Making Your Bed of Roses

Your bed, the only piece of furniture intimately connected to your personal energy, is the most important piece of furniture in your home from a feng shui standpoint. It should make you feel safe enough to completely let go of the day’s challenges and open yourself up to renewal through rest and intimacy with your partner.

You cannot overestimate the feng shui of your bed with respect to your well-being and the quality of your relationships. You are most vulnerable when sleeping in your bed, so it should support you in every way.

Three points for a desirable bed

Three structural details qualify a bed as feng shui positive:

• Good height. The bed-frame must be raised to a comfortable height to allow for circulation and flow of energy above, below and around it. A bedframe that is too high off the floor can emphasize feelings of insecurity, while one that is too low to the floor can keep you “grounded” in difficult situations for long periods of time.

• Good headboard. Subconsciously, your head needs protection and support. A headboard supports you in the same way the back on a chair offers support when you sit for long periods of time. Wood or upholstered headboards are favored over iron or metal.

If you have no headboard, place your bed against a wall, not under a window, for a greater sense of stability. Place a picture of a mountain above your bed to further the energy of safety and stability.

• Good mattress. Buy a mattress you love. The more comfortable the mattress, the better you sleep at night and the better you feel during the day. In the case of some beds, like the California King, the box spring should be in one piece, not two, representing unity between the partners or between the parts of oneself.

Points for styling your bed

The style and color of your bed are entirely up to you. The bed is the focal point of the bedroom, having a large impact on its overall tone and energy. Use it to your advantage and choose blankets, sheets and pillows that resonate with you.

Choose designs that bring the essence of nature into your home, or use colors such as sage or other earth tones to infuse the room with the energy of calmness and stability.

To perk up the romance energy in your life, incorporate some fire colors by using various shades of pink, burgundy, purple or coral. Buy new sheets and refresh the energy.

Bed tips

• Although convenient, beds with storage drawers invite clutter, and sleeping on top of the cluttered energy is ill-advised. If you have storage under your bed, use it to store pillows, blankets and sleep related items. • Waterbeds are never considered good feng shui. Keep excessive water and large symbols of water out of the bedroom. Water represents emotions, and too much water in the bedroom creates emotional and relationship instability.

• Avoid placing your bed under heavy objects or shelves. They create potential hazards that interrupt your feelings of safety and security while you are sleeping.

• Choose a bed that takes up no more than thirty percent of the floor space. Any bigger and the room will feel instantly cluttered. If you have no alternative, make sure you keep other items in the room to a minimum to avoid overwhelm.

• Feng shui takes into account predecessor energy (the previous owners’ “vibe”). Never bring other people’s problems into your sleep space. Avoid using a secondhand bed, bedframe or mattress, unless you know its origins are positive.

Closing

Waking up mentally drained each day has a lot to do with your emotional state before and during sleep. Take small steps to improve the quality of your bed. If you continue to wake up each morning feeling tired, consider a new bed. A feng shui-positive bed is one of the most important purchases you can make for your own well-being.

Feng shui expert and life guide Alice Inoue offers books, DVDs, workshops and private consultations. Visit www.aliceinspired.com.