Great Outdoors

Do you spend too much time infront of your TV? Are you obsessed with social networking sites?  Do you feel that your work/life is disturbingly unbalanced?  If the answers to these questions are in the affirmative, maybe it’s time to “go back in time” when cable TV and internet were non-existent… maybe it’s time that we explore nature and the GREAT OUTDOORS!

The outdoors offer a way of escaping from the stresses of life whether personal or work-related.    More so if you live in a city – the sudden contrast of surroundings will definitely take the chaos out of your mind brought by city living.   The physical activities are likewise bound to give you that much needed energy boost.  You can bring your camera to capture those special moments.

You can find a relaxing place to reflect and plan your next moves.   It is also a time to bond with your family.  If you have children, let them experience a greener world and show them what life is all about outside of video arcades and Television!

Benefits of Gratitude

Being Grateful

You have probably heard a dozen times that the more a person chooses to notice what is good and beautiful, the happier and more peaceful that person will feel.   Sometimes we tend to take for granted small and trivial things but what we don’t realize is that it could bring us a lot of discomfort and probably pain the moment those small and trivial things are taken away from us.    Instead of complaining of having a very difficult boss, be grateful that you have a job.  Instead of complaining of having to clean the house, be grateful of having a roof above your head.  Instead of complaining how hot, or humid, or cold, or wet, the weather is, be thankful for the sun, the rain, or the snow.   Instead of complaining of having a hard life, be grateful that you are alive.   Just remember the more you complain, the more unhappy you will become. 

So let us start practicing being grateful for every small and trivial things we have.

Here is a list of things I am thankful for:

-  having a wonderful and happy family, always looking forward to spending time with them

-  family business, for not having to work for a boss. 

-  having a housemaid for allowing me to leave the table immediately after my last bite

-  cable TV

-  having an air-coditioner in this tropical country

-  psp

-  open space infront of my house

-  having time to play plants vs. zombies

-  approved US Visa

-  having time to drive our kids to school

-  hearing mass on sundays

-  iced tea!

Breathing Exercise

Have you ever paid attention to the way you breathe?  A lot has been written on the benefits of correct breathing – while performing exercises during workouts, while meditating, jogging or running, and even while you are just plain sitting or relaxing.

According to Helpguide.org, the best time to start a breathing exercise program is when you’re rested. This makes mornings an ideal time to practice breathing.   Breathing relaxes every muscle in your body relieving stresses and discomforts.

Breathing tips:

1.  Breathe in thru your nose and breathe out thru your mouth.  Visualize that you are inhaling all the positive energies and thoughts while exhaling all things that causes sickness and illnesses, problems and stresses.  Make a wooshing sound while exhaling.

2.  Breathe from the abdomen.  This will enable you to take deeper breaths  allowing more oxygen to flow through your body.

3.  Only the belly moves with your breathing expanding while you breathe in and pulling it in while you breathe out.  The chest remains still.

4.  Take long, deep breathes instead of short, quick ones.

5.  Perform breathing exercises upon waking up for 10 to 20 minutes focusing on conscious breathing.

I hope I was able to share some helpful tips so you can start your day feeling energized and revitalized.

Zen Desktop

Since I am infront of a PC a lot, I have decided to practice the minimalist principle starting with my PC desktop.

I hid all the icons and chose a very simple desktop wallpaper – a coffee cup and a cookie on white background.  I then decided to make use of yahoo widgets so I have all the data I need in a glance – a clock, an outlook email notifier, weather info on my area/country, and an outlook calendar and task. I now don’t have to check everytime and view my email, calendar and time separately.  I have info on the weather too!  This saves you time and can concentrate on your work and just glance at your desktop for a couple of seconds from time to time.

Now, as each of us have different needs, you can customize your yahoo widgets to whichever applications suit you.  Alternatively, you can use google gadgets.

Happy desktop designing!

A Zen Life

I would like to start this post with a definition of “Zen”.  According to wikipedia : Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Japanese word Zen is derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which means “meditation” or “meditative state.”

Zen asserts, as do other schools in Mahāyāna Buddhism, that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature (Skt. Buddhadhātu, Tathāgatagarbha), the universal nature of transcendent wisdom (Skt. prajñā), and emphasizes that Buddha-nature is nothing other than the essential nature of the mind itself. The aim of Zen practice is to discover this Buddha-nature within each person, through meditation and practice of the Buddha’s teachings. The ultimate goal of this is to become a Completely Enlightened Buddha (Skt. Samyak saṃbuddha). As a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Zen draws many of its basic driving concepts from that tradition, such as the bodhisattva ideal. Buddhas and bodhisattvas such as Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, and Kṣitigarbha are also venerated alongside Gautama Buddha.

It is said that if one is at a “zen state”, one was able to release the stresses and chaos of life. Taking out the mental clutter in order to reach a peaceful and tranquil state of mind. Others relate it to minimalism, simplicity and serenity.

My future articles are my actual experiences in my personal pursuit of having a worry free life.