Many of the benefits from good Feng Shui come from reducing subtle stresses and irritations , making life easier and more comfortable . A good energy flow is brought about by the application of good Feng Shui , making for a better life and greater happiness.

Five Feng Shui Tips

1. Arrange your office such that your desk faces the door or is at a diagonal to the door. Placing a mirror such that you can see what is behind you is a decent second choice. I’ve been more productive since I changed the layout so that my desk faces the door.
2. While you are cleaning and organizing pay attention to basements and under your bed as energy rises.   As far as attics go, this is energy “hanging over you.”   Are the items you have stored in these places really necessary?  If spring cleaning is the only time you see this stuff thn maybe it’s time to get rid of it.   Cleaning up clutter helped me relax.
3. In the kitchen, if you stand facing the wall while you cook, you leave your back exposed , a position that is considered weak in feng shui. Placing a mirror on the wall behind the stove will allow you to see what’s going on behind you while you cook. If something happens, or someone comes up behind you, then you will be able to see it in the mirror.
4. Fresh flowers bring beautiful uplifting energy to the kitchen. Place a bowl of fruit, a vase of flowers, or a living plant on your kitchen table, windowsill, or wherever the layout of your kitchen allows. (In feng shui, dried flowers have no life energy in them, so they are not recommended. If real plants are impossible, you can use very life-like fake ones, but the effect will not be nearly as strong.)
5. If your love life needs a quick boost, you can use the art of placement to produce the romantic results you desire. Dust and cobwebs on the fans, walls, light fixtures and ceilings should be cleaned away. Enhance your space with romance colors, such as shades of pinks, reds and whites. Guys, this does not mean it has to be feminine. You can use maroon, grayish tones of pinks and whites to achieve the same results. The key is to not use any one color so much that it overpowers the others, so consulting with a Feng Shui expert is a good idea.

These five tips will help to give your life the boost it deserves and the fulfillment it requires. Alter your space and you will change your life.

The Buddhist flags hung in honor of Buddha's birthday in Patan, Kathmandu

Buddhism is everywhere here in Nepal and it’s intermingled with Hinduism. It seems though that most people I come across are Buddhist. I have always had an interest in Buddhism; they say it’s a philosophy and not a religion. That may be true but here in Nepal it comes across as very religious to me.  The temples alone yell religion and then all the people performing different rituals also smacks of it. Religion isn’t so bad; it brings comforts to millions. Ritual is amazing; it creates energy like nothing else I’ve ever seen. And yet, I find myself resistant to it.  Here in Nepal though I feel slightly less resistant. When I am asked if I am a Buddhist the next question is usually if I am a Christian. When I tell them I’m nothing they don’t try and convert me, they just listen.

So Lord Buddha’s (as they call him) birthday is May 27^th and I happened to be in Nepal for it. It’s actually a national holiday here as you can expect. Being next to the gumpa that contains all the mini monks Buddha’s  birthday was an interesting experience for me. All the trumpet playing and horn blowing they have been practicing seemed to be for this day. It was a full moon and I went onto the roof to watch the boys playing their trumpets out towards the city.

I couldn’t get any good pictures from our roof so I decided to go up on theirs. I had my camera with me and as I went to go up on the roof many of the monks were outside the gumpa. They beckoned me and asked that I please, please come in.

Up to this point I had been afraid to go in. I can’t really tell you why. I guess I didn’t want to be disrespectful, this lame tourist poking around inside a religious structure. I think I was also waiting for an invitation. So I finally had it and I removed my shoes and followed the monks in.

It’s so beautiful inside with large statues of Buddha and some other folks. I learned that you always walk clockwise around any religious site here and so I followed the path around inside. The energy inside the gumpa was astounding; I could feel it circulating clockwise through the building. I could feel the energy of everyone that had come that day to pray. It was positively vibrating. As I walked around I saw mini monks stashed away in corners repeating mantras out loud, sometimes in pairs, sometimes alone.

The gumpa next door

Doorway to the gumpa

As I came to the end again there was a local prostrating himself. It’s quite something to see someone doing this. It’s so humble, almost apologetic. He was doing this movement over and over across the floor as if to say “forgive me, I am so worthless, make me better.” It wasn’t in the direction of Buddha’s statue and I wasn’t about to interrupt him to ask him to who or what he was doing this to. Perhaps it was just himself.

The mini monks asked if I wanted to learn how it was done and I hesitantly said yes. I have this fear of looking like an idiot because I don’t get something right the first time, but I know that it’s better to say yes and have a new experience.

One young monk showed me first. You stand up straight and put your hands in prayer position, then you bring them to your head, your heart, and then you get down on the ground and bow your head all the way down. Then you push yourself up without using your hands more than once for the push.

The first time I tried this I had to use my hands twice, I didn’t really trust my own strength on the hard marble floor and I was being watched. I could see on their faces that I had done it wrong even though they were obviously trying to hide it. I tried again and this time got smiles from the two monks. This is the kind of magical thing I hoped for, the sort of romantic idea that got into my head when I first heard the name Nepal. After this I felt uneasy, wondering what I should do now that I had made my rounds so I made my way out into the entranceway and watched all the young monks gathering at the lit candles. They were picking them up and bringing them inside for some purpose that I couldn’t gather, mostly because I didn’t ask. I kept having this sense like I was interrupting something, that I was an outsider. I felt myself shrinking back. I wanted to take a picture badly but was afraid to ask. I didn’t want to make a wrong impression or say something wrong but the photo opportunity was too good to let go.

I haven’t prostrated myself since then but I have this feeling like it would do me some good. I think it would do a lot of people some good. Do I have to prostrate myself to some religious god? Shouldn’t I prostrate myself in front of my own self judgment instead. I could learn to be easier and more care free…

Woman performing a ritual in honor of Buddha's birthday

There are four main yoga types: the Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja. All of these in some way are said to help with the meditation process.

Yoga helps with the flexibility of the body. Meditating requires sitting in the same position for as little as 10 minutes to as much as 100 minutes and the increased flexibility caused from doing yoga postures helps to make this inactivity as comfortable as possible.

Yoga has been said to increase energy for use during meditation because it allows the body to relax and prepare for the meditation. Yoga also tends to help with being aware of your body which then leads to being mindful. Mindfulness is important to meditation and in self-realization.

Meditation is supposed to help us understand our own minds and assist in turning negative thoughts and feelings into those which are positive. Yoga also helps with  relaxation and calmness throughout the mind and body.

Yoga helps with becoming aware of our joints and different body parts especially the muscles. This helps to calm the mind and allows us to slow down our emotions. Once emotions are slowed down, our bodies tend to feel more calm and relaxed.

Calmness and relaxation are some of the important reasons for meditating and yoga helps enhance the meditation experience. Although both can be practiced independently, when you do yoga and meditation together, the benefits of both are reinforced.

For more helpful information on yoga and meditation, please visit here.

Aromatherapy

Utilizing essential oils for aromatherapy purposes dates back nearly 6,000 years to the time of Egyptians and was a crucial part of their culture and religious ceremonies and was routinely used in embalming dead bodies for burial preparation within Egyptian tombs.

The practice of using aromatherapy spread across the Eastern hemisphere and, particularly within China, became a vital part of their medicinal practices.  In fact, for many years, aromatherapy was the primary medicinal used in treating various ailments.  In India, the custom was never lost and still today Avurveda, the most ancient medical practice, is still widely practiced.  In the West, however, the use of essential oils took a bit longer to gain momentum and just over the past thousand years has gained popularity.

In addition to medicinal applications, essential oils are often used in conjunction with other complementary ingredients, including various oils, sea salts, clays and muds from around the globe to produce cosmetics and beauty treatments.  The perfect combination of these elements results in rich, luxurious beauty products whose properties not only benefit the psychological aspects of a person, but also often produce results that make an individual appear more youthful and vibrant.

Often times, individuals mistake perfume oils for essential oils, simply based on aroma alone.  They are, however, completely different from one another as one derives its fragrance synthetically and the other, essential oils, are completely, 100% natural, being derived from the essence of a plant.

Another mistake many people make is thinking that since essential oils are completely natural, they aren’t harmful.  As a result, many will use them, undiluted, directly on the skin.  Doing so can cause burning, dermatitis and even a lifelong sensitivity to that particular essential oil.

Women who are pregnant or individuals with certain medical conditions should avoid the use of essential oils as they can cause adverse affects.  For example, certain types of oils when used in pregnancy can actually bring about contractions within some women.  Epileptics must also be cautious as some oils contain certain neurotoxins that can cause seizure activity.  Other oils, such as wormwood, pennyroyal, onion, camphor and sassafras are so potent and can potentially produce harmful side effects, and should never be used by anyone other than a qualified aromatherapy practitioner and even then, only with extreme caution.  Regardless of which essential oils you choose to use, a skin test prior to long-term use, is essential.

There’s a lot of hype that surrounds the use of essential oils.  Some think that they can be healed from their particular affliction by regular use.  While cancer patients and those with other serious illnesses such as AIDS can certainly benefit from the use of aromatherapy for serious illnesses, it is not a substitute for traditional medicine and can truly only help the individual live a more comfortable life.

Essential oils can be beneficial in providing comfort measures to less serious illnesses and afflictions such as indigestion, stress, and PMS.  Oils have also been shown to help promote in faster healing from minor injuries, wounds, abrasions and bruises.

One of the leading uses of aromatherapy in the West, is in various beauty treatments.   One of the most popular beauty treatments seen marketed recently are the combination of Dead Sea salts, lavender oil and a complementary blender oil, such as jojoba oil.   This solution is then rubbed on the hands, legs and arms for exfoliation, rendering smooth, supple skin and the benefit of the calming properties of lavender essential oil.

Another popular use of essential oils within the beauty industry is in bars of bath soap.  Often times, goat milk is used to make bath soap and essential oils are combined, producing a rich, creamy yet gentle soap that gently exfoliates while conveying the properties of the essential oil.

Lastly, and probably the most popular essential oil bearing product within the beauty industry is actually a best-selling gift: aromatherapy candles.   Through the combination of essential oils with beeswax, soybean oil, and even traditional paraffin wax, a luxurious, fragrant candle is produced that when burned, imparts the qualities of the particular essential oil it contains.

If you’ve never tried essential oils, you’re in for a treat.  And, with so many products on the market and so many varied applications, you’re certain to find a use for your particular essential oil that will leave you wondering, “why on earth didn’t I try this sooner?”

Yoga induces a lot of plasticity in your body and that is one of its main benefits. There are various yoga poses that need you to stretch your body, thereby increasing muscle movement and adding to adaptability. Also, yoga adds additional pliancy to some body parts like legs, back, shoulders, and hips.

Yoga also increases the strength of your body, helping it support itself. Working ceaselessly on your body parts helps enhance the body’s strength while also toning the muscles. Regular yoga practice results in lean muscles which subsequently helps lose weight. (I got my girlish sheep figure back after doing yoga for a few months! Even under all that fur, my honey noticed the change in my figure!)

Another important benefit of yoga is that it helps prevent pain. Since it regularizes the movement of muscles, it keeps pain at bay. It also eases tightness of muscles helping treat pain. If you’re affected by back trouble then yoga can be of real help.

Each one of us breathe but there are only a few of us who breathe in the right manner. Most of us practice shallow breathing and the air is not able to reach our lungs. Yoga involves numerous breathing systems that teach you how to breathe right. This helps improve the final health.

Yoga also has a massive quantity of psychological benefits apart from the physical ones. It puts your mind at ease and is a total stress buster. For folk who lose temper astonishingly simply, yoga is a boon in disguise. It helps you concentrate on your inner self and your physical self and therefore brings about quietness in you.

Yoga is also an effective stress management technique. It helps you remain unaffected by everyday stressors and hence relaxes your mind. Meditation, an integral part of yoga, is one of the best routes to relax your mind and ease out your body. If you practice yoga on a consistent basis, you are sure to keep away from stress quite efficiently.

To top it all, yoga offers the advantage of improved concentration. For many people, concentrating on one actual thing is a difficult task. If that is the case with you too, then yoga offers the ultimate and lasting solution. Yoga enables you to focus on the core and movements of your body. If practiced for long it greatly improves your awareness levels and thereby enhances your concentration.

So what are you reasons for saying “No” to yoga? If a sheep can do Downward-facing Dog, why can’t you?

You simply have to direct the power of your subconscious mind, which I am about to show you how to do.

First let’s get the basics out of the way.

1. Your subconscious mind creates your world. (I like to visualize lush, green pastures and days of lazing in the fields with my friends and family.)
2. Your reality is a mirror image of your thoughts and beliefs.
3. What you think and believe is what your subconscious mind creates for you. (For example, if I think that a wolf is going chase me down and bite me, it more likely will.)
4. Your life is a reflection of what is in your subconscious mind.
5. If you’re struggling to make ends meet or if you’re in debt, then you have a negative belief system about money implanted on your subconscious mind. (For a long time, this sheep was worried about the lack of rain and fresh grass and so helped create that reality.)
6. Knowing this you can change those thoughts and beliefs and redirect your subconscious mind.

How?

1. By clearly instructing the power of your mind and subconscious mind; more commonly known as your mind power.
2. You can train your subconscious mind power to create the situations you want.
3. Your life will always be a mirror of what is taking place in your mind and subconscious mind.
4. If you’re positive and optimistic you’ll have positive and optimistic critters (or people) around you.
5. If you have negative and pessimistic critters around you then you know that you’re negative and pessimistic.
6. You can also look at your relationships to get a clear idea of what is on your subconscious mind.
7. If you have happy, loving and harmonious relationships, then you have positive beliefs about relationships on your subconscious mind.
8. If you have a negative, difficult, unsettling relationship, then you have negative beliefs about relationships on your subconscious mind.
9. Next, take a look at your wealth and see if you have an abundance of wealth:
   • Is your financial state in order?
   • Is there money in the bank? If not, then a part of you is focused on lack and not prosperity. It shows that internally you have not prepared for wealth and success.

Now don’t get angry by what you find. You can change this . By controlling your thoughts and beliefs, you’ll re-direct the power of your subconscious mind.

You are in charge of of your mind. Get your mind and subconscious mind focused on wealth, success, joy, and the things you want and you’ll start attracting the people who can help you .

What You Can Do to Attract Abundance

If you want more abundance, wealth, success and happiness then start paying more attention to your thoughts. Examine the thoughts you have regularly and start sending to your mind and subconscious mind thoughts of abundance, wealth, success and happiness.

Keep giving your mind new information; look for possibilities instead of complaining or thinking about the limitations. Don’t feel insecure for yourself take charge of your mind and direct your subconscious mind power to create the situations you want. See yourself living the life you want and don’t tolerate any negative thoughts.

Practicing this every day will get your mind and subconscious mind working for you so that you begin attracting the situations to create wealth and success .

Finally if you want instant results you’ll have to exercise more patience . Change does not happen overnight . Why? Because when you redirect your subconscious mind a message , when you instruct it to create opportunities for you – it will. But you have to examine the opportunities that come your way. Don’t expect things to fall from the sky, they won’t.

If you don’t explore the opportunities presented then you are denying yourself a chance at improving your life . Remember that the subconscious mind has to have time to go to work and create these opportunities. It usually doesn’t take very long but patience is essential because you want to be on the appropriate track. So if you want things now – you’ll get them quickly – but you have to be open-minded.

Start changing your thoughts, focus on what you want and you’ll begin to direct your subconscious mind power to create the life you want.

No need to get up! Peer through the looking glass into the extreme of the Himalayan yogic tradition right from the comfort of your home!

Attend two webcasts a day for 5 to 7 days between 4/7 and 4/17! (Each webcast should be 2 to 4 hrs in length.)

The 2010 HARDWAR MAHA KUMBH MELA DHUNI WEBCAST PROJECT IS ON!!!

JAI MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

As mentioned in an earlier blog about feng shui and the stock market, this dragon has been playing the stock market and doing really well! One of my continued strategies for success has been to use the number 8 in almost all of my stock trades. (For example, I’d put in a buy or sell for a stock at $12.88 or buy 288 shares. See the example below.)

So far by using this strategy I’ve doubled my cow purchasing power within the last year!

Now you know why there’s Eight Treasure Rice Pudding for the Chinese New Year, eight sides in the Ba Gua (the heart of Feng Shui), and eight arms in Patanaji Ashtanga yoga!

Try the power of eight for yourself today and send me a comment on how’s that’s worked for you!

Prior to doing that I was having a bad run on luck, tying up lots of money in losing stock trades. The day after placing the red under my phone the stock market picked up steam. In fact yesterday the Dow went over 10,000 for the first time in a long time. That’s one powerful piece of red paper! And I’ve been meeting my goal to make 20 cows per week in the stock market ever since I added the red to my phone.

I loaned a horse statue to my friend who has been trying to sell his house for over half a year. Unfortunately I told him placing his horse in his travel position would either sell his house or help him travel soon. Since then he’s going on one trip and two more fell into his lap without any effort! (He may yet sell his house but at least will be going to three fun places while he’s waiting!) Since he’s kind of broke, I also gave him a desert rose succulent to put near his front door. (Another dragon had placed one near the front of the cave after hearing that plants with purple rounded leaves would bring prosperity when placed at the front door.) My friend repotted the plant and placed it outside the door just the day before the stock market went over 10,000! (He also dabbles in the stock market!)

Stay tuned as to what else comes about with the addition of this plant…

Try out the red paper or potted plant and let me know how it goes!