The Mabnol

The ancient Chinese method of Feng Shui helps us to balance our homes and create happier, more successful lives, room by room. We often turn our attention to the bedroom, the sanctuary where we can rest and recharge. Having the proper Feng Shui in the bedroom can help your romantic life as well as your ability to rest and to feel in control. You have to know how to keep the chi flowing, and how to deflect any negative energy that may enter your room -- and your life.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Applying Feng Shui to Your Bed

Have a solid headboard. The best Feng Shui headboards are the ones that are solid and made from wood, or the upholstered ones, as they have a very good combination of solid, but also gentle and supporting Feng Shui energy for you and your bedroom. While you are drifting off to sleep, your body is going into an extra busy energy repair work on many levels. Subconsciously, your head needs good backing, protection and support, just like your back needs it when you are sitting in a chair for extended periods of time.
- If you don’t have a headboard, fake one by attaching a few panels of wood to the wall behind your bed.
Get a supportive mattress. There are a variety of mattresses on the market, choose wisely and invest in the one that will promote best sleep and relaxation. The better you sleep at night, the better your health during the day, this is really simple. Be mindful of good Feng Shui and do not buy used mattresses - you never know what energy they have accumulated from previous owners.
Make sure the bed is a good height. To allow for a balanced Feng Shui energy flow under the bed, you need to have your bed at a reasonable height above the floor level. Generally, the beds that have built-in storage drawers underneath to help you with storage solutions are considered bad Feng Shui beds. Why? Because the energy needs to circulate around your body when you sleep, which is not possible if the space underneath the bed is blocked.
- For a bed that is low to the ground, get risers to lift it up. This is an inexpensive way to add height to your bed.
Make sure the bed is positioned as far from the door as possible. Place the bed in the area further from the door or diagonally from the door, but not in line with the door. In other words, you want to be able to see the door while in bed, but not be aligned with the door. Be it the bedroom door, the door to the balcony/patio, the bathroom door or your closet doors, you do not want your bed in line with any of the doors in your bedroom, or too much chi will flow towards the bed. Ideally, the bed can be diagonally positioned from the door, jutting out from the opposite corner.^[1]
- Having your bed positioned too close to the door can lead you to get startled by surprises that may come your way. The further you are from the door, the more prepared you'll be for what may come. This is the same reason why the bedroom should be as far from the door as possible.^[2]
- However, ideally, when you wake up, the door should be in your direct line of vision, or close to it, so you feel that you have control over your life.
Have a good supporting wall behind your bed. In addition to a good headboard, you always want to have a solid wall behind your bed. When you sleep under the window, your personal energy tends to get weaker in time, as it has neither proper support, nor protection.
Place grounding and balanced energy on both sides of the bed. Place two nightstands on either side of the bed to create balance while you sleep. Ideally, you can also place the same lamp on both nightstands, to add some soft lighting to your bedroom. This balance is important for keeping you centered, and especially for maintaining equality in a relationship if you share the bedroom with your partner.^[3]
- Ideally, the nightstands should be round instead of square to cut the chi energy that may be directed toward you, which can also be thought of as the "poison arrows."
- A small nightstand on either side of the bed is another great way to balance the energy in your room.
Keep your bed far away from any TVs, desks, or other distractions. Ideally, you should move your desk and television out of your bedroom, so the bedroom truly becomes a place where you can rest and relax. However, we all have limited space, so if you do have a television or a desk in your room, position it as far from your bed as possible to not get in the way of the bed's positive energy. If you can, drape a light scarf or blanket over the TV or desk, or even cover it up with a Japanese folding closet to create even more space.
- Place your TV in a cabinet or place an art cover over it to help it blend into your space.

[Edit]Avoiding Negative Energy

Avoid a mirror that faces your bed or a mirrored set of closet doors. If these mirrors are fixtures that you can't get rid of, then drape some fabric over them. Left exposed, they are thought to disturb your sleep. In general, you should avoid having mirrors in your bedroom, especially if you're sharing it with a romantic partner, because they may open up a space for infidelity. Mirrors are also too energetic for such a restful space.
- If you like having a mirror in your room, place it on the inside of a closet door and only access it when you need it.
Refrain from positioning your bed directly under a beam. A beam may create feelings of pressure that can disrupt your sleep. If you have no other options, cover the beam with fabric or hang 2 bamboo flutes from the beam with the mouthpieces pointed downward. This will help block some of the unwanted energy coming from above the bed. The idea is that you don't want to feel threatened in your sleep.
Skip fountains and water features. Also, don't hang up pictures of water or place an aquarium in your room. These could invite possible financial loss or robbery. Keep your fish tank or paintings of water or rivers out of the bedroom if you want to have the best possible Feng Shui.
- If you are a fan of fountains and water art, place them in a bathroom instead.
Keep plants and flowers outside of your room. Plants are thought to possess too much yang, which creates too much energy and activity for you to get the rest that you need. If you have no other place to put your plants, try to keep them out of your line of vision when you're on the bed.^[4]
Avoid accumulating clutter around your bed or pushing one side of your bed against a wall. The Chi can't circulate, which means possible disturbances in your intimate life. If your bed is up against a wall, then one partner will have to sleep on the inside, becoming literally "trapped" in the relationship.^[5]
- Keep your bed relatively clutter-free as well, such as by limiting throw pillows and blankets.
Get rid of your television. Television creates an unhealthy magnetic field which may disrupt your sleep, strain your relationship with your partner or bring a third party into the bedroom. If you have to keep it in the bedroom, then try to cover it with a scarf when you're not using it. If you're really serious about it, hide the TV in the closet when you're not using it, or place it on a shelf that can lock up, hiding the TV when it's not in use.
Put your books elsewhere. You can keep a few books in your room if you read to put yourself to sleep, but too many books can make you feel overwhelmed in the space. Your bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation, and if you have too many books there, it will be too much like a place for work. Too many books in your resting space can also be overwhelming.^[6]

[Edit]Creating Balance Through Colors

Include fire element colors for passion and energy. A balanced Feng Shui Fire element in your space will bring a supporting energy in all your career efforts and will help you achieve recognition. It will also help you invite passion and romance into your life and your bedroom. The Feng Shui fire element colors are:
- Red
- Orange
- Purple
- Pink
- Strong Yellow
Include earth-toned colors for nourishment and stability. A strong and harmonious Feng Shui Earth element in your home will help create stability, nourishment and protection for all your relationships. Feng Shui Earth element colors are:
- Light Yellow
- Beige
Include "metal" colors for clarity and preciseness. Feng Shui metal element brings the qualities of sharpness, precision, clarity and efficiency; its balanced presence will help you live with clarity and lightness. Feng Shui metal element colors are:
- Gray
- White
Include pastel colors to add peace and restfulness to your bedroom. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you can feel calm in your own bedroom and to get a good night's sleep. Having light, soft, and pastel colors throughout your bedroom can add to your serenity and peace of mind. Here are some colors you can use:
- Light blue
- Light pink
- Light green
- Light purple

[Edit]Making Other Considerations

Think of your bedroom as an oasis. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary. It should be an escape from the stress of your everyday life, whether those include your work, your children, your health, or your friendships. It should not be a place where you throw all of the extra things you have no place for.^[7] On the contrary, it should be your oasis in the middle of a desert, a place you can come to when you want to rest -- or just when you need a break.^[8]
- Never bring extra items into your bedroom or negative energy and over time you will start to respect the space more.
Have soft lighting. For the best Feng Shui, you should avoid bright, garish lights, or ceiling lights over your bed. Instead, have desk lamps with soft light, and try to get as much natural light as you can from the window. This will make you feel more serene and at ease than harsh lights that are too bright.^[9]
- Try adding small lamps, string lights, and other soft lighting to avoid needing the overhead lighting.
Be aware of the position of the windows. If you can, try to avoid placing your bed between the window and a door, or you'll be in the middle of the "draught" of chi running between these two places. If you can't avoid it, just make sure you have nice, pleasant curtains to block some of the bad energy. You should also avoid sleeping facing the window, if you can, or your sleep won't be as restful.
Have inspiring art in your bedroom. Hang up images of calming scenes from nature, or other places that inspire you. Pick some neutral scenery, an image that motivates you to achieve your dreams, or something else that puts you in a calm and peaceful frame of mind. Anything too graphic, gory or just disturbing does not belong in your bedroom. Place the most inspiring image across from your line of sight in the bed, so that it's the first thing you see when you wake up.^[10]
- Hang photos of your favorite places or display an inspirational quote on the wall.
Aim for equality. Try to have equal space on either side of your bed and other furniture. A person should be able to walk around as easily around one side of the room as the other, within reason. Of course, a piece of furniture may add some inequality, but in general, you should avoid letting most of the stuff in the bedroom clutter over to one side, or you'll create discord in your most important room.^[11]
Get rid of clothes you no longer wear. Go through your closet and drawer and remove all of the clothes you haven't worn within the last year. Donate these clothes or pass them on to a friend or relative if they can still be worn. Even though you may not see the old clothes, keeping them in your bedroom may prevent you from embracing new opportunities.
Avoid photos of relatives or friends "watching you." You can have a few key family photos in your bedroom, but avoid a clutter of photos of people everywhere, or you will feel like you're being watched and will get overwhelmed. The same goes for religious figures.^[12]
Make sure your bedroom isn't too crowded. Keep your bedroom as spare and simple as possible. Don't add extra chairs, lamps, or pictures to your bedroom if you're not sure whether or not they are really necessary. The more stuff you have in there, the more difficult it may be to find balance.
Get rid of any clutter. To have optimal Feng Shui in your bedroom, you have to get rid of any extra papers, trash, old trinkets, silly photos, useless gifts, or really just anything you don't really need in there. If you have too much sentimental attachment to some of the items, you can put them in storage or another room, but work on minimizing the stuff you really need in your bedroom. Having a spare and uncluttered bedroom will lead to an uncluttered and fulfilling life.^[13]