First there was Vastu, the Indian Science of Placement and Architecture, which dates back more than 5,000 years ago.  Buddhist monks brought Vastu to China, and about a thousand years later it developed into what we now know as Feng Shui.  This is an age-old practice that embraces the idea of living in harmony and balance with our environment. Feng Shui (pronounced fung schway) literally means wind and water and is the study of energy and how it affects people. Feng Shui teaches you how to harness and control both the visible and invisible energies that surround us.

I have a new 8-week e-course with Daily Om called “Feng Shui Secrets to Enliven and Energize Your Goals.”  Daily Om has been a great partner with me.  They have a system where you can pay what you want to for the course!  There’s a scroll down menu, so you pick the price.  Here’s just one of the many, many tips that is included in the course:

One Feng Shui cure to improve your finances is to tie a red string or ribbon, measuring 6, 9 or 18 inches in length, around the pipe under your sinks. On very rare occasions, this can cause a back-up in a sink. If this occurs, remove the string immediately. Check for any blockages in the plumbing and repair if necessary.

I recently saw Paul McKenna on a talk show.  Paul is very popular in the UK, and he has come up with an interesting system that combines hypnosis with “tapping.”  I’m certified in hypnotherapy, but I hadn’t heard of this “tapping therapy” before, so I did some research.  Tapping is also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT.  It uses the same principles as are applied in Chinese acupuncture to help address emotions, usually harmful emotions, that can cause ancillary problems in your life – like fear, phobias, anger, frustration, weight gain, stress, insomnia, just about anything!  Basically, the simple technique involves tapping certain meridian points on the face, body, and hands to access the emotional memories of the body.  The physical touch, and at the same time allowing the negative feelings to come up, helps the release of built-up negative energy.  When the negative energy is released, positive energy and emotions can be then implemented.  Tapping has been used to address many issues, as well as to enhance performance in business, sports and finance.  This technique is available to everyone, and requires no special equipment.  You can easily teach yourself how to do this by reading a book!  Here’s one that I found to be helpful:

The Tapping Cure

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569243247?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1569243247

New research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University, provides the first laboratory evidence that cooperative behavior actually spreads from person to person to person.  When we benefit from kindness, we “pay it forward” by helping others, which in turn creates a flow of cooperation that influences many more.  And it only takes a few individuals to make a difference.  The study shows that cooperative behavior spreads three degrees of separation, and that the effects persist over time.  It is interesting to note that during the research an evolution of cooperation was found to develop.  Groups with altruists in them end up being more altruistic as a whole, and more likely to progress and survive than the more selfish groups.  One of the researchers, Nicholas Christakis, says “The flow of good and desirable properties like ideas, love, and kindness is required for human social networks to endure, and, in turn, networks are required for such properties to spread.  Humans form social networks because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs.”

Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316036145?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0316036145

Recently I attended the “Sages and Scientists Symposium” sponsored by the Chopra Foundation.  Great minds from around the world were there to talk about the “new science” and what it means for us.  There were many common themes echoed, including – that materialism is dead, that consciousness is the root of everything, and that our interconnectedness is more apparent than ever.  I got to meet and interview Fred Alan Wolf, aka “Dr. Quantum,” Larry Dossey, Jim Tucker (a child psychiatrist who wrote Life Before Life about children’s past life experiences), Marilyn Schlitz (the president of Noetic Science), and so many more amazingly brilliant people.  As you can imagine, scientists often speak in a way that can go way over our heads – everything they have to say is fascinating, it’s just not always that easy to understand!  But I got them to simplify for us, to explain just how all the new discoveries that the new science has come up with are relevant to us, and how we can use this wisdom right now, in our own lives.  Here are two of the videos I did where the sages and scientists talk about the concepts expressed in The Law of Relationship:  http://www.closurebook.com/sages

My friend Kym Douglas has a terrific new book out: “The Beauty Cookbook: Over 200 Recipes to Make Your Kitchen Your Own Personal Spa.”  This is so fun!  You don’t even need to go shopping, most of the items that Kym and her co-author Cindy Pearlman suggest are probably right in your refrigerator or pantry now.  For example, oatmeal is a gentle scrub for sensitive skin.  And sugar acts as an exfoliator and also helps balance the PH levels of the skin.  Lemons can help remove stains from dark polish on your fingernails.  Here’s one recipe, that has its origins in India.  It naturally helps get rid of dead skin cells so that you end up with soft and glowing skin.  Simply mix 1 “tiny pinch” of the spice turmeric with 1 teaspoon of honey.  Blend into a paste and work it into your skin.  Leave on for 15 minutes and then wash it away.  Tons of great tips! These are environmentally friendly beauty recipes, no chemicals, everything natural – and yes, mostly even edible! But the recipes aren’t for concoctions to eat, they’re to bathe in, or slather on. Yummy, fragrant, and practical. You’ll never look at your refrigerator in the same way again.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616235764?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1616235764

Here’s some good news!  According to the Federal Corporation for National and Community Service, we are experiencing a “compassion boom” right now.  It seems that in the past, when economic hard times his, there was a decrease in volunteerism.  But today, many more people are participating in public service.  PARADE magazine recently conducted a poll that showed that people feel strongly that service is an essential part of achieving both community and national goals.  90% of those responding said that working hard to teach their children the importance of activism.  We are giving of our time and talents in many ways, and even though finances are tight, we’re also giving our money.  87% of people polled supported a cause financially in the last year.  Interestingly enough, the internet has made it easier to be of service.  Many of us are using e-mail, Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about a cause.  Are you on Facebook?  We have a CoffeyTalk group there, so join us – and let’s talk about our favorite causes.  Mine is Big Brothers Big Sisters.  I’m a mentor.  What cause do you care most about?

Bbbsa.org

While we sleep, our brains are still busy.  During REM (rapid eye movement) is when we have our most dramatic dreams.  Research from Harvard Medical School says that while REM sleep helps us to consolidate learning and memories, it also helps prepare the brain to be awake.  We experience emotions in dreams that we need to express while we are awake.  A dream is a kind of “dress rehearsal” for this experience.  Because the brain doesn’t hold memories very well during the sleep process, if we want to remember our dreams we need to write them down.  This involves waking up fast, with little movement after sleep, and making that effort to put pen in hand.  Since bad dreams wake us up more quickly we tend to remember them more often.  Dream interpretation can be fun and insightful!  Start a dream journal, then look up some of the symbolism of your dreams in one of these books.

The Dream Book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967979013?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0967979013

We’ve heard it before – walking is good for us!  Ayurveda recommends a thirty-minute morning walk for everyone, to help boost metabolism and energize the body for the day ahead.  Research shows that people who walk daily reduce the risk of heart attacks by one-third, and have 91% fewer cases of type 2 diabetes.  But with our busy schedules, sometimes a regularly scheduled walk is easier said than done.  There are ways we can those steps in, and help ourselves to be more fit.  Here are some tips:

-Use a pedometer.  Research shows that people who use a pedometer take about 2500 more steps a day.  This is the equivalent of one mile, and burns about 100 calories.  Over the course of a year, this can burn off about 10 pounds!

-If you can’t commit to thirty-minutes in one go, then increase your daily activity levels by a few minutes at a time. 

-Be aware of extra steps.  Walk around the grocery store before you start picking up items on your list.  Park at the far end of a parking lot.  Park at the opposite end of the store you want to visit at the mall. 

-Whenever possible, take the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator.

-For short errands, less than 1 mile away from your home, walk rather than drive.  Or park once, and walk to each stop from there.

-Try some of the new shoes that are designed to give your legs more exercise when you walk.  I have 4 pairs of Skecher’s Shape Ups – they’re so comfortable I find myself wearing them all the time, not just to go walking.  They’re great!  They come in styles for men and women.  When you click the link below you’ll see my favorite pair.

Skechers Shape Ups

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SN8DCK?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B001SN8DCK

I remember when I first learned about St. Patrick’s Day.  I was in kindergarten, and our teacher told us that leprechauns had come into the classroom to play a trick on us, they changed all the crayons to green!  Of course we all thought this was so funny.  We ate green cupcakes and made four leaf clovers out of construction paper.  St. Patrick’s Day is a very special day, so let’s look at where some of these traditions come from.  The first American celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737.  The color green is significant because it is the color of Spring, Ireland, and the shamrock.  A leprechaun is an Irish fairy that takes on the appearance of a miniature old man.  Leprechauns usually spend their time making shoes, so listen for the sound of a hammer when you go looking for them.  The shamrock is a member of the clover family, and St. Patrick used it to explain the mystery of the Trinity – the three leaves representing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Four leaf clovers are rare, and considered to be very lucky if you can find one.

An Irish Blessing

May you always have…

Walls for the winds

A roof for the rain

Tea beside the fire

Laughter to cheer you

Those you love near you

And all your heart might desire.

Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006092943X?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=006092943X

One of my favorite books is “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz.  The four agreements come from Toltec wisdom.  I have them memorized, and I quote the four agreements all the time because they are so applicable in so many situations.  As a refresher, they are 1) don’t take anything personally, 2) always do your best, 3) be impeccable with your word, and 4) don’t make assumptions.  Now, don Jose Ruiz joins his father on a new book that offers a fresh perspective on the Four Agreements, and a powerful new agreement for transforming our lives into our personal heaven.  The Fifth Agreement takes us to a deeper level of awareness of the power of the Self and returns us to the authenticity we were born with.  The Fifth Agreement says: “Be skeptical, but learn to listen.  Don’t believe yourself or anybody else.  Use the power of doubt to question everything you hear: Is it really the truth?  Listen to the intent behind words, and you will understand the real message.”

The Fifth Agreement

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878424688?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1878424688