What is a Smudge Spray?

A popular aspect of Feng Shui is Space Clearing.  In space clearing, the energy in a space is cleared to rid it of negative or stagnant energy.  Sage smudging is the most common means of space clearing.  However, it is not also appropriate to spread smoke indoors, especially in the case of an open house, an illness, or a healing space.

For this reason, I have developed a Smudge Spray.  It has all the benefits of sage smudging (actually more!) but without the smoke.  In addition to clearing unwanted energies from your home or office, it will invoke divine love and light into your space.  As a feng shui practitioner, I know use this spray on my clients’ homes.

For more information and to order, go to www.smudgespray.com.

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Do you wish you could cleanse or space clear your home without the strong odor of sage? Well now you can!

If you’re like me, you enjoy the benefits of sage, but dislike the smoke residue it leaves. Burning sage can be great for outdoor use, but can be too much for indoors, especially if one is sensitive to smoke.

As a Feng Shui practitioner, I space clear clients home using a variety of methods. I usually avoid (except on rare occasion) using burning sage because the smell is often offensive to homeowners.  Not to mention, it leaves a strong odor on my hand and clothes.  For this reason, I have developed a smokeless sage smudge spray.  I now use it for my clients’ homes and you can purchase it here for your own home!

Simply cleanse your home of negative or stagnant energy with a few sprays of my new Earth Home SMUDGE SPRAY!

I developed this Smudge Spray to not only embody the clearing benefits of sage and cedar, but  also to invoke the space with Divine love and light with rosewater and other essential oils.   It will leave your space feeling calm, yet energized, with a light aromatic scent.

It is great to use in homes, offices, healing spaces, open houses, ceremonies, hotel rooms,  and in healing practitioners’ offices.

If you are new to space clearing, sage smudging is a energy clearing method passed down from Native Americans and other cultures as a way to cleanse a space of negative or stagnant energy. Sage smudging is traditionally done by lighting the end of a sage bundle and wafting it around the space. The burning sage produces a strong residue and odor – which some people like and others do not. Either way, smoke is oftentimes not appropriate for indoor spaces.

The Smudge Spray instead leaves a light, pleasant aroma that gently dissipates into the space with all the benefits of traditional sage smudging and more!

Each bottle of Smudge Spray is hand blended by me and embodies the essence of  divine love and light.

For more information, click here!

In the documentary film, The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard examines our national obsession with stuff and how it all began. She attributes our consumption addiction to the post-World War III economic policies that propagandized the notion of buying stuff. Our insatiable appetites haven’t been able to stop since.

That is, until now.

With the decline of the economy – whether directly affected or not – we have all started to take pause before making a purchase. More importantly, we are beginning to take inventory of the stuff that we do have. Even more so, we are beginning to feel taken over by all the stuff that we have accumulated over the decades, which is why so many of us are having the urge to purge or declutter our homes.

But is it as easy as making some runs to Goodwill?

Of course not.

Why?

We have become addicted, or emotionally attached, to our stuff.

Buying and accumulating stuff is just another way to distract ourselves from our present lives. Like cigarettes or alcohol, our stuff is a quick fix to feeling good. But when the high wears off, we are left with an icky feeling. But we need the icky feeling so that we can punish ourselves and perpetuate our guilt. And then we need the high again so that we don’t feel the pain, and the circle continues.

Is this an overreaction to buying a new toaster?

Maybe. But consumption can be an addiction (or at the least an emotional attachment) that, unlike cigarettes and alcohol, is hard to recognize because it is so affirmed by our friends, family, media, and government.

So how do we detach from our stuff?

Awareness is power. Knowing what and why we are attached to our stuff or certain items will oftentimes break the emotional attachment with our stuff. For some of us, having a lot of stuff is simply a distraction from our everyday life.

A cluttered space results in a cluttered mind, which is exactly what some of us want, at least subconsciously. In the same way alcohol makes things fuzzy, having a lot of things in your space will do the same. And on some level, that is the desired outcome.

For many of us, it is certain items that are difficult to part with. It may be books and magazines for some or old pictures, clothes, gifts, collections, etc. for others. Either way, if you don’t love an item or don’t use it, then it is time to part with it.

If you are still having resistance, then it’s time to acknowledge an emotional attachment to the item(s). Here’s what to do….

Start asking yourself questions.

What am I feeling right now?

What memories does this item bring up?

Who gave it to me?

Why did I originally buy it?

Who does it remind me of?

Do I feel guilty getting rid of this item? If so, why?

Why?

Why?

And Why?

Be your own detective… or therapist.

It’s never just about the item, it’s about the emotion the item holds.

Get to the root of why you are hanging on to an item that you know would be in your best interest to get rid of. You may be surprised. What you thought was just an old hairbrush may actually be a reservoir of past emotions that you and your sister shared when she helped you get ready for prom. Or maybe the green gingham shirt with the price tag on it conjures up guilt for buying things that are on sale and never wearing them. Until acknowledged, the shirt will hang in your closet serving only to attract the pattern for more guilt.

And so it’s not about detaching from the item, per se.  It’s about acknowledging and FEELING THE EMOTION that you have stored away in this item. MAKING PEACE WITH IT in the form of crying, forgiving, remembering, resolving, etc.  AND THEN MOVING ON.

Once you have awareness around an item, you will be amazed at how easy it will be to let go of it. If you have the awareness but still don’t want to get rid of the item, then it may simply be too early. See how you feel the next round of decluttering.

To start the process of decluttering, I recommend working in baby steps with attainable goals as I set out in my book, 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home. You will build up the confidence that will keep you going through the long haul. Once you realize that life will go on with fewer items, you will not only want to clear out more stuff, but will start to feel free.

And when you feel this sense of freedom you know you have mastered the art of detaching from your stuff.

When explaining what feng shui is I often liken it to yoga as well.   Both are about improving the energy flow within the space – whether it be a room, the body, or an entire home.  Also in yoga and feng shui, the first step in improving energy flow is to remove energy blocks.

Where yoga and feng shui diverge paths is in accessibility and application.  Most are willing to try out a yoga video or even a yoga class for an hour, but getting a taste of feng shui is a bit harder.  I find that most people get a book, try to understand it, and then give up.  Similar to knowing where your left foot should be in Crow Pose, knowing where your couch should be from reading a book is challenging.

You are then left with the decision of whether to call in a feng shui expert for help, or not.  The benefits of doing may not be overwhelmingly clear, unless a friend or some other trusted person has touted a positive experience with hiring a feng shui consultant.

So here are the reasons you should consider feng shui-ing your home:

1. You will feel better physically. Our home is an outward manifestation of our self.  When you make changes to your home, you are making changes to yourself.  By moving a few pieces of furniture or accessories, my clients often report feeling a difference in their breath immediately.  Imagine what improved breathing can do every day over time!  Feng Shui actually brings about positive changes in the body.   Within your home is an unseen world of energy.  Energy is being emitted from the Earth, from your furniture, and from your clutter.  This energy affects you physically.  Feng Shui helps eliminate harmful energy patterns and direct the energy for optimal living.  Many clients also report better sleeping following feng shui.

2. You will feel better emotionally. Everything is energy, especially emotions.  Everything in your home – from the walls to the boxes in your closet – are affecting you on some level.  For example, have you ever thought about the energy in your home lingering from past occupants?  Energy, particularly from trauma, can get trapped in areas without adequate flow.  This energy forms energy patterns which you too could fall into.  Have you ever lived near a home where it constantly goes up on the market for some reason.  Or a house that everyone who moves there gets a divorce.  This is because of a stuck energy pattern in the home.   More common energy patterns are having the same argument over and over – particularly in the same area of the home. Clients have reported to me that problems, such as arguments or even bed wetting, significantly improved after a feng shui space clearing.

Another way in which your home is affecting you emotionally is through your stuff.  Our stuff, particularly those things we have a hard time letting go of, is baggage of emotional energy.  This is the same as storing or stuffing emotions in our body.  When you let go of clutter, you are letting go of old emotions that are no longer serving you.

3. You will feel better mentally. Scientific studies now prove that a cluttered environment does in fact lead to a cluttered mind.  If our visual space is not in order, it affects us mentally.  We can not think or focus as clearly.  There are also studies that now show a correlation between a cluttered environment and depression.

By using the Bagua Map tool, feng shui can also help you focus on your intentions and personal goals.  Each area of your home holds an energy portal for every area of your life, i.e. health, wealth, love, career, etc.  If you are not using feng shui, then you are underutilizing these treasures of energy awaiting you. In Chinese metaphysics it is said that feng shui is 33% of our luck.  I don’t know about you, but I’m going to make use of every percent of luck available to me.

4. You will feel better spiritually. Like our body, our home is sacred.  Unfortunately in ways that we abuse our bodies, we find ways to abuse our home.  However, by becoming conscious of this, we can change bad habits and patterns that will emanate out in all areas of our life.  When you think of your home as a sacred space, you begin to respect yourself in a new way.  Ultimately for me, feng shui is about loving your home.  And when you love your home, you will love yourself.

Like yoga, there are so many benefits of feng shui and everyone gets something different from it.  From a practical consideration, it is really inexpensive.  Aside from a consultation fee, feng shui costs are minimal, if anything.  In fact, you will usually end up making money off belongings you realize you no longer need.   By rearranging your existing items, you will have a completely new space and feel so much better.

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Tisha Morris is a feng shui expert, life coach, and the author of Feng Shui Your Life. For more information, visit www.tishamorris.com.

Get your FREE Feng Shui Bagua Map + Goal Sheet DOWNLOAD HERE!

We know that everything is energy – our thoughts and most certainly our emotions.  In fact, our emotions are just heightened byproducts of our thoughts.  You can think of it with this simple formula:  Thoughts + Emotions = Energy.  In essence, all of our thoughts and emotions not only help make up our energy field, but are also emitted from us like laser beams.  And guess what?  All of these particles of energy are in your home and immediate living environments, such as your office.

Our home is the single closest space, aside from our physical body, in which our energy is encompassed.  Whatever is going on within your personal energy field – be it illness, negativity, lack, abandonment, fears, and so forth – is also present within your home’s energy. Not to highlight just the negative, it holds the good stuff too.  In fact, like the Law of Attraction, energy does not discriminate between good and bad.

Feng Shui is used to improve the energy flow within spaces.  What this really means is if you are holding, for example, the energy pattern of “fear of failure” (despite your good intentions and affirmations), this pattern is somewhere in your home as well.  It may be lurking within a bad furniture arrangement, a stuffed closet, a stack of cluttered papers, or a piece of art connoting a negative message. These patterns can be sneaky.  Like the ego, they find a way to survive within our energy field despite our conscious good intentions.

Stories I hear from clients speak volumes to the power of Feng Shui.  It changes lives.  When you change your external environment thereby changing energy patterns around within and around you, you change your inner reality. Like the Law of Attraction, it’s quite magical.

The Bagua Map is an often used tool in Feng Shui that maps out where certain areas of your life lie within your home.  I often advise clients that when you make changes per the Bagua Map, in conjunction with a specific intention or affirmation (per Law of Attraction), this is when you really increase your chances of seeing positive changes.

For example, with one client we noticed a huge armoire in her Wealth Corner that was only being used to store clutter.  Not only that, but she didn’t even like the piece of furniture, which was handed down to her from a previous roommate.  This was a prime suspect for an energy block in her finances.  She sold the armoire and in doing so felt a sense of relief, spaciousness, and freedom.  This opened up new space in her Wealth corner, which has opened up new income streams for her.

Where do your energy blocks lie within your home? While a feng shui professional can be highly beneficial, you can start on your own.  Here’s some tips to get you started:

- Look for those areas of your home that you don’t use or don’t like going into.  This may be on a conscious or unconscious level.

- Notice what areas hold the most clutter.

- Look for pieces of furniture that constrict certain areas of your home.

- See your home objectively.  Even if you love your entry console, if you bump your hip on it every time you walk by, then it’s blocking energy.

- Periodically clear the energy in your home with sage, smudge spray, or any other clearing method.

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Get your FREE Feng Shui Bagua Map + Goal Sheet DOWNLOAD HERE!

Tisha Morris is a feng shui expert, life coach, and the author of Feng Shui Your Life. For more information, visit www.tishamorris.com.

It depends on the purpose for which you are space clearing.  Are you space clearing due to a specific issue in the home or just for general maintenance? Let’s take a closer look at these two purposes.

SPACE CLEARING FOR SPECIFIC ISSUES

Any time you space clear you should have a definite purpose or intention in mind before starting. In the case of addressing a specific issue, then your purpose or intention should be obvious.  For example, your intention may be to “clear away negative emotions from ex-boyfriend” or “clear out stagnant energy and enhance a positive energy flow to attract prospective buyers.”

For specific issues, you should space clear as soon as possible after the triggering event. If done appropriately, this space clearing should only have to be done once.  If the problem persists, then hiring a space clearing professional may be in order. Here are examples of clearing for specific issues:

*Moving into a new home and want the energy cleared from previous owners or construction

*Your home is not selling, or you are preparing to sell your home and want to attract buyers

*You have a sense that something bad happened in your home from a previous owner

*The energy needs to be cleared from past negative emotions, illness, or trauma

*There was a recent argument or disagreement in your home

*A lot of guests were at your home

*Before and after hosing an event at your home

*Desire to make changes in your life or transform old patterns

SPACE CLEARING FOR GENERAL MAINTENANCE

When not clearing for a specific issue, it is important to give your home periodic space clearings. This helps maintain a positive energy flow throughout the space.  Think of it as preventative medicine for your home. There is no set rule on how often this is.  For me, anytime that I give the home a thorough cleaning, I will follow it up with a space clearing. Also, whenever I feel that the energy is a little stagnant.

Even though the purpose is more general, it is still important to set an intention while space clearing.  For example, “to create a positive energy flow” or “to have a fresh start for the month.”  Here are some other examples of when you might space clear for general maintenance:

*After clearing clutter

*Want to clear out patterns so that you and/or your family can start fresh

*You received bodywork yourself and want your home to also have a renewed state of well-being.

*You just cleaned the house, or a particular room in the house

*Coming home from vacation

*per a set time frame that works with you.

What other ways do you determine when to space clear your home?

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Check out the NEW Earth Home Smudge Spray – all the benefits (and more) of sage, but without the smoke!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

How many times have you cleared clutter only to be appalled by the amount of stuff you are contributing to a landfill. Feelings of guilt arise. Between being dismayed by the amount of stuff you have accumulated and the remorse of contaminating Mother Earth, clearing clutter oftentimes becomes a project of procrastination, or worse, a permanent avoidance.

If this resonates with feelings you’ve had at some point, then help is on the way… there is no longer an excuse to put off clearing clutter. We will use the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra as our guide for the best ways to clear clutter and be green.

REDUCE

The Number One best thing about clearing clutter is that once it’s gone, once you realize just how much you have accumulated, and once you realize how little you really need, then you are so much less likely to consume as much in the future. Clearing clutter reduces future consumption. In fact, after clearing out your clutter, you will feel so much lighter that you will not want to re-clutter your space. And when you do get the itch for something new, you will be oh so much for choosy in what you purchase.

REUSE

The second tier of being green is to Reuse. In my 5 Step Guide to Clearing Clutter, I recommend separating your items into piles: trash, recycling, returns, donation, and ‘for sale’ items. Those items designated as donation and/or ‘for sale’ are actually on their way to being reused. Congratulations! So, take the time to sort these out. For any items that you want to sell for extra cash, then list them on craigslist.com or ebay. If your item(s) doesn’t sell, then your price is too high or it’s ready for either a garage sale or Goodwill.

Garage sales can be a fun way to get rid of a large volume of items that would otherwise take too long to sell online. In just 4 – 6 hours you can dramatically unload your inventory and make money doing it. Whatever items are left over, pack them up and donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army, ARC or any local charities that accept donated goods. Just make sure that these items are reusable and not items that should be in the next category: recycle. (For example, your favorite sneakers from 1988 that have holes and worn-out souls should not be reused! )

Freecycle.org is another great way to have your items reused. Just list your item and have someone who needs it come and pick it up for you. No hauling. As they say, one (wo)man’s trash is another (wo)man’s treasure!

RECYCLE

Now that you have pared down your items to those no longer reusable, it’s time to recycle. So many more items are recyclable than you may think. If you don’t already recycle paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic on a regular basis, then start now. Every major city has recycling centers if they don’t already pick up at your home. Research what services your city already offers. You may be surprised. (I just learned that Nashville.gov sells 80-gallon compost bins for $40!)

What about those items that aren’t readily recycled? Earth 911! That’s right, go to www.earth911.org

Earth911 is your one stop source to finding what you can recycle and where — from mattresses to computer monitors to eyeglasses. Simply search by your zip code. It’s incredibly easy and informative!

Another option is the businesses from which the items originally came from. Here are some examples:

Dry Cleaners. For example, do you have a ton of dry cleaner’s hangers and plastic bags? Chances are they will not only take them back, but reuse them. If they don’t, consider taking your business to a greener dry cleaner.

Computers. The same is true for most computer companies. Computers contain a number of harmful chemicals, so it’s important to make sure they’re properly recycled.  Most major computer manufacturers now offer some type of recycling program. Dell will recycle any Dell product for free, and if you buy a new Dell, they’ll recycle any other brand of computer for free. Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Apple and Toshiba also have recycling programs — check their Web sites for details.

Hand-held Devices. Small electronics are full of big toxins. Instead, drop off your old cell phones, pagers and PDAs at Staples stores around the country. The company has partnered with nonprofit CollectiveGood, which collects and recycles the phones. When possible, CollectiveGood refurbishes them and puts them to use in developing countries. Otherwise, the phones and other items are broken down in an eco-friendly process and the metals are separated out for reuse or proper disposal. If there’s not a Staples store near you, you can mail your phone to the CollectiveGood — and even get a tax credit for the donation.  Other office supply stores, such as Office Depot offer recycling options as well.

Athletic Shoes. Nike has a great program that will recycle any brand of athletic shoe through its Reuse-a-Shoe program. You can drop shoes off at any Niketown store or Nike Factory store. The company processes and recycles the footwear to make sports surfaces for basketball courts, tennis courts, running tracks and playgrounds. Right now they’re collecting shoes to make athletic surfaces for New Orleans, to help bring youth sports back to the city as it rebuilds. To date, about 20 million pairs of athletic shoes worldwide have been recycled through the Reuse-A-Shoe program.

So before you throw your stuff in the garbage bin, think about the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra. With each item consider whether it is reusable and, if not, recyclable. And, before long, you will automatically be reducing. The best thing is that it feels good to be green AND clutter free.

It had all the signs of an ugly break-up.

Breaking up can be one of the most heart-wrenching and difficult times in our life. Whether it is a 20-year marriage or a first love, there is no easy way to go through a break-up. Even if you didn’t live together, there is inevitably a co-mingling of each other’s possessions. Not to mention those items given to one another out of love.

Splitting up – in the heart and in the home – is emotionally exhausting. Each item holds a vast amount of energy and emotional triggers. On the one hand, we want to throw those items in the dumpster (preferably not behind my house) and in the next moment we want to curl up with them in bed. We’ve all experienced the power and the energy of those left-behind items of an ex.

At some point –whether out of rage or forgiveness – we get to the point of letting the items go.

Yes, even the items given to us out of love.

Getting rid of those items – today, tomorrow, or next year – can be one of the most liberating moments. You are letting go the past and declaring that you are ready to move forward. For me, burning photos in a burning ceremony was a powerfully symbolic experience that released me from past relationships.

Similarly, if you are trying to attract a relationship, check to see if you are hanging on to any items from a past relationship. A necklace charm or sweet note may not seem like a big deal, but it is huge.

After you have purged those items from an ex, it is equally important to space clear your home.

The left-over emotional energy from the break-up will still be lingering in your space, not to mention the energy for the ex. In order to move forward, it is important to rid your home of those energies and start back on a clean slate. Sage smudging is a common method. You can also try Earth Home’s Smudge Spray that is a smokeless smudge spray. Just a few sprays around your home will clear the energy.

After a space clearing, invoke your intention in the new space. And welcome your new life in!

Feng Shui can be one of the most cost effective strategies you can use to help sell your home. In some cases, it is free or at the most the fee for hiring a feng shui consultant.

When you think of using feng shui to sell a home, you may think of moving furniture around and removing clutter. And, yes, this is oftentimes essential. But actually, most clients that I work with have already staged their homes beautifully and are perplexed as to why their home hasn’t sold yet.

When I work with clients trying to sell their home, I find that the energy block is not so much in the home, but with the homeowners. As a result, the energy in the home is negatively affected. When I walk into a home and tap into its energy, I pick up on the energy of the home as its own entity or being, as well as that of the homeowners.

A home has its own energy soup, so to speak, which is comprised of many things, including the land it sits on, its original intent at construction, leftover energy from previous owners, and even the numerology of the home. All these can factor into how a house sells on the market, particularly in a buyer’s market.

The other variable is the energy of the homeowners and how they are affecting the energy in the home. For example, in one case, the couple had divorced with the wife and kids still living in the home. Unresolved emotions coupled with negative energy being held in the area where the couple fought kept the house on the market for two years.

As much as homeowners want to sell a home, they are oftentimes subconsciously holding on to it, which can manifest in the home as clutter, overpricing the home, or simply negative or stagnant energy in the home. All of these detract potential buyers on a subconscious level.

People oftentimes confuse feng shui with staging services. While there may be a slight overlap, they are distinctly different. Staging involves removing excess clutter and furnishings and either using the homeowners’ furniture minimally or bringing in furniture to make the house look its best. For empty homes, staging is especially important. With feng shui, removing excess clutter and furniture is oftentimes advised as well. Feng Shui, however, differs from staging in that it deals with the energy of a space, not just the visual look of a space.

In using feng shui to help sell a home, a consultant works on an energetic level to clear the energy of the home, tap into the soul of the home, and, as a result, attract potential buyers. If you have done everything your realtor has advised and your home is still sitting, then consider hiring a feng shui consultant. It may be just the difference you need to get that contract before your neighbor does.

For anyone who wants to feng shui their home themselves, I would recommend my book, 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home, for simple and effective bite-size feng shui applications. For clearing the energy in your home on an energetic level, I would recommend my Smudge Spray that I hand-blend for this purpose.

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Tisha Morris is a certified life coach, feng shui consultant, energy healer, yoga instructor, and author of 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home (Turner Publishing).  To schedule a feng shui consultation, visit www.tishamorris.com.

Bring balance to your mind body AND home!

Beginning Wednesday, December 1^st, 6:00p C.S.T.

presented by Author of “27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home”

Tisha Morris

Wednesday December 1^st | Feng Shui for Wealth & Prosperity | 6:00 C.S.T.

Want to attract more money, improve your finances, or change your mindset regarding prosperity? Start in your home! Using the Bagua Map, you will locate your Wealth corner, discover your blocks, increase your energy, and improve the flow of wealth and prosperity into your life.

Wednesday December 15^th | Using Feng Shui to Deck the Halls AND Declutter | 12:00 noon C.S.T.

Christmas is a time for celebrating family, getting together with friends, and well lots of clutter! If you feel like you get swept away with the season, then tune in to this webinar. We’ll discuss ways to celebrate the season while maintaining balance in your home and in your life.

Wednesday January 12^th | Feng Shui for the Workplace | 12:00 noon C.S.T.

Want to boost your business, get a promotion, or maybe even a new job? Or perhaps you keep getting passed over for a promotion. If so, then this is the workshop for you! Learn the best way to position your desk so that you will be in your power spot. Discover what may be blocking you and affirm a new sense of abundance. You will leave seeing your office in a whole new light.

Wednesday January 26^th Learn Space Clearing Techniques | 12:00 noon C.S.T.

Want to rid your home of negative and stagnant energy? There is a whole world of invisible energies in our spaces that affect all of us on some level. Learn the importance of space clearing AND how to use space clearing techniques to instantly shift the energy in your home or office. A variety of methods will be discussed and practiced so that you will leave being your own feng shui expert.

A Replay will be available for all those who register!

REGISTER HERE!

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Tisha Morris is a certified life coach, feng shui consultant, energy healer, yoga instructor, and author of 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home (Turner Publishing).   For more information, visit her website at www.mindbodyom.com