My BFF and I were looking to do something fun in the cold winter months when I found a Feng Shui course at the local college. Feng Shui translates literally to “wind-water”. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement. The goal of Feng Shui is to achieve harmony, comfort, and balance, first in one’s environment and then in one’s life. We started the six week course with an amazing teacher/consultant Ildiko Brunner and my interest in Feng Shui was born.

We learned the traditional Feng Shui and started by learning the principles of Chi. We did a sketch of our homes, inside and out and our offices and throughout the weeks we learned how to make small changes to address some of our personal concerns.

We learned that if you change 7 things in your life, that dramatic changes will follow. When my husband and I purchased our home, we had Ildiko come and do a consultation on the home. Fortunately by that time I was able to do most changes myself however, I was looking to have a water feature and it is critical to put it in the right place otherwise it can have the negative effect.

Here are some simple things you can do today to improve your environment and increase the positive energy in your life:

Keep your toilet seat down at all times and close your bathroom door – the toxic fumes and germs from the bathroom destroy good Chi

Remove all artificial and silk plants from your home - they just collect dust and let’s not fool ourselves, they’re dead or at least not alive.

Use natural materials, wood, metal, glass, plants whenever possible – they are more harmonious with nature and encourage good energy.

Reduce the clutter in your home because it blocks good chi - get rid of those piles of paper, organize your environment and get rid of junk.

Get rid of plants that are unhealthy - you can always take a cutting and start a new plant.

Place a leafy plant near your computer – plants absorb harmful radiation, a lily is an excellent choice.

Make sure your bed is not directly in front of the bedroom door – in Feng Shui a bed in front of a door is considered to be the death position. The symbolism is when you die you go out feet first.

Get rid of broken items or fix them – broken items disrupt good chi.

This has made a tremendous difference in my life. Try some of the above and tell me if they work for you. Stay tuned for part two when I’ll talk about some of the fixes I did to my house and you can use to improve your personal space and increase the positive energy in your life.