Probably the best application of feng shui is the use of the concepts in your home. According to these concepts outlined in feng shui philosophy, this is a big step towards creating healthy lifestyle.

Feng shui can be used to get your house is in order and to ultimately make it a sanctuary where you feel de-stressed and relaxed. Further, it is claimed that it will literally set your life up for greater wealth, happiness, and even romance.

The basics are just that, basic. The primary focus should be on how your house looks and feels upon approach. This includes the outer décor and landscaping, as much as it does the interior.

Let’s go over the main functional areas

Outside

The outside of your home should be set up for a positive chi, as it has many impacts on your health. Some tips include making sure your address is clearly visible from the street and getting rid of any dead brushes, shrubs and flowers. Keeping them there indicates that your wealth will die.
Keep the yard clear from any clutter and trim any overgrown plants throughout the yard. This follows the ideas that a clean and organized area allows you to feel harmony upon entrance to the home.
Light the walkway to your door at night, as it will light the way to your wealth and prosperity for years to come.

Family Room

The family room is where everyone comes together and is considered the heart of the home. Thus, is important to make sure it is comfortable and cheerful. Aim to satisfy the needs of those that may be visiting as well as you own needs in your design. Either way, it should be free of excess clutter, which will allow Chi to flow naturally throughout the room.
Keep plenty of natural light in the room and accentuate that light with a color scheme that reflects your own personality, while promoting a natural positive chi. Don’t use harsh colors or colors that contrast your other decorations and furniture. Soft pastels are always good. Before making a final decision on color, understand their symbolic definitions.

Red = happiness
Yellow = authority
White = purity
Green = longevity
Blue = heavenly blessings

Bedrooms

The master bedroom should be as far away from the front door as possible, for the security of the homeowner. The foot of the bed should not be placed so that the occupant’s feet face a doorway. This is a negative since this is the way the deceased are carried from a room. Part of the bed should always touch a wall because it helps people feel more stable.
As with all rooms, color is important. The color of the bedroom should reflect tranquility and relaxation. One shouldn’t compromise their sleep by using too vibrant of a color. It is also recommended to use lower lighting in your bedroom, which can be accomplished simply by lowering the wattage of your light bulbs.

Dining Room

The dining room should be close to the kitchen and in the corner of a home to promote the gathering of chi. The seating should be set so that everyone can talk to each other easily. Round or octagon tables are the best choice. A round table is said to be good because it symbolizes stability.
When arranging furniture in the dining room ensure that chairs do not restrict doorways. There should be ample space for guests to walk around the table without having to maneuver around chairs or other furniture.
If your dining room has no windows a chandelier or a ceiling fan will assist the flow of Chi. Always use soft even lighting in the dining room as well as soft colors such as shades of green or yellow.

Bathroom

The bathroom represents homeowner’s finances, so it should be set up appropriately. Ideally, the bathroom should not be visible from the front door or to close to the kitchen. It should be clean, well lit, and well ventilated. Proper ventilation allows the negative sha energy to be relieved quickly, allowing the positive chi to remain.

Kitchen

In the kitchen, the placement of the stove and sink are the most important. The stove should be positioned so a person using doesn’t have their back facing a doorway. The chef needs to be able to focus and not be surprised.
The sink represents water, so it should not be side by side with he stove, which represents fire. Typically, a well placed mirror should alleviate any design issues you face.
There should be ample room to work around the sink and stove. They should be kept clean and work well to encourage favorable family finances.
Good lighting and ventilation by the stove will reduce the influence of Sha, as will painting the kitchen white. White symbolizes purity and promotes good health.
Using Feng Shui methods around your home is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Everyone has their own needs, and everyone’s tastes are different. The bottom line for you is to follow the guiding principles and make your designs work.

With a little feng shui, anyone can improve their health and their outlook on life. However, it should be an understood that a healthy diet and regular exercise should also be incorporated into any healthy living resolution.

Alden Pennington is co-author of NaturalHealthLifestyles.com and has been a natural health enthusiast for many years. Alden graduated from the University of Kentucky and is currently a Human Resources Director with a keen focus on the company wide health and wellness program. http://www.NaturalHealthLifestyles.com

It might sound crazy or foolish, but the Chinese have been successfully fixing their lives with the practice of feng shui for centuries. You see, there is a positive energy force in the world (which the Chinese refer to as Chi) that you tap into every time you feel good or have a happy moment. This energy force flows through your house and your life – or maybe it doesn’t and you need to attract it! It’s not hard to do. Heck, it wants to come in and help you, but you have to welcome it in and create an environment that it will want to stay in.

I am an account executive, and several years ago I found myself in a real sales slump. My wife had briefly read an article in the paper about feng shui and suggested that I put a mirror and a plant on the ledge behind my home-office desk. I had no objections. A plant sounded nice, and a mirror was a little odd but it did let me see when somebody was walking up behind me which I liked.

My sales numbers picked up immediately and so I asked my wife more about this feng shui stuff. She didn’t know any more so I went to the book store and picked up a paperback on the subject. I guess I was willing to try anything, and having seen good results from just a dabble in it probably opened my mind enough to be able to let it work for me.

The first thing the book had me do was clean up my house. Chi doesn’t like clutter, and the reason is, people don’t like clutter either. We tend to train ourselves to ignore it, but in the back of our mind we know about it and so does the Chi. In order for Chi to flow all clutter must be cleaned up and neatly organized. This necessitated an intense house-wide cleaning project, but I was very satisfied when it was done. That’s good, as the Chi is attracted to positive feelings.

Next came the strategic decorating, in accordance with the “Bagua” map. This is a chart that tells you which areas of your home correspond to which areas of your life. Each of these areas attracts Chi better with the use of certain colors and certain elements (earth, wood, water, etc.). Also common sense creativity comes into effect; we hung a picture of France in the “travel” area of our house.

Finally, we implemented the use of recommended feng shui tools that keep the Chi flowing into, and not our of, our home. These tools include things like water fountains, wind chimes, and crystals. For example, a toilet that is visible from a bathroom doorway drains the Chi right down the plumbing. But hanging a crystal between the door and the toilet at least partially remedies that problem.

My wife and I had a field day getting the home up to feng shui standards. Afterwards we really like what we had done and felt good about it, which of course is the magic that makes feng shui work. Within several months I was one of the top producing reps at my company, no kidding! Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The most you have to lose is your messy house!

Andrew Kasch is an account executive and feng shui convert. You can learn more about specific feng shui techniques at his web site: http://www.fengshuihouse.info