Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Travel

Guest User March 28, 2021

Can you use feng shui when you’re traveling?

This is a great question that I get asked a lot. Before this year, I traveled every month or two, so I do have a few things I like to do when I arrive in a new place.

The first thing I do when I arrive is unpack my things. Just like I want to stretch out after a long trip, my belongings want to stretch out too. I unfold my clothes and hang them up or put them away. I also put away all my toiletries so that everything is in order.

I also like to clear the space. Often, there have been a lot of people coming in and out of the place I’m staying, so space clearing is a great way to open up the space to receive you. I always travel with some palo santo or space clearing mist. My clearing mist comes in a two-ounce bottle, so it’s easy to travel with, even on an airplane. I like bringing a mist when I travel, because you can’t always burn something like palo santo, depending on where you’re staying.

Then, if something doesn’t feel right, I’ll make some adjustments. For example, on a recent vacation, I stayed in a room where the bed was not in the commanding position. It was really simple to adjust this—all I had to do was move the pillow to a different place so that I could be in command. Little things like that make a huge difference. I’ve also been known to change out lightbulbs to have better lighting!

I think the key is to come into the space where you are staying with respect, and acknowledge that it is going to be your home for a certain period of time. I hope that helps, and I hope you get to do some traveling soon!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Home Office in the Bedroom

Guest User March 21, 2021

Is it ok to have my home office in my bedroom?

This is something that has come up a lot this year with so many of us working from home. Sometimes the bedroom the only area where you can set up a workspace, especially if you normally work at an office and weren’t prepared to work from home.

In general, my advice is to do the best with what you have. Feng shui isn’t magic—it’s not going to add another room to your home or make one of your rooms suddenly bigger. You have to make accommodations and compromises based on your situation.

In general, it’s not ideal to have a workspace in your bedroom. If you can move it to another place in your home, I would recommend you do that. A separate room is best, but you can also carve out space in another room in your home, one that is not dedicated to sleep and relaxation. For example, perhaps there is a corner in your kitchen that would work well as a dedicated home office.

If you must have your home office in your bedroom, there are a few ways that you can make the most of the situation. First, make sure you have a separate space dedicated to work within your bedroom. You don’t want to work on your computer while sitting in bed, because you’re mixing two different types of energy: yin, the more passive energy of rest and sleep; and yang, the active energy of work.

Next, do your best to create a visual separation between your workspace and the rest of your bedroom. You can do this with a freestanding bookcase, room divider, or fabric panel. If you can’t fit something like this in your bedroom, you may want to cover your desk with a beautiful piece of fabric at the end of each work day to create more separation between your work and personal life.

If you have questions about your specific situation, I’d recommend working with an expert. If you do have the opportunity to work with a feng shui consultant, they can help you locate a better space for your home office, or figure out how to best accommodate the workspace in your bedroom if that is really the only option.

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Do You Really Need Two Nightstands?

Guest User February 28, 2021

I’ve heard that you’re supposed to have two nightstands. Is this always necessary? Is it ok to just have one?

In general for adults, it’s helpful two have two nightstands, one on each side of the bed. They don’t have to match, but ideally, they should be similar in size. In a mundane way, this creates more balance between you and your partner. If you’re single, it creates space to invite in a partner.

A lot of people who are single may only have one nightstand because they don’t currently need a second one. However, it’s helpful to actually create the space for the partner you do want to invite by accommodating them even before they arrive in your life. You can do this by having a nightstand for them. The same goes for pillows as well—you may only need one pillow at the moment, but by creating your bedroom as if you’re already in a partnership, you’re making your space more inviting, both energetically and physically, to your future partner.

You might also be in a situation where you are not looking for a relationship. If you’re really working on cultivating yourself and you intentionally don’t want to make space for someone right now, that’s completely ok and admirable. If you don’t want a partner, that’s your decision to make.

However, I wouldn’t recommend having only one nightstand long-term. Not only do nightstands represent you and your current or future partner, they can also represent the masculine and feminine sides of yourself. Regardless of whether we have a partner or not, there’s a duality within us that we’re always working to balance: feminine and masculine, light and dark, yin and yang. Over time, having only one nightstand may create an imbalance in these two sides of yourself.

I hope that helps! If you have more questions about your specific situation, I encourage you to work with a consultant or join an upcoming Practical Feng Shui workshop!

by Anjie Cho