The Moderns

Feng Shui for Architecture, Design
and the Environment

When: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, FEBRUARY 8, 9, 10th

Where: THE MODERNS, 900 Broadway, Suite #202

For more information, visit here.

Sponsored by: Feng Shui of the Present Time®

Organized by: Feng Shui of the Present Time®

Speakers: Jean François and Corine Mermillod. Designers, architects and consultants of Feng Shui of the Present Time®, co-authors of The Five Keys of Feng Shui and Feng Shui and the Garden of Lights.

Event Website

Cost per member: $450.00

Cost per non member: $500.00

We’re smack dab in the middle of summer and The Moderns is lucky enough to be located steps away from the ever-busy Union Square, where every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it serves as home to New York City’s largest farmer’s market – The Union Square GreenMarket (http://www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket).   While the market has been around since 1976, it has grown exponentially over the past 35 years as New Yorkers have become more in tune to the need for organic, wholesome and local products.

Occasionally, you may bump into one of us on a Friday afternoon, browsing the fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads, flowers, syrups, and more that the local farmers, bakers, and fishermen set up. Just walking through the market and mingling with the 60,000 fellow supporters of local agriculture gives a deep sense of community that can be hard to come by in a large city.

Additionally, we’re lucky to have such a close resource for other community needs so close, as there are drop-offs for both composting and textile recycling in the market. And of course, at the very least, we can always take a lunch break to enjoy the collection of local artists and musicians that gather around Union Square year-round. How lucky we are to have so much right outside our doors!

Considering all the chemicals and toxins the average person consumes in the course of a day, we at The Moderns take solace in knowing that that we keep only the most natural, organic food and beverages stocked for ourselves.  And it’s not just the mid-day snacks, we’re looking at with a critical eye, it’s everything from the quality of the air in the office space to the water in the water cooler.

That’s right, the water. And as we’ve come to learn, not all water is the same. From concern about BPA and other plastic chemicals that leak from bottles into water, to concern about the source of the water and the effectiveness of any filtration done to the water, we’re lucky to have a found a source of clean water that is environmentally sound and all natural – Mountain Valley Water (http://www.mountainvalleyspring.com).

Water is delivered to us bi-weekly in reusable glass waters, while old bottles are picked up for future use. Packaging is as minimal as possible, and the water, which comes straight from a natural spring in Fayetteville, AK, has naturally occurring traces of calcium, but includes none of the additives added by many other companies, like salt.

Maybe it’s just the summer heat, but knowing they we are quenching our thirst with a natural, sustainable source is refreshing!

Everyone at The Moderns has an acute sense of their self lately, as we wrap a 40-day program in movement-focused yoga. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we took an hour to step away from the natually hectic New York work environment we find ourselves in, to regain focus, balance and energy, all with the benefit of not having to leave the office.

Yaprak Buyukteoman, our instructor, guided us through the various poses that worked on re-balancing our physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. The physical exertion made us more aware of our bodies and its limits, coupled with consistent breathing exercises with a goal on clearing the mind and regaining lost energy.  Finally, the mediative portion of the class, helped us wind down the week and re-center our creative juices.

We’ve had some experience with movement classes and yoga before, so while this is a great way to get a new perspective on yoga for us,  it also allowed us to help our instructor with coping with the unique difficulties that working in an office environment can be – like interruptions! The mutual collaboration between students and teachers made for an eye-opening, authentically collaborative experience for everyone!

It’s left us with a sense of calm that allows us to come together and truly be present in the day before us.  Namaste!