Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Beginners

Guest User June 20, 2021

I’m new to feng shui. Where should I start?

One of the most important areas to look at for your feng shui, especially for beginners, is your front door. We call the front door or the formal front entry the “mouth of qi,” and this is where energy comes into your space. It’s like a portal or gateway to receive any kind of qi or life force energy. Ideally, you want it to be able to come in through your front door and properly circulate through your home. This allows you to be more in balance, and to invite in positive energy from the outside world and the natural world.

When it comes to your front door, there are a few really simple things you can do. First, make sure your entry is clean and inviting. You should also be able to open the door fully, so remove anything behind the door that is getting in the way, like trash cans or hanging coats. It’s also a good idea to make sure your entry is bright and well-lit, so if you need to, add a light fixture or a new lightbulb.

I would also suggest you take some time to put some care and attention into this area of your home. You can do this by sweeping and removing any debris. It’s also helpful to clean the door itself.

One other thing I see often is that when people are decluttering, they tend to accumulate the things they want to get rid of near the front door. That’s ok as long as it’s temporary, but make sure to move the things out of your home soon. If you have a blocked front door, that means that the energy also has a difficult time coming into your space and your life. You may not be allowing opportunities to come to you.

I hope you are able to spend some time this week cleaning up your front door, and inviting in positive qi!

by Anjie Cho

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

The Benefits of Natural Sunlight: Health, Happiness and Beauty

Anjie Cho March 4, 2020

The sun is a star fixed at the center of our solar system — everything revolves around it. In many ways, the sun sits at the center of our lives, too. We orient our homes to capture its warmth. We keep time by its passage. It produces the heat and light that keeps us alive.

These are obvious ways that we depend on the sun. But science tells us that we benefit from sunlight in surprising ways too. Did you know that sunlight can:

• Make you happy?

• Help you to sleep better?

• Boost your immune system?

• Reduce your risk of cancer?

• Lower your cholesterol and blood pressure?

Research shows that a few minutes of sunlight each day can produce so many significant benefits. Health care professionals may not agree about how much sun we need, but they do agree that we suffer without it.

The Science of Sunlight

The rising and setting of the sun has a lot to do with our body’s natural rhythm, known as our Circadian Rhythm. Our body’s hormones actually respond to sunlight. At night, our bodies produce melatonin to make us drowsy. Come morning, our bodies respond to sunlight by producing serotonin, a “feel good” hormone that stimulates our brains, influences our moods, controls our appetite, and fights stress. Without sunlight, our body can fall out of its natural rhythm.

In response to direct sunlight, our body produces vitamin D – crucial for healthy immune systems and skin, brain activity, and bone growth. Vitamin D has also been proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, fight disease, and to encourage better sleep.

Disruptions (or lack of sunlight) can trigger a domino effect that leads to poor sleep, depression, and compromised immune systems – an obviously unhealthy cycle. Kind of makes you a little eager to get out in that sunshine, huh? It should. We have a long history (and healthy relationship) with the sun and that’s not going to change any time soon.

So how can you add more natural light to a dark space?

• Add some shine

The more shiny surfaces you have in a room, the brighter it will appear. Add brass doorknobs and lighting fixtures, mirrors, silver frames, or acrylic furniture.

• Treat the windows

For maximum sunlight, keep your windows unobstructed. Choose sheer fabrics, or cover only the outer edges of the window to create a larger appearance without blocking any light.

• Go light and glossy

Lighter paint colors on the walls and ceiling – especially the glossier finishes – will reflect the most light back into the room.

by Anjie Cho

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7 Things at Home That Are Killing Your Concentration

Anjie Cho September 26, 2018

featured this month on apartment therapy by Caroline Biggs

Finding it hard to concentrate on things while you're at home? There might be some things in your space that could be working against you.

To figure out what items at home could be inadvertently killing our concentration and fussing with our focus, we called on Anjie Cho, architect and feng shui educator, for help. Read ahead to see what she had to say.

1. Poor lighting

According to Cho, lighting can make or break your ability to focus when you're at home. "Often it's a lack of lighting that affects your concentration," she explains. "When it's difficult to visually focus, it in turn affects your mental focus." She suggests setting a lighting scheme that closely resembles natural light, because it's "the most soothing to the eyes," and employing dimmers when necessary "so you have flexibility."

2. Sitting with your back to the door

"When you're sitting at your desk, or in a place where you're trying to focus and concentrate, it's beneficial to see the door to the room." Explains Cho, "When your back is to the door, your stress levels increase and part of your attention is in protection mode; who knows who can creep up behind you!"

…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.