The bedroom helps set the mood when you awake in the morning, and it's your last sense of place at night when you go to sleep. To help keep you at your best, create a space that is sensual, spicy, cozy, and private. Your bedroom can be a sanctuary and a hideaway where you start and end your day.

By creating beauty, harmony, and a clean functional space in which to enjoy our sensual and sexual life, you feed your spiritual side as well as your esthetic needs. Living harmoniously with the energy of the surrounding environment is an art form.

Feng Shui in the Bedroom

There is a way of harmonizing two peoples' energies using the ancient art of feng shui (pronounced fung schway). Feng shui is defined as the Chinese art and science of placement for arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment in order to achieve the most harmonious balance of energy.

The idea in using feng shui in your bedroom is to blend masculine and feminine energies and create an atmosphere of trust, openness, and oneness between the two. Arranging the energy, or chi, of the room can create harmonization in the bedroom. Your last impressions before falling asleep will filter into your unconscious mind and set the stage for a restful sleep. And what you see upon opening your eyes is your first impression that sets the stage for your relationship to the new day. Does your bedroom welcome you back into consciousness, or are you smacked with overwhelming messages like laundry spilling out of the closet, unread books crowding your bedside table, and unpleasant news in old newspapers on the floor?

In studying the feng shui of the bedroom, we see that the placement of the bed, the availability of light and air, and the flow that is created in the room are important aspects to keep in mind. You may want to consider the colors you have chosen and the comfort level that you desire. Is the room inviting? How does its energy feel to you and your partner?

Make a shift in the position of the bed. If possible, avoid placing the bed directly across from the door or on a wall adjacent to bathroom plumbing. Create a cozy eddy by placing the bed to the side of the room where it still has a view of the door. Put desks and exercise equipment into another room; if they must stay, use a standing screen or curtain to separate them when they aren't in use.

The Four Elements

The four elements are earth, air, fire, and water, and having a balance of all these elements in your bedroom will help you harmonize its energy. The element earth might be a piece of driftwood you found or a stone that has special meaning to you. Living plants — either freshly cut flowers or potted plants — with rounded, soft leaves, are also a welcome addition to the bedroom.

Air becomes visible when we light incense. Fire is visible when we light a candle. Water might be represented by a small fountain or by a picture with the element water in it — but you should avoid turbulent seascapes and fountains that may become mildewed.

The Use of Color

Sometimes just small changes can make big differences. Try a change of color to set a different mood. Creamy tones combined with shades of pinks, oranges, reds, and browns help create a warm atmosphere. Pure whites, blues, and greens are cooler colors that don't have the warmth and passion usually associated with sexuality. When you can, use natural fabrics like cotton and wool for the bedding and floors. Natural fibers are friendlier to the skin, since they breathe better. They also tend to be more sensual.

Mirror on the Wall

You may also want to add a mirror to an appropriate place on a wall or on the ceiling; if it is on the ceiling, make sure it is not made of glass, for safety reasons. Mylar can be a good substitute for glass, since it is not breakable; and it gives an interesting impressionistic aura to the images it reflects. From a feng shui point of view, however, large mirrors are not advised in the bedroom because they affect the free flow of chi.