Plato - Philosopher & Sage

Born in Athens, Plato's works have an unparalleled influence on the way politics, morality, psychology, religion, and cosmology are viewed. Plato attempted to prove the relationship between the cosmos, the soul and the state. He also managed to give humanity the three ultimate qualities each human being should attempt to acquire: Moderation, Emotional Balance, and self - acquaintance.

Quote: "Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Namaste,
Mary Jane

Lord Mahavira ~ Indian Sage & Great Hero

Mahavira literally means "Great Hero." Proponent of "eternalism" a theory that supports the superiority of the soul and its natural movement to seek liberation. He defines that a liberated soul acquires the divine attributes of power, bliss, and unlimited knowledge.

Mahavira's exemplary life showed people a way of attaining liberation by conquering passions like greed, lust and anger and adopting a harmless way of living.

How can you apply Mahavira's teachings to your own life? A question worth pondering.

Enjoy your day!
Mary Jane

Lao Tzu - The Old Master

Lao Tzu and Confucius over two and a half millennia ago in ancient China attempted to reform and improve the way people lived. Lao Tzu presented his philosophy in the Tao Te Ching, which next to the Bible, is the most translated book in the world. This is a sage that is discussed at great length when studying the history of feng shui.

Today's quote from Lao Tzu is about knowing who you are and what you want. He states:

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."

Now the trick is to quiet the mind so you can hear what you know.

Enjoy your day!
Mary Jane

Pythagoras

A master philosopher of Greek culture, mathematician, and mystic, Pythagoras was one of the greatest sages of all times. The quote I chose for us today:

"A thought is an idea in transit."

What thoughts are you having right now?

Om Shanti,
Mary Jane

www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Socrates

"The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."

Allow yourself time to digest this quote. Enjoy your Day!

Namaste - Mary Jane

Balance What Does Leonardo da Vinci Say?

Balance is the key behind productive living...

What a day today I had. First, no alarm sounded this morning. It was by sheer luck we woke up only to begin the day in a frenzy. I couldn't see my private client for his yoga instruction, my daughter missed her train into the city for work, and my car wasn't ready to be picked up from the dealership. This type of energy just kept rolling in all day. So I just kept pushing harder to try an accomplish as much as I could somehow thinking this will right the wrong from this morning. At 5pm I check my email and to my surprise my weekly newsletter hit my mailbox and wouldn't you know...It was all about balance. As a matter of fact I believe this was a blog I wrote a few months ago and it ended up in my weekly newsletter blast today. Read on...

I stumbled onto a book the other day authored by Dr. Wayne Dyer, “Wisdom of the Ages.” I had read through this book several years ago, but it’s one of those books that just keeps on giving. I opened to a random page titled: “Balance.” Hmm, I thought, this is interesting especially since I had been working nonstop at my computer all day. It’s funny how the Universe finds ways to communicate with you.

As I proceeded to read what Dr. Wayne Dyer had to say about this topic, it occurred to me how “we” are doing it wrong. In other words, most of us have the mindset that the longer hours we put in at work, then success is attainable. The workaholic many times is seen as the smart one, the go getter, and sure to reach his goals in life. Wrong! Think about it…How many of you out there feel like you are constantly on the “Go?” No matter what you do you feel like you are two steps behind. It doesn’t matter how much work you seem to get through in one day because there is always more to do.

Do you feel as if the work pile just keeps on growing with no end in sight? I’m sure most of you answered “YES” to that question. Here in lies the problem. According to Leonardo da Vinci – Italian painter, sculpture, architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, and scientist (whew…That’s sounds like a few lifetimes), being a workaholic is the opposite of being productive. Instead, this Renaissance man did the opposite. He took time to escape from daily routine and go some distance away to become more efficient and productive. It appears that highly productive people do just that. They bring a sense of harmony and balance into their lives. They are familiar with pacing and knowing when to retreat and clear their heads of immediate concerns. The key here is BALANCE.

To avoid being consumed by anything, you must be able to walk away from it. When you do this the picture becomes clearer. When you actually let go you begin to see exactly what you need to be doing and everything falls into place. When you get out of your own way the energy can flow from the “higher self” freely and divine source is readily available to you. Magically, the answers come to you and you are “in spirit” or inspired.

In today’s fast pace world the best way to let go is to meditate. Find a quiet place where you can just sit and move your focus inward. For many the meditative practice of yoga is helpful to achieve this state of balance. You don’t need to devote hours to this practice. A few minutes a day will do wonders.

May you have BALANCE today!

Can I speak To a Live Person!

The other day I was working away in my office and I couldn't help but overhear my husband on the telephone. Apparently he had called our cable service to make some changes. Every couple of minutes I could hear a long sigh followed by a few choice words. Continuing with my work, I didn't think much of it. Then, it happened - the explicatives began to fly. Not knowing what the problem was, I decided to investigate the situation further. I proceeded to follow the trailing voice from beyond and found my husband with phone glued to ear and head between his hands.
Concerned, I made eye contact with him with an inquisitive look.

Suddenly, my husband jumped up from behind the desk waving the phone in the air with the look of utter disgust. I couldn't imagine what the problem was, as anyone who knows Ron knows he is a very calm person. He proceeded to scream into the phone, "Can I Speak to A Live Person!" It was apparent he was stuck in "voicemail hell." You know...The computerized wench with 101 options, which of course none of them are relevant and only lead to another string of voicemail options. It goes something like this...For cable problems press 1; for billing press 2; to discontinue service press 3; for Internet problems press 4;...until it brings you right back to the same options.

Instead of getting worked up with him, I decided we should have a little fun instead. I suggested he place the phone on speaker option and set it aside on the desk. I proceeded to turn up the speakers on his computer and play some good music to drown out the pathetic elevator music streamng from the cable company. Before long we were dancing, singing, and making up a few of our own choice voicemail options.

After 20 minutes of having some fun, it happened. A voice that sounded human-like began to speak. Could it be...A real live person? It was. Finally, my husband was able to take care of the issue and all was well.

Moral of the Dented Face Blog Story...WE all have daily frustrations, but we also all have choices of how to handle them.

Enjoy your evening!

Balance...

As I was preparing for my yoga class for this evening, I stumbled onto a book authored by Dr. Wayne Dyer "Wisdom of the Ages." I had read through this book several years ago, but it's one of those books that just keeps on giving. I opened to the page on "Balance." Hmm, I thought, this is a perfect intention for class. Why? Think about it...How many of you out there feel like you are constantly on the "Go?" No matter what you do you feel like you are two steps behind. It doesn't matter how much work you seem to get through in one day because there is always more to do.

Do you feel as if the work pile just keeps on growing with no end in sight? I'm sure most of you answered "YES" to that question. Here in lies the problem. According to Leonardo Da Vinci - Italian painter, sculpture, architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, and scientist (whew..That's sounds like a few lifetimes), being a workaholic is the opposite of being productive. Instead, this Renaissance man did the opposite. He took time to escape from daily routine and go some distance away to become more efficient and productive. It appears that highly productive people do just that. They bring a sense of harmony and balance into their lives. They are familiar with pacing and knowing when to retreat and clear their heads of immediate concerns. The key here is BALANCE.

To avoid being consumed by anything, you must be able to walk away from it. When you do this the picture becomes clearer. When you actually let go you begin to see exactly what you need to be doing and everything falls into place. When you get out of your own way the energy can flow from the "higher self" freely and divine source is readily available to you. Magically, the answers come to you and are "in spirit" or inspired.

In today's face pace world the best way to let go is to meditate. Find a quiet place where you can just sit and move your focus inward. For many the meditative practice of yoga is helpful to achieve this state of balance. You don't need to devote hours to this practice. A few minutes a day will do wonders.

May you have BALANCE today!

Vist my news blg page - www.fengshuiyoganj.com and click on the "NEWS" tab.

Where Have I Been?

Its been awhile since my last blog. Let's just say the holidays got the best of me. Where to begin...Off to Florida for 2 weeks for Christmas 2010. Anyone who knows us would say the "retirees" are at it again. Hold on - I did see a client down there for a few days so I guess that counts for something. Then, we find out about the big winter storm that hit the northeast dumping some 29inches in our area. Glad we had missed the tundra but the dilemma of how to get a flight out from Florida and into the snowy mess left us on edge. Normally no problem; hang out a few extra days in the sun...What could be bad? Wrong! We had to get back for a family surprise party that yours truly had organized. Talk about pressure.

The phone calls began to check in with the restaurant booked for the gala event. After the 3rd day of trying to connect with the owner of the restaurant and NOTHING, I knew I had a problem on my hands. Fifty some odd people were about to show up at a place that I could not get a response from. Not to mention we were still stuck in the sunshine state that wasn't too sunny anymore. What to do I thought. What about doing a little yoga to calm the nerves that were turning my stomach inside out. So I took a walk down to the pool, rolled out my mat, and began my practice. After a few minutes of flowing across my mat a woman in the pool shouted out, 'Where's the rest of your Yoginis?" For a brief second I thought - "Is there a hidden meaning in this question? Does it mean no one is going to show up for the party?" I must have had a look of panic on my face because the woman just starred at me and swam away. I rolled up my mat and took a brisk walk back to the house only to hear news reports that first flight out wouldn't be until Thursday. Yikes! That was the day of the party...

I decided to disregard the reports and pack our bags as if nothing had occurred. When my husband saw me packing he simply said, "Boy, you're optimistic." And that I was. Later that evening off we went to the airport. The first thing we did is check the flight board. Whew...at least the flight did have the word "CANCEL" written across it, but it was delayed. Through security we go or NOT! "I'm sorry you can't bring that bottle of wine on the plane, retorts the security officer. We will have to discard it or you can drink it." Now we're talking. No decision here. My husband and I gathered up our shoes, belts, coats and everything but the kitchen sink and headed back out of security to imbibe. What better way to kill a couple of hours? At this point sleeping in the airport didn't seem so bad.

As luck would have it there was no need to bunk up in West Palm Beach. Our flight was actually going to take off. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best flight but we did make it back to Newark in one piece. Wish it was that simple. Once we landed we sat on the tarmac for nearly 2 hours to find the ONE open gate. Hmm, maybe drinking the bottle of wine wasn't such a good idea. Not easy to sit in a plane that is parked with the heat torqued so high I thought I was having a permanent hot flash. Finally, we deplane and head toward baggage claim. Oh, did I mention the crazy rude teenager that had a mouth like a sewer while we were stranded waiting for an open gate? Not pleasant.

Off to baggage claim and what do you think we see. That's right, one carousel for 8 flight arrivals. This was not good - breathe now...Our driver assured us he would get us back home before sunrise. Nice! A party with no restaurant venue and no sleep to boot. Low and behold the driver did get us to our front door and hour before sunrise and a new restaurant was quickly arranged to host the affair. All turned out as planned. It's amazing what a little breathing and positive mind-set can do.

Happy New Year...www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Don't forget to check out my new E-kit - Feng Shui Designs in a Flash and make your space count this year...www.fengshuiyoganj.com/pub.htm

Feng Shui Designs in a Flash

This blog today is to let my fans know I have just released a new E-kit - Feng Shui Designs in a Flash.For all of you out there looking to make some positive changes in your life through design, this kit is for you. You can save yourself time and money by applying feng shui designs yourself with expert advice on color, artwork, materials, elements and furniture. In this kit, you will find everything you need to transform your space into a healthy and successful living environment. Delve into your whole home or just one room; with each new design, a new energy will awaken your space and you.

The great thing here is for $29.95 you can begin transforming your space and your life. Not bad for those of us on budget; and let's face it who isn't on a budget. So navigate your way over to my website publication page : www.fengshuiyoganj.com/pub.htm and download your copy today.



Namaste!

Honey, How Does This Look?

It's holiday time and that means extra spending on gifts, food, new outfits for those parties to attend, and an array of all sorts of "To Do's." One of the biggest concerns for us females is what to wear to all the festivities. We need to know if we look good and guess who has to answer that question. That's right...the men in our lives. So this blog is for all you men out there that really could care less what we are wearing as long as it is something you can pull off later on. It goes something like this...

"Babe - what do you think if I wear this shirt with these pants? Or, what about this sweater with this skirt? Or, should I wear these shoes or maybe the boots...Do these earrings look good with this necklace?..." And of course this dress rehearsal always comes during the middle of some big football game on TV. I know all the men out there are grinning from ear to ear right now because you have all experienced this conversation before.

I'm pretty sure ladies if we were to jump inside their heads while we are on our own private fashion runway it would sound something this: Wah wah woh wahhhhh! You know, Charlie Brown's teacher Mrs. Donovan. Let's face it ladies, we could care less what we are wearing for our husband's. In fact, we are dressing for each other. Just maybe this one time the men in our life are right. Maybe we are a bit crazy and overly concerned about everything. I think this karmic cure goes out for both parties here. Guys, you deserve a fashion break so go ahead grab that remote, take a deep yogic breath, and relax. Ladies, our karmic cure is more involved. We need to meditate for a few hours on how good we look no matter what we are wearing and just for good measure... do 10 sun salutations.

Om Shanti ~ And many blessings for a wonderful Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year!