Q&A Sunday: Beach Holiday Feng Shui

Anjie Cho August 12, 2018

I would appreciate some Feng Shui tips for a beach holiday (accommodation, beach tote, and so on). Thanks in advance.

Giuliana G., France

Hi Giuliana,

Nice to hear from you again! You always come up with such interesting questions. 🙂 Thank you!

My first thought was…"well I’m not sure if I can answer this one." But, upon reflection, this is very similar to just feng shui travel tips. And I also did take a work vacation to a Greek island in June (I was at teacher a dharma art retreat). I travel quite a bit, especially this year. So, maybe I do have something to share!

For the travel part, whether it be a train, car or especially a plane, there are a few things that I always travel with. First, a hydrating spray. My favorite is Alaska essences Travel Ease, which has essential oils, flower and gem essences to ease with the jet lag. Another wonderful travel aid are hydration tablets. Nuum is currently my favorite. I also carry a feng shui talisman I received from Catherine Woo that is unfortunately unavailable anywhere that I know of…I’ll ask my mentors about it. I always travel with Lotus Wei's Radiant Energy, which works to expand your presence after computer use and travel. It's a MUST for restful sleep while traveling.

When I arrive at my destination, the first thing I do is unpack and make myself at home. Putting your belongings away in a drawer creates a feeling of ownership and relaxation, rather than the chaos of literally living out of a suitcase. Then I tuck the suitcase away. For me, it makes me feel at home and spacious. Your belongings also deserve to stretch out a bit after a long day of traveling. :)

Next, I clear the space, because there can be residual energies from the people who have stayed there before, or just from the people you’re staying with. I think over the holidays, or when you're traveling, you can easily feel sensitive to space as well as foreign energy. By clearing the space, you’re just giving the place a little perk to provide a restful and spacious sleeping situation while traveling. I suggest carrying some space clearing tools with you whenever you travel, such as palo santo, white sage or orange essential oil spray. I prefer room sprays when traveling, because you’re not burning anything. My store sells travel-friendly bottles of each of these.

The beach tote is an intriguing question and can be feng shui relevant. There’s something called fashion feng shui, and if you haven’t heard of it, basically we can use feng shui colors to support and produce the type of qi we want to cultivate. So, you can coordinate your beach tote (or suit or towel…) with the kind of energy you want to embody on your trip. For instance, green if you want some healing vibrant energy. Purple to attract abundance and success. Earthy colors if you want to take care of yourself and do some self-care. Pink if you want to attract a partner. Red if you want to be really seen and noticed. Dark blue if you want to work on self cultivation, like maybe at a yoga retreat.

Finally, since you specifically asked about a beach holiday, we can touch upon the water element. In feng shui, moving bodies of water like the ocean and rivers, provide a natural element that can offer your intentions to the universe. If there’s something you want to give up to the world, perhaps your worries about something or a negative energy, you can let it go into the water. Let the water carry it away. One way to do that would be to write it on a red piece of paper, burn it and offer the ashes into the water that’s moving away from you. Then just leave it up to the universe.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I are launching our program in September 2018. We have a free webinar “Five Feng Shui Tools Revealed: Must-do business boosters for soulpreneurs and wellness practitioners” coming up, too! check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Visit the Holistic Spaces Store

Q&A Sunday: What To Do When Feeling Stuck in Your Life

Anjie Cho August 5, 2018

I spoke to you back in the summer and I fixed my lamp and got a job. Any more I can do to declutter my home? Where can I look to free the space more? I'm 25 and still feel so stuck. I'm a bit worried. How do I make more money and unstick my life? Can you give me another suggestion?

Stella I., Forest Hills, NY

Dear Stella,

Thank you for your email and question. That’s wonderful that you incorporated some of the suggestions we spoke about, including fixing your lamp. And congratulations on the job! Amazing!!!

Although you have seen some progress, you’re indicating that you still feel stuck, worried, you want to make more money, and you want to free up space. These are very human and real problems that I think every person is facing in their lives. Without knowing more than what you’ve written in this email, my first thought is to suggest that you work on your self-cultivation.

There are many factors in life, which Professor Lin Yun (founder of BTB feng shui) called the “Art of Living”. You can read more about this in my teacher’s book “The Modern Book of Feng Shui” by Steven Post.

Fate or destiny, which is what we were born with, like our astrology
Karma, the sum of your actions, cause and effect, what we did and what we do
Feng shui, or your physical and energetic environment
Luck, which we can adjust with feng shui and karma
Education, what you do with yourself while you’re here

Again, with not much to go on, my best advice is to work on your self-knowledge and educate yourself in spiritual matters. This may mean to work with training your mind. All of these factors in life affect us, and de-cluttering your home or more money may create some relief, but it sounds like your discomfort is much deeper.

I recently attended a workshop about journaling. My friend Katie Dalebout walked us through the values of journaling, which she also outlines in her book, Let It Out! Katie was so inspiring that I purchased some legal pads that evening! And I've been journaling every morning since. This practice might be helpful for you to look at your life and see yourself with clarity. For a feng shui twist, you can sit in the Self-knowledge or New Beginnings area of your bedroom or home to give yourself some extra umph! Here's a blog post where I interview Katie about journaling.

Maybe this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but I sensed you want a quick fix, a magic pill, and I challenge you to dive into your stuckness and worry, and see what is underneath. Yes, feng shui can truly help with this, but you can also go deeper and look inside of you!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Visit the Holistic Spaces Store

7 Rules of Mindful Renovation

Anjie Cho August 1, 2018

featured this month on Hunker by Laura Lambert

There's mindful eating. Mindful breathing. But mindful renovation? Well yes, of course. The mindfulness revolution absolutely belongs in the home, because home is where we retreat, recharge, and reimagine ourselves. But what is mindful renovation, exactly?

"One of the ways that my teachers describe mindfulness is paying attention to all the details in your life, whether it's making a cup of tea or your environment," says Anjie Cho, an architect and feng shui consultant who practices mindful design and writes about it on her blog, Holistic Spaces. "Mindful renovation is also like that."

Mindful renovation is informed by so many things that Cho has embraced in her own life — feng shui, meditation, Buddhism, as well as architecture and design. It's about slowing down and paying attention to how the space around us makes us feel, and using that quiet intelligence to inform design decisions. It's also about making choices — like using high quality, green materials, or paying your craftsmen well — that have a thoughtful impact on the world around you. And it's as much about the process of renovating as it is the colors, textures, placement, and finishes.

...read full article

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I are launching our program in September 2018. We have a free webinar “Five Feng Shui Tools Revealed: Must-Do Business Boosters for Soulpreneurs and Wellness Practitioners” coming up, too! To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.