Maintain Balance During The Holidays

The last "leg" of the year is challenging in that we are ready to move forward, but need to stay present for that last month. How do we maintain balance in our lives during this time and not get caught up in the mayhem around us? Feng Shui expert Katherine Metz shares her knowledge and invites us to practice a few exercises to keep us grounded through different scenarios we may encounter. Before you read what Katherine has to impart, I'd like to take a second to introduce you to her work.

Katherine is devoted to the seen and unseen ways in which physical environment can spark and nurture the individual's natural potential to be as vibrant, receptive and focused as possible. For over twenty-two years Katherine has provided her services in private homes, corporate offices, small businesses, schools, restaurants, and health care facilities, helping her clients create environments where they experience tangible and positive changes. Sleeping gets better, communication becomes more effective, family peace is restored, business multiplies, and people get well. When harmony and success are your goals, she is the person you call on. We are lucky to have her share her wisdom with us.

Take a deep breath and take your time reading!

Choosing Your Holiday (Five Element) Style Each of the Chinese five elements is a style of being in the world - a statement of experience and expression. Every person embodies each of the elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Yet, when action is demanded, it is our Wood element that kicks into gear; and during the holiday season we are moving as fast as we can. When our usual style is challenged by the pressures of work, family, and the rush of the season, we can easily lose our balance as the extremes of Wood take over. Usually motivated, resourceful, self-confident and optimistic, and capable of tremendous power, the tendency of Wood under pressure is to keep pushing forward - overdoing and over performing. Instead of backing off, we stay occupied with a vengeance. We may become impatient, hasty, and even reckless. Frustration is common. Tired, we become nervous, irritable, and even angry. At the other extreme, our love of getting things done turns into paralysis, and we may sink into a suffocating depression. Either way, our usual elegance is lost. During this busy holiday season, we can create both inner and outer environments that encourage our Wood personality to stay balanced and flexible - to gracefully regulate unrelenting intensity, and to retreat when necessary. If you find yourself becoming impatient as others around you seem to be moving too slowly: Take a full, deep breath; then breathe it out in eight short puffs and one, l o n g, final exhale. Repeat the inhale and nine exhales at least nine times, or until the emotion has passed You will lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and tame the part of the brain that triggers anger. If anger does creep in as you search the Internet relentlessly for the perfect gift: Pull out and put on clothes that are both green and black. Green lets you tap into your kind side, and black allows your better judgment to take the place of an angry outburst. If the moon is out, simply breathe in the moonlight. You will cool the anger. If it's daytime, think about the moon and breathe. The effect will be the same if you concentrate. If you are really headed for a meltdown, add the following: As your lungs expand on the inhale, visualize that your hair begins to stand on end. See all your hair standing straight up on top of your head. As you exhale, visualize your hair returning to its natural position. You are, once again, looking neatly coifed. I guarantee you will begin to smile. If you become unsettled, unfocused, and out of sorts (even erratic): Prepare a warm bowl of soup (or cold cereal) and follow the instructions below: 1. Eat from your soup (or rice or cereal) bowl, and then rinse it a little bit. 2. Now, fill the bowl about 80 percent full of water. 3. Take the bowl, filled with water, outside under the open sky. There does not have to be sunlight. It can even be nighttime. 4. Return to the house carrying the bowl with the water. Set it down. The movement will have created ripples on the surface of the water. 5. Focus your eyes upon the ripples until the water becomes still. Your mind will become calm. 6. Now, repeat the procedure beginning by lightly rinsing the bowl once again. You do not need to eat again. Complete all the steps that come after. 7. Repeat for a total of nine times. Even if you feel settled after one time, continue. Your newly discovered sense of calm my just stick around well into the new year. If your tendency is to withdraw under pressure, and you find yourself hiding under the covers unable to cope: Peel an orange. The essence of orange is a powerful force to change your mood. Raid your closet to find something Kelly green, apple green, or reddish purple. You will lift your spirits even if your wear it back to bed. Clean up any disarray at the front door and you will organize your thinking making it easier to take at least one important step forward. It will also encourage friends to magically appear, bringing friendship and laughter. While they are with you, ask them to help you do the following: Place nine small, potted plants into the bedroom (or any room where you spend a lot of time). You are adding vitality and the impetus to move forward. If this is the one thing you do today, tomorrow will be brighter. Whether moving too fast or too slow: Take some time every night before going to bed to think about things you normally don't think about; adventures, discoveries, art, stories, etc. Think about the exciting things you have pushed aside because of your busy schedule. Have some fun thinking. Erase the worry at this important time before bed. You will awake refreshed and ready to go, full of a sense of adventure and enthusiasm. You will have reestablished the skillful, inventive, curious, and fearless grace of Wood. Congratulations. You are a gift to everyone around you.

For more information about Katherine Metz and her services, please go to her website at http://www.katherinemetz.com . If this information was helpful to you in some way, I invite you to leave a token of your appreciation for Katherine in a red envelope which we will have in our office (even a penny denotes gratitude). In Feng Shui, red envelopes are used in Black Sect Tibetan Tantric Buddhism as an honorable tradition of paying the practitioner. Because of the high energy of the color red and the blessings associated with its tradition, it is believed that the client, (presenter), as well as the consultant, (receiver), are both graced with auspicious chi. The envelope also represents the imparting of sacred knowledge. Thank you and happy holidays!