No matter which background we may come from, or how we are raised, there is a point in each individual's life, wherein the big questions of life and its meaning come into our center of reality. Personal growth is inevitable, and with a better understanding of our world and the energies around us, one can better philosophize on the ultimate meaning of life.

In Korean culture, the meaning of life, stems from the belief of heaven, earth and energy. Energy is all around us - in our food, and in the ground below our feet. Energy is ever changing, but ever there. The complex combination of earthly and heavenly energies creates the energy of life. In Korean culture it is also believed that when we leave this earth, our energy of life will still exist.

Energy is a force within each person that very few people actually tune into. When practicing in yoga classes, an individual is taught to sensitize themselves to the energy within and surrounding them. For instance, air, in Korean culture is seen to be a heavenly energy, while water is seen to be an earthly energy. Life is created from such heavenly and earthly energies, which is regarded as chunjikiun.

Within our soul, is the fourth chakra - the heart. The heart symbolizes the soul, which is an energy of devoted and unconditional love. This unconditional love is what chunjikiun means within the Korean culture. This chunjikiun is our center core; this is the essence of who we are. We are able to be aware of this energy, if we allow ourselves to feel it, and to better understand it.

When we begin to be filled with chunjikiun, is when we are happy, full of love, healthy, and can understand the interconnections of the mind, body and spirit. We become a wholeness within ourselves, which allows us to better deal with and comprehend life's mishaps and tragedies. It is a promise that our full soul, can bound through anything, with love and eternal life after physical death.

In this, the meaning of life erupts as a complete development of one's soul with the energy of love and life - born of both the heavens and the earth. In moving through each experience with the practice of recognizing our own energy, we move forward with our own personal growth, which cannot be explained; but instead felt. To sensitize one's self to these feelings is to take the first step in understanding further, the meaning of life. These feelings should give purpose to one's actions and one's desires, so that we can peacefully interact with the life that is handed to us each day.