Many families know first-hand how difficult it can be to manage a busy household; with school, work, and other schedules constantly keeping everyone in the family on their feet. When schedules get especially hectic it can quickly become difficult to keep up with household maintenance – leaving you stressed and overwhelmed while your home becomes messy and cluttered.  Creating a harmonious and inviting environment in your home can help you better manage your stress and help you feel more comfortable during those precious moments of relaxation.  

An increasingly popular method of creating harmony and positive energy in the home is implementing ancient Chinese balance techniques of Feng Shui. The practice of Feng Shui works to balance the Chi, or universal energy, in the home to help promote a healthy and harmonious exchange of energy around throughout the house that allows you and your loved ones to relax in pure comfort. There are plenty of simple yet effective ways to channel positive Chi and increase the Feng Shui of your house:  

• The front door is viewed as the mouth of the chi, where all good energy enters into the home. Make your entryway and front door inviting and avoid placing mirrors or other distracting elements in this space that can reflect or displace positive energy, preventing it from circulating through the home.
• Avoid using harsh overhead lighting, as they can leave a room feeling stark and isolated. Instead focus on soft, serene, and warm lighting that can be dimmed or adjusted or use candles to help you better control the energy of Feng Shui according to your mood.

• Feng Shui teaches that the windows are the eyes of your home. Create focal points in a room by allowing the window to serve as the centerpiece, arranging furnishings and other accessories around it correspondingly.
• To further increase the balance of energy from the window choose window treatments such as draperies that can be pulled back to allow maximum natural light into the room, as sunshine elevates both your mood and the level of positive energy.
• Draperies and similar window treatments that don’t hinder accessibility help increase not only natural light, but airflow as well – as both air and wind carry positive energy and are associated with good health and well being.
• Try using natural fabrics for your window treatments to help contribute to the positive Chi of the home by adding the feeling of softness and comfort to a room.
• In the dining room, a round table with upright chairs will allow chi to flow more freely through the space than with strong or structural tables that have corners and hard edges.
• Color is a great way to shift or control the energy of the home. In Feng Shui; colors within the fire and metal elements such as reds, oranges, pinks, and bright whites help foster passion, energy, clarity and precision. Colors within the earth and water elements, on the other hand-cultivated nourishment, stability, and ease and include light yellows, beiges, and blues.
• Lacking an effective mix of scale and balance can leave a room feeling disjointed – reduce clutter and avoid spreading small furnishings sporadically rather than keeping them together. Matching elements will help add symmetry, harmony, and formality and easy to accomplish with accessories such as lamps, mirrors, or chairs.

In the same way that practicing Yoga and Pilates helps many decompress internal stress and foster good health, practicing Feng Shui techniques in your home helps dissolve the external stress created by negative chi and stagnant energy. Following simple steps like these, from color play to updated window treatments to furniture arrangement, will allow your family and loved ones to feel more comfortable and secure in your home than ever before – helping you more effectively balance your hectic lives and busy schedules with ease and peace of mind.