19 Ways to Feng Shui Your Bedroom for the Best Sleep Ever

Guest User August 24, 2022

Spacious neutral bedroom with bed and armchair — Photo and design by Anjie Cho Architect PLLC

Anjie Cho was featured on Elle Decor

You’ve longed for it all day, that moment when your head hits the pillow and you drift off wistfully away to dreamland. Except that you don’t. Your mind is going 100 miles an hour and somehow you find yourself in the kitchen at two in the morning shamelessly spooning leftover chocolate-on-chocolate ice cream and questioning all of your life choices. But before you join the Peace Corps or go on an Eat, Pray, Love journey abroad, a more subtle cure for your insomnia might be all you need to be back in the well-rested races. We’re talking about a bedroom vibe boost, the feng shui way.

For centuries, the Chinese believed that there were invisible forces at work all around us, forces that, when optimized within an occupied space, can supercharge our well-being. Some refer to it as Chinese geomancy; others pass it off as early Taoist ideology. But most know it as feng shui. It’s a millennia-old belief system that—in our screen-driven, fast-paced, pandemic-and-politics-burnout moment—is more than ripe for re-exploration.

For practical tips on how to feng shui your bedroom, we checked in with experts Anjie Cho, the author of Holistic Spaces, and New York City–based practitioner Julia Sarasola. Read on to get inspiration for good mojo all around and some blessed shut-eye—in style. But by all means, still take that trip to Bali.

Aim for a Serene Environment

Regardless of your decorating style, your goal should be to craft a serene bedroom. “The important thing about feng shui is how a space makes you feel,” Cho says. “A bedroom that has good feng shui feels comfortable, nurturing, supportive, and like home. Your environment has so much of an effect on your prosperity, your livelihood, well-being, and health.”

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

Are Snake Plants Bad Feng Shui?

Guest User August 17, 2022

Green snake plant with pointy leaves in terra cotta pot on wooden table — Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash

Are snake plants bad feng shui?

Snake plants are very popular houseplants that are quite beautiful and easy to care for. They have robust, pointed leaves that stand upright. In my view, they embody the metal element because they’re strong and rigid, like a metal sword.

I’m often asked whether snake plants are bad feng shui, and the short answer is that it depends. Generally, it’s recommended in feng shui to avoid plants that are particularly sharp or pointy. However, something that’s not typically considered a good feng shui plant can be used if you really consider your life and your needs, and if you can find an appropriate time and place for it. This is where you can bring some skillfulness into your feng shui, rather than following general rules about what is good or bad.

Snake plants may be supportive in certain situations and in certain areas of your home, and not so much in others. To find out whether a snake plant in your home is supporting you, the first thing you’ll want to do is draw up your floor plan. Then, you can overlay the bagua, which is a mandala we use in feng shui that has different areas representing different areas of your life. Once you’ve laid the bagua on your home, notice where your snake plant is located, and consider what that could mean.

For example, a snake plant may not be the best plant to put in the relationships area, called Kun in Chinese. This could mean that you’re being defensive and protecting your heart more than you need to, or that you’re being sharp-tongued in your relationship.

However, snake plants can be very beneficial in certain areas of the bagua if you need more fierceness and strength in that part of your life. I have a snake plant in my fame area, called Li, and it’s been very helpful for me. Since I have a public face, I also need to protect myself a little bit. I actually placed this snake plant in my fame area when I needed to cultivate more strength and the ability to have a sharp tongue when necessary.

It also depends on your energy and situation. If you’re already pretty assertive and sharp-tongued, you may not need a snake plant. If you need more strength and protection, though, it can be beneficial. Also, your needs can change over time. After you’ve had a snake plant for a while, you may decide that you’ve received the lessons you needed, and it may no longer be serving you in the same way.

Another great place for a snake plant is on your desk, which represents your career. I find that a lot of people need some protection there, especially if they work with some difficult people, or if they need to stand up for themselves more at work.

Snake plants are also great additions to your home’s entry when you want to feel more protected. However, if you really want to open yourself up to invite in new opportunities, I wouldn’t recommend this placement. In that case, you may want to choose a plant that’s more typically recommended in feng shui, like a monstera or pothos.

I encourage you to have some curiosity about what you need, instead of making blanket statements about what is good or bad. There is a lot of polarity and duality in the world, but feng shui teaches us through the principles of yin and yang that things are “yes and,” rather than “either or.”

Do you have a snake plant in your home? Where is it located in the feng shui bagua? Do you feel like it has protected you in some way?

by Anjie Cho

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

Feng Shui Tips for Your Home Office – How to Create the Right Energy for a Productive Workspace

Guest User August 10, 2022

Photo and design by Anjie Cho Architect PLLC

Anjie Cho was featured on Livingetc

If you're struggling to concentrate when working from home, could it be possible your home office Feng Shui is off? If you do put stock in this ancient science, then maybe it's time to reorganize or even re-design your space to enhance your potential for success at work.

Essentially, Feng Shui is the study of flow and movement of energy or qi within a space. This energy can be directed within a room by choosing the right materials, layouts, and elements. Once that is done, it is believed that people, who are generally very sensitive to energy can feel the effect of space quite quickly.

There are certain Feng Shui rules for every room in the house, including your home office. We spoke to top experts from the field to help us determine the most important one to apply to your workspace.

8 Home Office Feng Shui Rules to Live By

'Your home office represents your career and Feng Shui can help you be more productive and enjoy your job more,' says Feng Shui consultant Anjie Cho. 'By using these rules you can make your office the door to bigger and better opportunities or even a space where you always shine at work.'

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