Good morning, dear friends 
Did you sleep well last night?
You remember those mornings that you absolutely refused to budge from under those covers and get out of your bed? How you wish you have a few more minutes, even half an hour maybe, to enjoy your bed and catch a few more winks? Now, hold on that memory……
According to some statistics, there is at least 10 percent of the world’s population that suffer from insomnia every night. Falling asleep or our quality of sleep even can be affected by many factors such as stress, too much caffeine within 6 hours before bedtime, illness, naps in the afternoon, and the worst of them all ===> a loudly snoring partner in bed with you!! 
What I am going to describe here to you is a method that I follow nowadays whenever I find myself wide awake and hard to go back to sleep, or just in falling asleep. More than a year ago, I often suffer from insomnia and I would get very worked up because I have to wake up at 6am every weekday to drive my kids to school and the later I fall asleep, the lesser sleep I’m going to get.
This is what you need to do. Try to empty your mind of all thoughts and worries, just relax. For me, I can’t even think and complain to myself that I have got only X numbers of hours to sleep before I have to wake up. RELAX and clear your mind.
One way to RELAX is to start by focusing from your head and moving down slowly all the way to your feet – e.g. first you focus on your head and your loosen or relax the muscles there. Do this part by part until your whole body is relaxed and loose. Stay calm in your mind. The reason we do this if because often, it is the stress, tension and worry that we can’t seem to fall asleep that is making the problem at hand even more difficult…..so relax.
Now, recall the memory that you have at the beginning of this post, whereby there were those mornings that you wish you still have some time to laze in bed? Good! Now is the golden opportunity for you to laze in bed – you have all the time in the world until the morning to laze around and enjoy your bed!! 
Mind you, this is such a wonderful feeling, knowing that you need not have to get up in minutes and you have many hours to do this.
Next, plump up your pillows, arrange your sheets and blankets nicely, slowly arrange yourself in bed and tell yourself this, “Ah…..now I am going to enjoy my bed.” Hug your bolster, feel the smoothness of your silk bedsheets……..luxuriate in the feelings of your bed, and just relax.
In your mind, just clear all thoughts and focus on your breathing or just how fantastic your bed feels …….. and lo and behold……..you go ….zzzzzzzzzzzz! Before you know it, your alarm clock is buzzing already to wake you up the next morning!
I give all the credit of this sleeping method to a monk I know, Ajahn Brahm, who taught this method for insomnia during one of his talks. Ajahn Brahm was a physicist in England, before he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in the 1970′s and he is now the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, Serpentine, Western Australia. He is also known as the “Seinfeld” of Buddhism and is well-known for his light Dhamma talks (in English), which are available in both video and audio at www.bswa.org. There are close to 200 talks there, and I particularly love his talks on “Relatiosnhips”. I had learn a lot about life from his talks. 
Oops….again I am digressing from the subject of this post…. 
Anyway, here is wishing you a good night’s sleep tonight!
Much peace, joy and harmony to all,
choesf
Hi there, dear friends
As in previous years, Master atan from Dhealing Forum, is now offering a FREE Christmas Trinity Prayer for good energies and good luck. You can submit your names here to be included in his name list for the Christmas prayers. Details are in his message quoted below .
Please note that your names can be Google-ed or found in the Internet. As such, you are encouraged to use nicknames, initials or usernames to protect your privacy when submitting your names.
Christmas Trinity Prayers 2012 Name List
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
With best wishes,
choesf
Christmas Trinity Prayers for 2012
Dhealing is organizing a Christmas Trinity Prayer for Christmas 2012 – the Prayer can bring much good Chi and counter bad Chi.
![:vh:]( "joy")
The Blessings of this unique Trinity Prayer are very good for Protection, Good Health, Peaceful Love and Relationships.
![:vh:]( "joy")
In total, there are 3 Trinity Prayers – one can select all or any of the Listed Prayers below.
- Christian Trinity Prayer.
- Fu, Lu and Shou Trinity Prayer.
- Feng Shui Trinity Prayer.
This is a Free Prayer – anyone can join.
![:yp:]( "yippee")
Those who wish to Donate - Donations are most welcome.
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Name listing format/example…..
1. Atan – Prayer 1,2,3 – Malaysia, .or
2. Atan – Prayer 2,3 – Malaysia., or
3. Atan – Prayer 1 – Malaysia
Master atan will be performing the Christmas Trinity Prayer on the 24th and 25th of December 2012. Master atan’s Prayers are very popular, for many had sought his help. In 2012, he had done more than 20,000 Prayer requests.
Good Luck.
![:vh:]( "joy")
Master atan
A pot of Kuding Tea, unfurled Kuding Leaves, a cup of Kuding Tea, Dried Kuding Tea/Nails
Hi there, dear friends
I was introduced to this amazing tea called Kuding Cha by George from Singapore who had commented at my “Amazing, Inexpensive Jiaogulan/Immortality Tea” post earlier (Comment # 65) – I will copy his comments below so that you will learn about this wonderful bitter tea. His health has improved tremendously after drinking the Kuding Cha for a few months, but most importantly, his diabetic blood sugar level has dropped to a prediabetes level. My husband is also a diabetic and I am hoping that this tea will help lower his blood sugar level, and hopefully, wean him off his medication as well. As such, all credit of this post goes to George for leading me to Kuding Cha.
What is Kuding Cha or Kuding Tea 
The word “Kuding” in Chinese actually means “bitter” and “nails or spikes”. Bitter in taste, the dried whole tea leaves are rolled up usually like a nail form, but they can be found in ball shapes or in loose leaves, too. The leaves are from the Broad Holly or Ilex species tree and can be found in Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Zhejiang, Hunan and Jiangxi in China. Although it is called a tea, it is drank more as a medicinal tea, rather than as a tea for enjoyment because of its bitterness, which remains even after steeping it a few times.
A 40 gm pack of Kuding Tea Leaves
What are the health benefits of Kuding Tea
Kuding Cha is one of the most famous tea in history. According to the Chinese Compendium Materia Medica, the medicinal properties of Kuding Tea can dispel wind-heat, clear the head and the eyes, alleviate thirst, strengthen the digestive system, keep up the spirits (relieves fidgety), clear toxins, reduce inflammation, as well as lower blood pressure and blood lipids (cholesterol).
It is good as an anti-cancer, anti-diabetes tea as well, and has been dubbed the “beauty care tea,” “longevity tea,” and “slimming tea”. Most people started taking this tea for its healthy properties but found that they had also lost some weight quite fast along the way. Some sites sell this tea as an effective slimming tea.
Where to buy Kuding Cha
In Malaysia, there are not many places selling Kuding Tea leaves. After asking my regular Chinese Medicine Shop boss to get some for me (he also didn’t managed to get the leaves in the end), and asking around many shops selling tea and herbs, I finally found one shop in Midvalley Megamall last Sunday selling Kuding Leaves. The name of the shop is Yin Onn and is located opposite the Eu Yan Sang Chinese Medicine shop on the lower ground floor. However, the tea leaves are very expensive – RM9 for 40 gm only (see pic below). 
Anyway, I will continue to look around the other shops that may sell Kuding Cha here in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. 
For those in Singapore, you can buy Kuding Cha from these shops (info provided by George) ===>
1) Bee’s Brand Birds Nest & Health Products @
- 64-66 Smith Street
- BLk 762 Jurong West Ave 5 St 75 #01-282 Gek Poh SC
- BLk 106 Yishun Ring Rd #01-149 Chong Pang City
- Blk 19 Ghim Moh Rd #01-251
2) Gainswell Trading
- Blk 531 Upper Cross St #01-14/16/55 Hong Lim Complex
- Victoria Wholesale Centre
Those in other countries can buy them from shops online if they do a search for Kuding Cha or Kuding Tea.
Taste and Dosage
So far, my family has been testing the Kuding Tea for 4 days only. For the first time, I only used 1 stick of tea for fear of its bitter taste as I wasn’t sure if my family can take it bitterness. Despite the warning of extreme bitterness, my family found the taste palatable and not bad, as it wasn’t as bitter and terribly tasting as some other Chinese herbal drinks I had made them drink!
I have since amended the dosage and I am now giving my husband 3 sticks of Kuding Cha in 300 ml of water each, twice a day ===> in between his medication and right before bed time. For myself and 2 of my children, we take 1 stick each only, also in 300 ml of water each. The leaves are steeped for at least 1 to 2 hours before consumption, to reap as much of the tea’s goodness as possible.
Repeated brewing or steeping of the tea leaves continue to yield even more bitterness, although the taste is somehow diluted.
Feedback
When we started on Kuding Cha last Sunday, my husband was suffering from very sore gums, whilst my eldest daughter was having a sore throat for days already – all signs of body heatiness and inflamations. After giving them a few cups of Kuding Tea on Sunday – they recovered 90% by Monday, and by Tuesday, the pains were gone.
For me, I was also suffering from slight sore gums, but I didn’t dare to take too much Kuding Cha as I can’t take cooling teas or drinks too well – when my body is overly cooling, I would feel sleepy or lethargic. But due to my sore gums, I also took 1 stick (3 cm long) of Kuding Tea in the morning and by the afternoon, my sore gum would be gone, too.
As for the slimming properties of this tea, I will report here later in a month’s time to see if my husband, second daughter and youngest son have lost some weight.
Meanwhile, if you are trying out Kuding Cha, I would love to hear from you, too, on your experiences.
Some other sites with interesting information on Kuding Tea (click on the names) ===>
Sci-rutgers.edu – A Herbal Tea Called Kuding
Wise Geek – What is Kuding Tea?
Also, do read the comments below for more information.
Warning 
This tea is very cooling and women who are having their menses, pregnant or had just delivered a baby are not allowed to drink Kuding Cha. People with low blood pressure should avoid this tea. As with all alternative healing drinks, if you are on any medication, please have your doctor monitor your health closely while drinking this tea.
If you feel dizzy, lethargic or suffer from cramps often while drinking Kuding Tea, stop taking the tea immediately for those are signs that your body is out of balance and is too cooling or yin in nature. . However, you can take warm or spicy foods to warm back you body – lamb stew is good, especially with some ginger thrown in. Ginger tea is good and warm.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
