Flowers always are a wonderful present for your friends but you can enhance their appreciation by the gift of a quality artificial flower arrangement which has been properly researched by you and has appropriate size and colour for their setting.

Too often we see flower arrangements which are given as gifts which are an in appropriate size for their setting or where the colours lack any coordination or indeed clash with the colours in the setting. An arrangement is appropriate if thought is taken regarding the size and height of the arrangement, colours of the setting, lighting in the setting and the size of the setting. Inappropriate sizing of the artificial flower arrangement could also be a problem, a small puny arrangement will have no place in a large room, similarly a large arrangement will be inappropriate in a smaller area.

If you are choosing an artificial flower arrangement to give to friend, try and envisage the setting, recall the colours and lighting from previous visits and decide on size and colours whilst reflecting on this information. Take your friends colour phobias in to account, do they dislike red or perhaps they just dislike pink. The big advantage of an artificial flower arrangement is that you can account for all these preferences and have a wonderful arrangement. Silk flowers are not season dependent like natural flowers, so all colours are always available, allowing you to choose appropriate colours.

If you are innovative, have a creative streak and an eye for colour coordination you can purchase individual silk flowers, greenery and a base to design your own artificial flower arrangement. Of course you also have to have the time available to put it together.

A vast array of beautiful artificial flowers arrangements is available on the internet. Arrangements are designed to suit every occasion and setting. It is unlikely that you will not find a ready made artificial flower arrangement suited to your requirement on the net.

If you purchase one of these arrangement, you have the advantage of a professionally prepared and presented arrangement. A good supplier will do a superb job in preparing and shipping the arrangement. This will add to the joy of receiving a valued gift that will have a long life, requires little maintenance and does not die off similar to natural flowers or carry any bugs.

It is known fact and widely acknowledged
We are used to the life which is double edged
We do exactly the opposite and pretend
Presentation of rosy picture likely to send

No one should be blamed for this intentional act
It is inherently inbuilt with possible intention to react
No on may be prepared to accept it as exposure
They will resort to any avail means to make it sure

We laugh at our own folly
Don’t share the blame wholly
Pass the buck and defend on false pretext
Yield to irrelevance and quote out of context

No on e can this mean mentality
It is draw back and we can feel only pity
We may try to present it in dubious manner
It can’t be detected by any scanner

We have certainly mastered the art
Others are fool and we are only smart
It may be met with very good break and start
It will be equally painful when we are forced to part

The end result may be on expected lines
We all may be running after false shine
Who will prefer to be on gloomy side?
The difference in perception in very wide

We go on protecting the falsehood
The perceptional difference is not at all understood
It may give momentary joy or relief
You may know it well but won’t strengthen your belief

We realize the facts but pretend not to know
We also know it may prove as disastrous blow
We seriously go for it and prefer to grow
It is naturally a step forward to push us into gallows

My 44th birthday started with a lovely wake-up kiss from my husband. As I rolled over to receive a hug, I felt a sharp twinge under my right shoulder blade. Within a half hour, the twinge escalated to an ever-present ache which would oscillate between a dull throb and a breath-stealing pain. I did what I could with stretching and a hot water bottle to relieve the pain, but it persisted. I felt frustrated, disappointed, and angry because I had reserved the day to exchange yoga therapy sessions something I had not done for myself in years! My body was giving my clear signals that I could not give a session, but maybe, just maybe, could I be open to the possibility of simply receiving one? When I called to speak my truth about my predicament, Kirsten was more than willing to adjust our plans.

As I lay back to receive, I realized that the quality and quantity of the ache had transformed. Rather than being annoyed at the pain, doing my best to either fight it or make it go away, I was now lying back and bringing my curious awareness to it… allowing it to be… wondering about it. And in that moment, I opened to the contrast between my right achy and left silent sides of my body. Surprisingly, my right side felt relaxed, grounded and open despite the occasional twinge, while my left side felt like an over-inflated air mattress… forced into tense rigidity by too much. My left side felt old, artificially propped up… while my right side felt new and fluid. And insight blossomed.

These past 6 months, since discovering a tender, hard spot in my left breast (diagnosed as a benign cyst), followed by the diagnosis of my husband’s leukemia, followed by euthanizing my beloved dog, have been a dedicated expedition for me… a spiritual expedition to overcome my addiction to living my life exhausted and overwhelmed… a quest to discover an open, easeful, flowing way of being in my mind, body and spirit. I’ve titled this expedition “Say Yes to Me”. While I have been very aware of light-speed growth in mind and spirit, this ache today brought my awareness to those parts of my body that had made the shift and those parts that still need help to shift. The pain actually arose from the newness of being… growing pains, if you will. Had I chosen to follow my preferred strategy of “tensing to block it; ignoring it; or numbing myself from it”, I would have lost the chance to reflect on how far I’ve come… to savor where I am now… on my birthday, no less!

At one point, Kirsten lifted me into supported Cobra. Normally, Cobra challenges my lower back which limits my range of movement, but with support, I have a completely different experience of this pose. My arms were extended behind me, grasping hers offered in support, my back deeply bowed, my chest lifted and facing forward… I felt like I was soaring. And in that moment, I had a full-being experience of the metaphysical aspect of Cobra: “I arise effortlessly to face life’s challenges.” And the reality is that each time I choose to reach out and grasp the support that surrounds me in my daily life, I am able to soar… I am able to arise effortlessly to face life. Immense gratitude poured through me as I connected with a whole-body experience of the lightness that I have been experiencing recently throughout my personal and professional life.

The ache stayed with me throughout the day… occasionally lapsing to silence… emerging whenever I would try to WORK. So I chose to spend the day doing things I normally don’t do in the middle of the week. Oh, the wondrous ways my Spirit coaxes me to step out of my self-imposed cage of expectations!

And when I woke up the next morning, the ache was gone. Quite a memorable birthday present if you ask me!

After 15 years in corporate finance and now as an entrepreneur growing a mind-body wellness service, Meenal K Kelkar, MBA, CYT, CPRYT, CTYT has personal experience with how difficult it can be to quiet an active mind. To incorporate meditation into a busy lifestyle, she has developed Mpowerment Meditations, a set of tools that are pragmatic, practical and accessible. Meenal is certified with over 1,000 hours of training in yoga therapy, a rapidly growing field where therapeutic yogic techniques and concepts are applied to the modern lifestyle to support clients in their movement towards wellness.

Meenal serves on the advisory board of the Camarillo Health Care District’s Healthy Attitudes, and teaches throughout Ventura County, California. She has helped corporate clients introduce Mpowerment Meditation tools into employee wellness programs and the corporate strategic planning process. Meenal is a regular contributor to Healthy Attitudes magazine and most recently, Green Home and Family magazine.

There are four basic breathing exercises that I would like to share with you. They are progressive in nature, which means the fourth exercise is more intense and involves more physical releasing than the first exercise. With each exercise you will be over oxygenating the body, forcing excess oxygen into your muscles, and then releasing tension. Each exercise involves breathing, holding and releasing. They can be done in a progression or individually, which ever works best for you. I would encourage you to experiment. Know that what works best one day, might not be what works best next week or next year, so keep exploring and rediscovering.

These exercises can help you to get centered and to get present before a meeting. They can be used to “get the day off” so you can let go of your work life allowing you to transition into your personal life. While some people may use an alcoholic drink to do this, I don’t encourage people to drink; I do however encourage people to breath. The exercises can also create a bubble where we can each just quiet our mind and be. Therefore, you can use them before you sit down to meditate, or before you do a task that requires focus and mental discipline.

To do these exercises, you want to be in a safe place where you will not be disturbed for a few minutes. They work best while sitting in a chair, on a couch, or on the side of your bed with both feet on the floor. Do not do these exercises when you are driving, around machinery or anywhere you can get hurt. If you have a medical condition, it’s always good to check with your Doctor to see if this type of breathing is safe for you. Always take care of yourself, and don’t do anything you think will hurt you.

First Exercise

Inhale through your nose very deeply, almost to the point of over inhaling, and exhale through your mouth. These are not short breaths, but long breaths. This is not a slow inhale and exhale, but rather a quick inhale to the count of 3 to 4 seconds and then an exhale to the count of 3 to 4 seconds. You want to over oxygenate the body. You do 5 inhales and 5 exhales. On the 6th inhale, hold your breath as long as you can. While you are holding your breath, tighten your shoulders, your arms, your stomach, your buttocks, your legs and your toes. Tighten and hold. When you exhale release any tension you might be holding onto and relax your body. If you are holding a lot of tension, you will feel a rush of energy. That is the tension you have been holding in your body. Don’t be afraid of this, it will pass very quickly.

Do a quick scan of your body. What are you feeling in your shoulders, your heart area, your stomach, your buttocks, your legs, your knees, and your feet? Be aware of any tension. Sometime you will feel a pain that you haven’t felt before. This just means you have dropped to another level of awareness. Is there any tingling going on? Tingling usually starts in the feet area. This means your body is starting to come alive again. As you progress through each exercise, the tingling tends to move up the legs, into the hip area and then the rest of your body.

Second Exercise

During this exercise you will do the same type of breathing as you did in exercise one. The only difference is that you will be taking 9 breaths instead of 5 breaths. You will be taking more breaths because there are some physical movements that are added, thus you need more breathing to help over oxygenate the body.

When you inhale, raise your shoulders up high toward your ears and when you exhale, drop and release your shoulders. This will help you release any tension that you might be holding in your shoulder area. At the same time that you are raising and lowering your shoulders, I want you to dig your heals into the floor, push your knees together and push back. This will help you focus on your lower back and buttocks area. Many people hold a lot of tension in this area. Tightening and breathing into this area of the body can be very empowering.

So, putting this all together you will be inhaling, raising your shoulders, digging your heels into the floor, pushing your knees together and pushing back. When you exhale, you will release and relax all the muscles in your body.

After doing the above for 9 breaths, you’ll inhale one more time. On the 10th and final inhale, hold your breath and tighten all your muscles. Hold your breath as long as you can and then release your breath and relax all of your muscles. Quickly scan your body and notice what you are feeling in your shoulders, your heart area, your stomach, your buttocks, your legs, your knees, and your feet. Is there a change anywhere? Are you feeling less tight? Are you feeling any new pain? Has the tingling moved up your legs?

Third Exercise

During this exercise you will again do the same type of breathing as you did in exercise One and Two, only this time you will now be taking 12 breaths. On your first inhalation, push your right fist into your left palm. Relax when you exhale. On your second inhalation, grasp your fingertips together and pull apart. Relax when you exhale. During this exercise you are externalizing that inner struggle of “Come here – No, go away!” “Do this – No, Do that!” “I want you! – No, I don’t want you!”

At the same time you are pushing and pulling, I want you to dig your heals into the floor, push your knees together and push back as you did in exercise Two.

After doing the above of 12 breaths, you’ll inhale one more time. However, on the 13th and final inhale, hold your breath and tighten all your muscles. Hold your breath as long as you can and then release your breath and relax all of your muscles. Quickly scan your body and notice what has changed. Are there still places you are holding tension? Are you feeling the tingling in your lower back area?

Fourth Exercise

For this exercise you’ll want to remove any watches or excess jewelry because you are going to be very physical. During this exercise you will be inhaling and exhaling through your mouth. I want you to breathe like you would after you ran a 100 yard-dash. I want you to breath deep and fast because you will need a lot of oxygen for this exercise.

While you are breathing rapidly, I want you to be stomping your feet on the floor. I want you to stomp hard enough to make impact, but not so hard that you hurt your feet. At the same time, I want you to make two fists, and I want you to hit the couch or bed with full force. Again, not so hard that you hurt yourself, but I want you to hit the bed or couch with a strong impact. I want you to do this breathing, stomping and hitting process for a few minutes. There will be a voice inside that will say, “Okay, I’m done.” Keep going a little longer. At some point in time, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it. While you are holding your breath, I want you to keep hitting and stomping. When you can’t hold your breath any longer, exhale, sit back and relax.

Quickly scan your body and notice what you are feeling. You will be breathing. Good job. At this point, I would like you to repeat the first exercise. Take 5 deep breathes in and tense every muscle in your body, and hold your breath as long as you can. Exhale and relax. Notice what you are thinking. Your mind will be empty and quiet. Nice. It’s possible to go through life with our mind being quiet. You are now present. Breathe in and enjoy.

As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Robert C. Jameson focuses on helping clients understand and overcome issues, such as anger, hurt, depression, anxiety, love, relationships, boundaries and limiting beliefs, to name a few. During his years of private practice, Mr. Jameson found it useful to give many of his clients “homework” in the form of handouts to support their work while in session. The Keys to Joy-Filled Living was born from his handout of tried and true exercises and techniques.