I'm a firm believer in Feng Shui. I like to live my life in the most positive way I can, and Feng Shui helps me accomplish this in my own home! It's a way of balancing energy to promote wellness, health and happiness. For you to experience the positive effects of Feng Shui in your own home, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Yasha, who is an expert in this field. Read on for his first contribution to our blog and start your journey to a life filled with happiness:

Feng Shui can improve your health, relationships and financial abundences all through activating vital energy and freeing stagnant energy. It takes years of studying to know all of the nuances of Feng Shui, however, basic premises can still be quite powerful and generate lasting effects. With my first contribution today, I'd like to share four simple steps you can take to re-vitalize your living or work space, and (most importantly!) your life. These first four steps are considered “Form School Feng Shui". You may be familiar with this earliest and physical type of Feng Shui - it addresses the arrangement of a building and the furnishings it contains in the most beneficial manner. Today we can apply these same principles to the physical arrangement of our homes and work spaces. To achieve the best results, review and update these suggestions periodically - especially around the New Year! 1. De-clutter - this is the single most important Feng Shui step you can take! As an expert, I have seen lives transformed simply by de-cluttering. All Feng Shui adjustments begin by eliminating the unnecessary stuff. Even inanimate objects have a presence that can take up more than just physical space. If you walk through a room, you can sense where the furniture is even if it’s too dark to see it clearly. Unnecessary stuff can impede the vital energy in your space (and life!) because, in a Feng Shui sense, it has a life of its own. Here are five simple tips to de-clutter your space to activate positive energy flow:

• Eliminate all items that are out of place, out of date or have become irrelevant.
• Organize your desk and work areas for ease of use.
• Delete un-needed files from your computer (we are affected by clutter even if it exists in cyberspace!).
• Clear out un-needed items from closets and storage areas. Out of sight may be out of mind...but it will still impede vibrant energy!
• Focus on clearing the larger surfaces. Tables, countertops, beds and seating surfaces - cluttered surfaces can attract stagnant energy

2. Physical Flow – Arrange furniture and accessories to maximize the flow of energy through a space. Keep in mind, less is more when you consider flow! Follow these four steps to increase energy flow in your home:

• Take notice of how people naturally travel through a space. Arrange furniture in a manner that does not interfere with these traffic patterns.
• Windows and doorways should be unobstructed by furnishings. Doors, drapes and blinds should open and close with ease.
• Entrances need to be visually stunning to welcome in vibrant and vital life force. Hang up a mirror or painting, or place a tropical fish tank to enhance the energy by the entrance.
• Avoid sharp edges and pointy corners - they can result in unconscious feelings of danger. Smooth edges and curved shapes create feelings of comfort and safety.

3. Senses - Appeal to the five senses to raise the energy of your space.

• Sight - Accents of bright and energized colors excite your vision. Appropriate lighting elevates the spirit and highlights the best features of your space. Artwork can create the illusion of expanded space as well as enhancing the available energy.
• Hearing - Use a variety of music to enliven your space through sound. Experiment with different genres of music and notice how each affects you and your guests. Choose background music that feels comfortable and enhances your environment for specific occasions.
• Smell - Essential oils and aromatherapy are uplifting and smell great. They also have a healing influence on many of the things that ail us.
• Touch - Using a range of tactile textures stimulates touch and creates a welcoming environment.
• Taste - Delicious, healthful foods cooking in the kitchen are satisfying to your taste buds as well as your nose. Good healthy food is good Feng Shui!

4. Emotions - Revitalize your emotions with Feng Shui by making your home or office space a living embodiment of your hearts desires. Feelings you want to feel in your space, such as connection, comfort, passion, abundance and adventure, can be inspired through Feng Shui design. Follow these five steps to rejuvenate your emotions:

• You can enhance feelings of connection to your family, friends and community by creating seating areas where people are naturally drawn to interact.
• Amplify feelings of comfort by adding elements that support and nurture you. Add a cozy throw where you sit. Put out spa products and candles by your bathtub and bedside. Feng Shui suggests no mirrors in the bedroom - seeing one’s reflection when waking from a deep sleep can be startling.
• To amp up passion use pairs of objects in the bedroom: 2 candles, 2 lamps, or 2 decorative objects. A Feng Shui favorite is a pair of wood ducks (don’t ask!). Let the universe know that couples are supported in this house.
• To increase financial abundance, create a wealth vase using a glass or crystal bowl filled with coins, semiprecious stones or other round objects that represent abundance to you. Feng Shui uses fish for good luck in all things. You can use real fish, fish carvings, or a painting of fish. When using live fish, eight goldfish and one black fish is the luckiest combination.
• If you want adventure, use mementos and art from travels to exotic places. Put out books or magazines that tell the tales of high adventure, or add something whimsical or unexpected.

Although astrology is not considered “Form School Feng Shui,” people in Asian communities all over the globe await the arrival of the Lunar New Year (February 10, 2013) to celebrate. This year is the Year of the Water Snake. To improve your personal luck, welcome in the Year of the Water Snake and the wisdom, beauty, refinement and intelligence it will bring! Find your animal and get a mini-horoscope to make the most of this year at: http://fourpillarshoroscope.com/watersnakeyearinfluence.htm Author: Yasha Jampolsky is a Feng Shui Expert, Speaker and Author who has appeared on national television and radio. Visit "Feng Shui Evolution" to learn more: yashajampolsky.com