Feng Shui Weight Loss Tips

Weight gain is something that many people battle with, especially during the holidays. Beginning with Thanksgiving, and continuing through Christmas and the New Year, you may find yourself experiencing weight problems. What most people haven't considered is that Feng Shui and weight loss can often go hand in hand, and the practice of the philosophy of Feng Shui may actually help you combat the urge to overeat during the holidays and throughout the entire year. Learning how to use Feng Shui to your advantage to fight weight gain will lead to a healthier lifestyle. You no longer have to live with the regret of over indulgence during the holidays if you incorporate the benefits of Feng Shui and weight loss into your every day life.

The first area to look at with Feng Shui and weight loss are the dishes you use in your kitchen. The characteristics of the dishes that you use for meals, including color, size, and shape, are connected to Feng Shui and weight loss. Although round plates are the most common, circles should be avoided in the kitchen when trying to lose weight with the help of Feng Shui. According to the philosophy of Feng Shui, circles are connected with mental activity. For those seeking weight loss, you do not want to encourage mental activity that is related to eating. The best type of kitchenware to shop for when optimizing your kitchen's Feng Shui are square dishes and plates. When it comes to color, orange is a great pick, including any shade of orange. In Feng Shui, orange is associated with the concept of union. Using orange dishes will bring a union of your goals and desired actions when it comes to eating and losing weight. Another tip for Feng Shui and weight loss in the kitchen is to use dishes without a shiny or glossy finish. Such surfaces will draw attention to the dish, which is something you want to avoid when working towards weight loss. A dull finish, like you find with earthenware, is desired for optimal Feng Shui.

There are other elements that you can manipulate within the kitchen to help with Feng Shui and weight loss. One important idea to keep in mind is that it is beneficial to shield the view of the kitchen from the line of sight originating at the front door. One easy way to do this is to hang curtains over the door of the kitchen, including beaded curtains. When it comes to colors that you incorporate in your kitchen design, there are a few colors that are believed to curb appetites and discourage eating. Black, blue, and burgundy are some nice dark colors to utilize in your kitchen for encouraging Feng Shui and weight loss. A good place to use these colors are with place mats and tablecloths. You will especially want to place these colors near the refrigerator. A final physical aspect that you can manipulate in your kitchen to improve Feng Shui is clutter. Be sure to remove any clutter in the room in order to eliminate bad chi and encourage a clean area with positive chi.

One process that may improve Feng Shui and weight loss is the practice of prayer before meals. This type of prayer does not have to be religious, it is simply used to quiet your mind before a meal and recall your hopes for losing weight. During this short prayer, or mantra, you should also remind yourself of the portion sizes you wish to eat. Reminding yourself of the control you intend to exercise during the meal will help you when it comes to following through on your intentions.

The kitchen isn't the only area of the house that you should concentrate on when it comes to Feng Shui and weight loss. Improving positive chi throughout your entire house will bring about the best chances for weight loss success. One way to bring Feng Shui to the entire house is to place mirrors in different rooms and hallways. This way you will be able to frequently catch a glimpse of yourself which should encourage you to continue with your weight loss goals. It is also beneficial to use a mirror when exercising or participating in another active. The feeling of movement will bring positive chi. Another way to encourage a presence of positive chi throughout the house is to use the color red. Red is a color of energy, and will help you to become active and stay active as you move about your house.

Remember, use red throughout the house to encourage Feng Shui and weight loss with an energetic and active lifestyle. Use dark colors such as blues and blacks in the kitchen to minimize food cravings and impulses to eat more than is necessary. Decorate your home with mirrors and carefully select the best kind of dishes. These simple tips will bring Feng Shui into your home along with an ability to achieve weight loss goals.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Decorating For Improved Health Using Feng Shui

Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese philosophy, upholds that health is the most important aspect in your life. Health is the center of your existence, and without health, your life could be absent of balance and harmony. The key focus of Feng Shui and health benefits are to tackle poor health problems. Improved health with Feng Shui will allow you to seek balance and harmony in every facet of life. While health is the center of life, in Feng Shui it is also believed to be the center of the home. All rooms of your home, including your bedroom, living room, and kitchen, are believed to have a health area, which is the center of the room.

There are a number of ways that you can utilize Feng Shui and health in your home to bring balance to your life. First, remember that yellow is the color of health. This color is a great choice for decoration accents, such as pillows and curtains. Another important Feng Shui tip to remember is that nine is the number most often attributed to the enhancement of life. Arranging items in groups of nine may aid your health. By combining the color yellow and the number nine in elements throughout the home, you may achieve health benefits associated with Feng Shui.

Utilizing these ideas of the color yellow and the number nine as having benefits for Feng Shui and health, you can come up with a number of ways to incorporate positive elements into your home. For example, add some yellow flowers to your home, preferably in the center of a room or in the center on top of a piece of furniture. The middle of the coffee table in the living room or the middle of your kitchen table are two ideal places. One place in incorporate the use of the number nine is with wind chimes. Strategically place a wind chime made of nine chimes in a room with open windows. This is an excellent way to encourage positive Feng Shui and health. The open windows will allow sunlight and fresh air to enter your home.

Getting rid of unnecessary items throughout your home will improve both Feng Shui and health. Feng Shui philosophy emphasizes to avoid clutter, which is believed to bring a negative influence to health. Clutter should be eliminated from all areas of the home, even closets, bathrooms, garages, and attics. Not only should clutter be absent, but all items throughout the house should be neatly arranged in a fashion that is appealing to the eyes and promotes positive perceptions. If you want to improve Feng Shui and health by removing clutter, begin slowly and tackle one room at a time to avoid frustration. This approach will minimize the stress of rearranging your home into a more positive environment, and when the job is finished, you will be on your way to an entire home life free of stress.

A room in your home that can be a focal point for Feng Shui and health is your bathroom. The bathroom is associated with an area of dead chi, which can be reduced by incorporating living things such as plants or crystals into the room. Using bright colors in the bathroom can also reduce the affects of dead chi. One thing to be aware of is the arrangement of your bathroom door in relation to your bedroom. If the door is directly across from the bedroom, be sure to keep the door shut as much as possible. By separating this room from the rest of your house, you can prevent bad chi. Other ways to separate rooms are to use curtains or screens.

For the best Feng Shui and health, you need to also be aware of leaking fixtures, such as facets, showerheads, and toilets. Although water is an important part of Feng Shui, it has negative connotations if the water is being wasted, such as with leaks. Be sure to fix any leaky pipes, and your home will be healthier and closer to the ideals of Feng Shui.

Once the physical elements of your home have been adjusted to promote better Feng Shui and health, you need to also pay attention to the mental elements. Positive thinking is essential to maintaining a healthy home. A good way to encourage positive thinking is to allow a pleasant aroma to fill the air, such as lavender. A mixture of lemon or lavender essential oil and spring water makes a good spray for misting throughout the home. As you spray an aroma, repeat to yourself a few simple words, such as a wish for health. With your positive thinking, you can also keep in mind good health for your friends and family, as well as any person that may enter your home. Following these simple Feng Shui tips, you may just find yourself feeling healthier and better than you ever have before.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Create A Healing Environment For Your Family Using Feng Shui

Hopefully when a person thinks about family, they feel warm and loved unconditionally. We all know that unfortunately that isn?t always the case. If you feel like your family and home could stand to be more accommodating to the goals you have in mind for your family, it may be time to consider joining forces with Feng Shui and family life will improve quickly and your time at home will be that much more satisfying and fulfilling. Many people believe that the ancient practice of Feng Shui is difficult to master and takes a lot of time to successfully achieve good results. In all truthfulness, any attempt to harness the serenity and balance of a Feng Shui home is a step in the right direction. Like any new idea, the longer you practice the principles, the easier the process becomes. So without further ado, here are some ways that you can begin to create the family friendly, healing environment you have always wanted for yourself and your loved ones.

The first thing to do is establish which areas of the home are designated for family use. That wasn?t really hard right. The living, family, dining rooms, and kitchen are the most influential rooms in the house for families. It makes sense that these spaces should be the focus of your attention with your Feng Shui and family attempts. Each aspect of life is represented by color and elements. For family purposes, the color green is the most beneficial. Green symbolizes all things growing. It stands to reason that green would symbolize family as it is always growing and evolving into something larger. You don?t have to have every surface of the family areas covered in green to reap the rewards of this color. Accents of green throw pillows or well cared for house plants in the family spaces will work wonders. If green simply won?t work or you want something different, blue or black are excellent choices.

Now that we have the correct Feng Shui colors in place, it?s time to take a look at the elements of the family. In Feng Shui and family symbolism, wood and water are the elements you need to pay attention to. Once again, like green, both are connected to the idea of being alive and growing. Again, these don?t have to dominate every nook and cranny. There are simple ways to use both elements to improve the family balance in your home. Photos of happy family events are most welcome in these spaces. Frame them in wood frames to fulfill the need for the wood element in the family areas. If it is possible to have a water fountain in the family related regions of the home, great, if not, the use of mirrors represents water and works just as well for these purposes. If you are using a water fountain, it is imperative that the fountain and the water always be clean and well maintained.

With the general elements of wood and water, you can get more creative than just picture frames and mirrors. The idea is for the space you create to have elements of all of the family members ensuring their comfort in the home and within the family. Wooden furniture is a pretty way to incorporate that element into the family room. Plants and potted trees are excellent ways to create a living, chi friendly environment where you can build the type of family balance you have always wanted. With the huge variety of plants and potted trees available for indoor use, you can have the essential elements in place without sacrificing your personal tastes and style. The goal is have a space that reflects the unity of the family.

Other good objects to include in your family rooms are any items that represent family unity or belief. For some that may include religious icons or ancestral symbols. Any object that represents the family lineage, like a genealogy chart or old pictures of long gone relatives are unifying for every member of the family. Feng Shui and family memorabilia will have everyone at peace and feeling clearly that they belong.

All of your careful planning and decorating won?t change a thing if you don?t make sure your home is free of all clutter and unnecessary items. Good chi needs order and space to flow through a home and a lot of clutter hinders the process. Establish good family habits of cleaning together. Before you know it, everyone will be pitching in to help. Serenity and balance are essential parts of Feng Shui and family life.

Any family would benefit from including Feng Shui in their homes creation. The smooth, comforting flow of positive chi will bath every member in calming, relaxing energy. You won?t be able to help establishing a deeper, more unified connection with Feng Shui and family working together.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Feng Shui Fertility Suggestions

It is unfortunate fact of many people?s lives that infertility strikes where and when it wants. The desire to have a child is a natural, normal progression in a couple?s relationship. While there are certainly individuals and couples who choose to not become parents, an overwhelming majority are happier with the idea of starting and raising a family. The reasons for infertility are wide and numerous. Some are focused on health issues for the potential mother, while others strike the would-be dad. Despite all of the amazing strides made by the medical community to battle infertility, many couples give up after long, expensive treatments make their lives miserable. It doesn?t have to be that way any longer. In addition to medical treatments, many couples are turning to Feng Shui and fertility suggestions to increase their odds of having a baby of their own.

The uninformed know that Feng Shui is related to decorating and arranging their homes. In actuality, this ancient practice is far more than that. It is a time honored Chinese philosophy that helps practitioners create an environment rich in harmony and balance in all areas of their lives. Modifying your home in this tradition may help you and your partner achieve your goal of becoming pregnant. Using Feng Shui and fertility friendly practices are less stressful ways improve your chances of having a baby.

As we have already mentioned, Feng Shui is intended to completely balance and regulate every aspect of existence. In terms of conception, this harmony is nothing short of a miracle. Doctors and other medical professionals will be the first to tell you that it is essential to be at peace and relaxed during the conception phase of creating life. Both potential parents will experience the positive influences of good chi if their environment is conducive to the Feng Shui philosophy. For this reason, if none other, Feng Shui and fertility are a powerful combination.

To begin using Feng Shui and fertility to improve your chances of having a child, start outside. Take a look at your front entrance. Is there anything blocking good energy from moving into your home? One couple struggled with infertility for years. When a Feng Shui consultant recommended removing the tree that blocked their front door, the couple finally experienced success and became parents. Make sure that the main entrance to your home is clear and open to the flow of positive energies.

With Feng Shui and fertility, the focus is a little different than what most of us are accustomed to. The focus is primarily on the man. All of you ladies out there can take a relaxing breath now. Feng Shui is guided by the Descendant?s Luck principle. This luck determines the success of a husband or partner will have starting a family with his significant other. Learning the best ways to stimulate this luck is a beneficial practice for the man in the relationship to aid in the conception process.

This won?t come as any surprise, but the bedroom is instrumental in combining the forces of Feng Shui and fertility. The first step in the master bedroom is to make sure it is free from unwanted and unneeded clutter. Clutter stands in the way of good energy and makes it difficult to achieve a harmonious flow. This means to throw away the receipts on the dresser, pick the clothes up off of the floor, and arrange things neatly. Don?t forget about the closet either. It should be clear of any unused items.

Now that the bedroom is ready for Feng Shui and fertility, it?s time to add some decorations and furniture placement that is perfect for encouraging the production of children. When you think about it, it makes sense. Elephants symbolize pregnancy in the Feng Shui tradition. A couple trying to conceive should consider displaying elephant figurines in their sleeping space. Another animal reference that will help with fertility is fish. The symbol of two fish represents marital unity. As a matter of fact, any decoration you use in this room should involve the number two. Throwing the color red around is helpful as well. Place two red paper lanterns on either side of the bed. These represent the positive yang influence and will help increase fertility. A single piece of hollow bamboo is useful as well. Once again focusing on the potential father put a dragon on his side of the bed to flame his passion and add potency to the union. These well placed items are a good way to encourage the flow of energy through the room.

With the correct use of Feng Shui and fertility energies, a couple struggling with infertility can give themselves an edge in the conception process. The creation of a relaxing, loving home environment will improve the couple?s chance at starting a family of their own.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Laugh, Celebrate, And Nourish Your Souls With Friends And Family Using Feng Shui In The Kitchen

Kitchens are the center of home life. This is where we laugh, celebrate, and nourish our souls with friends and family. Generations of families have taken substance, done homework, and had important conversations around the kitchen table. For these reasons, if for none other, we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to create an atmosphere of warmth and harmonious balance in our kitchens. One of the easiest ways to achieve this harmony is by using Feng Shui and kitchen design to enjoy a space intended for the preparation and eating of food with loved ones.

In the optimum home environment the kitchen is located in an area that is not clearly visible from the front door. If the kitchen is seen from the front door the occupants of the home may develop problems with digestion or even eating disorders. Guests to the home may feel an instinctive need to eat and immediately leave. Fortunately there are remedies for this situation. After all, there is no way a person can predetermine the lay out of a home unless they design and build it themselves. Installing a folding door or curtains in front of the kitchen door is an effective way to fix the situation. The busy activity of the kitchen won?t distract from the positive flow of chi. With Feng Shui and kitchen design, there aren?t any problems that can?t be corrected.

Once any kitchen placement issues have been corrected, it?s time to study the lay out of the kitchen. In Feng Shui and kitchen d?cor the room must be kept clear of debris and spotlessly clean. Clutter is not useful in generating good energy. Take the time to clear out and arrange the counters, cabinets, and open surfaces of the kitchen. Be sure to keep an eye out for the problem areas, like the top of the fridge and table tops. Enlist the help of the other occupants of the home to help prepare the kitchen for Feng Shui practices.

Appliance placement is particularly imperative in combining Feng Shui and the kitchen. The person cooking absolutely must be in a position of prominence in the room. Ideally the stove will be placed in such a way as to allow the cook to clearly see all of the kitchen. If the stove must be placed facing a wall, there are ways that you can remedy the situation. The simplest and fastest way to do this is to place a mirror or other reflective surface on the wall. In this manner, the cook will be able to see the entire kitchen in the reflection. The larger the reflective object is the more potent the correction will be in the room. The stove is also a symbol of health and wealth. Obviously the health aspect comes into play through the nourishment the appliance provides the family. In terms of wealth, it is related to the fire element. Actually, a good cook who is practiced in the Feng Shui tradition will be sure to use all of the burners equally. This ensures that the occupants of the house will receive money from multiple sources. Die hard Feng Shui practitioners avoid using a microwave oven to prepare their food, as this can lead to an unsettled frame of mind. After all, the work you are putting into your new Feng Shui kitchen is intended to create an environment rich in good chi and balance.

The stove should hold a specific place in relation the other appliances of the kitchen. Like elements should be grouped together. For example, the water elements of the refrigerator, dishwasher, and sink should be situated together in the kitchen space. The fire elements of the stove and microwave oven need to be placed together for optimum spacing. Feng Shui and kitchen design is fortunately one of the most common sense oriented ways of creating a space. You will find with the new look comes better usage of this vital space. Think of it as creating a warm, positive environment for your family and designing a space that is ideal for creative, efficient cooking. Feng Shui is a win-win situation.

When you consider that Feng Shui is such an ancient philosophy, it is clear how long kitchens have served as the center of family life. Imagine how much more memorable and meaningful family celebrations will be when held in a Feng Shui kitchen. The positive flow of health, wealth, and good chi can?t help but add a feeling of unity and well being to all that are fortunate enough to enter your personal space. The Feng Shui and kitchen design are relatively easy to accomplish. It is a matter of choosing the correct kitchen lay out and color designs. Before you know it, your kitchen will be the most restful, welcoming area of your home.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Use Feng Shui To Help Your Children With Learning, Health And Sleep

There is no doubt that raising children requires a lot of the life aspects that Feng Shui advocates and encourages. You need wisdom, prosperity, and definitely serenity to successfully get the little tikes to adulthood. Of course, Feng Shui and children go hand in hand as the little ones need encouragement in all of the life elements as well. It is a tremendous benefit to young minds and hearts to start out life with a healthy dose of harmony. Parents have found success with Feng Shui in aiding their children with sleeping issues, health concerns, and educational obstacles. Arranging their homes and bedrooms to reflect the ancient philosophy is a good start to a peaceful, prosperous road.

The Chinese culture places a huge emphasis on the importance of education. The way your child?s study area is laid out will make an enormous impact on how well they perform in school and types of grades they make. The child?s desk should sit facing the doorway of the room. If a child?s back is to the door, the positive energy will have a harder time reaching the little one. A good way to activate positive chi in a study environment is to place a crystal sphere in the main window of the room. While the crystal in the window is excellent, you don?t want to place the child?s seat in front of the window. This is very distracting and their schoolwork will suffer for it. Keep any sharp objects or even pictures of sharp objects out of the study area. They symbolize negative chi and your child certainly doesn?t need that while trying to learn. Implementing these Feng Shui and children educational practices can make a big difference in the wisdom life element.

Next to a child?s study space, their bedrooms are where kids spend most of their time. It is important for this area to be arranged in the Feng Shui tradition as well. Your first step should be to eliminate any clutter in the room. It?s not funny. Seriously, work with your child to arrange their things in their room without the presence of treasures and trash all over the place. The balance created in their room will improve the overall relationships within the family. Make sure you don?t overlook that handy space under the beds. If there is a lot of stuff crammed in there the positive energy can become stuck and unable to assist the child.

Where the little one?s bed is placed is important as well. The head of the bed should be placed on a solid wall. There shouldn?t be a doorway or window on the same wall. This is to stop chi from flowing out the window or door. Another useful hint is to place the bed so that a person has room to walk on either side of it. It shouldn?t be placed with the side to help with the balance of the child?s life. Once again, it is vital for good energy to have the room to effectively flow throughout the room. As far as other potential bedroom d?cor goes, you will want to keep mirrors out of the room. If the child needs to see his or herself, they can always look in the bathroom.

There are other aspects of a child?s bedroom that need to be addressed as well. In our Information Age, it is common practice for electronic devices to be all over the house. In a child?s bedroom, these devices need to be used carefully. The electromagnetic frequencies put off by electronics are harmful to sleep patterns and can increase moodiness and aggression. To limit these effects make sure any computer monitor, alarm clock, and lamp is placed three to five feet away from the child. Feng Shui and children are both natural things. These electronic inferences should be avoided whenever possible.

Other d?cor comes into play in the Feng Shui and children combination. Parents should help their kids choose the wall color in their bedrooms carefully. Bold, loud colors aren?t good for a restful environment. It may be necessary to compromise and use a muted, relaxed version of their favorite color. Younger children will benefit from images that are non violent and non-threatening. Cute animals and favorite cartoon characters are good choices. Older children should be instructed to limit the number of posters they have on their walls that depict negative images of any kind. A child of any age will feel a part of the family when they are alone with the addition of a family photo placed near their beds.

Using Feng Shui and children?s natural inclination towards relaxation and serenity is a wonderful way to give your kids a solid, balanced start in life. Remember that the use of color, furniture placement, and d?cor choices are important factors that need to be considered when arranging a child?s living space.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Decorate Your Bathroom Using Feng Shui

For some people their bathroom is just the room where they get ready for the day, eliminate waste, and store their hygiene products. Still others like to transform their bathroom into a personal spa. While no one likes to talk about it, the bathroom is a vital, necessary part of all homes. For those who practice, or want to practice, Feng Shui in their homes, this room absolutely can?t be ignored. Certain decorating strategies are necessary to ensure that this room is in accord with the ancient Chinese philosophy. While bathrooms weren?t part of the original Feng Shui tradition, since it was created before indoor plumbing, you can still arrange your bathroom to complete the benefits involved in Feng Shui. Feng Shui and bathroom design will further provide a calm, soothing home for all of the occupants.

The good news is that in Feng Shui and bathroom usage, the bathroom is closely related to the element of water. Let?s face it; the majority of purposes in the bath are connected to water in one way or another. Water represents cash flow and prosperity in addition to the career aspect of life and prosperity. Ensuring that this room is designed in the Feng Shui tradition can help improve those areas of your life tremendously.

On the other hand, it can?t be ignored that the bathroom is also used for elimination. Whether it is through the toilet or down the shower drain, this room is used for getting rid of toxins. Luckily when the proper Feng Shui and bathroom practices are followed, you can reduce the effects of negative chi, while increasing the helpful water element.

The first thing that needs to be done to Feng Shui friendly your bathroom is to give the room a thorough cleaning. Products sitting on the sink or the back of the toilet need to find a proper home if they are essential to your hygiene. If not, it?s time to get rid of the unnecessary items. Clutter is counterproductive to a good chi flow, and especially in the bathroom it is vital to keep this space debris free. Don?t forget to include under the sink and any linen closets in this process. They count too, and leaving them unorganized is not going to help you in combining good Feng Shui and bathroom d?cor.

Now that you have the bathroom clean and ready for its Feng Shui makeover, let?s talk colors. There is no need to go overboard on elaborate color schemes. Bright colors are distracting and not beneficial to the Feng Shui and bathroom design. Your best bets are neutral colors like cream and light blue. If that isn?t going to work for you, at least use a color that is relaxing and muted.

As far as the fixtures in the bathroom go, it is very important that they are all in excellent working order. Leaking facets represent your money and prosperity flowing down the drain. Be sure the sink and bath tub facets shut off effectively. Noisy drains are an issue as well. If you have a problem with any of these plumbing issues, and can?t fix them yourself, don?t hesitate to call in a professional to get you started on your way. Feng Shui and bathroom maintenance work best when all of the fixtures are working properly.

The non water element fixtures serve a purpose as well. For example the mirror should be as large as the space above the sink allows. Since you prepare for your day in the bathroom, it is important for you to have a clear, bright vision of yourself every day. The recent trend of placing a mirror split in two in the bathroom isn?t in touch with good Feng Shui and bathroom design.

It is essential to make sure your bathroom is as pleasant as possible. This is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the negative aspects of the bathroom are controlled and don?t cause any problems with the flow of positive chi. The use of crystals is helpful in creating and activating good energy.

Another thing to watch out for is if your bathroom is opposite your kitchen. It doesn?t take a genius to determine why this is not good for the flow of chi. If you do find yourself in this type of situation, the easiest solution is to always keep the bathroom door closed. It is also beneficial to leave the toilet lid down when not in use. Anything you can do to keep the negative chi from escaping into the kitchen and the rest of the house is a step in the right direction.

Feng Shui and bathroom design and placement are an important part of providing your family with a harmonious environment. Color choices and fixture maintenance are essential in allowing a positive energy flow.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Applying Feng Shui To Your Home

One of the newest home decorating trends is Feng Shui. This style has created a dynamic impact on today?s home decorating styles. From full sized wall murals in Oriental colors and simple designs of orange blossoms, or stark brown trees on pumpkin orange, to the minute details caused by treating walls with texture created from sand instead of wallpaper, the Feng Shui impact has left a print on the home decorating industry that will remain around for several years.

At first, feng shui is a complex decorating scheme that is almost impossible to implement in the average household. In true feng shui fashion, this truth is balanced with simplicity that the most novice home decorator can successfully create in their own home.

The feng shui home trends are based on a clutter-free, clean space with a fresh sense of renewal. The American and European d?cor designs use dead or open spaces to display wealth in the form of art, curio cabinets, entertainment units, and collections.

This fills a home with ?dead? items that have no soul and create a negative effect on the human soul. A sense of renewal is created by returning people to nature. This is not to be confused with ?going back to nature? or bringing in items from nature, like shower sheets with bears on them.

Instead, it involves bringing elements from nature into the home in a way that touches the soul and helps humans reconnect with a more peaceful and satisfying existence.

This is done by simply bringing fresh items like flowering plants, and/or decor elements in fresh gentle colors of the natural elements. The most common are apple green, deep brown, clear blue, and gentle yellow.

There are a million ways these colors can be added to any room without overpowering the room and changing the mood. Replace the ceramic roosters with quartz crystals or river rocks. Toss out the dead branches and bring in a live tree. Replace the repetitive patterned wallpaper with a wall mural that depicts a single tree, sparse and simple, with a single brilliant red blossom.

The first step to creating a feng shui look is to toss all the clutter in the garbage. Remove everything that does not serve a purpose. Hide televisions and DVD collections. However, hiding them is not enough. Any item that is not used at least once a month needs to be removed from the room and stored.

In many homes, this will result in several empty shelves. If there is no backing on these shelves, paint a water scene behind. If there is a backing, consider removing the shelving unit all together. You do not always need to paint natural scenes on the walls. Water can be depicted by hanging a mirror.

There are a few things to avoid. Never include the color red. Even small amounts of red in candles or trim on a book, will disrupt the room?s impact on your emotions.

There are some simple ways to turn a bare looking room into a feng shui room. A large vase with a few bamboo sticks in it. Replace wood along the doors with metal or mirrors. Add texture to walls using grass wallpaper, sand, or murals. Each of these treatments have basic, novice, and expert levels. It only takes a little time to find the project that you need to make your home perfect.

Tina Timms advises on home d?cor from her web site at http://www.bonsaihere.com She invites you to get her FREE home guide here http://www.bonsaihere.com

Feng Shui To You!

What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui ( which is pronounced properly ?FEIING SWEE? in the Cantonese Chinese dialect? is a way and means of creating harmony between humans and their environment to enhance well being. An ancient Chinese theory of design and placement, Feng Shui grew from observations that people are affected ? both positively as well as negatively by their surroundings. You may well have noticed that some places seem always to impart luck on their environments whereas some people seem to always have happiness and health imparted by their surroundings.

In your home and environs, good Feng Shui helps create harmonious family relationships, fosters good health, revives energy and enthusiasm and even encourages fertility and good sex drive. In business it encourages prosperity and success. By changing your surroundings Feng Shui allows you to change your life for the better.

Because there are so many elements contributing to your environments, applying Feng Shui may initially seem to be a complex matter. However there are some basic, time honored remedies which will not involve anything more than simple efforts and little expense.

In some cases Feng Shui can be as simple as moving furniture around, changing the colors of your d?cor, hanging wind chimes and mirrors or placing leafy green plants at your home?s entrance.

As you start to adopt the principles of Feng Shui, you will begin to feel the difference. Described as the art of placement, Feng Shui is largely common sense and good design. It is important you take the time to listen to your intuition about what feels right and wrong rather than what you think is right because each and every situation is different and there are no strict foolproof formulas for you to apply.

A Feng Shui expert analysis would take into consideration the many different elements affecting your personal environment. For example they would look at how the energy of qi (chi) moves around your home: the position of your house: its surroundings : the shape of your land: the shape of your house: the directions of your rooms face- north south ,east or west: the location of each room- whether they are front , back or center: the shapes of your furniture and its placement : the d?cor of your home as well as the landscaping in your garden. They would also look at each of these in terms of the balance, of yin or yang and whether they are associated with the element of earth, fire, metal water or wood.

All of this may sound overwhelming but you do not have to become a Feng Shui expert overnight. You can take small steps. Sometimes major steps are required. Sometimes three are simple changes to be made. However as with life Feng Shui is more of an attitude, a process than one simple swoop.

Lastly as in life some changes in Feng Shui tactics can have profound effects whereas others changes may result in more limited results. And if often is a personal choice resulting differing effects from case to case as well as effect of specific time and place.

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Why Feng Shui Works

The basic principle behind Feng Shui informs us if you change your environment to reflect your aspiration for something, you can improve you chances of obtaining it. As a result, Feng Shui techniques can be implemented to try to attract love, push your earning power to the next level or to gain success in your chose field. Several different theories try to explain why, and how, Feng Shui works. Whether you believe one or all of these theories are or not valid, their sum total strongly indicates that if you employ Feng Shui in an attempt to get love or money, you just might be taking the first stride towards achieving success.

Feng Shui might well work because it alters your self expectations. If you hang an object on the wall that is said to help you find love, you will expect to meet that special someone. Believing this may make you open to conversations with new people or more optimistic about your chances of hooking up with a stranger. Such factors increase the likelihood you will fall in love after you initiate Feng Shui practices. The rationale behind Feng Shui helping you find love may not be so much spiritual as it is psychological; nevertheless, it is hard to contest the fact that Feng Shui is accountable for your new romance.

Feng Shui can be a great technique for another reason - it continually reminds you of where you really desire to go. This may motivate you to take steps to implement your dreams. When you plant a representation of what you want in plain view of yourself and others, you are making it impossible to forget your objectives. As a daily reminder of what you desire to achieve, it can help you stay motivated as you struggle to accomplish that specific goal.

Simply by definitively admitting and pronouncing your desire to reach a set goal, many psychological experts believe you are more likely to achieve it than someone who conceals and does not express it. This, alone, could explain why Feng Shui is successful. By the time that you have learned the correct Feng Shui approach to your situation, purchased the necessary objects to utilize that particular technique and completed the process so that your environment reflects your stated objective, you will have clarified to yourself that you are committed to seeing your desire fulfilled. Following this procedure, therefore, can help you realize your dreams.

There is always, of course, another possible explanation. Perhaps claims made by Feng Shui maintaining that decorating a room in a specific manner to allow positive energy to flow freely throughout the environment, are actually true. Whatever you believe the reason Feng Shui works expectation theory keeping you motivated or spiritual involvement, one thing is certain: you have nothing to lose by investigating whether Feng Shui works for you.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.ArtOfPlacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Designer Style At Bargain Prices: Feng Shui At Home

Maximum visual harmony, balance, and beauty ca be reached through the application of Feng Shui. In applying its simple rules and guidelines, you can achieve results comparable to those obtained by a professional interior design after months of work. This ancient art gives any area a designer look without the extra cost of hiring a professional consultant. If you don?t have the financial resources or the creative background, let Feng Shui be your guide. Using Feng Shui, you can take any room or section, make a few effortless, inexpensive changes and create a pleasant and attractive environment.

The guiding principles of Feng Shui focus on the placement of items within a room, specifically, what is already in situ. This approach ensures you can redo your home according to Feng Shui using what is already in place. You do not have to spend copious amounts of money purchasing new items, including furniture and art work. Feng Shui will guide you in rearranging your existing items to produce the optimal visual impression. As a result, your home will appear more balanced, orderly, and aesthetically pleasing ? all the result of your personal time and effort not your bank book. If you are resourceful, you can make rethink and recreate your home by utilizing what you have already. Additional decorative items specified by Feng Shui e.g. wind chimes, plants, and mirrors, are inexpensive. Therefore, if you feel you have to buy something, you can do so without going for broke.

While practical Feng Shui can not cure any architectural spatial problems, it can alleviate serious difficulties brought about through these design flaws. Feng Shui can minimize or hide many of these interior design problems. A room made cramped and stifling through a low ceiling or small windows can feel lighter, less oppressive and more comfortable through Feng Shui. Its guiding principled will show you how to create strong visual lines and teach you practical methods to introduce a multidirectional light system with a gloomy the space, increasing the sense of brightness without being tasteless. In spite of the difficulties presented by integral design problems, Feng Shui will provide a solution easy on the pocket book and with all the style, elegance and grace of any high fashion enterprise.

There is no doubt that Feng Shui provides inexpensive and practical solutions to interior design problems. It can take a room or area of any size or shape and alter it to its best advantage. Feng Shui can create for your home a sophisticated appearance without you spending a substantial amount of money.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.ArtOfPlacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Feng Shui In The Past And The Present

Feng Shui, translated as ?wind and water,? is perceived as representing two symbols of the natural flow of nature. Feng Shui practices attempt to recreate this natural environment in which the life positive life force or energy known as ?chi,? flows as freely and easily as wind or water. An ancient Chinese art, Feng Shui is believed to increase the flow chi in any area, large or small. Its intent in enhancing the amount of chi, releasing it to flow freely throughout any area, permits any practitioner to achieve their personal goals. For several centuries, people have applied the principles of Feng Shui to attract success in many areas, including in the kingdom of the heart and in the business world, and to win friends.

Traditionally, the school of thought known as Feng Shui has been practiced only by experts. Originally, more than 3,000 years ago, it was fashioned by a spiritual master, a student of nature and the spiritual realm. In order to maximize the positive characteristics of an area, he designed a set of basic rules directed at increasing positive energy. The end result of his dream lay in the construction of homes, workplaces and other buildings that would be beneficial to the occupants, helping them to invite good luck and positive fortune while supplying them with the ability to make the most of good luck when it arrives. His wish is still alive and well today.

In China, the acceptance of Feng Shui was swift. It quickly gained popularity and credibility with certain people becoming skillful experts in the subject. This knowledge and positive reception soon spread to other countries, becoming world wide in scope. Today, many homeowners and businesspeople traditionally consult Feng Shui experts when decorating rooms or locating a business. These consultants can draw on several thousand years of tradition and investigation. Using any number of techniques, a Feng Shui an expert can alter the energy of any particular space or area.

Over time, several different schools of Feng Shui have become apparent, each with its own unique goals and approach. As a result, finding a Feng Shui pertinent to your own specific situation is not difficult. The process of increased specialization, moreover, simplifies the means and ability to incorporate Feng Shui it into their lives. A further benefit of the continuous evolution of Feng Shui is the increased exactitude. As a result, superior results are possible with less work and less cost than in the past.

Over the centuries, the art of Feng Shui has become refined into an increasingly adept mathematical science. With the implementation of this characteristic Feng Shui has become much easier to apply to a space today than it has in the past. There are now clear guidelines to facilitate in the process so that even an inexperienced amateur can apply Feng Shui to a home or office space, creating a feeling of balance and harmony in any space of any size. Furthermore, with the availability of Feng Shui guides and information through the internet, you can eliminate the need to consult an expensive Feng Shui expert before you undertake to practice and benefit from the rules of Feng Shui.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. http://www.ArtOfPlacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Removing Stress From Your Life: The Art Of Practicing Feng Shui

For over three centuries, the Chinese people have found in Feng Shui the source for of internal and external balance and harmony. We all are searching for a little harmony in our life. Today?s fast-paced life assails all our senses with demands and expectations. Stress, anxiety and tension accumulate as the ongoing demands of work and family, home and free time push us to the very brink. Pushed and pulled by the equally demanding expectations of boss and family. Driven to the end of our rope by the increasing demands of life, the bills and everyday battles we push our own hopes and dreams into the background. Everyday, another e-mail, phone call or traffic jam, pushes us to the limit. In this environment, energy is fast depleted and tension dramatically increased. How to escape this self-perpetuating treadmill? Turn your home into a peaceful sanctuary by utilizing the techniques of Feng Shui.

The concept behind Feng Shui is to harness positive energy. Using the guiding principles, you can identify the difficulties within your physical environment and remove them. While, this may appear to be another project, consider the short and long term benefits. Feng Shui, once learned and applied will provide you with relief from stress increase your personal energy levels and help you to improve your overall sense of well-being. Time learning the correct implementation of the principles of Feng Shui is time well spent.

A life in which energy is unfocused, prevented by the stress of the environment, a life in which all efforts seem wasted, is a life unbalanced, a life without Feng Shui. The accumulation of ongoing stress will, eventually, manifest itself in the physical body. Stress releases specific hormones ion the body. An overabundance of cortisol and adrenaline can contribute to heart disease and other chronic illnesses. The immune system, too, becomes affected, increasing the incidences of colds and flus.

To avoid such possible problems, rest is traditionally prescribed. The ability of sleep to improve your energy levels is magnified- truly heightened, when Feng Shui is employed. Feng Shui will show you how to correctly align your bedroom to obtain the maximum amount of good. It will guide you in the placement of your bed and council you on what accessories are required to reduce stress and increase energy.

The principles of Feng Shui are predicated on obtaining the maximum positive energy. It acts to counteract the negative impact of daily and repetitive stress and anxiety. These negative forces sap the life energy from you. Feng Shui operates to restore your energy, reduce your stress levels and create a positive environment by showing you how to arrange your physical environment to facilitate the flow of Chi energy. Learning how to place objects and arrange your spatial environment to manifest optimum positive energy flow, will help you in all aspects of your life. A Feng Shui designed home will ensure you are provided with the positive energy and harmonious balance you require to not merely live, but thrive in today?s world.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.ArtOfPlacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!