1. Bedroom stimuli. Placing too many stimulating items in the bedroom, such as electronics and books.

2. Out of sight, out of mind. Believing things which are out of sight don’t affect the feng shui of the home. A part of you knows there’s a closet, attic, basement, or garage full of things that needs to be sorted and purged. Over time these ‘hidden’ things subtly drain energy from you.

3. Back to the door. Sitting with your back to the door when at a desk which will cause a part of you to be on guard and therefore diminish your focus and energy for the task at hand.

4. Storing everything. The “case” in “just in case” is a rare occurrence. Such thinking reinforces a fear of not having what you need, or not being able to get what you need.

5. Garage entry. Entering the home through a garage instead of the more attractive main entrance which is designed for human entry. The garage is designed for machine entry. Using the main entry door celebrates your humanness and is more visually appealing than a garage entry.

6. Limited vision. A big mistake is no longer “seeing” your home and what’s in it. Take pictures of the outside and the inside of each room. Capture every detail and then look at the pictures. You will see your home with new eyes.

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In today’s world, with cell phones ringing, e-mails to be answered and seemingly endless work to be done, cultivating an inner space of calm is more important than ever to balance the chaos of our daily lives.  With the stress of Western lifestyles continuing to grow, how can we slow down and just “be” when we are continuously in a state of “doing”?

 More than 70 million Americans suffer from some type of sleeping disorder. As a Feng Shui consultant, it's easy to see why. It comes down to how and where we relax. We spend one-third of our lives in the bedroom; a space meant for slowing down. It is an area to rest, breathe deeply and reconnect our mind, body and spirit energies.  In Feng Shui, the bedroom is considered the most yin space in the home where Mother earth healing energies flow, surrounding us with calm and nurturing support. It is here where we sleep, rest, meditate, recover from illness and enjoy intimate time with ourselves and our loved ones.

 As our culture so clearly reflects, many of us have turned our bedrooms into areas of high charge activities with clutter, computers and televisions as commonplace items. How can we expect to cultivate inner harmony with all of this flying ch’i and chaos around us?

 With the application of some simple Feng Shui principles, you can begin to cultivate a personal retreat in the bedroom where relaxation becomes the focus and the monkey mind is left behind.  It doesn't take much time or work.  It does require a commitment.  A commitment to honor yourself and your space, and like developing any kind of dedicated practice--yoga, meditation or Tai Ch’i, the outcome can change your life and the perspective of the world around you.

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It's only been a few weeks since the holidays and already it seems like months ago! Are you already feeling stuck in a rut at work?! Many people spend a great deal of their lives at work, so why confine the healing and balancing principles of Feng Shui to the home when you could use it to energise your workplace and kick start your career?In the Far East, Feng Shui consultants are brought in before offices are even built to establish the most auspicious directions for the office and advise the architects. If you are moving your office into an older building, you should try and discover the history of the property.

According to the principles of Feng Shui, if the previous occupants of your office had difficulties of any kind it is possible that you may experience the same. This could either be because the energy flow in the building is generally not good or the people before you were negative in some way and this could have transferred into the atmosphere. Either way, you can use Feng Shui to either improve the energy flow or clear the negativity.

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1). Always sit with a solid wall behind your back to ensure that you have support in your life, never sit with a window behind you.

2) In the office always place the fax machine, telephone, and computers in the wealth area and future wealth area for more Businesses.

3) The arrangement of tables and chairs should be in a harmonious position so that chi is able to flow smoothly.

4) If you wish to be the leader in your industry, place a Dragon on the right hand side of your desk facing towards the window or the door. The Dragon can also look into your water fountain. A Dragon always chases after a pearl, thus the window; water fountain can signify the pearl

5) If you own a shop try and place the till in your wealth corner, even your petty cash tin.  Order books can also be placed here with Chinese coins held together with red ribbon.

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For a hot second, I believe I'm on the set of an infomercial. There's tranquil music playing, and a cup of green tea is handed to me. I wouldn't be surprised if Cher – or worse, Jessica Simpson – popped up out of nowhere with a camera crew in tow.

The reality is I'm visiting the hair salon at the award-winning Lake Austin Spa Resort and looking at myself in a mirror.

Hairstylist-to-the-stars Billy Yamaguchi, the author of "Feng Shui Beauty," is standing behind me, explaining how I could have the most amazing hair if I only embraced feng shui principles. (And, presumably, grew more hair.)

I've been thinking a lot about personal style and beauty lately. Earlier this month, I was one of the only guys in the audience for the Dove-sponsored beauty session with panelists including "Beauty Myth" author Naomi Wolf at the University of Texas.

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FIRST, it was just a place to get a burger and fries. Then it took over the world – before the fast-food backlash began. It then told us young women were "lovin' it" when they met their mates for a burger and a blether. And now, welcome to the world's first feng shui McDonald's.

The only familiar signs at the McDonald's in Hacienda Heights, California, are the menu, the golden arches and the drive-through. Gone are the plastic furniture, Ronald McDonald and the red and yellow palette that defines the world's largest burger chain. Leather seats, earth tones, bamboo plants and water trickling down glass panels have taken their place, to try to help diners achieve happiness and fortune.

The concept of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects and numbers to promote health, harmony and prosperity, seems an unlikely fit with fast food. But the restaurant's owners say the designs aim to create a soothing setting, encouraging diners to linger over their burgers and fries – and come back again.

The makeover is part of McDonald's remodelling of restaurants to attract more patrons with unique decor and amenities that might entice them stay. It also fits into McDonald's corporate practice of catering to local tastes, such as a fondue-style burger in France or a pitta-wrapped "McArabia" in the Middle East.

Alba feels well-balanced, relaxed and is lovin' it

While its décor has been overhauled to inspire good health, McDonald's menu is still larded with the same old artery-clogging animal products.

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Hacienda Heights, California - Would you like fries with your feng shui?

A McDonald's in Hacienda Heights, California, has been redesigned using the principles of feng shui. That's the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects and numbers to promote health, harmony and prosperity.

Yes, the golden arches and the Big Macs are still there. But the plastic furniture and Ronald McDonald have been given the ax. In their place are leather seats, earth tones and bamboo plants.

Customer Andrew Chen likes the makeover, even though he didn't know it had anything to do with feng shui. He says the McDonald's looked so good, they decided to eat inside instead of using the drive-through.

The only familiar signs at the McDonald's in this large Asian community are the golden arches, the drive-through and the menu.

Gone are the plastic furniture, Ronald McDonald and the red and yellow palette that has defined the world's largest hamburger chain. Leather seats, earth tones, bamboo plants and water trickling down glass panels have taken their place.

The makeover elements are meant to help diners achieve happiness and fortune -- whether they realize it or not.

That's because the restaurant was redesigned using the principles of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects and numbers to promote health, harmony and prosperity.

The concept is an unlikely fit with fast food. But the restaurant's owners say the designs are aimed at creating a soothing setting that will encourage diners to linger over their burgers and fries, and come back again.

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 Feng shui, the art of arranging your surroundings to create maximize your flow of positive energy, is a great design principle that can create a haven of peace and calm in your home.

Feng shui bedroomTry these five tips to feng shui the easy way!

1. Clean up the clutter.
Getting rid of what you don’t want makes room for what you do want.

2. Green up.
Houseplants literally clear the air and brighten up the atmosphere. Just avoid anything spikey, like cacti -- very bad feng shui.

3. Broken? Toss it.
According to feng shui principles, broken items foster pessimism and frustration. That's not something you need to keep around.

4. Get in position.
Where you place your furniture can have a huge influence on your mood. Consult a feng shui book for details on where to place everything from your bed to your garbage can.

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