by Debra Ford

What can Zone Feng Shui do for my Children?

Creating a nurturing space that enhances and nourishes our children's personal energy is one of the incredible benefits of Feng Shui. When the energy in a home is balanced, personal energy is nourished - all who live there will feel great mentally, physically and spiritually, and the outcome of their lives swill be very positive.

A Feng Shui home has a perfect sense of completeness and Zone Feng Shui provides the tools needed to adjust the energy in the home and to provide an environment in which good health, great relationships and happy families reside.

A Feng Shui home is a peaceful home; a home that will improve mental and physical health, encourage relaxation and meditation, and nurture the soul. A Feng Shui home has a sense of order and correctness in which the energy is balanced from front to back and from left to right - a perfect balance of Yin and Yang energy.

Feng Shui as literally translated from ancient Chinese means 'wind and water' and is a tried and tested ancient Chinese art and science that affects improvements in your life that you never dreamed possible. Zone Feng Shui provides a toolbox of techniques that allows you to create an environment where you live in harmony and balance; where the energy of your home works for you rather than against you.

In the late 20th Century there was an invasion of Oriental practices into the West. First came Zen Buddhism, then karate and kung fu, then acupuncture, acupressure, yoga and Tai Chi. Finally came Feng Shui. The basic principals of all these practices are the same, energy flows everywhere in the environment, including the human body and the entire Universe.

How does Zone Feng Shui work?

Zone Feng Shui is a unique blend of proven traditional techniques and updated ideas on how to create a nourishing physical environment, positive mental energy and a deeper spiritual connection with 'something bigger than yourself'. A balance of mental energy, physical energy and spiritual energy will make a huge difference in the lives of your children. Working with mental energy gives their young life direction; working with physical energy creates a living space that positively impacts them; working with spiritual energy provides the connection with their inner being or higher self.

Using the principles, tools and techniques of Zone Feng Shui will create a home environment that provides harmony and balance; one that nourishes and supports; an environment in which the energy is positive rather than negative.

Zone Feng Shui and a child's bedroom

A child's bedroom should be a space to which they can go for relaxation; a space that provides them with feelings of safety and security; and a space that they love and in which they can thrive. A bedroom with positive energy will improve sleeping habits; help with mood swings; assist with concentration during studies, improve imagination and be a sanctuary.

Clearing Clutter

Step one to creating this kind of environment is always to remove clutter. Feng Shui is based on the understanding that all things have energy (not just living things). Furniture, toys, electronic equipment - everything - in your child's space has an energy vibration that is affecting them. Clutter has a negative energy vibration that will adversely affect your child and you will see the effects of this in their life - poor study habits, problems communicating and sometimes ill health. Clutter has a dark, sticky, stagnant energy and your child will have difficulty thriving in a space that is clogged with this kind of energy.

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is to have a "close the door strategy". To feel that it is the child's space and they are completely responsible for keeping it clean and tidy and when the room gets into chaos to simply close the door and pretend that it doesn't exist. In my work, I assist so many adults trying to get their material possessions under control. They seem to have no strategies to cope with the vast amounts of paper and consumer goods that flood their homes. If adults are living in cluttered chaos, it just seems completely unreasonable to expect our children to have the skills to keep their spaces under control without some assistance and guidance.

A child that is living in cluttered chaos will not have the best chance to become the great soul that they are destined to be. Here are some very easy clutter clearing strategies for you to share with them:

Easy Clearing Clutter Steps

First - get rid of things that no longer serve them, for example the ribbon that they won or the project that they completed three years ago. Make sure everything in their space is about who they are today. They don't need to live in the past - make it all about living Now.

Second - remove all the excess furniture from the room. Ideally they should have a comfortable bed, desk and space for their clothes - that's all.

Third - donate all the clothes that they no longer wear and the toys that they no longer play with. Involve your child in the giving process, choosing who they would like to give the things that no longer serve them.

Adding positive Feng Shui energy - your child's bed

Removing the clutter from their space and thereby getting rid of this negative energy is a great start to setting up your child's room for success. Adding positive energy with Zone Feng Shui changes will create further improvements and your child's bed is critical to creating a positive energy flow. The bed should be primarily constructed of wood - wood had a soft Yin energy that assists with sleep as opposed to metal which has a Yang clanging energy and disturbs sleep. The bed should always have a solid wood or upholstered headboard to provide a sense of safety as they rest - no spindles or shelves above their head. If your child sleeps in a second hand bed they will be affected by the energy of those who slept in the bed before them. Energy is processed during the night - some say that our soul leaves the confines of our body to enjoy freedom for a short while; our minds process the events of the day; our physical body heals itself - and this energy can be deposited in the bed and mattress.

Your child's bed should also be positioned in the "command position" in their bedroom - with the headboard against a solid wall (not a wall with windows), as far as possible from the door and with a clear view of the door as they lie down. Imagine where the gangster guy would position himself in the room - this is how you want to place your child so that they feel safe and in charge of their space.

Store nothing under the bed. Everything vibrates with energy and things kept under the bed will disturb sleep causing interrupted patterns and also possible nightmares. Another key cause of poor sleep habits are things that hang over the child while they sleep - from the ceiling or from the wall. Remove them all.

Nurturing bedroom colours

Yin colours in the room will encourage relaxation. When choosing paint colours or linen always stick to the softer shades - no primary, garish or bright colours. Every colour has its own wavelength and energy vibration that will affect your child differently. Soft green has a vibration that promotes growth (mentally, physically and spiritually) and upward movement. Light blue is calming, still and fluid. Soft pink or peach creates a loving environment. Lavender is about self-esteem and spiritual growth. Pale yellow vibrates with an energy that promotes balance and grounding. White is all about communication and creativity.

Adding positive mental energy

In creating this nourishing space for your child - place items in their bedroom that make them feel good about who they are. In my Zone Feng Shui workshops, I get the parents to create a positive statement about the child that is hung on the bedroom wall. For example -"I love you because you are funny", "You are my sunshine!" I also ask them to hang a photo showing the child and those who love them - family or vacation photo's - to reinforce the sense that they belong and are cherished.

Electronic Equipment

A big problem with older children is the proliferation of electronic equipment in their bedrooms. This electrical energy has a unique vibration which can be disturbing. In Feng Shui terms this would be a Yang energy vibration that is too busy and inappropriate in a bedroom. Children should never have a TV or electronic games in their bedroom and the computer should be covered at night to reduce the EMF disturbance. Too much electronic equipment in the bedroom will contribute to poor sleeping habits, difficulty in concentrating and negative moods. Keep the electronic clock away from your child's head and make sure that there are no electrical wires from the clock or bedside lamp touching any part of the bed.

Lighting

As a final step to creating a bedroom that is a safe haven, that nourishes the child, stimulates imagination and balances their personal energy (mental, physical and spiritual energy) add nurturing lighting. Pink light bulbs in the lamps and ceiling light fixtures will calm the energy in the room. (Farmers in Alberta, Canada have long used pink light in their sheds to calm their chickens.)

A Feng Shui bedroom is a peaceful and nurturing space that will allow your child to become the great soul that they were meant to be. Provide them with an environment that allows them to successfully and happily navigate the world.

Debra Ford is the originator and creator of Zone Feng Shui and lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her book "In the Feng Shui Zone" is an easy to follow step-by-step guide to getting your home and your life into the Feng Shui Zone and creating the life of your dreams. The Feng Shui Zone offers Feng Shui Courses and Training and Debra may be contacted through her website, www.fengshuizone.ca