Be Grateful for Everything

Be Grateful for Everything

Reconnect your soul or spirit to gratitude. If you are grateful to the Creator for what you have, you may look at the behavior of another individual with more tolerance, or even with a totally different perspective.

Blessings in life, such as the gift of life, are generally overlooked or even taken for granted. For example, if someone takes advantage of you, do not become angry immediately; instead, be grateful that you are the victim instead of being the person who victimizes others.

Gratitude enables you to develop the mindset for a positive outlook toward your soul. Smile more often. Keep complaints about people, things, and life in general only to yourself—unless voicing them will help bring about positive changes in others or in society.

Gratitude helps you see the good in others, letting you give them the benefit of the doubt. Try to remember that all people are created in the image of God. Focus on the individual as a person, rather than on the behavior or belief of that individual, which may not be appealing or pleasing to you.

Always be grateful that you have been given the opportunity to become either a teacher or a student in whatever circumstance you may find yourself in, and turn it into a miracle of life.

An illustration

At the end of 2007, John Kralik, an attorney who owned a law firm, experienced debts and disasters in both his life and career.

One day, after a walk in the mountains, Kralik became enlightened: as his 2008 New Year’s resolution, he decided to write a thank-you note a day for the rest of the year to everyone he knew.

Kralik’s  2008 “gratitude project”  had changed  his life completely. Instead of his feeling of discontent regarding his lack, and his envy of those who had what he did not have, he had learned to be grateful for his law firm, his practice, his friends, and his family, despite the many disasters and drawbacks he had previously experienced. Kralik’s gratitude began to change every aspect of his life. His relationships with his family, his friends, and his staff improved significantly; his law firm avoided bankruptcy, and turned around completely.

Gratitude is something that you get more only by giving it away more. Expression of gratitude generates happiness that overcomes the unhappy feelings of lack.

Are you grateful for what you have, and not getting what you rightly deserve?

Are you grateful that your vision is not as good as it used to be, but not getting any worse?

Remember, you can always improve your vision, if you will empower your mind to do so.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

A Better and Happier You in 2019

Happy New Year!

A Better and Happier You in 2019

There is an old Latin axiom: “nemo dat quod non habet” — meaning, one cannot give what one does not have.

If you don’t have the wisdom to know your real self, you won’t have the wisdom to understand others, especially who they are and what they need. In order to understand others to have better human relationships, you must first and foremost have the wisdom attained through asking self-intuitive questions throughout your life.

Then, with mindfulness, you observe with a nonjudgmental mind what is happening to you, as well as around you. Gradually, you will be able to see things as what they really are, and not as what they may seem to you: anything and everything in life follows its own natural cycle, just as the day becomes night, and the night transformed into dawn. With that wisdom, you may become enlightened, which means you begin to know your true self—what you have and what you don’t have, and you were created to be who you are, and not what you wish you were or want to become. Knowing what you have, you can then give it to others. It is the giving, rather than the receiving, that will make you become a better and happier you in 2019.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Wisdom in Living

Wisdom in Living

Health is one of the greatest assets of your being, and your eyes are of the most important organs in your body. For without vision, you see nothing, and your perceptions of the world and your experiences will be totally different. The importance of vision health cannot be over-stressed.

Many people don’t pay much attention to their vision health as long as they can see. But vision health, like the health of any organ, may deteriorate over the years; worse, the deterioration will be gradual and subtle, but permanent and devastating long term.

The overall health of an individual is often ignored, just as Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D. bestselling author, and founder of the Chopra enter for Well-being, once said: “If you don’t take care of your health today, you will be forced to take care of your illness tomorrow.”

To take care of your overall health and well-being, you need wisdom, and not just common sense. The explanation is that health and wellness have to be holistic: that is, it includes, the body, the mind, and the soul. For example, in vision health, it is not just relaxing your eyes when you work for too long on your computer; your mind can stress you, and the toxic desires of the body can adversely affect the mind and the souls as well. Wellness wisdom is about the body, the mind, and the soul—they all play a pivotal role in your overall wellness, which ultimately affect your vision health as well.

Look beyond what your eyes can see, and that is wisdom in living.

Get your wellness wisdom for your vision health.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Blinking for Clearer Vision

Studies have shown that between 50 and 90% of people who work in front of a computer screen have some symptoms of eye trouble.

"We definitely see a lot of people who complain of eyestrain," says opthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler. "Hours upon hours of close focusing without taking a break is usually the main culprit."

The problem is so common, there's even a name for it: Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Common symptoms of eyestrain include: sore eyes, dry eyes, teary eyes, blurry vision, double vision, light sensitivity, difficulty focusing on images, neck pain, headache or a combination of all of the above.

Blinking is something humans (and virtually all other creatures) do involuntarily, just like breathing or swallowing. Obviously excluding animals like fish and snakes, which do not have eyelids, everybody and every animal blinks at varying rates. Eyelids are designed to keep the eyes safe, moist, and free of debris, and blinking is a mechanism intended to make sure that the eyelids are constantly doing their job. Thanks to science, it is now widely known that the average person blinks 15-20 times per minute, and nearly 29,000 times per day.

The rate of blinking often depends on the activity, and is often a way for scientists to study how much brain activity is consumed by a specific action. Blinking is the most effective way for individuals to avoid eyestrain from too much computer work. It refreshes the eyes most naturally

But blink rates are much reduced when staring at a computer screen or other digital device, and this can make your eyes burn, dry out, turn red or feel itchy. Sitting too close to your computer monitor, or holding a digital device closer to your eyes than you would normally hold a book or newspaper, also poses a problem. 

The bottom line: be aware of your need to blink,

Stephen Lau

Copyright ©Stephen Lau

Healthy Vision and Diet

Vision problems occur as you continue to age. If you already have them, they may deteriorate further as you advance in years. Many seniors have vision problems that may compromise their quality of life. Your Golden Yearsand Santa Claus shows you how to cope with vision problems and other health-related problems in your golden years.

You can significantly enhance vision health through diet.

Green Tea contains polyphenols that protects the blood vessels that supplies nutrients to your eyes, as well as their surrounding tissues.

Fennel alleviates eye problems, such as cataracts. You have to consume this raw or make it into a tea to bathe your eyes in it.

Passion Flower relaxes the small blood vessels in your eyes thereby instrumental in reducing the stress in the eye muscles.

Ginkgo Biloba increase the flow of nutrients and blood to your retina. Beta Carotene is an antioxidant found in dark green and orange-yellow fruits and vegetables; your body can convert it to Vitamin A, which is essential for the proper functioning of your eyes.

Endive is a green vegetable with a bitter flavor and curly leaves that are eaten raw. Drink endive juice to help your nearsightedness.

Garlic protects the capability and clarity of the crystalline lens. Always eat raw garlic to reap its benefits.

Beets help with cleansing the blood that supplies oxygen and nutrients to your eyes. In addition, beets prevent eye fatigue. You can either juice beets and eat them raw in a salad.

Spinach is loaded with antioxidants that prevent dystrophy of your retinas.

Of course, the eyes, like the rest of your body, require regular exercise to improve its eye muscle functioning. Use it or lose; that also is applicable to your eyes.

Read my book Your Golden Years and Santa Claus to find out how to take care of your vision in your golden years so that your vision is as sharp as those of Santa Claus.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Good Habits for Better Vision

Good Habits for Better Vision

The following are some good habits for better vision:

Mental Habits

Make no comparison between vision without glasses and vision with glasses. Learn to be comfortable with blur. Do not strive to see clearly. Clear vision will automatically come with improved vision.

Clear vision has to do with the strength of the eye muscles, and the shape of the eye. Mind power has this capability.

Harness your mind power for self-affirmations and positive visualization for vision improvement.

Visual Habits

Develop good visual habits to enhance your vision improvement.

Blinking: Blink constantly to relax the eye. Blinking has to be soft and complete, not rapid.

Shifting: Shift your eyes constantly (the healthy eye sends more than 50 images per second to the brain) and rapidly by changing your eye focus frequently. Your eyes move more rapidly when they are relaxed.

Peripheral vision: Be aware of your total field of vision whenever you focus your eyes. Use BOTH central vision and peripheral vision at the same time.

Natural sunlight: Spend more time outdoors instead of indoors to reap the health benefits of sunlight in nourishing your visual system.

Palming: Relaxation of the eye cures all vision problems. The eye rests completely only in total darkness. Practice palming (covering your eyes with your palms but without touching them), and visualize blackness even for as little as 1 to 2 minutes per session. Of course, the longer you palm, the more relaxed your eyes become.

Vision without glasses: See without glasses to bring back your eye’s natural “accommodation” for better vision. However, remember not to strain to see without glasses. Reduce your time of wearing glasses, and delay the time you put on glasses in the morning. Use under-corrected prescription to slowly and gradually wean yourself from wearing corrective lenses.

Vision Awareness

Vision health is all about awareness—awareness of what you should do and what you should not do. Your conscious mind may want to change the bad vision habits that continue to impair your vision, but it is constantly held back by your subconscious mind.

Form the habit of awareness. Always be aware of the following good vision habits:

To heal the eye, change your vision habit!

Your mind determines how your eyes see!

Use your subconscious mind to change your vision with affirmations and visualization!

Breathe right to relax both the mind and the mind!

Consciously train your eyes for distant vision!

Regularly look up from your computer or your book!

The shape of the eyeball determines the power of vision. The relaxation level of the eye predetermines the shape of the eyeball.

See only selectively! Never STRAIN your eyes in order to see better! A blurry image is OK!

Look without blinking (soft vision) for 10 seconds or so!

Do not STARE! Blink to stop frozen gaze!

Do not let a day pass by without palming your eyes!

Always BLINK—soft and complete! Form the habit of constant blinking!

Always train your eyes for peripheral vision to see what is on both sides of your eyes!.

Swing and shift your body with clear and soft vision of your eyes!

Edge and track a distant object with your eyes anytime and anywhere!

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Breathe Right for Better Vision

Vision deteriorates with age, especially if you are wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses.

How well you see is dependent on the amount of light passing through the lens in front of your eyeball that focuses the image on the retina at the back of the eyeball, and thus instrumental in sending the visual information to your brain. The human eyeball is held by ciliary muscles in the eye. When the ciliary muscles are weak, the eyeball becomes slightly distorted or out of shape, and thus affecting the focal image on the retina. This is how vision deteriorates, and this is why wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses does not improve vision because these vision aids precondition the focus of the eye.

To improve vision, strengthen your eye muscles through constant eye relaxation. To remember doing this regularly, you must be mindful of it. Eye relaxation begins with the body, and not just the eyes. If your body does not relax, neither can your eyes relax. So relax your body through mindfulness. Relaxing your eye muscles means you do not “stare” or fixate” at an object, and you must constantly shift your vision focus from close proximity to distance. In addition, you must also constantly blink your eyes in order to relax them. To remember doing all these requires mindfulness.

Mindfulness is conscious awareness, which often begins with mindful breathing. Mindfulness is total awareness of what is going on inside the mind. Mindfulness occurs only when the mind is quiet and relaxed. Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness that requires training; it does not happen naturally. Begin with your mindful breath; that is, consciously aware of your breathing in and your breathing out. Breathing has become so natural to us that we are totally unaware of it, and mindful breath is deliberately bringing back awareness to your inhalation and exhalation. 

The human breath is most important because without it we die in minutes. But most of us take it for granted because we are not mindful of it. If we have mindful breathing, we breathe right—that is, breathing with the diaphragm (the muscle between the lungs and the tummy)—and we breathe completely—that is, the air fills up the upper lungs, not just the lower lungs, and the breathing out is slightly longer than the breathing in. Mindful breathing is full awareness of how we breathe in and breathe out. You don’t have to have mindful breathing throughout the day, but you need to cultivate mindfulness of your breath every now and then in order to enhance your mindfulness. Mindful breathing enables correct breathing that opens the many doors to relaxation, clear thinking, and self-healing.

With mindfulness, you will not forget to blink your eyes regularly to relax them; you will remember to shift your focus (that is, blinking before you shift your focus from a near object to a distant object), instead of staring; you will be more aware of your vision health.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Mind Relaxation to Relax the Eyes

MIND RELAXATION

The eye conditions are constantly changing such that they can be adversely affected by any emotional or mental stress, resulting in eyestrain that can cause vision blur. By the same token, you can significantly improve your vision if you relax your eyes completely through relaxation

Using a Relaxed Mind to Relax the Body

It is almost impossible to relax just your eyes, while the rest of your body remains tense and stressed. Total relaxation begins with the mind first, and then the rest of the body, including the eyes. Use your mind to relax your body, and then your eyes. The best way to achieve mental relaxation is by meditation.

Meditation to relax the mind

Meditation is a proven mind-body therapy for body-mind relaxation.

The healing power of meditation lies in its capability to focus the mind solely on the very present moment, thereby removing memories of the past and worries of the future. Meditation helps you focus your mind on the present moment to the exclusion of past and future thoughts. The mind in its natural and perfect stillness relaxes completely.

In contemporary living, your mind is often riddled with thoughts of what you just did, what you will do, or should have done. Nearly all your thoughts, including your desires and fears, are based on either the past or the future. Your desires are no more than recollections of the past pleasures and hopes of repeating them in the future. Fears are also memories of past pain, and your efforts to avoid the pain in the future. All these rambling thoughts in your subconscious mind indirectly affect your conscious mind, and hence your body and your eyes.

In the present, your mind is always preoccupied with the past or the future, leaving little or no room for the present moment, which, ironically enough, is the only reality. The past was gone, and the future is unknown; only the present is “real.” The present is a gift, and that is why it is called “present.” But, unfortunately, most of us do not live in the present, not to mention appreciate it, because the present is interlaced with the past and the future. Meditation is about re-focusing on the present moment.

The mental focus of meditation is not quite the same as the mental concentration, such as solving a difficult math problem or while performing a complex mental task. Meditation is focusing on something seemingly insignificant (such as your breathing) or spontaneous (such as eating and even driving) such that your mind can be conditioned to focusing on only the present moment. In this way, your mind concentration excludes all past and future thoughts, thereby instrumental in giving your mind a meaningful break. It is in this sublime mental state that you are capable of understanding the true nature of things, and their relativity to the meaning of life and existence. Meditation awakens you to what is real or what is quasi real.

Points to remember when you meditate:

·       Focus on an object as your focal point of concentration: your own breathing; looking at a candle flame; listening to a sound (such as the sound of running water from a fountain); watching your footsteps when you are walking, or just about anything that can easily draw you back to your meditation.

·       Palming is an excellent exercise not just for vision improvement, but also for deep meditation.

·       During your meditation, if your mind wanders away (which is quite common), gently direct your mind to re-focus on the same object of your concentration. Learn how to focus through your act of noticing that your mind has wandered off, as well as through your repetitive efforts. Meditation is all about focusing on the present moment. Make focusing a habit of relaxation for your eyes 

·       Keep yourself in full consciousness: you must be fully aware of what is going on around you. That explains why in meditation (except in the walking meditation) you need to sit erect in order to keep your body in full consciousness. Do not lie down (or else you may fall asleep); do not slouch (this may not help you focus).

A full lotus position is not required. However, it is important that you maintain a consistent position or posture with your thumb tip and forefinger tip of each hand touching very lightly, while the other fingers are either curled or extended out. A consistent posture and hand position will promote a meditative mind to practice your meditation techniques.

Breathing right to relax and to meditate

Breathing is important in meditation because it is the focal point of the mind. In addition, breathing out is associated with “letting go” and “body detoxification”—essential components to relax the body and the mind.

In meditation, focus on your natural breath as it flows in and out. Notice how you inhale and exhale. You will begin to feel yourself becoming relaxed and soothed.

Diaphragm breathing

Diaphragm breathing is the complete breath. Consciously change your breathing pattern. Use your diaphragm to breathe (the diaphragm muscle separating your chest from your abdomen). If you place one hand on your breastbone, feeling that it is raised, with the other hand above your waist, feeling the diaphragm muscle moving up and down, then you are practicing diaphragm breathing correctly. Deep breathing with your diaphragm gives you complete breath.

This is how you do diaphragm breathing:

·       Sit comfortably.

·       Begin your slow exhalation through your nose.

·       Contract your abdomen to empty your lungs.

·       Begin your slow inhalation and simultaneously make your belly bulge out.

·       Continuing your slow inhalation, now, slightly contract your abdomen and simultaneously lift your chest and hold.

·       Continue your slow inhalation, and slowly raise your shoulders. This allows the air to enter fully your lungs to attain the complete breath.

·       Retain your breath with your shoulders slightly raised for a count of 5.

·       Very slowly exhale the air.

·       Repeat the process.

Stephen Lau

Copyright©2018 by Stephen Lau

Common Vision Disorders

Common vision disorders include: cataract, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Eye disorders, like any disease, often start at the cellular level in which oxidation occurs. Cells make up your organs. When cells die, your organs fail and heath deteriorates, and you age and die. The cell of an organ can be destroyed during the process of oxidation in which unpaired electrons, known as free radicals, are produced. Free radicals occur naturally as byproducts of oxidation, such as during respiration and other chemical processes; for example, during breathing, while life-giving oxygen is produced, harmful carbon dioxide is also released.

Likewise, eye disorders are related to free radicals and oxidation. According to research studies, oxidation is involved in the development of most eye disorders, including cataracts, retinal disease, and glaucoma.  

According to Western medicine, there is no cure, and no reversal of the conditions connected with the symptoms. However, we must also look at the underlying causes of glaucoma, and look at the disorder with a different perspective and with a holistic approach to the treatment.

“Glaucoma is an eye condition due to increased eye pressure that may lead to blindness. In conventional medicine, most eye doctors would recommend surgeries and / or eye drops to relieve high ocular pressure in the eye.

However, there is one problem: surgeries and eye drops would also create a chronic condition, ironically enough, leading to ultimate blindness. The use of eye drops may have adverse long-term effects, one of which is the falling off of pieces of iris, causing blockage, and thereby instrumental in increasing eye pressure over the long haul, instead of reducing the eye pressure.

Dr. Leslie Salov, M.D., O.D. Ph.D., in his book Secrets for Bettet professionals who lead very stressful, busy lives. This finding led Dr. Salov to believe that to improve vision or eye health, you need to improve the health of your entire person simultaneously becaur Vision, states that most glaucoma patients are highly intelligense your body is a set of interlocking systems that affect one another. Given that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, your eyes are only a small part of your whole person. Accordingly, to heal the eyes, you must heal the body first. It is just that simple!

To have healthy vision, even as you age, you must employ not only the sciences of physiology, biology, and chemistry, but also the healing powers of philosophy and even spirituality. This is no exception when it comes to treating glaucoma. In other words, to treat glaucoma, you need to examine not just your eyes, but also every aspect of your life, including your emotional and spiritual health. Get a holistic approach to healing glaucoma.

The methods of glaucoma treatment recommended by Dr. Salov also include the following:

Visualization is the use of guided imagery to direct blood, oxygen, and leukocytes (immunity cells) to the eye through a mental image of a healthy eye. Essentially, your conscious mind controls the involuntary processes that occur automatically inside your body. Specifically, visualization relaxes the muscles in the walls of your canal of Schlemm (circular channel in the eye that collects watery substance between the lens and the cornea). By relaxing these muscles, extra fluid can be excreted to relieve the glaucoma pressure. Without using eye drops with chemicals, visualization can naturally relax eye muscles so that your pupils become small enough to open up the canal of Schlemm to excrete the fluid for eye pressure relief.

However, it must be pointed out that visualization works only when you use it with dedication and consistency. In other words, you have to practice visualization daily and diligently.

Meditation is the art of thinking of nothing to remove everyday stresses and worries. When you are under stress, you body produces chemical changes within your body, which decrease blood flow and oxygen level to your eye. Practice meditation to de-stress yourself.  

The bottom line: eye pressure can be relieved by eye relaxation; it is important to relax your eye muscles, just like you would relax the muscles of different parts of your body.

”

Remember, vision has to do with the mind too, and not just the eyes. Without mind relaxation, the eyes are stressed and unrelaxed, and thus raising the eye pressure, which is the underlying cause of glaucoma. Does it make sense?

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

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The TAO of Living for Life

This book is about the art of living well, which is being in the material world we are all living in, but without being of this mundane world. This daunting and challenging task requires profound human wisdom, which comes from TAO wisdom, the ancient wisdom from Lao Tzu, the ancient sage from China, more than 2,600 years ago.

Lao Tzu was the author of the immortal classic Tao Te Ching, made up of 81 short chapters of Chinese poetry on human wisdom, one of the most translated books in world literature.

This book explains the essentials of TAO wisdom, based on Stephen Lau's own translation and interpretation of Lao Tzu's immortal classic Tao Te Ching with his comments after each of the 81 chapters. Living for life is the wisdom of living in this contemporary age. It is not easy, so you need TAO wisdom.

For more information, click here.

The TAO of Living for Life shows you the wisdom of living not just for yourself, but also for others as well --  just as the famous English poet John Donne says: "No man is an island."  Once you perceive this intricate inter-connection between people, you will self-intuit the wisdom of Lao Tzu.  After all, according to Lao Tzu, there is no word or blueprint for human wisdom -- it is all about self-intuition.

Stephen Lau

Sleep Deprivation and Vision Health

Vision health is important because your eyes are the windows through which you see the world. Unfortunately, vision may deteriorate with age, especially if you don’t take care of your vision health.

Sleep deprivation is damaging to health, not just that of your body and mind, but also of your eyes. Good sleep means you get at least 7-8 hours of natural sleep. If you don’t have adequate sleep, you may damage your optic nerve due to a restricted blood flow into your eyes. This condition is known as ischemic optic neuropathy, which may affect the clarity of your vision. Remember, your eyes need oxygen and nutrients just as the rest of your body organs do.

Sleep deprivation may cause eye spasms, which make your eyes twitch uncontrollably. This irritating eye condition, though not serious, can be avoided if you sleep well. Another uncomfortable eye condition due to sleep deprivation is the development of dry eyes. If you experience red, swollen, and bloodshot eyes that are sensitive to light, resulting in blurry vision, you may have dry eyes caused by inadequate production of tears by your tear ducts. Sitting in front of the computer over a long period of time, driving at night without much rest, or simply not getting enough sleep may cause eye strain. Chronic eye strain may damage your vision, causing pain and blurry vision. Therefore it is important to take a break every now and then to give your eyes a meaningful break. The best and the most effective way is to do eye-palming, which is a simple exercise that you can perform any time during the day. You simply place both palms over the eyes but without touching them, and then gently close your eyes; your eyes seem to be seeing “blackness.” Another way to relax your eyes is to do meditation.

If you have sleep apnea that interrupts your breathing while sleeping, you have increasing risk of developing glaucoma, which is a serious eye condition that may result in loss of vision or even blindness due to damaged optic nerve.

All in all, your vision health has much to do with your lifestyle: what you eat, what you do, and how you sleep. Remember, if you have a compulsive mind that forever puts you in the past or in the future, except in the present, you are living a stressful life that prevents you from getting a good sleep at night. Stress is the underlying contributor to disease, including loss of  vision. Take care of your mind to take care of your body,  including your eyes.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau