Tai Chi

All posts tagged Tai Chi

Inner Peace…Achievable?

Published 20/03/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

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Achieving ‘Inner Peace’…What!, with all I have going on in my life, what with work, the kids, extra hours trying to learn new things, taking the kids to gym, dance, swimming lessons, looking after the dog, cat and goldfish, ego talking constantly to me to do better, work faster, loose weight etc…Chance would be a fine thing!……Does this or some of it resonate with you?

Well, if it does; then you can achieve ‘Inner Peace’ but you have to make the effort to achieve it, it wont just happen overnight. You need to set yourself up to learn, you need to dedicate time each and every day to meditate, if only for a few minutes…’No excuses, don’t put it off until tomorrow, because as you well know, ‘Tomorrow, never comes‘!

When I first started meditation, i found it hard, i always felt as though I was doing something wrong, everyone i knew or met that meditated looked so calm, they all said how they could go into a deep, calm and reflective space where they connected with themselves, this may be in a garden, or by the ocean, on a mountain top, in a fantasy playground, floating on a cloud etc but for me all I could get was thoughts springing into my mind, thoughts about work, my vacation, children, what i needed to do later that day, i could hear the children, the phone, car horns blaring… but no inner peace. I could not feel the calmness that all my friends were experiencing…So I thought, ‘maybe there is something wrong with me’, or do they really experience that or are they just saying that to make me feel inadequate, perhaps they are also experiencing what I am but don’t really want to tell me!  🙂 Well, I stuck at it, at first for 5 minutes a day, then i tried 5 minutes twice per day, then after a few days i realised i was becoming more calm so i extended to 10 minutes, then twice per day and on and on it went, now I can easily achieve 1 or more hours and these sessions flash by like they were only minutes, i go into a deep quiet place but I am always aware, i can hear all that is going on around me, i feel the touch of the dogs wagging tail, the sounds are still there but now i can control them, i label my thoughts as ‘Thoughts’ and sounds as ‘sounds’ and i welcome connections from my heart, my soul and anyone else that wants to connect with me….I have over time started to achieve inner peace, it is a place of joy, of smiles, of reflection, a place where i can connect to my self, where i can spend quality time with myself, where i can feel my body, be aware of my health and all that ails me and concentrate for once on ‘Me’

Meditation is available to everyone, young or old, rich or poor and it costs you nothing, only time….and in my humble opinion…’Time well spent’ 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend my friends

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Hugs For Free Today :)

Published 11/03/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

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Go on, you know you want one…Reach out, close your eyes and feel the warmth of my hug, my arms around you, comforting you. It comes to you with my love and best wishes for a wonderful day filled with happiness, joy and peace wherever you are in this world 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Do You Know Your Yin from Your Yang?

Published 28/02/2015 by inspiringyourspirit

My Dear Friends,

Living in China and having a long personal history of martial arts, Chinese history, culture and my own spiritual practice embedded in China for the past fifty years, has; over the years made me very interested in Daoism/Taoism, Lao Tzu/ Lao Zi, the Dao De Jing/Tao Te Ching, I Ching..there are so many ways they are represented globally 🙂 The difference between Daojia 道家 , Taoist Philosophy and Daojiao 道教, Daoist Religion brings even more confusion to the western world let alone understanding the I Ching (The Book of Change), the oracle of fortune, a guide to success and a dispensary of wisdom. The ancestor of all Chinese philosophy, it is the primary source for the pragmatic mysticism of the Tao Te Ching, the rational humanism of Confucius, and the analytic strategy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War and of course the wonderful Yin 酓 Yang 昜 in traditional Chinese and Yin阴Yang 阳 in modern simplified Chinese.

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Yin is the black side with the white dot in it, and yang is the white side with the black dot in it. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and a valley. Yin (literally the ‘shady place’ or ‘north slope’) is the dark area occluded by the mountain’s bulk, while yang (literally the ‘sunny place’ or ‘south slope’) is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.

Yin is characterised as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity , and nighttime.

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime.

Yin and yang applies to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine good health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within oneself. If yin and yang become unbalanced, one of the qualities is considered deficient or has vacuity.

Anyways, I could go on forever trying to explain Yin Yang, The Dao/Tao so I thought I would share with you this very short cartoon animated Ted Talk video explaining Yin Yang, I hope you enjoy it and that it will inspire you to learn more about Daoism 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Wisdom of time gone by from Lao Tzu that Still Echoes Today. The Circle of Life

Published 25/09/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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Lao Tzu was a philosopher and poet of ancient China. He is best known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, but he is also revered as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. Although a legendary figure, he is usually dated to around the 6th century BC and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BC. A central figure in Chinese culture, Lao Tzu is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern common folk of the Li family as a founder of their lineage. Throughout history, Lao Tzu’s work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.

Lao Tsu taught that all straining, all striving are not only vain but counterproductive. One should endeavor to do nothing (wu-wei). But what does this mean? It means not to literally do nothing, but to discern and follow the natural forces — to follow and shape the flow of events and not to pit oneself against the natural order of things. First and foremost to be spontaneous in ones actions.

In this sense the Taoist doctrine of wu-wei can be understood as a way of mastering circumstances by understanding their nature or principal, and then shaping ones actions in accordance with these. This understanding has also infused the approach to movement as it is developed in Tai Chi Chuan.

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Understanding this, Taoist philosophy followed a very interesting circle. On the one hand the Taoists, rejected the Confucian attempts to regulate life and society and counseled instead to turn away from it to a solitary contemplation of nature. On the other hand they believed that by doing so one could ultimately harness the powers of the universe. By ‘doing nothing’ one could ‘accomplish everything.’

Lao Tzu writes:

The Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquillity.
In this way all things would be at peace.
In this way Taoist philosophy reached out to council rulers and advise them of how to govern their domains. Thus Taoism, in a peculiar and roundabout way, became a political philosophy. The formulation follows these lines:
The Taoist sage has no ambitions, therefore he can never fail. He who never fails always succeeds. And he who always succeeds is all- powerful.
From a solitary contemplation of nature, far removed from the affairs of men, can emerge a philosophy that has, both in a critical as well a constructive sense — a direct and practical political message. Lao Tzu writes:

Why are people starving?
Because the rulers eat up the money in taxes.
Therefore the people are starving.
Why are the people rebellious?
Because the rulers interfere too much.
Therefore they are rebellious.

Why do people think so little of death?
Because the rulers demand too much of life.
Therefore the people take life lightly.

Having to live on, one knows better than to value life too much.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Do You Still Love Yourself, Do You Need a Reminder of How Great You Are?

Published 15/09/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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Some days, I’m not so sure!
I wake up and start my day, I amble out of bed
Feeling tired, lethargic and grumpy
More sleep needed maybe, more time to rest, to lie dormant and be; just me!

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A pick me up coffee to raise my spirits, its heady smell and strong taste slapping me awake like a hand to my face
Or does it help suppress my mind, control my senses and take away my creativity
Breakfast…Oh no, that’s for wimps, no time for that in my busy life
Off to the bathroom for me instead, the slow walk to that place of awakening

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The mirror lies before me, standing proud and tall the size of my wall, no place to hide
I’m naked for my eyes to see, Ohh a sight for sore eyes and not for the faint at heart
Too much fat hiding my chin, my eyes are red and sleepy, lids wanting to close and sleep once again
Plenty of excess around my middle, my arms my hips, my rear, it appeared overnight, I think!

Is my hair receding even further, is that a spot on my face
I’m no teenager, where have they come from, maybe a memory of day’s gone bye
What’s that hair doing coming from my ears and nose, should it not be on my head
It wasn’t there yesterday, my body it would seem to be out of control

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A clean shave is what I need and into the shower I go
The fresh warm water cascading down upon my head
Awakening my body and my soul
Water cleansing, washing away my negativity, bringing life back to my body like rain to a seed

The towel meets my skin, rough and soft all at the same time
The water disappearing into the fabric, leaving my skin soft and dry
A splash of aftershave hits my jaw, awakens my senses to the sweet smell of summer
Stepping into my trousers, and a fresh shirt completes my attire

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Looking into the mirror a new man, a new day, a new opportunity
I love my self again, I’m happy in my skin, I’m proud of what I have achieved
I’m off to start a fresh day, out into our wonderful world, more people to help, more spirits to lift
Opening the door, the sun greets my face it awakens me to mother nature, warm and gentle welcoming me once again

Stepping down my steps I feel my breath, catching the fresh morning air
Feet touching the ground with a steady momentum, taking me on to more challenges in life
I hear the sounds of our world, the noise of the city, millions moving towards their day, but if I listen carefully there is so much more to hear

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The quietness of nature, birds in song, the soft rustling of leaves as the gentle breeze passes through the trees
Mothers walking their children to school, grandparents exercising in the gardens their slow Tai Chi movements, bringing life to their aging bones
Ladies dancing under the trees, awakening their limbs and bringing smiles of joy to their faces

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I am indeed grateful for all I have in my life
I have a gift, the gift of sight, the gift of sound, the gift of smell, and the gift of touch
The ability to realize all that is around me, the gift is LIFE itself
So easy to forget in our crazy non stop world, so easy to loose sight of what we have, So easy to fall into the hands of the media and follow their never ending tales of doom and gloom

I do love my life; I do love my world
I’m thankful and grateful for another day to share this gift with you

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Walking, Just Walking in Peace.

Published 27/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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As I walk, I walk in peace
One step at a time, one step at a time
No priorities, no judgment, no destination
Just walking in peace, walking in peace

My feet touch the ground, I’m home, I’m home
At home, in love and in awe of mother earth
She saves me, provides for me and protects me,
The mother of all, our keeper, our life
One step at a time, one step at a time, she gives life to our world

The rays of the sun caressing my skin, awakens my senses and lighting my way
The wind gently cooling my brow, filling my lungs with compassion and love
Birds sing in the trees, their games of love on wings above, flying so high touching the sky
As I walk in peace, one step at a time making my way through life

I stop, close my eyes and just be
Listening to the world that surrounds me
The bees gently working their magic, passing the love from bud to bud
The flowers in bloom their scent, pure passion and love

My breath is slow, in out, in out, my mind empty of thought, pure calm
Aware of my surroundings a joy to behold, a picture of joy unfolding before me
A wonderful world with so much to offer, plenty for everyone and free for us all
If only we could all walk in peace, walk in peace

One step at a time, one step at a time
Our world is forever changing, one step at a time, one step at a time
On the road to peace, the road to peace
A new world of happiness, of love, peace and joy is unfolding
One step at a time, one step at a time

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Gratitude, Be Thankful For Your Day

Published 26/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

My dear friends,

I posted this video a year or so ago but when I woke up this morning I realised how thankful I am to be me and I have so much in my life to be grateful for. This past weekend has been simply wonderful and I have seen so many happy loving faces, experienced the beauty of nature and had the opportunity to eat lovely food and spend time with beautiful people so I felt it was about time I shared this video with you again in celebration of my re-awakening this morning.

Just a few things i’m continually grateful for.

My lovely wife, her smile, her boundless energy and deep support and love for me
My four wonderful children, their differences and their love for who they are, their friends and their lives
My two wonderful puppies, their endless energy and unconditional love for us
My Life, my health and the gifts I was born with
My work and what that has enabled me to do during my lifetime
My education and how it has helped me throughout my life and how learning keeps me young at heart and of mind
The beautiful sunny day
The birds singing in the gardens below my window
My colleagues for all they do for me, for each other and for our clients
My blog, my blogging friends all around the world, your continued support and friendship amazes me daily
The fresh food I made up for my lunch and the freshly ground coffee
My spiritual awareness and practice and the gifts that allow me to help others who need my support
My weekend and the chance to travel to another province in China
For the smiles I see and the joy that brings to my heart
The thought of peace
My meditations and mindfulness practice
My love for my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues, humanity and mother earth

I do hope you will take the time to stop for a while and to watch this wonderful video and I hope it will bring as much joy and happiness to you as i has done for me

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

I See

Published 22/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

I See

I see your indifference
But I want to warm the cold heart
I see,
In fact, I am yet to accept your indifference

I see your pain
But I want to end the pain
I see,
In fact, I did not accompany your pain

I see your selfishness
But I judge your selfishness
I see,
In fact, it was driven by my selfishness

I see your anger
But try to get rid of your anger
I see,
In fact, I did not let you feel angry

I see your anxiety
But I feel worry about your anxiety
I see,
In fact, I start being anxious
I see your weakness
But I do not know which hand shall I use to give you a hug
I see,
In fact, I am feeling weak now as well

I see your beauty
And I appreciate your beauty
I see,
I am getting beautiful now as well

I see your kindness
And I am delighted with your kindness
I see,
Originally I have such kindness as well

I see you are true
And believing in your truth
I see,
Originally I am also being true

I see you are firm
And see the gentle accompanying
I see,
I am firm and gentle now

I see you are strong
And feeling the flexibility of the strength
I see,
I start having such power now
I see your humbleness
And feeling the self-confidence inside
I see,
I start am being humble as well

I see your peacefulness
And feeling the peaceful mercy
I see,
I am walking towards mercies now

I see your open-heart
And hugging your open-heart
I see,
In fact, I am opening my heart as well
I see you giving
Without any condition
I see,
In fact, I am learning how to share myself

I see your purity
Simply just,
Do what you want to do
Love who you want to love
Walk on the road you want to
Cry when you feel pain
Laugh when you feel happy
Rest when you feel tired
Go on when you are fine
I see myself too

If only see it, that’s only seeing
And accepting what we see
But not immediately thinking what shall be changed
Through seeing
I see myself
And I also see
The original purity and completeness of life

seeing the light

我看见你的冷漠
却想去温暖这个冷漠
我看到
其实我还没接纳你的冷漠
我看见你的痛苦
却想去结束这个痛苦
我看到
其实我并没有陪伴你的痛苦

我看见你的自私
却去评判你的自私
我看到
其实真正涌动的是我的自私
我看见你的愤怒
却想躲开你的愤怒
我看到
其实我没有允许你可以愤怒

我看见你的焦虑
却去担心你的焦虑
我看到
其实我已开始陷入焦虑
我看见你的无力
却不知道要伸哪只手来抱你
我看到
其实当下我也无力
我看见你的美丽
并欣赏着你的美丽
我看到
当下我也开始美丽
我看见你的善良
并喜悦着你的善良
我看到
原本我亦善良
我看见你的真实
并相信着你的真实
我看到
原本我也如此真实
我看见你的坚定
并看到相守的温柔
我看到
我正坚定并且温柔
我看见你的坚强
并感受着柔韧的力量
我看到
我正承接到这样的力量
我看见你的谦卑
并感受到内在的自信
我看到
我也开始低头谦卑

我看到你的淡定
并感受到平静的慈悲
我看到
我正在走近慈悲
我看见你的敞开
并拥抱你的敞开
我看到
其实我也正在敞开

我看见你的付出
不带任何条件
我看到
其实我也学会将自己分享

我看见你的纯粹
只是
做自己想做的事
爱自己想爱的人
走自己想走的路
痛了就哭，喜了就笑
累了就歇，好了就走
我也看到了自己

如果对于看见
只是看见
并接纳所有的看见
而不要想要马上去改变
透过看见
我看见了自己
也看到
生命原本的纯粹与全然

The Four Agreements for Your Life

Published 16/02/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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The Four Agreements.

Be Impeccable with your Words
Don’t Make assumptions
Don’t take anything personally
Always do your best

Speaking with integrity, not speaking ill of yourself or gossiping about others, having the courage to speak up and ask questions, communicate clearly in order to be understood and not cause misunderstandings, drama or a crisis. Don’t take everything others say to heart, their words if against you are not really about you they are a reflection of how they feel about themselves and they do it to protect their own reality not yours, when you become immune to what others say and think of you, you will no longer feel like a victim. Always do your best for you, not just because of others. Stay healthy, do your best to live a good healthy life, you have a choice what you feed yourself and if you exercise or not…it’s your choice so do your best to make the right choices for your life and live it to the full 🙂

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Happy Chinese New Year, The Year of The Horse

Published 29/01/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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My Dear Friends,
Tomorrow is Chinese New Years eve so I will be going off line and travelling with my wife to the mountains of central north China where we will spend the Chinese New Year holiday with her family on their farm. This time is spent honouring family members, passed ancestors and the younger generation where we come together as one and enjoy the festivities, so I would like to take this opportunity in wishing you all

A Very Happy Chinese New Year
Gong Xi Fa Chai 恭喜发财
Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐
2014 The Year of the Horse

So if you were born in :- 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, and 2002 then you were born in the Year of the Horse.

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Horse people are active and energetic. They got plenty of sex-appeal and know how to dress. Horses love to be in the crowd, maybe that is why they can usually be seen in such occasions like concerts, theaters, meetings, sporting occasions, and of course, parties.
The horse is very quick-witted and is right in there with you before you have had the chance to finish what you are saying: he’s on to the thought in your mind even before you’ve expressed it.
In general, the Horse is gifted. But in truth they are really more cunning than intelligent – and they know that. That is probably why, most of the horse people lack confidence.
Chinese believe that because horses are born to race or travel, all Horse people invariably leave home young. The Horse despises being pressured to act for the good of the group or made to feel guilty. No matter how integrated they seem to be, a Horse’s inner self remains powerfully rebellious. Although they have boundless energy and ambition, Horses have a hard time belonging. The Horse is hot-blooded, hot-headed and impatient. Horse people are a bit of an egoist, well, selfish sometimes, that it is rare for them to interest themselves in any problems except their own. And though this egoist works only for themselves and for their own success, their work nevertheless benefits everybody.
The Horse is a worker, adepts at handling money and a good financier. But unfortunately, they are also famous for suddenly losing interest on something. In their relationship with the opposite sex, the Horse is weak. They will give up everything for love.
Being born a Horse, there are many contradictions in their character. Horses are proud yet sweet-natured, arrogant yet oddly modest in their approach to love, envious but tolerant, conceited yet humble. They want to belong, yet they are burdened by their need for independence. They need love and crave intimacy yet often feel cornered, pressured. But the truth is, the Horse is an individual, who depends only on their own wits and labour to get what they want

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the first day of the year of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festiva; on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calandar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year”.
The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritious, Philippines, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of ‘Good Fortune’ or ‘Happiness’ ‘wealth’, and ‘longevity.’ Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes (Hong Bao) .
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the 3rd millennium BC Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2013 AD the “Chinese Year” 4711, 4710, or 4650.

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Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

Hey You, Yes You…If your could escape, where would you escape to?

Published 18/01/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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Hi Everyone and Good Morning from not so sunny Shanghai where the pollution level today at 11:13am is stated to be 225 Very Unhealthy with health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be effected. Actually I think the true reading at this time will be more like 400+ but who am I to say!

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Anyway back to my post for today 🙂

I would love your feedback, your comments and your thoughts on this one please because I’m feeling lonely here in my apartment looking out at this grey polluted sky 😦

So Escape! If you could escape, escape to anywhere, real or fantasy, where would it be to and why?

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In my case, I would escape to the mountains, to the forest to the trees where I could breathe the fresh mountain air, fill my lungs with invigorating fresh life giving air to feel the cool breeze and the gentle warmth of the sun on my face, to smell the grass, the sweet intoxicating scents of nature, the flowers, the herbs, the soil. To watch the birds dance in the air, chasing each other from tree to tree from branch to branch, to observe the butterflies and the bees as they go about their daily task of collecting natures goodness and helping spread the love from one flower to another. And, to sit in silence, to hear the quiet, the gentle rustle of leaves as they sway in the wind, the sound of water flowing in the steams and the distant splash of a fish jumping after dragonflies as they skim over the lake, far, far away from the madness of city life, from the life of constant drive, noise, selfishness and anger away from the fast lane of life to where we were all destined to be, with Mother Nature, with Gaia…Home 🙂

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Please let me know where you would escape to and why 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Guan Yin 观音菩萨

Published 14/01/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

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GUAN YIN
Guan Yin, Mother of Compassion in ancient Chinese culture, blows gently into your life, and should be welcomed as an eternal source of comfort and peace. Guan Yin’s values are about co-operation, sharing, balance, harmony and partnership; she is highly sensitive and aware. Guan Yin’s esoteric attributes are those of compassion, healing, and centering.
She lives in the heart chakra, standing in full acceptance, suspended in tranquillity, relishing joy in the silence .

Guan Yin is light and weightless – the qualities that result from highly tuned vales of tolerance and acceptance.She is here to tell you to release factors that inhibit you, that prevent you from connecting with others. Melt those walls of ice around your heart; forgive the person who you feel has committed a grievance against you; open your heart and radiate love so that love can come back to you.

 Close your eyes in a tranquil space. Visualise Guan Yin resting with the world on one shoulder, her cheek resting against it. She sees you, and you are drawn to the love radiating from her heart. She shows you how to take the world from your shoulders, hold it in your hands, and dance in joyful, carefree circles. You see the earth’s water rippling, the leaves in the trees blowing, the birds soaring without effort. Know this is happening purely thanks to your joy.

 When you walk through each day, remember Guan Yin’s presence whenever you see the soaring birds, the rustling leaves, the rippling waters. Use these triggers as a reminder to take the world off your shoulders, and to dance with abandon, with your face to the skies and
your arms in the air. 

AFFIRMATIONS:

I forgive
I radiate love
I am tolerant of everyone around me
I have great joy, and therefore great energy
My peace is shared peace
I am weightless and free of burden

 

Namaste with Love my Friends

Always

Mark

If Only!

Published 23/11/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

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How many times do we say ‘If Only’?

If only you knew!

If only you knew how much I truly want to be with you!

If only they would help me!

If only they would be kind to me!

If only you knew how much you hurt me!

If only they loved me!

If only I was like them!

If only I had that chance!

If only I was talented like them!

If only I was slim!

If only I was beautiful!

If only I could…..!

If only you knew how much I think about you!

If only I had told you!

If only it were true!

The list could go on and on…….But wait….What if!

The Gift is Yours

 

Come on my friends, stop saying ‘If Only’ and get out there and take control of your life, do the things you want to do, say the things you want to say, open up your heart and ‘Start Living’ your life 🙂

Life is so much better when were saying ‘Thank You’ and ‘I’m So Happy’

Namaste with Love

‘Always’

Mark

Listen to the sound of the bell and allow your mind to return to the garden of your heart.

Published 17/11/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

My Dear Friends,

Listen to the sound of the bell and allow your mind to return to the garden of your heart and see the flowers of peace bloom.

It’s early on Sunday morning here in Shanghai, and before i head out for the day with my camera on to the streets of Shanghai I wanted to share this beautiful video with you, i’m sure some of you may of have already seen it but I’m also sure you will be happy to watch and listen to its beautiful message again.

Please sit back, put your headphones on, turn up the sound a little, relax, enjoy the peace and the miracle that happens in our world of nature.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

This is the crazy city where I live, I thought you may like to see it in Slow Mo :)

Published 06/11/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

 

Shanghai, the city where I live. Sometimes it’s so difficult to explain to friends in different countries what it’s like to live in Shanghai, China. It’s a beautiful city a city which never stops, it’s shops and restaurants are open 24 x 7, people go about their business as the sun rises and sets. It’s a city of change, its a city of vibrance, its a city of diversity. Note the speed of destruction and construction, the fireworks on Chinese New Year and the lightening strikes on the towers within the city, also the children in the school doing their early morning exercises in the playground, Shanghai a city that never sleeps 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Good Morning from the East……A beautiful sight to behold!

Published 04/11/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

earthsunrisetest02

 

Good morning my dear friends,

The sun has risen over Shanghai on Monday 4th November and it is the start of another sunny, beautiful day. I woke with a smile on my face this morning and my heart and soul is full of happiness and joy, I feel so thankful and grateful for who I am and what I stand for and for the spiritual journey that has been bestowed on me, and for all of you my dear blogging friends from all over the world, your support, your love, your comments and friendship bring me greater strength, greater commitment and further inspiration to do more each and every day and to reach out further and to help others around the world through my posts.

It gives me great joy to just sit for a moment and think of all the things I have in my life, my lovely wife May, May is my soul mate my guardian angel in life and in spirit, my four beautiful children…wow, what can I say about them! They are my pride and my joy, each of them has their own special skills and life style, their smiles could fill a room and their devotion to their lives, their family and their friends is to be admired. My work, my colleagues and my clients for which I am proud to be of service and give some of my skills to help others in need. For my health, i’m now feeling healthier than ever before in my life, after all my accidents and illnesses over the years, i’m now feeling strong and in charge of my life’s journey.

To the opportunities on hand and for those yet to come, i’m thankful. For nature’s beauty, for the brilliant sunrise this morning, for the blue sky i see right before my eyes as I write this post, for the clients i will meet with today, for the strangers I will share smiles with and for the positive energy I carry with me throughout my day.

I give thanks for the smoothie I made this morning for natures bounty from the lettuce, cucumber, coconut water and cranberries that filled my body with goodness and energy.

I feel truly thankful and grateful to my guides, to the Angels and Arch Angels, to the ascended masters and ascended family members, to God, to the Lord Buddha, to the Prophet Muhammed, Lord Shiva, Lao Tzu, Kwan Yin and the spirits watching over me, my family and my friends.

My dear friends, these are just a small note of what I truly feel thankful for this morning and I wish you all Love, Happines and a day filled with pure source energy and light.

Please share with me your thoughts, your points to be thankful for, and together let’s make our world a happier, safer and better place to live!

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

 

Kuan Yin’s Day Today.

Published 23/10/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

Hello my dear friends.

My spiritual guides were telling me to go to the Jade Buddha Temple here in Shanghai today because today is a very important day in the Nong Li Chinese calendar. Today is Kuan Yin’s day of enlightenment, the day she was made eligible for Buddahood status, way, way back in Chinese history. I spent a couple of hours or so in deep meditation at the temple today, it was very busy, many tourists and of course thousands of local Chinese going to pray and pay their respects to Kuan Yin the bodhisattva, goddess of compassion and mercy.

Kuan Yin is one of my spiritual guides so we spent some quality time together today. It is always a little funny because I do tend to draw a crowd when i’m deep in meditation at the temple because foreigner tourists cannot inderstand why I a westerner is meditating and praying at a Buddhist temple and local Chinese are also not sure too…. 🙂

Here is the Da Bei Zhou大悲咒 祈禱 Mantra to Kuan Shi Yin. Please watch and listen it is very beautiful 🙂

I also came across this wonderful article on Kuan Yin posted by Linda Backs  on http://consciousconnectionsdailyreadings.blogspot.com courtesy of Doreen Virtue.

Please enjoy my friends and spend a little time with Kuan Yin in meditation today 🙂

Namaste

Mark

Kuan Yin ~ Compassion

Your card today is drawn from the ‘Goddess Guidance’ deck, authored by Doreen Virtue. Your card is the ‘Kuan Yin ~ Compassion’ card, and Doreen’s message for the card is this:
“Release judgments about yourself and others, and focus on the love and light that is within everyone.”

My message for you today is this:
This powerful goddess is a ‘bodhisattva’, which implies that she is eligible for Buddhahood, yet she has committed to remain as a goddess/Ascended Master in service to Souls on Earth.  Kuan Yin (pronounced ‘Kwawn Yin’) assists us in all matters of compassion and mercy, in relation to ourselves and others.  Her gentle energy exemplifies that to be gentle does not imply weakness, as she vehemently protects women and children, encourages those with musical abilities, and accelerates the gift of psychic clairvoyance (clear ‘seeing’) for those with such aptitudes.
We have just moved into Mercury retrograde, beginning Oct. 21st, and will continue in this cosmic energy over the next 3 weeks.  According to United Kingdom astrologist, Sarah Varcas, (www.astro-awakenings.co.uk) the energy of this final Mercury retrograde of 2013 carries the energy of bringing to the surface what needs to be revealed, and, as Sarah states, “…whatever is revealed now is better out in the open than hidden in the shadows.” This Mercury retrograde is about communication and being authentic in doing so.  Sarah concludes her assessment of the energies of this Mercury retrograde by saying, ” So here’s to truth, openness, humility and compassion – the key qualities so vital for an atmosphere of trust and hope to grow.” My reasoning for sharing Sarah’s perspective on the cosmic energies we are moving into is that Quan Yin’s energies are perfect to support us in utilizing these cosmic energies for our greater good!  I believe that that is why she has stepped forward for us today on this first day of the the retrograde…there are no coincidences!  So, call on Quan Yin to support you whenever you are seeking a compassionate perspective, for yourself and others.  Understand that to be gentle does not mean that you are not also powerful, and that gentleness actually reflects a deep inner strength. Understand that to seek to see another’s perspective and to understand their motivation in their communication with you does not mean that you must take on their perspective…at times, another’s perspective can serve to help us determine and CLARIFY what our OWN perspective truly is. Understand that standing in your own power NEVER implies disempowering another…  Kwan Yin‘s desire is that we all be true to and honour ourselves, while also seeing the Divine spark that resides in everyone…yes, everyone!   Embrace the cosmic energy of this current Mercury retrograde to support you in stepping into your own authenticity.  Resist stepping into judgment, and choose compassion…
Blessed be…

One, Uno, Yi, Un, Jeden, Jedan, En, Een, Yisi, Eins, Ichi, Um

Published 16/10/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

one

 

I have talked about this in some blogs before…It only takes One!

We can all do good in this world, help ourselves, help our friends, our neighbours, our family, our brothers and sisters in far away lands who are so much less fortunate than ourselves, our environment, global warming, conflict resolution, peace on earth…..It is in our power and it only takes One….

One Person,

One Hope,

One Voice,

One Smile,

One Hand,

One Word,

One Touch,

One Laugh,

One Candle,

One Life,

One Tree,

One Person Wanting Change,

One Person Who Has Had Enough With Excuses

One Person Who Cares…….

It Only Takes One to Start a Chain Reaction…….Can you Be That Person?

Namaste

With Love, With Smiles and with Joy.

Mark

 

 

What is Happiness?

Published 15/10/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

 

What is Happiness?

What Does Happiness Mean to You?

Where is your Happy Place?

Some great response here in this short video.

Enjoy my friends

Love as Always

Mark

Everyday not just Someday

Published 07/10/2013 by inspiringyourspirit

drawing-strength-from-deeper-and-deeper-places_web

 

Somedays you just feel down,

Somedays you just feel lost,

Somedays your just lost for words,

Somedays you don’t feel loved,

Somedays you don’t know which way to turn,

Somedays you feel so alone,

Somedays you have no confidence,

Somedays you just want to be on your own,

Somedays you feel empty in side,

Somedays life feels so hard,

Somedays you just want to cry,

………

 

But Somedays life is GREAT,

Somedays Life is SWEET

Somedays you feel beautiful,

Somedays you just want to smile,

Somedays everyone loves you,

Somedays you want to be out with friends,

Somedays are perfect for a party,

Somedays everything is within your reach,

Somedays everything is possible,

Somedays you want to sing out loud,

Somedays you want to dance in the rain,

But everyday…..IS A GIFT….Life is a GIFT….You are a GIFT…..You are BEAUTIFUL…..You are LOVE….You are LIGHT……

Respect YOURSELF…Everyday…Not just Someday..

Namaste

Mark

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