Archive for the Feng Shui lifestyle
The Bagua is a symbol representing change, it shows how energy moves in the works of vibration. because energy moves in a predicable manner we are able to ‘read’ its movement in a given space through the use of the Bagua Map.
Lifestyle Feng Shui Bagua Map how-to video
The Bagua is one of the main tools used in Feng Shui evaluations. it has its foundation in the trigrams of the I Ching, the ancient Chinese book of divination. The Bagua is actually a template or grid that is divided into 9 sections. The center section aligns with balance and harmony while the other 8 sections align with the energy of the trigrams, each section represents a different life energy.
There are two different ways to place the Bagua, one based on Cardinal directions and the other based on the entrance to the home or room. The placement used in Lifestyle Feng Shui™ is the 3-Door Method, which is the placement method based on the door to the home or room.
3-Door Method
- Center front = Career
- Left front = Inner Knowledge
- Center left = Family & Foundation
- Back left = Abundance
- Center back = Fame & Reputation
- Back right = Relationships
- Center right = Creativity & Children
- Right front = Helpful People & Travel
To place the Bagua follow these easy steps.
Step 1: Draw the floor plan of the first floor of your home, include all attached structures that share the roof of the home. (Ex: garage, screened in porch)
Step 2: Divide the floor plan info nine equal sections. When you divide your floor plan into nine sections you may find that your rooms do not line up exactly with the Bagua areas. Most of our homes are not architecturally designed in such a way that they divide evenly, a room may flow into more than one Bagua area and that is completely normal. Energy is not limited by structure.
Step 3: Stand at the front door of your home, facing the door. Determine where the front door is in relationship to your floor plan and the Bagua. (Most front doors align with either Helpful People, Career or Inner Knowledge) Once you’ve determined which Bagua area the front door is in you’ll be able to place the other Bagua areas in each of the remaining sections of the floor plan.
Now that you know where each Bagua area is in your home you’re ready to decorate or accessorize the areas you’d like to enhance or improve. Have fun!
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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This weekend I was reading the new In Style magazine and I came across this heading and subheading –
Life, etc.
Because style isn’t just about what you wear
And it got me thinking. For me, style is about living a life that embraces who I am and what’s important to me. A life that reflects my authenticity and personality – with panache and aplomb! Style is a way of living; it isn’t just about what we choose to wear or how we choose to decorate our homes. What we choose to wear and how we decorate our homes should be a reflection of our personal style, not the other way around.
Take a look around your home and in your closet. Does what you see bring you a sense of comfort and satisfaction? Do you like what you see? For many of us, the items in our homes are items we’ve accumulated over the course of our lives – and while this might be a good thing, it might also mean we’re surrounded with a jumble of furnishings and accessories that don’t bring us a sense of joy, things that we have just because they’re here not because we love them.
The same might be said about the items we have hanging in our closets. If you have clothes that don’t make you feel comfortable and attractive it’s time to release a few things and make room for something new!
When your surroundings, whether furnishings or clothes, don’t nurture and comfort you or reflect who you are, they are devoid of vibrant energy, they are devoid of style. And the energy in our surroundings is what inspires and motivates us, so it’s important that it be positive and uplifting. Not depleting and depressing.
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to really evaluate your belongings. Consider each item, determine if you love and need what you have and if some of your things aren’t things you love or you find you aren’t quite sure, consider releasing them.
Releasing items that no longer serve us creates space for change, space for opportunity, space for new things. And if the new things we select are things we absolutely love, they will also be things that reflect our personal sense of style, they’ll be just right!
When you surround yourself with things you love, you feel good about where you are and you feel good about who you are. Feeling good about who you are, empowers and enriches your life experiences and it all starts with the things you choose to live with.
Click for past article on clutter
For more info on clutter visit Lifestyle Feng Shui
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Feng Shui is based on change, the ebb and flow if life. An acceptance and understanding of this enables us to move through lifes’ challenges with a greater sense of comfort and ease. Just as the river adjusts and shifts to the shape of the land. A sense of flexibility and the ability to ‘go with the flow’ allows us to move through our hectic, busy days and lives open to new opportunity and relationships.
Is there a place in your life where you’re feeling stuck, immersed in old energy or thought patterns? How are these past experiences and patterns serving you? Does remaining in old patterns and ways of thinking enable you to remain in a job you don’t like? A relationship that doesn’t nurture you? Are you choosing to stay with the old because it’s familiar or because it helps you be the best you can be?
I believe that everything that happens to us provides us with the opportunity to grow stronger, wiser, more creative and more diverse. Often our needs for safety, predictability and controlled outcomes prevent us from fully experiencing all our life has to offer.
I believe that we can all truly learn to experience the perfection of each and every moment by simply letting our days unfold, letting each moment propel us to the proper action. We can chose to act rather than react. Life is experienced in the moments, in the now. If we are too focused on getting through our list of things to do, intent on ‘doing’ versus ‘being, life has a way of slipping by us. We are too busy to ‘see’ opportunity, to see and experience life before us. It is the unexpected moments that bring us synchronistic opportunities.
Lifestyle Feng Shui Tips for Living in the Moment
- Stop filling your days with tasks and activities that don’t serve your highest intention. Do you define yourself by how busy you are? Do you think being busy is proof that you’re successful? Are your days all about quantity rather than quality? Slow down, don’t fill every moment with activities, experience your life. Living is in the moment, not the past, not the future. Living is now.
- Do what you really want to do. What activities would you do right now if there were no obstacles in front of you? Take one small step toward doing something you like but haven’t given yourself permission to do. Start small, and stay consistent. You deserve to love the life you’re living.
- Stop trying to control everything. Let it go. Is it important to you what others think or do? By learning to release being stuck in the outcome of what others do or do not do, you free yourself up to focus on you.
- Tell the whole truth, all of the time. Most of us don’t realize how much energy we waste by not being entirely truthful with ourselves. Stop trying to live up to someone else’s idea of how you should be…..just be who you are. Who you are is not only enough, it’s perfect!
- Slow down and breathe. Reflect on where you are and where you’re going. Quiet time is a way of checking in with yourself as well as a way of connecting to those around you. Going ‘with the flow’ requires that we change our mindset, that we let go of the need to control every aspect of our days and lives. This doesn’t mean we can’t set goals, it means surrendering the need to forge ahead at all costs, it means trusting that what you’ve accomplished is enough; that what you’ve accomplished is what was meant to be.
If you can learn to incorporate the principles and spirit of Lifestyle Feng Shui into your daily life, not just your living environment, you will find you accomplish more than you can imagine. Pay attention to what makes you feel energized, connected and stimulated. Let go of the need to control your life and begin living it instead.
This weekend I was reading through some of my past Ezine articles and I came across this one. It’s as valid today as it was in 2007. I hope you enjoyed it. 
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and link above.
To celebrate the new year, I decided to create my first video! Join me as I share 3 powerful Lifestyle Feng Shui tips to help you change the quality of your life this year. I hope you enjoy it!
SPACE CLEARING FOR THE NEW YEAR
A good time to space clear your home is at the start of a new year. This year, I’d like to share the steps I take when I clear my own home.
Space clearing is a way to instantly shift and transform the subtle, energy or the feeling in your home or workspace.
I believe that our homes mirror and reflect our consciousness, our inner state of being, and the act of clearing or re-aligning the energy in our living spaces shifts our energy and our experience of the energy within our living spaces.
There are seven basic steps to I use when space clearing my home. I usually do the first two steps the day before the clearing.
- Cleaning. I thoroughly clean my home from vacuuming carpets and floors to windows. When everything is clean the energy automatically feels better.
- Personal preparation. After cleaning my home, I make sure to take time to eat a nourishing meal and bathe. I like making this step a bit of a ritual. I love taking an epsom salt bath, (great for clearing toxins from our bodies while grounding us), with a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil added for clarity and focus.
- Preparation. At this stage I create a beautiful display that includes my space clearing tool (I personally love sound instruments – my favorite is a crystal singing bowl), a bowl or vase of fresh flowers, a beautiful table cloth, several candles and a fabulous crystal or semiprecious stone. I use this space to set my intention and to say my house blessing.
- Clearing. There are many ways to clear a space, this is what I do. I begin at my front door and moving clockwise through my home and each room I gently ring my singing bowl as I move through the space, paying attention to the clarity of the singing bowl. If the bowl sounds dull i know to spend more time in this space. When the bowl resonates with a clear tone, I know the area is clear.
- Blessing. Once I’ve cleared my entire home I go back to the front door and begin again. This time as I move through the space with my singing bowl, I also say my blessing, or intention for my home.
- Closing. Once the entire home has been cleared and blessed, I return to my beautiful display and I state the blessing once again as I close the ceremony.
- The final step is sealing my intention or blessing into my home. I do this by placing the vase of flowers on my kitchen table. The flowers represent vibrant, living energy and reinforce the power of the clearing. Their beauty embraces the beauty of my intention and blessing.
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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As we herald in the New Year many of us take this time to reflect on the year past and to set intentions for the year to come. The use of Feng Shui can provide us with a deeper understanding and appreciation of our lives and our intentions. When we make space for what we desire, we open ourselves to possibilities and opportunities.
For many of us this is a time for resolutions and resolutions are often focused on things we don’t like: our weight, our relationships, clutter in our home, our jobs or lack thereof, and our balance between work and life, to name a few.
This year I’d like to suggest that we shift our focus from New Year resolutions to New Year realignments.
A New Year realignment is an awareness and appreciation for what’s working in our lives rather than a focus on what isn’t. When we focus our thoughts and energy on what’s working, we literally make it bigger.
And when we make the good in our lives bigger, those things that aren’t as good become smaller. When they’re smaller, they become less important and when they’re less important we give them less energy. With less energy they continue to get smaller.
Top 5 Lifestyle Feng Shui Tips for the New Year
- Clean your house – literally. When you take care of the space around you, you feel better about yourself and the world reflects your energy back to you…if you don’t like what you’re experiencing, give your house a good cleaning!
- Place your bed in the ‘Command Position’. The Command Position is when the position of the bed provides the widest view of the room and is supported by a solid wall. (The more you can see, the safer you feel and when you feel safe you feel supported.)
- Celebrate the positive in your life (no matter how small, good things are even better when we notice and appreciate them)
- Choose to shift your focus in your relationships away from what isn’t working and embrace what is working. (Changing your thinking and behavior is so powerful, it’s literally enough to completely makeover the quality of your relationship.)
- Write an affirmation focused on gratitude and appreciation on a lovely piece of paper and then plant that paper in the soil of a plant (ideally located in the Abundance area of your home). Each time you water that plant visualize the positive in your life growing stronger, more resilient and abundant. (To find the Abundance area of your home click here for a free Bagua Map)
In the world of Feng Shui you get what you focus on. Changing your focus energizes and empowers the positive in your life – and when our lives are empowered we are too!
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Have you ever had the feeling that things were about to change? That your life as you knew it was on its way toward something you couldn’t put your finger on, something different, something exciting, something completely new?
Were you excited?
Were you afraid?
Did you choose not to change?
Taking risks, stepping out of your comfort zone is where true change, true opportunity and true growth exist. If things stay the same, nothing changes. And isn’t change what life’s about?
Lately, I’ve been feeling like my life is about to change – and change in a BIG way. I’m not sure what that means, and what will actually change. But I have to admit I am really excited about it.
Change is something that has always been a part of my life. My husband and I have moved over 10 times and lived all over the United States, and each time we moved we looked forward to the upcoming changes and opportunities. And you know what? Each time we moved there were LOTS of new opportunities. And you know why? I think it’s because we embraced change and welcomed all it had to offer instead of fearing it.
I believe that fear is the energy that stops opportunity, the energy that stops growth, and the energy that stops change.
My advice to you? Embrace a sense of fearlessness. That’s right, as you stand on the edge of the cliff, don’t be afraid to jump! In the immortal words of Jon Bon Jovi, “I’m gonna live my life shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice. Standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly.” There’s a certain amount of trust involved in the leap, but the rewards are worth it!
If you look at change with fear, you will undoubtedly experience situations that reinforce your expectation. If, on the other hand, you look at change as opportunity you will also undoubtedly experience situations that reinforce your expectation.
“Change the way you look at things
and the things you look at will change.”
Wayne Dyer
Your words and thoughts create your reality, be mindful of what you think.
I’ll keep you posted on the changes that come my way this year, I’m looking forward to it!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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For those of you familiar with my blog posts and other articles I’ve written, you’ve heard me talk about a Feng Shui Lifestyle™ or living a lifestyle with the principles of feng shui. A Feng Shui Lifestyle™ is a lot about inner work and inner work is about coming to an understanding and acceptance of who we are, what we are and our circumstances. It’s about embracing who we are and living life to the fullest every minute, good, bad or otherwise. It’s about embracing life right now not waiting for someday in the future – embracing and experiencing joy and satisfaction today.
My oldest dog Gaby, who’s almost 9, recently began experiencing seizures ranging from mild to grand mal. It became so bad that we could no longer take our daily walks. This was a major change in our daily routine, the girls and I loved our daily walks and I could see that this change was making Gaby unhappy. But unhappy or not, I didn’t want to risk another seizure, so walks were out.
Then one day, while in New York City, I was inspired. I would buy Gaby a dog stroller! Yes, a dog stroller and then we’d all be able to continue our daily walks! You can imagine how excited I was. I immediately set about looking for a stroller for her but found that the ones available in our local stores where for smaller dogs. So I went online and found the perfect stroller and since Gaby is not a ‘pink’ kinda girl, pink was, of course, the perfect color to choose! (I love the humor and contradiction of the color choice!)
Several weeks later, after returning home from work, I went out to get the mail and there was Gaby’s new stroller! It had arrived! I was so excited I assembled it immediately. And then we were off on our first walk in almost a month!
Gaby in her new stroller
As you can see, she’s cozy and happy as can be!
What’s this story got to do with a Feng Shui Lifestyle? Everything. Gaby’s health changed and our lives changed with it. Instead of being angry or resentful of the changes, we wasted no time with, ‘why me’, ‘why now’, ‘what does this mean’ and instead moved to acceptance. And from a place of acceptance we were able to see a new path, a new way of living and being, one that followed the flow instead of fighting it. And following the flow is what a Feng Shui Lifestyle™ is all about.
P.S. Gaby also takes medication to stabilize and control her seizures, I am happy to say that she has been seizure free since making her Feng Shui Lifestyle™ changes and beginning the medication.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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I was reading a recent issue of Real Simple magazine and found this statistic -
83% - The percentage of human-resource managers who say the appearance of an employee’s workspace
affects their perception of her skill level and professionalism.
Apparently reality is guided by perception and if that’s the case then our perception of our living and working spaces directly impacts the quality of our lives, or our reality. You are strongly influenced by the spaces you inhabit – so much so the impression of others is also affected.
If you don’t like your reality, change your surroundings!
You guessed it; this is where Feng Shui enters the picture. When we incorporate the principles of Feng Shui into our living and working spaces we create spaces that not only look good but spaces that feel good as well. And when a space truly feels good, it is supportive of us, whether that support is for our goals and dreams or for a good impression from our co-workers.
Top 5 Feng Shui tips for your living and working spaces
- Arrange your furnishings so that you are in the power or command position. This means that you have the support of a solid wall behind you and full view of the room in front of you.
- Eliminate clutter.
- Bring in a plant or two to improve the air quality and remove toxins.
- Increase the amount of light through the use of additional light fixtures and lamps or open the curtains! Light energizes and activates a space.
- Have a view of something inspiring. This can be a picture, a beautiful piece of art, a plant, or the view out a window. What you see is less important than how it makes you feel…find something inspiring to motivate and energize you.
These five simple steps are a great way to begin the Feng Shui Lifestyle™ process. For more tips, recommendations and articles, visit http://www.examiner.com/feng-shui-lifestyle-in-national. It’s up to you what impression your space makes on others and whether or not it supports you and your desires. You can change your reality simply by changing your spaces!
What are you waiting for?
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
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Can you lose weight with Feng Shui?
Yes and no.
We all want to lose weight, some of us do it the old fashioned way by exercising more and watching what we eat, others want a quicker easier way to lose weight or at least something that can help them achieve greater weight loss success.
While there is no quick, effortless way to lose weight, feng shui can support your efforts at weight loss.
How to lose weight with feng shui-
- Clear clutter. When we have clutter our space is literally blocked, energy or chi cannot move freely. This is a similar dynamic to excess weight. When we carry excess weight our energy is limited, we can’t move as easily, our bodies ability to function optimally is blocked. Our inner world is mirrored and reflected in our outer world, making the connection is where Feng Shui comes into play.
- Reposition the furnishings in your rooms to create ease of movement and flow. This step is about removing excess in your living environment.
- Release anything that’s broken, anything that you don’t use or anything that you don’t love. Keeping things around that aren’t useful or beautiful takes up space and drains your energy. (Think of it as symbolic fat – it doesn’t have a purpose and it takes up space.)
- Organize, organize, organize. Start with your bedroom closet and organize your clothing, shoes and accessories so everything is easy to find and has its own space. As you complete a space, move onto to another. Do this is phases, perhaps over several months so you don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged. When our things are organized, we can find things easier and that saves us time, saves us money and makes our life easier.
- Take care of your health, change your eating habits and eliminate foods that are highly processed, high in sugars and high in saturated fats.
- Start a simple exercise routine. Even a short, 5 minute daily walk will make a bit difference in how you feel both physically and mentally. Give yourself permission to start wherever you’re at.
- Get plenty of sleep. Your body needs downtime to rejuvenate and restore itself. A good nights rest is important.
- Picture yourself, as you’d like to be, in both your minds eye and in the way you speak about yourself…. act as if the weight is already gone. Imagine it as if it is already so. This is a powerful way to shift your perception of yourself. And let’s face it, our perception of our self either supports what we desire or it doesn’t. You can’t achieve something you don’t believe it. So begin to see yourself as you’d like to be and before you know it, that’s exactly what your reality will become!
Losing weight requires changes in our life patterns and in our living patterns. One is not separate from the other. If losing weight is one of your goals, start the process today and tomorrow will be easier!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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As a Feng Shui practitioner and teacher, I often hear folks talking about ‘needing balance in their lives.’ And feeling like they need to ‘get away’ to achieve it.
Balance – is it connected to someplace we go, like the ocean, the mountains, or the country?
For me the answer is ‘no’. Balance isn’t a place we go. While it’s true that our living environments can affect how we feel in a space, it is also true that we can affect the energy of the space around us.
Balance is an inside job.
Embracing balance is all aspects of our lives, from our living spaces to how we live our lives isn’t about going away, it’s about going within. It’s about understanding that just as we are profoundly affected by our environments, our environments are affected by us as well.
If we’re are as affected by our environments as they are by us, then balance takes change in both our living spaces and our way of living. If you are unhappy with your home it is usually because the energy is blocked. When you begin to make changes, to open it up, there will be a period when all that unstuck energy stirs things up. Don’t give up! Things start to get uncomfortable inside right before change occurs, if you stop now you will slip back into old patterns of behavior and old patterns of living.
If balance is truly what you desire, step forward and embrace change. Instead of making your living space responsible for the lack of balance you are experiencing, partner with your living space and create balance.
All it takes is commitment, patience and a little bit of Feng Shui housework!
To help you get started, try my FREE Feng Shui Ecourse – it’s filled with lots of simple and effective strategies to help you embrace balance in all areas of your life!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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