​I first heard about Feng Shui from my wife. We bought a book on the subject, quite expensive at the time when we had little money, and from that time I have built an active appreciation of the benefits of this art. The best way I can describe my experience is when one day, shortly after our book purchase, I walked into a room arranged on Feng Shui principles. I will never forget the almost instant feeling of calmness that came over me combined with a desire to simply stay put in this beautiful room for a while – to draw energy and refresh my mind.

So what are the benefits of Feng Shui?

Well a good nights sleep is one (more on that later in this blog). Harmonising energy flows is another, and that makes us feel alive and open to possibilities. Creating calmness – removing clutter in your house helps remove clutter in your mind. 

In business there have been numerous studies linking a new Feng Shui environment to increased turnover and profitability. Check out these case studies in the UK from a Feng Shui consultant who describes the positive effects of Feng Shui on various businesses. An interior design company that doubled turnover, a hairdresser whose profits substantially rose after six months and a toy retailer nominated for toy shop of the year. 

​Here are four simple Feng Shui changes that you can make to help you feel calmer, happier and open to the positivity in the world around us:

FOUR:   Lighten things up
Especially areas such as your main entry hall – very important in Fen Shui as it is through the front door that your house gets its Chi ( a Chinese word meaning aliveness, life force, energy or life breath – also known as Prana). It is for this reason, by the way, that you shouldn’t have a mirror facing your front door as it pushes all that good energy right back out the front door. Mirrors not facing the door are good though as is plenty of natural light – or failing that lamps or overhead spotlights. And also remember to de-clutter to create clean inviting lines.​

​If I said all it took was ten minutes a day to de-stress and relax you would probably think this was yet another “get well quick” scheme requiring minimal effort and instant results. And I would have agreed with you . . . a few years ago.

I have a busy life. I am the breadwinner for the family. I work hard and I tend to fill my days with things to do. I hadn’t considered myself stressed, but then again I wasn’t an impartial observer watching me hurry from one thing to the other. So when my wife suggested we go to a meditation course together, to be honest the idea didn’t really light my candle.

The Medical Dictionary defines meditation as a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

Meditation practice isn’t new. Its hard to know when it first started, but its more than hundreds of years ago. I think a lot of us associate meditation with robe-clad monks sitting on a hilltop chanting. So I was pleasantly surprised to find two completely normal looking guys greet us at our first meditation class.

​Meditation is really about being present and clearing your thoughts. Some say its thinking about nothing. And that is not easy. 

1. The idea is to completely relax in a seated position that suits you. You don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor – on a chair is fine. 
   
2. In our class we then were encouraged to imagine a river in a peaceful setting and when thoughts came into our mind to “throw” them into the river and let them wash away. Or to imagine a sky with clouds, each cloud being a thought which we could add to – and that the clouds would disperse leaving an expanse of blue . . .
   
3. Next comes awareness of your breathing. In and out of the nose. Try it now – close your eyes for a few moments and just notice your breath. In an out – say for 10 times. It’s a clever way of focusing your thoughts on the present and taking them away from things in the past or jobs you have to do.
   
4. Our instructors then encouraged us to focus on our heart and imagine a light – and that light becoming brighter when we breathed in and darker when we breathed out.
   
5. And once you have the picture of the light in your chest, the idea then is to imagine that light spreading to the rest of your body, and then to the room you are in (you can go on and on until it becomes a whole universe light thing but I found that too hard to imagine). 
   
6. Then its reversing the process – bringing the light in from the room, to our body and then your heart. Starting to become aware again of the room you are in (its amazing how you can “forget” where you are during meditation) and finally opening your eyes and emerging back into the crazy, rough and tumble world we live in.

​According to the Art of Living website the benefits of meditation are:

According to Wikipedia, Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, blood platelets, and the central nervous system of animals, including humans.

Medical News Today is a bit more helpful and tells us that serotonin carries signals along and between nerves (that’s the “neurotransmitter” bit). It is responsible for maintaining mood balance, and that a deficit of serotonin leads to depression.

Antidepressants are one way of increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain. But there are other natural ways to either replace the use of antidepressants, or to help them work more effectively.

If there is one thing that the northern Scandinavian countries lack in winter, it is sunlight. Science Nordic has a great article about lack of sunlight and how to counteract the “winter blues”. Its reasonably well known that the body struggles to produce vitamin D without exposure to the sun. But the sun also activates light-sensitive nerve cells, which stimulates the production of serotonin. The answer is pretty simple – get more light in your life, particularly in the morning. Make the place where you have breakfast well lit – light on the walls and on the table, rather than soft lighting and candles . . .

There is also some evidence that exercise can boost serotonin levels. Check out the Livestrong website for a good article on exercise and its effect on serotonin.

But diet is the area I am personally attracted to at the moment. Healthline.com has a good article on foods that could boost your serotonin levels. But there is a catch . . . The article says its not Serotonin that is found in food, but tryptophan – and its not as simple as eating a high trypothan diet. Apparently the trypothan in your food has to compete with other amino acids to be absorbed into your brain. 

Today I listened to an inspirational TED talk. 

Melati and Isabel Wijsen go to the Green School in Bali. I visited the adjoining Green Village only a couple of weeks ago and so I pricked up my ears. Anyway, one day these girls learned about significant people at school. People like Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi. And on the way home the girls discussed why they couldn’t be significant right now. Why should they wait until they grew up?

​These girls were only 10 and 12 when they started. They said they had no business plan but one hell of a vision. They decided to harness the “boundless energy” of themselves and their friends and “act” the change they wanted to happen. How inspirational and brave is that!

Their campaign “Bye Bye Plastic Bags” is now recognised internationally as one of the most successful conservation movements around. And they now have a commitment from the Government that Bali will be plastic bag free by 2018.

I loved the way these girls talked and presented themselves on the TED video. You could see how much they were loving what they were doing and how proud they were of themselves and each other. I am truly inspired – plastic bags are now being phased out of our lives. And I think I have learned a lot about having the courage to simply do what is the right thing.

Apparently bananas contain a healthy amount of antioxidants as well as “Tumor Necrosis Factor” which is a cancer fighter. The more ripe the banana the higher the anti cancer properties. For people with depression, bananas also contain high levels of trypothan which then converts into seretonin – hence alleviating the symptoms of depression.

But that’s not all. Eating bananas:

•    Gives you more energy;
•    Helps with weight loss;
•    Are great for the brain;
•    Help to balance your homones;
•    Alleviate heartburn;
•    Lower blood pressure and keep your blood healthy;
•    Are great for your bones;
•    Treat stomach ulcers;
•    Can cure hangovers;
•    Alleviate constipation; and
•    Enhance memory

Another great article – “12 Foods Happy People Eat”. Bananas get a mention  of course – but also blueberies, acai berries, greens, nuts and seeds etc.

Also check out Mind.org.uk website where they explore the relationship between what you eat and how you feel. 

I agree – I know what foods make me feel bloated and tired (junk and highly processed food) and I know what food makes me feel lighter and more energised (yes bananas of course, but also things like sushi, fish and salads).  If I am not sure about something I close my eyes and imagine how I will feel 20 minutes after eating something – your body will always give you the right answer!