by: Rob Daniels

Business people as well as common folks throughout the world improve all aspects of their lives using Feng Shui. Although the exact origins of feng shui are debatable, it is thought to have originated in China about five thousand years ago. According to Feng Shui cultural and social issues are influenced by natural, metaphysical and cosmological factors.

Anyone that has researched Feng Shui history knows that this level of interaction between all things is the theory of chi. Although chi is present everywhere, it pools in special places which are very auspicious in feng shui. When a less than auspicious placement occurred, Feng Shui cures were sought to change the flow of energy. This inclusion of nature into the living environment is the first point in Feng Shui and it provides solid ground for higher levels above. The art of Feng Shui is the balancing of energies through adjusting the relationships of particular items in the environment. In Feng Shui, a home and family were lucky if they were blessed to be placed in the most auspicious surroundings.

Feng Shui is an ancient discipline which shifts the chi (life force energy) in your home to improve your life. It is becoming better known in the West for one good reason: It works wonders. One of the basic rules when decorating with feng shui is to make sure that the path of energy, whether good or bad, cannot flow through your home. This happens when windows are directly across from each other, or doors are directly in front of a window. When good energy flows through your home, you can have good luck one day and bad the next, since the good energy has just flown through. When bad energy flows through your home, it is believed to cause more than just bad luck, including death and pain. Although the bad energy can flow out of your home, it leaves its wrath and can be hard to fully get rid of.

When a neighbor's driveway points toward your front entrance, counter it by affixing a pa-k'ua mirror to the door. Pa-ku'a mirrors are usually available at Chinese gift stores. A pa-k'ua mirror can also be used against sharp, pointed objects directed at your house for instance, TV antennas, protruding tree branches, or spiky architectural features. Place a large mirror behind the stove so that you won't be surprised when someone comes up behind you. Hang a mirror up at the end of a hallway so that it does not seem like a dead end. If the West section is missing in your home, you can install a bright light or a mirror to partially remedy this problem. You can also activate the West section of your bedroom as well. Do not sleep facing a mirror. The water element of the mirror will cause ill health. Avoid having any water feature in the bedroom such as aquariums, paintings of rivers and lakes, computers or televisions.

Avoid sleeping in a room where a toilet or washing machine is located upstairs. Sleeping underneath an exposed overhead beam will cause headaches, depending on where the beam 'hits'.

Arrange furniture so you can face the doors while sitting. Make the environment much more comfortable by arranging seating areas away from drafts and adjusting lighting. Clean up clutter to encourage relaxation and help you to find things easier.

Widen the front walkway to your home to make it more inviting. Be sure paths between rooms and through rooms are wide and easy to use. This allows you to walk around easily, as well as promotes chi. Oil your doors so they don't squeak, reducing mental irritation.

Fresh flowers will spread their fragrance all over so decorate flower vases with beautiful red roses and tulip flowers and place them at different corners in the house. One of the basic rules when decorating with feng shui is to make sure that the path of energy, whether good or bad, cannot flow through your home. This happens when windows are directly across from each other, or doors are directly in front of a window. When good energy flows through your home, you can have good luck one day and bad the next, since the good energy has just flown through. When bad energy flows through your home, it is believed to cause more than just bad luck, including death and pain. Although the bad energy can flow out of your home, it leaves its wrath and can be hard to fully get rid of.

To arrange furniture always start with an empty room. Once a room is empty, you can then fill it one piece at a time. You should begin with the larger pieces, like the couch, bed, television, etc. When placing each item, analyze whether the object is relevant to the area and whether people can flow through the room without running into anything. Ask yourself if you really need it in the room you are working on, or if it would better fit into another room, or if you should donate it, to goodwill. You do not have to put everything back into the room that you took out. Get rid of whatever you have left after arranging each room. This is considered clutter and can slow down your positive energy.

Arrange furniture so you can face the doors while sitting. Mirrors are good in most rooms, but once again avoid their use in the bedroom (invites third parties into the relationship) and also they should not face the front door as this causes Chi to bounce back and out the door. They are good for use in long corridors, kitchens with stoves facing the wall and living rooms where you cannot see the front door from when seated. Make the environment much more comfortable by arranging seating areas away from drafts and adjusting lighting.

About The Author

Rob Daniels is a long term practitioner of Yoga and Pilates additional articles available at Pilates Shop http://www.pilates-shop.net and Yoga Store http://www.yoga-store.net