Hello Alison,

Thank you so much for your newsletter. I have a feng shui question for you. I know a few basics of feng shui, and was surprised when a friend recently said she was told that having plants or mirrors in the bedroom is "not good feng shui" - I thought that both these things were enhancements in any room - why is this not so in the bedroom??

- Sahina

ALISON RESPONDS: 

Thanks for your email, Sahina. This is an excellent question!

There are a couple different feng shui principles at play in this situation. Yes, mirrors and plants are powerful chi-enhancing feng shui tools. However, we want to cultivate the appropriate kind of chi (life force energy) for the way a room is used. The bedroom is where we are in our most yin state (sleeping) for many hours each day. Plants are full of active, growing yang energy. I wouldn't go so far as to ban plants from the bedroom (in fact, I have a nice one behind my own bed), but I certainly wouldn't make them a main feature there. Likewise, mirrors multiply and enhance whatever they reflect. Bedrooms should be as simple as possible, with as few distractions as possible. They should also be closed up - cave-like, if you will. Mirrors open up the space, and can serve as a portal for different kinds of energies to come into the room. Some feng shui practitioners recommend no mirrors in the bedroom. I don't find that very practical for most people, so I recommend you limit it to one mirror in the bedroom. Be careful to place it so that it doesn't reflect your body as you're sleeping. Your mirror should be a single pane, not divided into different sections (as that "cuts up" your experience of yourself). If you have difficulty sleeping, try covering the mirror at night. It's amazing how this simple thing can change the quality of sleep!

- Alison

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