Feng Shui tips for beginners: create a peaceful home with tips from an expert

If you are feeling uncomfortable in your living space or struggling to adapt to it, then Feng Shui might be the answer. The ancient Chinese practice promises to help you harmonise with your environment and find comfort through small changes.

It is said to work by helping you enhance the positive energy flowing into your living space and promoting balance, well-being, and prosperity. To help you incorporate Feng Shui into your life and improve the feeling within your home, we have some tips from Barbara Herzog, a renowned Feng Shui expert.

Barbara often offers her expertise to improve feelings of well-being inside office spaces, private areas, homes, and gardens. She is a certified Feng Shui consultant and has given some tips on how to begin Feng Shui and use it to improve your living space.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is a belief based on ancient Chinese philosophical principles about the flow of energy, known as Qi. The belief centres around Chinese cosmological concepts, including the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang (opposing forces), the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), and the I Ching (Book of Changes).

The goal of Feng Shui is to harmonise and balance the Qi (energy) in the environment to promote positive energy flow and create a harmonious living space. With this optimised energy, those who practise Feng Shui believe that your well-being, prosperity, and overall quality of life can be enhanced.

Feng Shui consultants have many tips and tricks to help you create a living space which is good for the mind, body, and soul. Barbara has provided some key ways to use Feng Shui to enhance your own living space and create a positive energy flow.

Feng Shui tips to use in your home

Here are Barabra’s top tips for improving how comfortable you feel in your home using Feng Shui:

Position your bed properly

In Feng Shui, the flow of energy is crucial. You want there to be a good flow of energy through each room to improve feelings of wellness. Barbara says that in the bedroom, the placement of your bed is key because it can interrupt energy flows.

She says that placing your bed directly between the door and the window creates excessive energy passing through your body when you are trying to relax and sleep. To avoid this, she advises you to try and position your bed differently.

If you can, try placing the bed on a wall or corner which doesn’t cross this line between door and window. Barbara explains that some of her clients have felt their sleep disturbances minimise after moving their bed to avoid this energy flow.

Don’t work with your back to the door

Your workspace also plays a vital role in your well-being. According to Barbara and Feng Shui wisdom, it's important to protect your back while sitting at your desk. Avoid aligning your office chair with its back to the door, as Feng Shui followers believe it can hinder concentration.

This is because the Feng Shui practice believes that seeing where the ‘enemy’ might come from allows for better focus and productivity. It’s unlikely someone will boot down your door and attack you, but the feeling of not knowing what’s going on behind you may lead your mind to subconsciously wander or kickstart feelings of anxiety.

These feelings will then hinder performance and concentration levels. For other ways to maximise your workspace (not Feng Shui related), see our guide on how to create a productive workspace.

Choose the correct side of the bed

This Feng Shui practice is based on where you sleep in the bed when in a couple, if you don’t have a romantic relationship at the moment, you might want to skip this one. According to Feng Shui followers, choosing the correct side is essential for creating a harmonious and balanced environment. The sides of the bed are categorised as the ‘power’ side and the ‘support’ side.

The ‘power’ side is the side of the bed that is furthest from the entrance to the room. It is considered the dominant side, and in a romantic relationship, it is typically occupied by the person with more authority or decision-making power.

The ‘support’ side is the side of the bed closest to the entrance. It is seen as the more vulnerable side, and in a romantic relationship, the person who takes on a more supportive or nurturing role would sleep on this side.

To determine which side is best for you, consider your personal dynamics and preferences. Ensure that both sides of the bed have equal access and space to promote balance and harmony in the relationship. By paying attention to the Feng Shui sides of the bed, you can create positive and balanced energy in your bedroom, supporting better rest and more harmonious relationships. Harmonious relationship = harmonious home.

Create a welcoming energy at your home’s entrance

The entrance of your home is one of the most important places in the Feng Shui practice. Regardless of whether you live in a flat or a mansion, the home’s entrance is where most of the energy (Qi) flows into your home.

This means designing your entrance area properly is crucial as it sets the tone for the rest of your living space and determines the home’s energy level. Barbara says that to harmonise your entrance, you should think about clearing clutter, creating a welcoming pathway, and decorating the area with plants for vibrant energy.

Try and brighten up the space with lights and encourage a shoe-free zone. You also don’t want many places for the energy to ‘escape’, so close bathroom doors to let the energy flow freely through the home.

Declutter

Decluttering the home is an essential aspect of Feng Shui. Believers see clutter as creating stagnant energy, disrupting the natural flow of Qi, and leading to feelings of stress and fatigue. Barbara says that to deal with clutter effectively, you should take it step by step, asking yourself if you truly need each item as you move through each room.

One way to motivate yourself is with a checklist which you can tick off as you go through each drawer, wardrobe or specific area. She says that you'll be amazed at the positive energy that comes from organising your living space.

If you don’t know where to start with decluttering, then check out our decluttering checklist, a step-by-step guide with tips from experts.

If you want more expert-led guides and recommendations, check out our page on wellness, which includes guides on breathing exercises for better sleep, 5 signs that you’re being too nice and how to create a productive workspace, according to experts.