Her are some helpfull tips from the Zen MASTER
<cough>
me.
YAY:
Feng-Shui
Feng-Shui is an ancient Chinese study, thought to use both the Laws of heaven (astronomy) and the Laws of earth
(geography). It was supposed to improve one’s life by being positive and harmonious. Numerous modern enthusiasts claim
that Feng-Shui is the practice of arranging items (for example furniture) to help people complete their goals. Also,
some people say that Feng-Shui has a result on health, wealth, balance, and personal relationships.
Making Space Sense
Is there peace and harmony in your space-or is your room jumbled like crazy? Sometimes making space sense means buying
a few storage boxes. Other times, it means calling upon the principals of Feng-Shui.
Chi
This is the energy that flows through everything-even your room. Is there a positive “flow” of energy in your room? If
you have doorways blocked, piles on the floor, stuff falling off of the walls, or very little room to walk around, your
Chi may be stuck. (Try to have some bright things, and maybe even have your walls painted a light color. Light colors
make rooms look larger, allowing the Chi to have more space to move.)
Yin and Yang
These two energies work together in perfect balance, like peanut butter and jelly, or diamonds and girls. Is your room
all one color? What can you do to create more balance? Try to use different shades of color for more balance.
Five Elements
土 水 火
木 金
Earth Water Fire Wood
Metal
You won’t have harmony in your room without some balance of the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal. You
can have an object made from the element (like a wood dresser of a plant pot made of earth). You can have an object that
visually shows the element like a “fire” red frame of a poster of a waterfall. If your room has to much of one element,
it may feel unbalanced.
Colors
Red: lucky, passionate, competitive, intense, extreme
Blue: loyal, tranquil, confident, meditative, faithful
Purple: creative, nostalgic, dreamy, royal, luxurious
Yellow: sunny, optimistic, imaginative, cheery, peaceful
Orange: warm, vibrant, healthy, brave, enthusiastic
Green: intelligent, healing, calming, kind, generous
Brown: simple, stable, comfortable, genuine, wistful
White: pure, clean, innocent, honest, bare, open
Gray: reliable, routine, practical, mature, boring
Black: powerful, strong, sophisticated, gloomy
Each color has many spiritual meanings. Try not to have too much of one color in your room, and try to have very little
black or gray. Neutral colors like beige, white, brown, and light yellow are very useful in your room because they go
with almost anything. But, try not to use a lot of neutral tones, or your Chi will get stuck. Some other great en
colors are Sage, Green, and Purple. Try to have some of each color of the rainbow in your room, but don’t use just the
basic color, use different shades and tones.
Things you can add to your room for more Feng-Shui
Mirrors Crystals
Activate and reflect chi Place near window to absorb bad chi
Wind Chimes Special lighting
Attract good luck with happy sounds Bring fire and energy with lamps and candles
Trees and Plants Harmony bowl
Keep fed and watered for strong chi Fill a bowl with items that shows harmony to you
A mini water fountain or aquarium
Stimulate your chi and bring water energy into your room
ZEN
Zen is a type of Buddhism, which is a form of religion using meditation. Buddhists try to be calm and harmonic to all.
To stimulate Feng-Shui, you should use these ideas about Zen items you could put in your room:
River stones
Lamps with beaded shades
Bonsai trees
Lotus flowers
Asian-inspired art
Photos of nature
Hemp, cotton, velvet, or silks
Mini Zen garden
Incense
Meditative balls
Meditating (I did not write this section I got it from both www.meditationthai.org/meditation.php and
www.gelisy.com/meditation.htm)
Meditation is a state of mind that makes us feel at peace and serene, it is a tool to help us wind down and chill out.
At the beginning of meditation the thoughts are slowed down and eventually they stop all together, the height of
meditation is called samadhi, Meditation puts you in touch with your inner self it makes you feel happy and helps you
to think more clearly. Many people think meditation is a joke but, it's not. Here are some real benefits:
The Physical Benefits
Anti-ageing Effects
Deep rest measured
Reduced work load of the heart
Decreased high blood pressure
Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate-two chemicals associated with stress
Reduction of free radicals
Improved air flow to the lungs, easier breathing
Higher skin resistance
Drop in cholesterol levels
The Psychological Benefits
Increased brain wave coherence
Less depression.
Better emotional stability.
Greater creativity
Less anxiety.
Less irritability and moodiness.
Improved learning ability and memory.
Feeling of vitality and rejuvenation.
Increased happiness.
There are many different forms of meditation, such as yantra, mantra and chakra, they all use concentration techniques
to help us stop thinking and relax our brains.
Find a peaceful place inside or outside that where you won't be disturbed.
One way to sit is: Sit cross-legged with your right leg on your left leg and your right hand on your left hand. Another
is to sit with your hands on your knees, touching your thumb with your index finger. (If you find any of these positions
uncomfortable, you can sit on a cushion or a chair.)
Close your eyes very gently as if you are about to sleep. Empty your mind of all kinds of thoughts. Breathe in deeply
and gently exhale a few times. Relax every muscle in your body.
You have to try different techniques to see what works for you, don't expect it to work first time meditation takes
practice. Here is a good one:
Imagine that the inside of your body is hollow as well—with no internal organs. Rest your mind at the center of the
body, which is located inside at the level of two fingers width above the navel.
If you find it hard to bring attention to the center of the body, you can rest your mind elsewhere inside the body
where you feel most comfortable. Calmly and silently observe whatever image that arises-- whether it is darkness or
bright light or anything else, just accept it without any thought.
When resting your mind at the center of the body or anywhere else inside the body, make sure not to strain the eyes. In
meditation, we see with the mind, not with the physical eyes; that’s why we close them.
Another method is to concentrate on a single object, like a candle. Chanting and breathing exercises are also used
sometimes. Another great thing to do is to play quiet, calming music.
If your mind wanders, you can use visualization to help keep your mind still. To do so, imagine that a crystal ball is
floating in the middle of your stomach. You can use other neutral objects that you’re familiar with such as an orange,
a football or the moon. You can also repeat the mantra ‘Summa Arahung’ which means virtuous path, away from impurities
of the mind.
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Continue to rest mind at the center of the body and make no judgment or emotional response to whatever you experience.
For beginners, we suggest that you practice meditation for 15 to 30 minutes in the morning and near the bedtime, and
increase the length of time, say up to one hour, as you feel more comfortable.
Depending on the degree of stillness and clarity of your mind, after a while you will experience a sense of
peacefulness and refreshing joy as if you’ve just come out of an inner spa.
If you feel tense afterwards, chances are you might be trying too hard. Open your eyes, adjust your sitting position
until you feel comfortable, and start over again.
If you feel asleep, perhaps you need to focus more on the center of the body. Take a few deep breaths and silently
repeat the mantra ‘summa arahung.’ If sleepiness persists, perhaps you are physically tired, so, for best results, just
allow yourself to doze off a bit before starting over again.
There are many other ways to still the mind, which suit different individuals for different reasons. If you would like
to explore other alternatives in detail, we’d suggest that you come to learn meditation and receive personalized
guidance that best fits your unique character from experienced teaching monks.
Have fun with the info I have just given you and please thank me because, other than the Meditation part, I wrote this
all by myself, and it was a LOT of work.
Bye! (biy)
Au Revoir! (ah-ruh-vwah)
Aloha! (uh-low-hah)
Ciao! (chow)
Adios! (ah-dee-ohs)
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