Archive for March, 2011
Clutter. It can slow you down, cause confusion, cost money and literally block your path. But clutter can also bring us to a place of greater understanding and self- awareness.
Did you know that by using the Bagua map to determine which area your clutter is located in you can learn more about why that or those particular life areas present challenge to you?
For instance, clutter in Career might result in an inability to get ahead, a tendency to work hard but make little progress. When you place the Bagua map over your home or room, pay attention to what you see and then reflect honestly on the quality of your life experience in relation to that Bagua area, I bet you’ll find a connection!
Releasing clutter opens up the space it’s in and it opens up the energy of the Bagua area it’s impacting. It’s like opening a window to let the air in. You’ll feel relieved, lighter and clearer.
Energy needs space to move, without space energy stagnates and becomes stuck. If you’re feeling stuck, indecisive, drained or tend to procrastinate a lot, take a look around your home, chances are clutter is culprit!
Click here for more clutter tips and how-tos.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Have you ever tried to meditate and found that you couldn’t? Did you find that the thoughts in your mind completely drowned out any possibility of relaxing, centering and quieting yourself? Here’s the good news, you aren’t alone, everyone who’s ever meditated has had exactly the same experience!
It’s true! For some, these distractions occur during their first meditation attempts, for others these distractions come up now and again and for all the rest of us, these thought distractions come so fast and frequently that we are unable to focus on anything else. And so, we deem meditation something we can’t do.
I’d like to try to change your mind.
Meditation doesn’t have to be a defined as a ‘practice’, which often brings a set amount of time along with it (For example, 30, 45, 90 minutes), meditation is a tool to calm and relax us, and in this relaxation we are able to connect to ourselves. Self-judgment, the judgment of others, our to-do-list and any other random stress inducers simply fall away. Leaving us in the quiet.
I think when we lock ourselves into a preconceived ‘way’ of doing meditation we set ourselves up for failure. Think about it, if you don’t meditate according to the rules you’ve chosen to use, you don’t have room to be flexible, to allow meditation to take on a personal meaning.
Meditation can be a long, regulated practice and set amount of time, or it can be the time you connect to nature when taking a walk, going for a swim, visiting the ocean, the mountains or country…meditation is about connecting to yourself.
One of my favorite ways to meditate is to go outside on a beautiful sunny day, raise my arms to the sky, tip my head back so the sun shines down upon my face and simply breath deeply for a few moments. When I open my eyes I find I am grounded, centered and ready for whatever comes next in my day!
Another method I use regularly is aromatherapy. I put a few drops of an essential oil, or Aura Soma Pomander into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and then bring my hands up to my face (usually with both hands pressed together in Namaste or prayer fashion), and then I breathe deeply. Inhaling the scent and letting it wash over me. As I breathe the scent in, I picture it flowing over me like a gentle ripple of water, washing away all cares while filling me with calm, centered energy. When I open my eyes, I am relaxed and focused.
And the last method I use frequently is taking walks. I love the quiet time that surrounds me when I take my dogs for a walk. I watch the birds fly by, observe the clouds in the sky and simply walk along. During this time I do not use my cell phone, send or read text messages or connect to anyone else at all, I just walk and connect to me.
Meditation done in the ways I’ve shared has helped me stay grounded, balanced and open to life’s opportunities. Meditation is about connecting to my inner guide, my inner knowing and awareness instead of following a preset methodology. When I make time for myself I find I’m happier and of course, if I’m happier, so are the people around me.
Some of my best ideas have come to me during these moments of quiet inner connection. And they didn’t need lots of time to get to me, all it takes is a moment to slow down and breathe.
Give it a try, I bet it’ll work for you too!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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I’ve been thinking about time a lot lately. Not so much about how to organize my time, more about how I spend my time.
In my professional world I have three jobs – CEO of the International Feng Shui Guild, Master Teacher of Interior Alignment, and my own practice; which is a combination of Feng Shui based design, and Feng Shui consultations. As you can imagine, I’m pretty busy. And that’s not bad, but here’s the deal – I’m getting tired.
And then, a week ago Friday night, in the midst of all my thinking and self-realization I got a call from one of my oldest friends. She called to tell me that her husband had suffered a massive heart attack and died…that day! I sat holding the phone feeling as though I’d fallen through the rabbit hole into an alternate reality…died? He died? I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for my friend to make these calls, but I can imagine how much she needs help and so the next day I found myself on a plane heading to the Northwest and one of my dearest friends.
What has this got to do with my thoughts about time? Everything. Every day each and every one of us leave our homes and start our day with the comfortable assumption that everything will be just as we left it upon our return.
Here’s what I know, we have to live every moment in the moment, experiencing our life right now. Don’t wait for someday in the future because we don’t really know the direction our path will take us – don’t wait to live your life. Life is right now, not in the past and not in the future. It’s right now.
These past few weeks have been weeks of evaluation and re-evaluation for me. And I’ve decided to truly embrace who I am and what I teach, a Feng Shui Lifestyle. And that’s a lifestyle that embraces balance in all aspects of our lives.
Balance is an inside job – it isn’t something we find, it’s something we do. We either live a life in balance or we don’t. And balance is a unique proposition; it’s different for each and every one of us.
Balance isn’t about living your life someone else’s way, it’s about living your life your way.
If your life isn’t quite what you desire, slow down and take a look at how you spend your time and then make a change, realign.
Your life is waiting for you….
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and link above.
