All articles, tagged with “nature”

Here’s the latest track of GCMusic called, “Whistler Spirit.”

Whistler, British Columbia is a magical and majestic place, not to mention a fantastic place to ski and enjoy outdoor nature sports. Everywhere you look, there is stunning natural beauty. Here’s the tune that came along after visiting the area. The Studio Blog is the place to hear the complete track.

Just press play and enjoy . . .

All of us can use ways to find calm, right? Well here are just a few ideas that can help you experience peace and relaxation.

1. Calm your mind with meditation or breath awareness. When you wake up or just before you go to sleep for the night try one of these techniques:

a) Follow the movement of your abdomen as you breathe calmly. Just observe without feeling the need to control your breath. Whenever your mind drifts and you become aware that you’re no longer observing your breath, just gently come back to focusing on your breathing and the rise and fall of the abdomen. Start with 5 minutes and increase by one minute each successive day. Use a timer if you desire or just do it for as long as you want. With practice, you can get to 20 minutes each day. You will find that this practice will become a part of your active, waking day as well, bringing you tremendous calming benefits.

b) Practice visualization for five minutes a day. Create pictures in your imagination that reflect your life as you desire it to be. Feel the feelings of already having the life you desire as you imagine your mental movie in great detail. You can build details into your imaginary film every day. Try this for 21 days in a row and observe any changes you experience in your ability to think about things in your life as you desire them to be (even when you’re moving through your day). Also, remember Einstein’s great quote:

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”

c) Observe your thoughts without judgment. Pretend that your mind is the sky and that thoughts are like passing clouds. There’s no need to label thoughts as good or bad, just allow the thoughts to come into your awareness and pass through without you getting attached to them. When you resist the thoughts you don’t want, you give them power to stay around and become stuck in your field of consciousness. When an unwanted thought comes about, just observe it with a “there it is,” unattached approach. This practice is really great for helping you to develop greater clarity of focus. Try it for 5 minutes a day.

2. Fully engage yourself in a creative activity. Whether it’s practicing piano, learning a language, developing a business plan or playing with your kids, engage in these activities on a regular basis with your full attention. Turn off your cellphone and put away your electronic devices (unless your creativity is taking place on the computer) to help put you in a dedicated mental space. Plan time for this activity every day for 21 days so that it becomes an effortless habit.

3. Take a walk outside in nature. Few activities calm the mind more effectively than the act of communing with nature. You become connected to something larger than yourself when you open your focus to the variety and connectedness of the outdoors.

4. Listen to relaxing music or watch videos that make you feel tranquil. If you’re in the middle of a hectic day, music can be that “take it anywhere” elixir to help soothe your stress. As readers of the Studio Blog already know, we make videos specifically for that purpose called, “Water Films.” “GCMusic” is also a good resource for relaxing music.

We hope you find these techniques helpful as you journey toward greater peace in your everyday life. All of these ideas give you greater benefit with regular practice because you’ll find what works best for you. I find that something as simple as looking at a picture of a flower (like the one below) can immediately raise my vibration. Enjoy!

For more hibiscus photos, check out our Hawai’i Hibiscus album on our Facebook page. Click here.

The last two weeks of October have been incredibly beautiful with the trees showing off their colors. Inspired by images of fall, I present to you a new relaxing Water Film, “Autumn Spirit.”

This short film features images from right outside my front door to the Metroparks around Cleveland to the Cuyahoga River Valley. The visual treat is accompanied by my brand new recording of Debussy’s piano Prelude, “Danseuses de Delphes.”

You can watch this new movie here:

Watch it in HD on the full screen on Youtube!

Or you can go to our Water Films website.

If you like the brand new recording of Debussy’s piano music, “Danseuses de Delphes,” you can download it here.

Kick back and relax!

Here’s another new relaxing Water Film to share with you called, “High Lake.” There is this stunning lake, nestled in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, high above the infamous Lake Louise. It is named Lake Agnes. The spot is so peaceful and magical that one is instantly transformed in its presence. There is a lovely tea house that overlooks the lake which sits at around 6,500 feet. The aerobic 75 minute uphill hike is quickly forgotten when you rest on the shore of this pristine lake.

We recommend turning on your external computer speakers or putting on some nice headphones to get the full effect of the deep, resonant tones mixed with the natural sounds.

You can watch this new movie here:

Watch it in HD on the full screen on Youtube!

Or you can go to our Water Films website.

If you like the brand new relaxation music, “High Lake,” you can download it here.

Enjoy!

The power and inspiration of nature is crystal clear in the following photos:

Photo #1 – This is the Kalalau Valley in Koke’e State Park in Kaua’i. Words can’t describe the beauty and power of this spot.

Photo #2 – Not too far from the Kalalau Valley is the Waimea Canyon, a place that Mark Twain called “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”

Photo #3 – The hibiscus is the state flower of Hawai’i. This orange variety caught my eye.

Photo #4 – The Hawaiian Monk Seal can be seen sunning itself on the eastern shore of Kauai

Photo #5 – The red crested cardinal . . .

Photo #6 – Donkey Beach got its odd name from the fact that nearby sugar plantations used donkeys to haul cane to the fields. It’s a very peaceful spot with some pretty rough waves (if you decide to step in).