creating sacred spaces

Meditation and other spiritual practices are basic to enhancing energy—they create balance and improve the quality of your home or office. In fact, the best thing you can do to create a sacred santuary (to improve the supportiveness of  a space) is to do spiritual practices (sadhana). Prayer, meditation, yoga, chanting, and pranayama all enliven a space.

Be consistent with the spiritual practices of whatever tradition you are drawn to. As the Sufi poet Rumi said, your true home is within and reachable by letting go and allowing the mind to go inward. When we feel at home within ourselves and within our own hearts, any building we live in will feel more serene and supportive. Meditation practices make us more perceptive of our environment, so that we intuitively know many of the changes to make. We become more in touch, literally and metaphorically. According to Vastu, the northeast or the center of the home is the best area for meditation rooms, spiritual altars, and yogic practices.

adapted from Yoga Internation by Sherri Silverman

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation Timer.  It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.

tools for meditation, zen timer

Now & Zen – The Yoga Timer & Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Feng Shui Tips

If insomnia is a problem, don’t overlook the decor of your bedroom. Indeed, the legendary healer Hazel Parcells (1889-1996) once helped a sleepless client by insisting that she totally redo the room she slept in. “It had been decorated for years in a jungle motif,” says Joseph Dispenza, author of Live Better Longer: The Parcells 7-Step Plan for Health and Longevity (HarperCollins, 1997). “Imitation zebra skin sheets and drapes, wall hangings of monkeys in trees, and all of it set against a background of tropical colors of red, orange, and bright green. ‘There’s your problem,’ said Dr. Parcells, ‘You’re trying to get some sleep while your bedroom is engaged in monkey business all night!'”

Ideally, your bedroom should be restful and not used for anything but sex and sleep. Banish all paperwork and the television to other rooms, keeping clutter to a minimum. “Keep on hand the things you need while in bed but put away everything else,” says Donna Stellhorn, the owner of Moonrise Books in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and an expert in feng shui techniques. “The simpler the better,” she adds.

If that still doesn’t work, consider these tips:

Furniture, plants, and other objects should never loom or hang over the bed; they can threaten your subconscious mind. Plants should also be alive and green, not dry (suggesting death or morbidity) or spiky (threatening).

As for the bed, place it so your head is either facing north or east—experts disagree on which is best—in a spot where you will not be startled if a family member enters. And don’t let junk accumulate under the bed. It can disturb the flow of chi (energy) and affect your sleep.

Color is important. “Best is pale pink, peach, or lavender if you are healthy, but pale green or blue if you’ve been ill or low in energy,” says Stellhorn. Avoid bright colors and busy patterns.

Dr. Parcells also recommended natural—not synthetic—sheets, blankets, and pillows, the right room temperature, good air circulation, and few mirrors, which create cacophonous visual images.

Rather than a loud, buzzing alarm, greet the morning with a Zen Clock with Chime, Tibetan Bowl Clock, chirping birds, relaxing music, an energizing mist of peppermint oil, or a light that brightens gradually to imitate the rising sun.

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.

What makes this gentle awakening experience so exquisite is the sound of the natural acoustic chime, which has been tuned to produce the same tones as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. According to the product’s inventor, Steve McIntosh, “once you experience this way of being gradually awakened with beautiful acoustic tones, no other alarm clock will ever do.”

adapted from Yoga Journal Magazine, by Sally Eauclaire Osborne

Chime Alarm Clock, a Natural Sound Alarm Clock

Now & Zen – The Gentle, Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Feng Shui your bedroom for a better rest

Use Feng Shui principles to set up your bed and you could wake up more rested.

Use Feng Shui principles to set up your bed and you could wake up more rested, according to Ellen Whitehurst, a feng shui consultant and author of the upcoming book Make This Your Lucky Day (Ballantine, 2007). The goal is to balance the energy in your bedroom so you can relax-to do this, start by placing the head of your bed against a wall, which will give you a feeling of stability (a headboard has the same effect). But don’t put your bed in a corner. “Leave space on both sides of your bed so energy can circle freely around you,” says Whitehurst. If possible, move your bed so you can see your door without being directly across from it-or in front of a window. This arrangement, called “the command position,” will subconsciously make you feel more secure by allowing you to see who is coming into your room without being startled.

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.

What makes this gentle awakening experience so exquisite is the sound of the natural acoustic chime, which has been tuned to produce the same tones as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. According to the product’s inventor, Steve McIntosh, “once you experience this way of being gradually awakened with beautiful acoustic tones, no other alarm clock will ever do.”

adapted from Natural Health Magazine

Chime Alarm Clock, the original progression wake up clock with soothing Feng Shui Chime to awaken you gently

Now & Zen – The Peaceful Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Soothing Bedroom Tips

Prepare your bedroom for a good night’s sleep by reducing incoming light, lowering the temperature and removing any clutter from around your bed.

Trouble sleeping? Feeling tired? Check these bedroom trouble spots.

Light

If you can see your hand after the lights are turned off, your bedroom is too light. Streetlights, nightlights and appliances can produce enough light to disrupt the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle, causing effects similar to jet lag.

■ Fix It: Move or cover light sources. If streetlights invade your bedroom, install lightblocking drapes. Also limit light exposure before bedtime. Being surrounded by electric light in the evening—even checking e-mail before bed—can reset your biological clock and make falling asleep difficult.

Temperature

Heating the bedroom in cold weather isn’t just a waste of energy; it also messes with your sleep.

■ Fix It: A temperature of 65 degrees is ideal for sleep. Keep warm with a comforter or blankets that retain body heat.

Noise

Sudden loud noises can awaken you, and even passing traffic can fragment sleep.

■ Fix It: Sleep as far as possible from the street and noisy appliances. Mask other sounds with earplugs, a “white noise” generator or a fan.

Visual Noise

Clutter, visual distractions, stimulating colors, bright lights and TV can all distract sleepers.

■ Fix It: Paint your walls soothing colors such as lavender, blue or light green, and remove everything nonessential from your nightstand.

Shui that Feng

If you’re not sleeping well, check the position of your bed, which may be a source of distress. Consider rearranging if your bed is:

■ Over the garage or entry.
■ Near a fuse box or other electrical source.
■ Aligned with doorways.

adapted from Natural Home Magazine, Nov/Dec 2010 by Carol Venolia

Zen Timepiece in Cherry Finish with Tibetan Bowl Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’ Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Feng Shui your Bedroom for Better Sleep

Feng shui is more than an elaborate decorating scheme. The ancient Chinese art of balancing your environment’s energy flow, known as qi (“chee”), can nurture your health and foster longevity.

“The atmosphere of your home will affect you on a physical level,” explains feng shui consultant Lillian Bridges. “For example, insomnia might be related to having too much light in your bedroom, while inflammatory problems might be aggravated by environments that are too chaotic. To a large degree, feng shui is basically common sense combined with good aesthetics.”

To bring positive, health-enhancing energy into your home, ask yourself: What isn’t working in my life? What kind of health conditions am I dealing with? “If you’re depressed, your house may be too dark; bringing in fire energy with more light and warm colors like pinks and peaches can lift your spirits,” Bridges says.

She also suggests covering your windows at night, and guarding your house with such protective symbols as a crimson phoenix, green dragon, or white tiger. “If you don’t feel safe, this can damage the nervous system and lead to stress-related problems like stomachaches and headaches.”

A home filled with clutter can create a “stale energy” that weakens the immune system, according to Total Feng Shui author Lillian Too. Toss out old papers, unwanted clothes, and other inessential belongings at least once a year. Take good care of your plumbing, which Too calls “the arteries of the home.” And as you’re freeing up energy blockages, beautify your house by adding qi-enhancing color to cluttered and dark spaces. Too recommends painting these areas white to invite in active energy, and brightening with soft, warm light.  Also, decorate by adding ‘Beauty Elements’ to your home.   One might add flowers or a potted Orchid to spaces that need brightening.  The Zen Alarm Clock with Chime (Now & Zen, $124.95) will add uplifting ‘Sound Elements’ to beautify your living space.

adapted from Natural Health Magazine, by Elizabeth Barke

Now & Zen's Chime Alarm Clock Shop in Downtown Boulder

Now & Zen’s Clock Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Use Zen Alarm Clocks with Soothing Chime to Feng Shui your Bedroom