If so you’ll be much better off when you use Feng Shui as part of your arsenal when you evaluate your new-home choices. 

(One of my clients recently used these guidelines to help her decide on a new place.  After making some interesting requests of her real-estate agent, she is thrilled with her choice!)

Why is it so important to be careful about your choice of a new home?

From a Feng Shui perspective your home is a mirror of your inner self, so moving house is an opportunity to improve the Chi energy you attract and reflect.

Here are my top Feng Shui tips for finding a home that enhances your life while suiting you best.

Location & Neighborhood

• Do you feel safe as you approach the home?
• Are there good amenities (shopping, etc.) nearby, that will make your life easier once you move in?
• Does the street feel occupied on a regular basis?  Watch out for a church or school nearby, for instance, whose energy can be extremely Yin or Yang.
• Is the home on a hillside? Homes on gentle slopes attract particularly good Chi because life energy is moving at a moderate pace — not stagnant, not rushing.

Entryway & First Impressions

• Is the building welcoming — does it “feel like home” when you walk through the front door?
•  Is it in good repair, or do you see things that need fixing? Does it pass the “smell test”?
• As you enter the home, which room do you come into, and what’s the first thing you see?  Do you feel welcomed — is this a room you’ll love to come home to every day?

Shape

• Is the home a “whole” shape, or is it missing certain pieces?  Missing sections are not necessarily a deal-killer but it’s important that you feel complete and not “cut off” when you’re in the home.  Take an extra walk around to be sure.

Views

• Can you see right through the home and out a window or door when you stand in the front entryway? Chi energy tends to rush through homes with this design, a flaw you can rectify by hanging a curtain over the offending window.
• Turn around to look at the view opposite the home from its front door. Does the view lift your spirits or drag you down?  This is not so easy to fix, so think about it carefully.

Use these tips during your home search, and set yourself up with good Feng Shui as you start your life anew. 

The resulting article, Creating A Happy, Harmonious Home Using Feng Shui, gives an excellent overview of what Feng Shui is all about as well as some of the specifics of how she works with it in her international Feng Shui practice.

What Feng Shui Is All About

I love many of the things Sarah has to say in this article, among them:

• “I think the green movement has been wonderful for Feng Shui as people are realising now more than ever how the world is sentient and interconnected and how we treat our space directly affects us.” 

• “Let’s face it, the world is an organic being, not just a map which we walk, drive, eat and sleep upon!”

• “Feng Shui is not just about techniques to try to master a situation and improve your fortune, but at a deeper level it is also about your soul and its journey.”

Feng Shui Master Sarah McAllister

Sarah practices a unique type of Feng Shui from the ancient Chinese Chue school. Check out more of her thoughts on Feng Shui in the article and let me know what you think after you’ve read it!

(Photo credits: Luo Pan Compass – freshome.com, Sarah McAllister – FengShuiAgency.com)

Feng Shui has plenty of good advice for taking care of yourself every day of the year, but I wondered specifically how singles could take good care of themselves on this “singular” day.

So I asked relationship expert Christie Nightingale for a few Valentine’s Day tips for singles.  Here are Christie’s words of wisdom:

Surround Yourself With Love On Valentine’s Day

Being single on Valentine’s Day can be tough. Television commercials run rampant with images of guys giving their gals jewelry, whether it’s a bracelet, necklace or that elusive diamond ring.

This kind of imagery makes anyone feel less than great, even if they are single by choice. So if you’re single, it’s important to find other ways to surround yourself with love to keep feelings of loneliness at bay.

Since Valentine’s Day is the day for men to court their ladies, it can be an especially difficult day for the single ladies out there.

But being dateless on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be the worst thing to ever happen to you.

Remember, it’s a commercial holiday. As if that revelation isn’t enough for you, here are a few things you can do  to treat yourself like the special person you are, on Valentine’s Day:

• Stay away from all those happy couples. This should be a no-brainer, but do not go out to eat on Valentine’s Day. Even if you usually like dining out alone, do something else. Ask a single girlfriend to join you at a casual spot if you insist on dining out.

• Plan a girls’ night: If you have other single friends in your life, plan a night out with them. Or better yet, cook a meal together. Bonding with other singles will make you remember that you do have love in your life, even if it’s not in the form of an intimate relationship.

• If you’re single and you don’t want to be: What’s getting in the way of getting the relationship you want? Do you struggle with issues from past relationships? Take your focus off finding that dream guy for a while and focus on yourself. And who knows? Love might find you when you’re least expecting it.

About Christie Nightingale

Christie Nightingale, Principal of Premier Match, is a sought after New York City relationship expert. Her firm has been featured on numerous national TV networks & magazines.

Learn more at www.premiermatchmaking.com. Or find her on Twitter @PremierMatch.

(Photo credits: Girls Night Out – SheKnows.com; Women Cooking – Top10point5.com)

courtesy of art.com

It’s time for a winter break, so I’ll be out of town next week, absorbing the sunny Chi energy in Key West, Florida. I’ll be returning to the office on Tuesday, February 21.

While I’m away be on the lookout for a few surprise guest posts from some of my favorite folks. I think you’ll enjoy them — be sure to let me know.

Until then, here’s to good Chi!

Like many aspects of Feng Shui, Mindful Eating essentially means slowing down.

A beautifully-set dinner table.

According to the article,

“For many people, eating fast means eating more.  Mindful eating is meant to nudge us beyond what we’re craving so that we wake up to why we’re craving it, and what factors might be stoking the habit of belly-stuffing.”

The article goes on to describe a Buddhist congregation in upstate NY, mindfully eating lunch:

The group “spent the lunch hour contemplating the enjoyment of spice, crunch, saltiness, warmth, tenderness and like-minded company.”

This is where Feng Shui — specifically Five Elements theory — comes in. 

Each element is associated with one of our five senses:

• Wood with your sense of sight,
• Fire with your sense of touch,
• Earth with your sense of taste,
• Metal with your sense of smell,
• and Water with your sense of hearing.

(For more on this aspect of Feng Shui’s Five Elements, check out my article, The Garden of the Five Senses.)

When you bring all of your senses into the act of eating, you slow yourself down, enjoy your food more, and stop eating when you feel yourself becoming full.

I have no doubt that using the Five Elements helped me successfully take off those stubborn pounds a few years ago.

Here’s how Feng Shui can help you become a more mindful eater:

•  Look attentively at whatever you’re eating, enjoying its colors and shapes.
• Feel the texture of your food as you hold it in your hands, and as it comes into your mouth.
• Breathe in through your nose, enjoying the wonderful smells of good food.
• As you enjoy your meal, listen for the sounds of eating: your fork on the plate, the crunch of a salad…
• And of course, appreciate the flavors as you taste your food!

For best results, turn off the TV and your computer while you eat

P.S., here’s another article about losing weight with Feng Shui.

(Photo courtesy of Freshome.com)

There are a few key Feng Shui steps to follow when you start afresh in new office space, which I’ve seen have wonderful success with my clients.

1. Draw a floor plan of your new office. As soon as you know which office will be yours, sketch it on a piece of paper so you can start thinking about object placement, from your phone and computer to files and everyday necessities.

The floorplan for a small office.

In this office, for instance, good Feng Shui means thinking about the ergonomics of phone placement (and everything else:))

Are you right- or left-handed? Place the phone on the side that makes it easiest to pick up without having to reach across your entire desk.

Perhaps the occupant of this office doesn’t need both visitors chairs.  Letting go of one of them would create a much more spacious feeling in the office.

2. Place the Office Bagua Map on your new floorplan. Here is what the Bagua would look like on this small office.

The Bagua Map, laid over the office floorplan.

As you can see, the occupant of this office sits right in the Center, in the Bagua area that connects all the other areas to one another.

A computer might be best placed in the New Beginnings area, to inspire the creation of new business and good project management, while the Reputation area would be best for posting photos of proud achievements.

What other opportunities do you see in this office?

3. Clear the office of everything the previous tenant left behind. You may end up keeping some of it (stapler and tape dispenser, for instance), but for the best Feng Shui you will place each inherited object in your office intentionally to reduce the chance of inheriting negative Chi into the bargain.

Have you moved offices recently?  What’s the best thing you did to create good Chi there?

Are you surprised to learn that Feng Shui’s Water element also creates a loving bedroom atmosphere?

Water is the element of communication and connection, insight and reflection.  Water keeps your life moving forward on an even keel and provides refreshing, healthy nourishment for your body and spirit. 

Every one of these characteristics is necessary for attracting and maintaining a healthy relationship, right? 

The question is, how can you bring Water into your bedroom without extinguishing the ardor of the always-necessary Fire element?

A Simple Feng Shui Tip

A flowing blanket: Water in the bedroom.

My clients have great success fostering intimacy in their bedrooms, simply by placing a throw blanket at the foot of the bed.

This simple idea adds dimension to any bedroom, transforming it from sterile and cool, to inviting and intimate.

A throw evokes the flowing nature of Water,

• Bringing the two sides of your bed together to evoke a place where intimacy can happen.
• Creating a “path” that symbolically leads from one side to the bed to the other, making it clear that two people belong in this bed.
• Adding vitality to your bed and improving Chi balance with color and texture.

Fire & Water in perfect harmony.

 This throw combines the color of Fire with the flowing nature of  Water. 

It has the additional benefit of making a huge king-sized bed feel a bit more intimate.

Delicious texture!

If you’re feeling that way it may be time for a Feng Shui bedroom tuneup with two of its most powerful Elements, Fire & Water.

Many people have had wonderful success by following these recommendations.  For example my client Michelle was despairing because her romantic life was in the doldrums, but within two weeks of making these adjustments she called to tell me about her new boyfriend!

So take a fresh look at your bedroom from a Feng Shui perspective, and bring the magic of Fire & Water to glorious life!

Heat Up Your Love Life With the Fire Element

Fire is THE element of passion and sensuality in Feng Shui.  Its warmth flows through your bloodstream, activating your zest for life and creating an expansive glow that attracts people into your vibrant presence.

It’s always important to make sure your bedroom includes some aspects of the Fire element, but especially so when you want to attract or rejuvenate your love life.

• Add red to your bedroom.  The shade of red you choose can range from the palest pink to hues in the dark-purple family.  The idea is to warm things up with the sensuality of skin tones, sparking a feeling of intimacy and sanctuary.
• Use accents that enhance romance.  A small pillow here, a beautiful photo there — soon you’ve got a room whose Primary Purpose, cultivating a loving relationship between two people, is clear and unmistakable.
• Turn the lights down low.  It’s important to have good lighting in your bedroom, making it flexible enough to create the intimate atmosphere you’re after.
• Eliminate the unnecessary. One key to my client Michelle’s success was removing an item that had been killing the romantic energy in her bedroom: a large, overgrown plant that had actually cracked the container it was in.  (This inauspicious plant happened to be located in the Relationship corner of her room, to boot!) 

Once that unhappy plant was gone, a new sense of serenity came into her bedroom, attracting the relationship she’d been looking for.

Stay tuned for Part 2: How the Water element brings the juiciness back into your love life! 

In Feng Shui, ceiling beams are considered very negative, especially when they are above your bed where you spend one-third of your life.

• A heavy beam above your bed feels oppressive, making you feel split right down the middle.
• Beams that go lengthwise above you may cause back problems, while cross-wise beams can make you feel cut in half.
• A beam above your bed may also cause relationship troubles by symbolically dividing you from your romantic partner.

Here are three time-tested Feng Shui ceiling-beam tips for bringing your bedroom back into balance:

1. Place a canopy over your bed.

This beautiful bedroom has one major flaw: multiple ceiling beams.  The elegant solution? A generous bed canopy.  When this couple lies in bed their awareness of the beams fades away, lightening the atmosphere and relieving them of any sense of oppression.

2. Paint the beams the same color as your ceiling

The beams in this bedroom have an airy, light feeling to them because they almost fade away into the room, thanks to the wise decision to paint them the same color as the ceiling and walls.

3. Disguise the beams by covering them with sheet rock.

If your ceiling is high enough, simply cover the beams so that the entire surface is at one level.  You’ll forget all about the beams, and lose the feeling of oppression and ill health at the same time.

What do you think?  Do these Feng Shui solutions resolve your ceiling beam problem?

My design team and I worked together to design the site with as much good Feng Shui as possible, which in turn communicates as quickly as possible what the site is all about, attracting high-quality visitors (like you!) and investing the site with the power of Intention. 

Here are five Feng Shui factors I took into consideration as my design team and I built the site. 

If you’re considering building a site yourself, keep these design aspects in mind to give it the best Feng Shui.

1. Give your site good Chi Energy flow

• Click-through buttons and clear links to relevant pages contribute vitality and positive energy to a website.
• Take a look around my new website and let me know how “involved” you feel as you explore it

2. Make your Intention clear.

• What is your website all about?  What is its Primary Purpose? Just as you define every room in your home,  it needs to be very obvious what action you wish people to take when they’re on your site. 
• One of the new features on the Open Spaces Feng Shui website is a set of “widgets” on the right-hand side of every page that give visitors an easy opportunity to find what they are looking for.

3. Integrate the Five Elements

• Feng Shui’s Five Elements can be integrated through color, shape and visuals on your site.  Each visitor responds to their own special element, so you want to make sure you provide a bit of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water on every page to spark interest and involvement!
• One of the first things we created for my new site was a new business logo, which appears on every page.  It integrates all of the Five Elements and much, much more.  Here’s an article about the creation of the new Open Spaces Feng Shui logo.

4. Impart a sense of openness 

• Have you ever felt nervous or anxious on websites that are crowded and busy? Open space reduces stress while communicating a sense of relaxed energy to your website.
• On the new site we made a special effort to give it an open and airy feel, to help visitors feel relaxed, as if they’re already in a space that has good Feng Shui. (btw, perhaps now you’ve figured out how I came to call my business Open Spaces Feng Shui )

5. Create “ease of use” for visitors to your site

• Intuition is key to a successful website. Is there a clear path for visitors to follow, that helps them find what they need?  Like a clear path for Chi energy in your home, give your site an easy, natural feeling of flow.
• The design team for my new site created “widgets” for the right hand column of every page, making it as easy as one click to find the links visitors check in with most frequently. You’ll find examples of the widgets on the Home Feng Shui Consultations page, for example.

Do you agree with these points?  What other Feng Shui factors contribute to a successful website? 

(PS, if you’re looking for a wonderful website design team, get in touch with JPD Studio, right here in NYC.)