If you’ve ever walked into a room and felt something was … off, it could be bad feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that focuses on creating harmony in our physical environment to facilitate a better flow of energy. It’s believed our life force energy, or “qi,” can be affected by our surroundings, and making sure things are properly placed can positively shift our qi.
Since we spend upwards of eight hours in bed each night, our bedrooms are one of the most important places to be mindful of feng shui. More specifically, there are certain ways you can position your bed to create a more peaceful and restful sleep each night.
According to feng shui, there’s a reason you may feel more vulnerable when you sleep — you are more energetically open, which makes it that much more important to create a positive flow of energy around you.
The Ideal Feng Shui Bedroom: Positioning Your Bed
There’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to arranging your bed. Feng shui consultant Anjie Cho spoke to MindBodyGreen and explained that one position in particular might even lead you to take more control of your life.
“There’s something in feng shui called ‘the commanding position,’” Cho said. “If you’re sitting up in bed with your back against the headboard, you would want to be able to see the door without being directly in line with it. Usually that means you’re looking diagonally toward the door. That’s generally the best position.”
The reason for this? Humans, in general, want to feel safe. When the bed is positioned in a way where you can’t see the door, it creates a feeling of unease. Whether you realize it or not, that energy can spill out into your day, creating more feelings of insecurity and distrust. Being able to have your eye on the door puts you in a position of control, and may also even help you “walk through the door” of more opportunities that come your way.
The Biggest Feng Shui Bedroom Mistake
When it comes to positioning your bed, all feng shui experts agree on not placing it in one particular fashion:the coffin position. Named from the ancient practice of positioning coffins in alignment with the door, this arrangement does exactly that. In other words, when you walk into your room in a straight line, you’ll eventually hit the bed. In this position your energy is being directed outwards and in the line of traffic. This is believed to create energy leaks, as well as unwanted energy entering through the door and affecting you as you sleep.
If the position can’t be avoided, experts suggest placing something at the foot of the bed that can deflect the energy. This could be a partition, a high table or bench, or some type of screen to act as a buffer. If that is out of the question, you can hang a bamboo flute in the room to help shift the negative effects of the placement.
Attract Romance With This Tip
For those who are coupled (or for those who want to be), feng shui experts say to be sure to create space on both sides of the bed for you and your partner to get out. To create harmony, it’s also key to make sure a feng shui bedroom has two nightstands, lamps, etc. to create balance for the both of you. This positioning can also help attract a partner if you aren’t already coupled, as you are intentionally creating space for their arrival.
Feng shui doesn’t have to be hard. In some ways, creating more harmony in your life can be as simple as shifting a few pieces of furniture around. If you’re looking for more restful nights — or maybe just in the mood to redecorate — be sure to give these tips a try.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
