From E. J. Shaffert, Director of London School of Feng Shui
Last week, I shared one of the most important principles in Feng Shui: the Command Position.
It is the place in a room where we naturally feel most secure, supported and aware of what is happening around us.
Ideally, we have something solid behind us, while still being able to clearly see the entrance to the room.
And there may be nowhere that this principle matters more than in the bedroom.
Think about it: We spend roughly a third of our lives in bed. It is where our bodies rest, repair and restore themselves, and where we are at our most physically vulnerable.
So where you place your bed can have a surprisingly powerful effect on how settled and supported you feel.
Ideally, when you are lying in bed, you should be able to see the bedroom door without having to turn your head too much — but you don’t want the bed to be directly in line with the doorway.
There is a very instinctive reason for this.
When we can see the entrance to a room, we tend to feel more secure. We know who or what is coming into our space, and the body can relax more deeply.
By contrast, if the door is behind you, or you cannot easily see it from the bed, part of you may remain slightly more alert — even if you are not consciously aware of it.
You also ideally want a solid wall behind the head of the bed, along with a strong headboard. This creates a feeling of support and protection and helps anchor the bed within the room.
Try lying in your own bed and noticing how the position feels.
Can you see the door comfortably?
Do you feel supported behind you?
Does the bed feel protected and settled within the room, or do you feel slightly exposed?
Sometimes we become so used to the arrangement of our bedroom that we stop noticing how it actually feels.
Yet moving the bed even a relatively short distance can completely change the experience of the room.
So this week, take a fresh look at your own bed and ask yourself whether it truly feels like the place of greatest support, security and command in the room.
You might be surprised by how much this one change can improve the quality of your sleep — and how you feel in your life.
Enjoy! – E J Shaffert, London School of Feng Shui