Feng Shui - it sounds so Far Eastern and unfamiliar doesn't it? Let's face it, it's not a subject we in the Western world grow up understanding and using in our day to day lives is it? No wonder we view it with scepticism.

In fact even open minded people may struggle to see how rearranging their furniture could positively impact their lives! And I speak as someone who has experienced that struggle! That is, until I had my own home feng shui'd many years ago...

I hope this article will inspire you as to how this ancient system used for thousands of years in China, can literally change your life.

Did you know that people like Richard Branson, Oprah, Bill Gates and Julia Roberts (to name just a few) all use Feng Shui?

In China, feng shui principles are used to design entire cities, business premises, homes and even graveyards!

So, how can feng shui help YOU?

Your home is the immediate environment you spend time in and it is affecting you on some level all the time. What we look at, what we hear, what we smell, and what we sense all affect us. We are sensory beings and we react to what is around us.

Think for a moment about how you feel when you go to a new restaurant you've never tried before, for example. Imagine you walk in to a space that is dark, shabby, and decidedly unclean. The plants look half dead, the tables look messy and the bar area is piled high with used glasses. How does this environment make you feel?

Now imagine you leave that restaurant and go to another. You see it across the road, as the entrance is bright and colourful with beautiful tall plants outside and a wonderful banner flying above the doorway. As you enter there is a water feature of a pond with waterfalls and fish with lots of greenery around the edge and stepping stones. The restaurant is clean, airy, light and beautifully designed. The room has a wonderful flow to it and each table and seating area is in it's own compact space so you have privacy while being part of the whole room. The views are spectacular. There are flourishing plants and wonderful art on the walls.

How does this environment make you feel? What kind of time will you enjoy here compared to in the first restaurant?

Now, liken these 2 examples to the homes we live in. Some people live in dark, dingy, poorly designed homes and they don't take good care of them (for whatever reason) while others live in clean, light, flowing homes which uplift them. Many people probably live in homes which are somewhere between these 2 extreme examples.

But in each case, the homes are affecting the occupants - how can they not be?

So, back to the question of how feng shui can help you: By arranging your home along feng shui guidelines you can actually improve and enhance specific areas of your life - because different parts of your home represent different parts of your life.

I can look at someone's home or business and I can tell to a large degree, what their life is like.

For example, let's say someone lives in an L shaped house. These are pretty common aren't they? Depending on which part of the home is 'missing' - this will tell me which area of their life is detrimentally affected. Often it is the wealth or relationships area. I can be confident that since living in that home the occupants will have struggled with that area of their life.

The good new is there are feng shui remedies I can apply to help this, and it's often surprising how quickly things can improve.

As another example let's say someone has their bathroom in the area of their home that relates to career or health. I can be confident they will be struggling with that area. I will recommend that changes needed to minimise the impact of having a bathroom in that area.

Another example: Mary has a dilapidated shed in the far corner of her garden, in the wealth corner. It's overgrown with ivy and weeds and the door won't open easily. The paint is peeling and the shed is full of junk. Yes, it's highly likely Mary will be struggling financially.

Feng Shui is all about improving problem areas such as the ones I have mentioned in these examples - and then balancing the entire home/garden/business space in regard to the elements (water, fire, metal, earth, wood) and the colours as well as ensuring a good flow throughout the space.

It's a complicated subject and not easy to master but the results can be so powerful, and a well balanced uplifting home can bring much harmony and positivity to your whole world!