7 Feng Shui Tips to Boost Happiness and Vitality this Year!

Now is a perfect time to feng shui your space for health, happiness and vitality! These seven tips will help create a home that nourishes your body, mind and spirit:

1.  Remove your shoes before entering your home. Make it a ritual to leave the stress of your job, traffic jams and bad days outside. It’s a purposeful way to make your home a haven, only allowing peaceful energy to come inside. If you like, place a trunk or an appealing shoe rack just inside the door. The simple act of removing your shoes is symbolic of casting off the worries and troubles, as well as the dirt, of the outside world.

2.  Clean your space and clear clutter. Clutter disrupts your life. When it’s rampant, you feel stressed about everything. You can’t find your keys, important letters, the right belt or a cherished memento. Disorder creates mayhem and hinders your ability to find peace. Make sure that your bedroom, closet and bathroom are in order. If you can begin your day with calm, you have a better chance of feeling centered as you go out into the world. One of the best antidotes to stress is an organized living environment.

3. Do a space clearing and house blessing. To remove any past negative energy, sadness, fear, anger or disappointments, it’s important to perform a space clearing. You want fresh energy to surround you as you move into new projects. After you do a space clearing, perform a house blessing with your family and friends or by yourself to invite positive energy into your home.

4.  Surround yourself with an abundance of light, fresh air and greenery. Open the doors and windows and invite nature in. As night draws near, avoid bright light for at least an hour before bed. Instead allow your body’s natural cycle to slowly move towards night. Use soft light in the bathroom and place dimmers in rooms you spend a good deal of time. For more harmony, oxygen and life-force, accessorize with plants. Choose ones that look happy as opposed to those with downward falling, droopy leaves.

5.  Get more sleep by creating a wonderful place to rest your head at night. It’s preferable to choose a bedroom that’s located away from the noisy street. From a feng shui perspective, the best position for your bed is in the back corner of the room, diagonally opposite from the door.  This site provides grounding because of the solid wall behind the bed, the expanded view of the room and door, and protection from fast moving energy entering the space.  Also, if possible, refrain from watching television before bed as it drains your energy. The violence and negative news can be absorbed into your subconscious and may cause bad dreams.  For tips on love in the bedroom, click here.

6. Choose colors that help you unwind. Incorporate blues, lavenders, greens, peaches and other soothing earth tones into your home. Whether it’s wall color, bedding, artwork, fabrics or decorative objects, soft, neutral colors provide a sense of clam. Ask yourself what color would make you feel happy and peaceful, then find a way to introduce it into our home. Try lighting a blue, lavender or cream colored candle for relaxation. Let your intuition guide you. You can create a sacred space for self-reflection, yoga and meditation, which will further help you relax and feel inner peace.

7.  Soothing sounds of nature make for a calming environment. Create a playlist of natural sounds, such as gentle waves, mountain streams, chirping birds or a gentle breeze through the trees. When you listen to sounds of nature, your heart rate slows down, your breathing becomes more expansive and your nerves are calmed. Make sure it’s a recording that’s made from the actual sounds of nature, not electronically produced, since the life-force energy emanating from natural surroundings will be healing for your body and mind.

When your space is calm, your thoughts slow down and you can begin to hear the guidance from your soul. Your spirit is renewed when you create a home that invites you to sit still, stop doing and just be. At these moments, your environment offers you a place to restore your physical and spiritual energy. When you design a healthy living environment, you will feel relaxed, rejuvenated and inspired to move towards your dreams.