Feng Shui for Your Dining Table

Guest User July 21, 2021

When was the last time you used your dining table for dining? What about the last time you used it for something other than dining? We often tend to use our dining tables for other activities, including working. This is probably especially true recently, with so many people working from home. Sometimes, we even use our dining tables as a storage area.

Your dining table is a space to nourish your body, and a place to connect with your friends and family. It represents how you take care of yourself as well as your relationships. Your home represents you and is affected by you, so when you neglect certain areas of your home, it can reflect upon how you treat different areas of your life.

If possible, take time every day to eat mindfully at your dining table. Just like you wouldn’t want your friendships or nourishment to become neglected, it’s important not to neglect your dining table and allow it to get cluttered or dusty. If you are working from home currently and space is at a minimum, it’s possible that you do need to use your dining table as a desk as well. Instead of eating amongst your work papers at the end of the day, take a moment to put away the items connected to your work before you sit down to eat. Sometimes we’re in such a rush because we have a poverty mentality and we think we are running out of time. In reality, it doesn’t take that long to set up a nice meal for yourself and eat mindfully.

If you don’t have a dining table, create a small space dedicated to eating mindfully, at least once per day. I encourage you to make a dedication to take care of yourself in this way. This might mean clearing off the coffee table, turning off the TV, and finding a beautiful placemat and dish for your dinner each night. Details like this can make your meal a more nourishing experience. By making space for a lovely meal, you’re making space to nurture yourself.

If you want to learn more feng shui tips for each room in your home, be sure to check out my book, Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home.

by Anjie Cho

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

Q&A Sunday: Can I Use a Mirror as a Headboard

Anjie Cho July 4, 2021

I wanted to know what you thought about using a mirror as a headboard.

Carla P., Houston, TX

Hi Carla,

Thanks for your question!

I would probably advise that it would not be ideal to use a mirror for a headboard if you’re doing this to improve your feng shui. Of course, you can use whatever you like for a headboard, but feng shui-wise there are a few problems I can foresee.

First of all, it’s important in feng shui philosophy to have a headboard, because it provides stability and connects both sides of the bed. I would have to assume that if you want a mirror as a headboard, it is not a mirrored headboard, rather a mirror you’re adapting into a headboard. So then you wouldn’t be able to attach it to the bed frame.

Second, if you could attach it to the bed frame, it seems a bit dangerous to have a mirror fastened to the bed. Or to lean on a mirror while sitting up in bed. It could very easily be broken, and of course broken glass can be a nightmare to clean up. And it would be a literal nightmare waking up to glass shards in your bed.

There are always exceptions, for instance maybe there’s a lovely headboard that has mirror on it. However the sense I’m getting from your question is that you want to use a mirror in lieu of a headboard, in which case I would not recommend that.

The ideal headboard in feng shui is solid, connected to the bed and supports both partners safely. You can read up on that here. Of course it is fine to have mirrors in the bedroom, at least in BTB feng shui, and you can certainly include one above your headboard, but unless you have a headboard with a mirror already purchased, there should be plenty of beautiful options that will be more supportive in that role. :)

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: Feng Shui and the Fire Element

Guest User June 27, 2021

Can you tell me more about the fire element?

We use the five elements in a lot of feng shui applications. The five elements are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. Right now, we’re in a fire season. Fire is related to summertime and we just had the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, so it seemed like a good time to answer this question and talk about what the fire element means in feng shui.

Feng shui is related to a lot of different Asian modalities that also use the five elements, like Taoism and Chinese acupuncture. We also find the elements in many different cultures, and across the board, fire looks very similar. As humans, we have this connection to fire, and we really understand it. Fire is bright, consuming, red, and it stands out. It’s also this expansive energy. Of course, summertime is very fiery.

If you want to bring the fire element into your home with feng shui, you can start to bring in different aspects of fire. One of these is the color red. Red and fire are not only related to heat and summer, but also being seen in the world and your reputation. If you feel like people pass you over for promotions, or you’re not being recognized for all the good work that you do, you might need to bring in some more fire element.

Fire is also related to triangle shapes. This is a connection that is seen in many cultures. Bringing in that fiery triangle shape is another way to add more fire energy to your home.

My favorite way to bring the fire element into your home is to use your voice and sing. Professor Lin Yun, who brought BTB feng shui to the West, talked about letting your heart sing to really activate the fire element. I recommend you put on your favorite music, and then sing out loud and dance around! This will really inspire some passion, and invoke the fire element to promote more vitality. Allow yourself to be heard and seen in the world!

I hope you have fun working with the fire element!

by Anjie Cho