Feng Shui for Teachers: Transform Your Classroom for Better Learning
Go back to school with Feng Shui!
Are you a teacher or room parent getting ready to go back to school? Interested in using Feng Shui to prepare your classroom for the fast approaching school year? Keeping Feng Shui principles in mind while preparing for the new school year can help set your classroom up for positive, supportive energy flow that will help guarantee success. Read on to find out more.
Stressful Situation
Each day, school becomes the home-away-from-home for teachers and their students. Oftentimes though, students feel a great amount of stress at school from peer pressure, the amount of homework, and from the amount of work being dished out.
Teachers feel pressure with the amount of work they have as well as from playing so many different roles for the students each day. Being stressed like this is the number one killer of productivity. Here are some Feng Shui tips to help you ease the stress and go with the flow (the positive energy flow, that is) to help achievement levels in your classroom.
Classroom Arrangement
The way you arrange your desk, and those of your students, can actually aid in learning and promote success. First, place the teacher’s desk facing the door with the back to the solid wall at the farthest point away from the door as possible. This is the commanding power position which means you don’t need eyes in the back of your head. You have the best view and the most control over your classroom here.
Now how should you arrange student’s desks? So many students, so little time. Desk arrangement here can make all the difference for student learning and your sanity! It’s a good idea to keep all the desks facing in one direction. Just as in a home study area or office, facing the desks towards the door but keeping away from the straight line of the door can help keep the students from feeling vulnerable. Let’s hope that’s in the same direction as the white/smart board. If possible, it’s also a great idea to keep the student’s desks in the natural lighting from the windows. More on this coming up.
If you have bookshelves in your classroom, consider placing them in the near left corner of the room when looking through the door to enter. Having books in the Knowledge Corner here will help promote critical thinking and learning.
Just Say No to Clutter
I understand that classrooms are very limited in space. When you unpack your boxes, get rid of anything that won’t be used. If it isn’t useful, just get rid of it. Remember that piles of clutter, which include papers, workbooks, art supplies, etc., can make students start to feel overwhelmed. Clutter, in fact, is one of the most stressful and harmful aspects of a classroom. The good flow of energy in the room goes along with student learning successfully.
Just to be clear, stuffing the cupboards in the room just to hide the clutter away isn’t the answer either. Just because you hide it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Hidden clutter can cause stress when trying to find something you need right away. Inquire with school janitorial staff and/or administration to see if there are other storage options available. When it comes to the classroom, being a minimalist is a surefire path to success.
Classroom Enhancements
As I have mentioned earlier, replacing fluorescent lights with natural sun light from the windows can aid in student learning. Fluorescent lights give a claustrophobic, closed feeling, so planning activities in natural lighting, even if it means going on outdoor excursions to teach and learn, can make all the difference. If you don’t have large windows or can’t venture outside due to inclement weather, have your classroom walls painted in natural hues or put up a photograph or painting of an outdoor scene and bring in a few live plants to help the students feel connected to nature.
In Feng Shui, it is best to have a water feature in a learning place. Whether it comes from a small fish bowl, water garden, or a table-top waterfall, water symbolizes serenity and the flow of knowledge.
Providing soothing music for the students will help increase their concentration. Music also has the power to heal the mind, body, and soul. While doing independent work, why not provide the ideal classroom environment by playing the soothing, rhythmic sounds of classical music in the background?
Use Aromatherapy
Did you know that aromatherapy through the use of essential oils in the classroom can improve students’ focus, comfort and concentration? Diffusing 100% pure essential oils can even help support every system in the human body! Lavender and chamomile can help ease nerves before students make presentations to the class. Try citrus oils for a boost if students come back from lunch or recess looking hot and worn out. Diffusing essential oils such as peppermint and rosemary can help students stay focused so they retain the material. Purification essential oils can be helpful for when those kiddos come back from gym class smelling less than fresh.
Next Steps
The beginning of a new school year brings with it a nervous energy we all can relate to. Now is the time to start preparing yourself (and your students) for a successful year ahead. After incorporating all of these Feng Shui suggestions, don’t be surprised if your students never want to leave at the end of class.
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know a teacher or parent that wants to start the school year right? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Notes: Don’t use certain essential oils around small children, certain pets, and anyone with allergies. I’m careful to link to products that I use myself and recommend to my clients, when those products are necessary. I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, which enables me to produce and publish free content for you to learn from.
Summer Ready: Feng Shui Secrets to Transform Your Living Space
You know that feeling you get at the very beginning of summer? It’s an excited-to-get-out-and-socialize type of feeling that comes when the heat of summer begins. Our kiddos get it ten-fold.
Summertime, Feng Shui Style!
There’s a reason for that passion you and your children are feeling. That bright, hot sunshine is associated with the active and hot yang energy.
The tricky part is that too much of this “fire” can have the opposite effect on how we feel. It could make us feel tired, listless, and just burned out.
To keep this from happening, we need to find a way to balance out the yin, which is cooler and quieter energy, with the yang. Read on to find ideas on finding this balance at home, with kiddos, or in the office.
Balance for the Home
- Does this heat have you constantly using your ceiling fans to cool off? While these work for cooling things off a bit, they also create a cutting force bearing down on you. To help lessen this force, hang a crystal from the pull string of the ceiling fans in your home. This prism will help split light and send it radiating in many directions creating positive energy.
- When thinking of summer we often think of barbecues and microwave ovens to save from turning on the hot stove in our home. In Feng Shui, an unused stove often has the meaning of ignored opportunities or untapped resources. Doesn’t that just make you want to turn on your oven and cook a pizza?! Me too!
- If you have a lot of bright, primary colors in your home decor, cool it down with some lighter colors to help balance it out. Think light blues or pale greens.
- If you’re deserting your home to go on vacation, be sure to set timers to turn on lights around your space. This will help add yang energy to what could be passive yin energy that might bring negativity in.
Balance for the Kids
- I have three words for you: DO NOT OVERSCHEDULE! While you may think that exposing your kiddos to many different activities/sports in the summer is giving them wonderful opportunities, children need downtime to play at home or to just be quiet. An overscheduled child could, some day, result in an anxious and stressed adult.
- Just like us, our children need space. By cleaning out the clutter from their rooms you are helping them to find their center, allowing them to breathe.
- When decorating, consider sticking with pastel or soft blues and/or greens. These colors help create internal health and healing while also bringing a quiet sense of calm to children. If your child’s room is painted in a bright primary color and they can’t seem to sleep at night, it might be because the color of their room is too stimulating. Cool it down and help their psyche calm down, so you can all get a good night of sleep.
- Our summer schedules are oftentimes crazy busy, which means nothing happens when or how it normally does during the school year. Our children need, and often thrive on, routine. Mealtimes, as well as bath and bed times, should be at the same time every night. Keeping it consistent will help your child know what to expect which in turn can help bring calm to your day.
- Did you know that lavender essential oil is not only calming but is also anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and will help build your children’s immune system?! Get your hands on some of that goodness from mother nature stat, and diffuse or put it in the bath. You’ll be thankful you did!
Next Steps
While we are thankful for the adventures of summer that the yang energy can provide, it’ll be nice to cool things off and balance things out in the fall too. Summer is quickly approaching its end. Why not take the rest of the summer to just be together as a family? Enjoy every moment by keeping things low-key, and follow these simple Feng Shui tips to get the most out of your remaining summer adventures.
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Notes: Some essential oils should not be used around small children, certain pets, and anyone with allergies. I’m careful to link to products that I use myself and recommend to my clients, when those products are necessary. I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, which enables me to produce and publish free content for you to learn from.
Feng Shui Lighting Secrets: Boost Energy In Your Home
Correcting Overhead Lighting for Better Feng Shui
In Feng Shui, lighting represents the fire element and is the strongest manifestation of energy. It’s dominant influence on the quality of the Chi in your home means that it can help bring balance and harmony to every space you spend the most time in.
The light element needs to be harnessed in certain ways to make the most of its potential. Let us shine some light on this topic for you. Read on.
Identify the Problem
Balance is required for optimal Feng Shui. But, inadequate, poor, or harsh lighting can affect your mood, the way you feel, and your overall well-being. This is a problem. Before you can solve the problem, however, you need to be able to identify what the problem is.
A classic case of bad Feng Shui comes from homes that have a single overhead light as the only available light source in a room. This is the case for many homes and work spaces. Unfortunately, this is a huge no-no since this type of lighting makes it impossible to relax.
With the following lighting tips in your Feng Shui tool box you’ll be able to correct any lighting faux pas that come your way.
Optimizing General Lighting
If your home has rooms with that single overhead light we spoke about above, do not despair. You have options. Either remove them altogether or simply put them on a dimmer switch. This can help give you some much-needed flexibility. Try and create an overall glow to each room.
A torchiere or torchère is one type of light that can help you do this. They are large lights that bounce light off the ceiling which helps fill up the room. You can help adjust the mood by putting these on dimmer switches as well.
It’s also a good idea, crucial even, to consider how you use the space in each individual room. Use warm-toned lights (around 2700k color temperature) in restful places and cool-toned lights (around 5000k color temperature) in more active spaces. Doing this can help bring balanced and harmonious Chi to your space.
Natural & Ambient Lighting
Since ambient lighting sets the mood for any space, it plays an important role in the life or Chi of the home. It is a natural light that seems to come from all directions and encompasses an entire room.
Types of ambient light include natural light, accent lighting, or even candle lighting. It is light that supports relaxation and conversation and makes it easy to move about the space.
During the day, create ambient lighting by opening those curtains, blinds, or shades and letting the sun shine in. The greatest source of light energy comes from the sun. Sunlight brings an abundance of beauty and positive energy into any space.
If natural light isn’t available, full-spectrum lighting can be used here. Try placing table lamps around the room to create a triangle of light. Having three lamps balanced throughout the space can bring balanced Chi to the room.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is essentially concentrated lighting to help perform certain job(s). It’s lighting for a specific purpose like reading, working, or studying. Many times, task lighting are smaller lights placed in the vicinity of the couch, bed, or desk.
Perfect examples of rooms that need brighter lights are a kitchen or office/hobby room/art studio. Think cooler-toned lights, at around a 5000k color temperature, in these spaces since so much activity occurs here. These will help you balance the Chi and get the job done.
Next Steps
From today on, always think of lighting as an essential Chi adjustment to your space. Use different types of lighting to help serve the purpose and adjust the mood of any given area. When in doubt, using ambient lighting can always help you achieve better Feng Shui.
If you need guidance choosing the correct lighting for your space, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Feng Shui and Home Maintenance: Boost Energy in Your Living Space
Feng Shui teaches us how to balance the energy of our surroundings to positively influence every aspect of our lives. No surprise then that the place we call home is at the top of our Feng Shui checklist.
To-Do Outdoors
Let’s break it down like this, from the outside in. On your way back in from taking your dog for his nightly stroll, pay attention to the walkway leading up to your front door and the surrounding landscaping.
- Keeping your walkway clear and free from damage can greatly improve the chance that new opportunities will come into your life. What kind of shape is your mailbox in? How about light fixtures, doors, and porches? It’s the little things that most people don’t think of or care about that can make the difference financially as well as in your health and vitality.
- Take a good look at your landscaping while you’re at it. Severe financial hardship can result from letting your grass grow too long, or by keeping dead plants or weeds around. Keep your front and back lawns well maintained by keeping the grass short, removing dead plants and leaves, and planting colorful flowers.
- One other aspect that could make a huge difference is water. First off, make sure there are no leaky hoses or sprinklers around your home. Do not over or under water your landscaping as this can cause emotional and financial troubles. Consider adding a water feature to your landscape design, such as a water fountain. Water is a sign of abundance and represents life energy or chi, so treating it with the care it deserves should never be underestimated.
To-Do Indoors
When it comes to Feng Shui, the cleaner your home is, the better. A clean house results in better energy and a stronger life force. So… clean! Clean like you’ve never cleaned before, from top to bottom.
- When it comes to what you have in your home, less is more. Keep only the things you love and use often, and get rid of the clutter. Make room for good things to come, including prosperity. Keep the money flowing in by getting the clutter out.
- Clean and/or replace any walls or doors that are dirty or damaged. If they aren’t attended to, you could feel hopeless and miss opportunities. Doors are where your chi enters the home; so make sure they are well maintained, and keep the walkways clear to keep that positive energy a flowing!
- The windows in your home are considered it’s eyes. They’re how we take info in, so clarity is key here. If you’re having trouble focusing or making decisions, try cleaning your windows.
- Air quality in your home is super important! Studies show it can be more toxic to breathe inside than the air outside. Yikes, right? Use certain indoor plants can help purify the air you breathe. Some great air-purifying plants: Aloe Vera, spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), gerbera daisy, snake plant, English ivy, and Chrysanthemums. Thanks, Mother Nature! Just make sure to keep those plants out of the bedrooms.
- Here’s another nature element found inside your home: water. Time to fix that leaking pipe or faucet, and keep your water, and life force, flowing.
- Light is powerful in Feng Shui, and it needs to be addressed in your home maintenance checklist. If you want the ability to see life clearly and lift your financial energy, then it’s important to clean light fixtures, replace burned out bulbs, and keep lights bright (no dim bulbs).
Next Steps
Taking care of your home, inside and out, as things are needed or come up will greatly improve how you feel and the energy balance of your abode which can only bring great things into your life. Keeping your home both clean and well-maintained just might be what you need to bring happiness and prosperity into your life. Seem overwhelming? Let me help. Schedule an in-home consultation with me, and I’ll gladly guide you through the process!
As you’re maintaining your home, you’re taking beneficial steps to allow the flow of positive Feng Shui energy called Chi to flow through your home. Make sure you are attracting it into your home and that the flow is optimal by following some steps on my website.
If you are interested in improving your life through Feng Shui, I can help.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
A Recipe for Fridge Feng Shui
That giant appliance in your kitchen isn’t just a food storage container that takes up a lot of space. It actually represents two important Earth elements that rule our food and health; water and metal. Think of it as a health altar of sorts that helps you to care for your family.
Just like when learning to cook, having the right ingredients, tools, and following the correct steps will be a recipe for Feng Shui success. This will not only promote your family’s health and well-being, it but will also reward you with a positive life force which will create more abundance and generosity in your life. Read on for our recipe for fridge Feng Shui.
Ingredients
According to Feng Shui beliefs, a healthy person has a healthy refrigerator, so start by taking everything out of your fridge. Get rid of any food that is expired, leftover, or filled with unhealthy preservatives, additives, sugars, and chemicals. You don’t want a fridge that represents an unhealthy lifestyle. Keep only nutritious, healthy food that will help create a positive life force for your, and your family’s, well-being.
Wait! Before putting anything back into the fridge, follow the steps below.
Tools
In order to Feng Shui your fridge, you will need the right tools: Warm, soapy water with vinegar for a sterilized, holistic approach; Color-coded and pretty containers to help you stay organized and honor your food; Storage for any clutter that may be on the front or on top of your fridge.
Steps
Step 1: Now that everything is removed from your fridge and you’ve gotten rid of all the unhealthy food that will slow you down, it’s time for a deep cleaning. Take out the shelves and any/all attachments that can be removed, and deep clean them with warm, soapy water and vinegar. Don’t forget the inside of the fridge too. Containers leak, crumbs build up and it can leave behind a sticky, icky mess.
Step 2: Now, place everything back into the fridge, starting with the shelves and attachments, in an organized way, keeping in mind which areas would be a good choice for which groups of food. Now, use those color coded containers and get to work. Why not green containers for veggies and red ones for meats? Place all the meats together along with all the fruits, and veggies. You get the idea.
Step 3: Clean and organize the outside of the fridge. Don’t let the source of your family’s health and well being be weighed down by clutter! The top of your fridge was not made for storage. Take it all off and find other places to store it or consider getting rid of or donating anything that hasn’t been used for awhile.
Is the front of the fridge filled from end to end with magnets, coupons, photos, recipes, you name it? The front of your fridge is not your junk drawer! This is clutter, and remember what we said in a previous Feng Shui article on clutter? It’s a huge Feng Shui no-no. We suggest cleaning it off, and keep only a few things that help positively energize and inspire you. Just like the inside, if your fridge is cluttered and disheveled, it will take its toll on your health.
Step 4: Repeat, repeat, repeat! Now that you’ve worked so hard to Feng Shui your fridge, be consistent! Put things back in the correct groups. Each week, preferably before going grocery shopping, clean the fridge. Throw away junk food and leftovers. Deep clean your fridge with warm, soapy water and vinegar once every few months.
Reap the Benefits
Not only will these tips bring positive chi to your space, but check out all these added benefits:
- A healthy fridge makes you feel good and is good for you. It motivates you to make better decisions about the food you put into your body.
- When you’re consuming more nutritious food, your energy level will be elevated which can create more abundance and generosity.
- An organized fridge produces less waste which can save you money because it prevents you from buying more than you need.
- When things are organized in groups you’ll know where to find the food you need, when you need it, which will save you time.
Since the fridge is associated with wealth luck in Feng Shui, decluttering yours can help promote good family fortune, and who wouldn’t want that?!
Next Steps
Starting fresh with your refrigerator can be the first of many beneficial steps to allow positive Feng Shui energy called Chi to flow through your home. Make sure you are attracting it into your home and that the flow is optimal by following some steps on my website.
If you are interested in improving your life through Feng Shui, I can help.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Declutter to Feng Shui Your Space!
The notion of a neat and simplified space translates into less stress and less “stuff” weighing us down. However, just the idea of decluttering your home can make you feel anxious, overwhelmed, and just plain lost. Where in the world do we begin?
Studies have shown that out of all the things we keep, we will only actually use 1 in 20 items. You read that right, 1 in twenty! That’s a lot of clutter, and clutter is a HUGE Feng Shui no-no! Read on to find out the meaning of clutter in Feng Shui and some items currently in your home to get rid of now!
Feng Shui is all about positive energy flow to help keep us balanced and energized which will help welcome positive things into our lives. However, nothing new can come into your life if you don’t make room for it!
In Feng Shui, clutter is anything that is hopelessly disorganized (like that huge stack of old bills and magazines growing bigger by the day), unused (like all those baby toys your four year old isn’t into anymore), and/or unfinished (like that piece of artwork you were sure you could nail but looks nothing like a Van Gogh). It creates an inability to move forward oftentimes keeping us back from making progress.
Any space can be quickly transformed by first clearing the clutter. Getting rid of the clutter can breathe new life into both the space and you. By surrounding yourself with only the items in your home that you love and often use, you surround yourself with a strong, active energy that can bring focus and clarity into your life.
People are always saying they need to declutter but they don’t know where to start. Others feel a sense of loss when getting rid of items they no longer use. Nothing good can come from keeping that clutter around. It can make you feel overwhelmed, confused, tired, depressed, and even angry. That clutter keeps you in the past and prevents you from looking towards the future.
It’s time to get rid of clutter! Don’t like the thought of throwing your things in the trash? Consider donating some of the gently used items, or use apps like OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace to make some extra cash. Feeling overwhelmed? Try taking it one day, one room, even one object at a time. Try to avoid accumulating more things. If you don’t plan on using it, don’t bring it into your home.
Get rid of some of these things now and re-energize your home:
- Possible Kitchen Clutter: expired food, expired cleaning supplies, ancient spices, mismatched food storage containers, or any item with several duplicates (do you really need five pizza cutters?).
- Possible Family & Living Room Clutter: old magazines, outgrown toys, toys that are missing pieces, DVD’s that are never watched or damaged, old dog/cat toys that were destroyed long ago
- Counter Top or Office Space Clutter: piles of old mail, expired coupons, old cell phones, unread books, read books that you don’t plan to read again
- Bedroom Clutter: worn-out or uncomfortable shoes, mismatched socks, outgrown clothes, worn-out clothing, outdated clothes (so much clothes!), broken jewelry
- Bathroom & Linen Closet Clutter: worn towels, worn sheets, unused toiletries, old cosmetics
- Outdoor Space Clutter: unused sporting equipment, worn out/broken sporting equipment, outgrown outdoor toys, broken outdoor toys
With the recent end of the school year, our kiddos are returning home with all of their projects and, ahem, “artwork” from the entire school year. Fight the urge to keep it all after you’ve taken some pictures for posterity. Consider this the first step in your decluttering journey.
Remember you are not alone! We live in an age of consumerism, where acquiring “stuff” is part of our culture, but when it starts to impact the way we think and feel, we need to take steps to change it. The hardest part is getting started, but when you begin to see and feel the benefits of a decluttered space, you won’t regret it!
Next Steps
After you’ve rid yourself of clutter, you’ve made space for positive Feng Shui energy called Chi to flow through your home. Make sure you are attracting it into your home and that the flow is optimal by following some steps on my website.
If you are interested in improving your life through Feng Shui, I can help.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!