and the world around them.
Ilchi Lee's comments focused on his idea of what it means to be an Earth Citizen. He said that love for humanity and love for the Earth should be the motto of individuals who accept this calling in life.
The event was the third in a series of four Meeting with the Creator sessions that took place between 1999 and 2003.
