My friend Teresa picked me up in Lisbon late Friday afternoon, and we drove two hours to the southern part of the country to an area called Bordeira where she has 65 acres. It’s about half of a mile from the Atlantic Ocean.
If I took a boat from Miami and went east, I would end up here in a few months. One of the things I found most interesting is a wood-fired still to make spirits. The manager of the farm has been practicing Chinese herbal medicine and alchemy for years. He is alone on the farm all week and is distilling a special brew of longevity herbs and pine sap – an energetically rich formula to enhance brain function.
I’ve noticed the difference in my relationship to nature here. As I’ve been exploring the woods, I’ve been reminded how there’s a special energy that one can only feel in nature. The farm is in a valley surrounded by forests of cork trees and pines filled with pine nuts. Being in the country far from city lights, you can see thousands of stars at night – twinkling in the blackness of the skies.
It’s Fall here in the northern hemisphere, harvest time. The nights are cool, but the days are still warm. According to the five-element theory, Fall is when our lungs and large intestines are affected. It’s the season when people who are out of balance get colds, flus and skin disorders. But if you are balanced, it’s the best time of the year to move forward with your projects.
Trips like these bring us certain advantages that we can really use to change our lives.
When we are out of town, we don’t have the same worries or responsibilities. One’s training time can be longer and more intense. Travel gives more time to be social with friends, family and have more opportunity to meet new people. You have the advantages of stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things. These things open up your heart and mind. You become more adventurous exploring different paths of the world as well as your view on life. Something you wouldn’t necessarily do at home.
According to the formula of the magic square, (more info here: http://rechargingqigong.com/products/magic-square-workshop/) travel brings in new opportunities to increase your possibility of making more money. The relaxation one gets out of being on vacation opens and changes the mind, the body and allows your creativity to expand. If you’re finding it hard to get away and take a vacation, don’t worry.
There are ways to still squeeze in some extra vacation days a month without spending a dime.
Here’s what I do. I wake up an hour earlier than usual and head to a park, the woods or any body of water. I take advantage of nature.
That’s where I practice my qigong, relax and meditate. This gives me 28 hours of vacation time per month. That’s like three vacation days per month – or – more than a month of vacation time per year. Sounds relaxing to me!
P.S. You can download the Qigong bundle and give yourself a gift of health and longevity: http://rechargingqigong.com/qigong-video-bundle/
