How to Create a Serene Meditation Space in a Small, Cramped Apartment

Anjie Cho October 30, 2019

featured on Clever

It feels like the cure for every problem these days is meditation. Feeling anxious? Meditate for 20 minutes a day. Need help falling asleep? Again, meditate. Feeling lost and disconnected? You get the point. But whether you're new to meditation or just looking to feel more peaceful in your everyday life, a cramped and chaotic apartment can seem like an enormous roadblock. Sure, it's ideal to retreat to an empty, sun-drenched room to do your morning meditation, or a lush backyard where you can surround yourself in nature every day. But we're happy to report that you can still curate a mindful meditation space even in the most cramped, eclectic, and chaotic of dwellings. Here are some hacks to create a conscious corner for you and your practice.

Tidy Up (Or Face the Chaos!)

Channel your inner Marie Kondo and spruce up your space so you don’t have to deal with distractions while meditating. On the flip side, “it actually acts as a great challenge for you during meditation,” says feng shui consultant Anjie Cho. “Having the obstacle of a chaotic apartment will improve your practice. You’ll start to see your chaos more clearly,” says Anjie. Don’t take this as a total pass to live in the mess, though; I still recommend creating a clean slate at first to subdue any stress, especially for beginners.

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School Spotlight – Mindful Design Feng Shui School

Anjie Cho July 24, 2019

featured on International Feng Shui Guild

Our latest Feng Shui School Spotlight features the Mindful Design Feng Shui School with founders and directors, Anjie Cho and Laura Morris. These talented and wise educators bring a new level of business + Feng Shui sense for their students, bringing an enjoyable freshness and passion.

The Interview…

Q: Please describe your very first coming into awareness about Feng Shui.

A: Laura: I think the first time I truly became aware was over 20 years ago, I was single, and tired of the quality of men I was meeting. My friend suggested I try feng shui and lent me a book. I bagua-ed my space, made a few simple adjustments, and long story short, two weeks later I met the man who is now my husband. I decided I wanted to learn more about this amazing practice, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Anjie: Feng shui has always been in the background for me. Being aware of my environment, and the impact it has on me was part of my upbringing. This awareness was solidified in my twenties when I was looking for a way to bring more mindfulness and spirituality to my career. I took my first feng shui course at the Open Center in NYC and fell in love with the practice.

Q: What is your branch of Feng Shui? How have you made it your own?

A: We teach a traditional approach to Black Sect (BTB) feng shui. We have had the good fortune to have had amazing teachers and mentors, we honour them and H.H. Master Lin Yun, by closely following the lineage and passing on this collective wisdom to our students.

Because of our backgrounds in interior design and architecture, Mindful Design Feng shui School is a unique blend of mindfulness practices, traditional BTB feng shui, and business school.

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Dive deeper into feng shui to transform your life!

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui in Any Environment

Anjie Cho June 23, 2019

How does one live a feng shui lifestyle if the environment is not "good feng shui?" Steps are being made towards a feng shui inspired environment, but how do I create good feng shui without changing/renovating the physical architectural elements. Thanks for your help!

Charlene R., Pacifica, CA

Although I am a professional architect and incorporate feng shui principles into my architecture and design, we always still work with existing environments that cannot be changed. Beyond the actual built architecture of your home or office, there’s also the natural environment, the street, the city, the country, etc. See the image above. We are all influenced by these concentric circles, or degrees, of the environment that we can’t just go and change. I own an apartment in New York City. The bathroom and kitchen have to stay where they are, as does the front door, the relationship to the street, etc. You can do your best to pick the most advantageous location, but nothing is perfect.

Luckily, I practice BTB Feng Shui. This school of feng shui is influenced greatly by intention and offers many solutions that can work with your existing environment. Most feng shui is remedial, and we work with what you have.

If we go back to the concentric circles, you see the green center area is YOU. Start with changing your energy and your personal feng shui. Then work outward. I think the steps you're taking and even intention to start making shifts are great first steps. From here, work on changing the feng shui of your bedroom. Put your bed in the commanding position, which means either moving the bed or placing a mirror so that you can see the door.

Take a look at my other tips, and take it step by step! And by starting with yourself, you’re already creating a good feng shui environment.

by Anjie Cho