Let’s talk about sleep. Oh the glorious feeling of waking relaxed, rested, replenished and raring to go from a deliciously deep sleep….isn’t it wonderful! Just dreamy…. For most adults those mornings are few and far between and can feel like dream!
For many years I lived in a chronic sleep debt. It started in my late twenties when I spent a year at sea. Ocean sailing is a 24-7 job, so we adapted to catching 3-4 hours of sleep in-between 6 hour shifts on deck. It was an unforgettable year, but it also created a pattern of sleepless cycles that would take over a decade to break.
The impact on my day-to-day life, mood and emotions is profound if I don’t get enough restorative sleep, and this is why I now pay attention to all the factors in my life including nutrition, exercise, and my environment, that impact the quality of Zzzzs I am getting.
I was recently sent a multi-nutrient botanical complex from Wassen to trial and have been taking two tablets at bedtime for a couple of weeks and I can honestly say the benefits have been fantastic! My sleep has been much deeper. My body has slipped into a fully relaxed state. As a lady who has historically held a lot of tension in her body, I have often found it hard to fully relax at night, tossing and turning and waking up feeling stiff and tired. No longer! I admit there are a few other things I have incorporated into my sleep routine that have also contributed, (which we will get to shortly in my feng shui tips for the bedroom), but this powerfully potent plant-based supplement packs a punch and has made a big impact on the quality of my sleep!
Wassen Relax & Replenish is available online via their website and Amazon. Priced at £20.99 for 90 capsules this product is vegan friendly and if you’re quick, you can take advantage of the February sale price of just £16.79!
SO WHAT IS RELAX & REPLENISH?
Created by Wassen, a UK based company who have been pioneering the importance of minerals for health and manufacturing sustainable and ethically sourced nutritional supplements for over 40 years, Relax & Replenish is the latest addition to this holistic range. The multi-nutrient supplement contains a unique blend of restorative vitamins and minerals with a powerful botanical complex featuring Passion Flower, Reishi Mushroom, Avena Sativa as well as Ashwagandha and Lavender to support relaxation.
THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THIS SUPPLEMENT!
Take at night to support your nervous system, psychological functions, muscles and bones. This high-performing formula is designed to be taken before bedtime, replenishing nutrients while you sleep. It is the perfect natural option for those who need additional support with winding down.
There have been no drowsy, groggy mornings which I have sometimes felt after consuming other sleep support supplements on the market. Instead, I wake feeling fully and deeply rested and restored, waking naturally before my alarm with energy for the day. It’s a wonderful feeling! I still slip into those sleepless cycles at times of stress and uncertainty, but I know that I can count on Wassen’s Relax & Replenish to help shift me back into deep restorative sleep and that is the reason it has now earned a firm fixture on my nightstand and a happy new addition to my sleep routine.
FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE BEDROOM
Incorporating the principles of feng shui into my home has had the biggest impact in bringing my life, body and mind into balance and also pivotal in creating a supportive environment for deep and restorative sleep and my goodness it feels good! I now can’t believe I functioned on so little Zzzs for so long. My feng shui journey has been life-changing, helping me pivot from burned out back to balance and has had such a great impact, I pivoted my career and re-trained as a feng shui and empowerment consultant to help other people thrive too.
The bedroom is one of the three most important rooms in the home when we are considering feng shui and often tells us a lot about what is happening in a person’s life. The bedroom represents rest, romance and relaxation. It is a sacred space. How it is set up; the position of your bed, the size and type of the furniture, the colour of the décor and bedding, the position of the room within the home can all have a profound impact on a person’s life, their relationship and also the quality of their sleep. It is one of the key places I assess when I am called for a consultation.
PLACE YOUR BED IN THE COMMAND POSITION
This means your bed is supported with a solid wall behind you and when you lie in bed you are able to view the door, but you should not be directly in line with it. If the door to your bedroom is in direct line with the foot of your bed then you will want to place a remedy there like a blanket box or something solid to block the chi rushing towards you. This particular scenario is best avoided. It is called the coffin position, which is a fairly morbid term, but resembles the negative and draining effects having your bed in this position can have on you and your health.
CHOOSE A SOLID HEADBOARD FOR SUPPORT
A solid wooden bed and headboard is the best choice. Upholstered headboards are also a good choice, although we will consider the colour and pattern choice and how that impacts your personal element (called a personal trigram) in a consultation. Feng Shui is like acupuncture for the home and in a similar way uses the five element theory to balance the energy of the environment. As such every material and shape and colour is assigned to a specific element, and my job as a consultant is to make sure you have the right balance of elements within your home, office or environment to support you and your family or business to thrive. It’s a complex art and science, but the positive impact when done correctly is profound. Metal bed frames are best avoided. They can be problematic as metal is a conductor, which makes it active energy and it’s just not supportive to sleep to have all that active energy around your head at night. Headboards with slits, and slats and gaps should also be avoided. These designs can create a sense of instability and vulnerability. They do not provide that ‘solid support’ a solid headboard does and the other complication they can create is that of ‘poisoned arrows.’ Another dreadful sounding term which is not nearly as terrifying as it sounds, but ultimately these slits, and slats and gaps create ‘cutting energy’ and we want to avoid sitting or sleeping in line with any of that kind of energy. Luckily with feng shui there is always a remedy, so if this if your situation, and you aren’t in a position to upgrade your bed just yet, don’t worry, there is always a solution and any reputable feng shui consultant will be able to help!
BALANCE THE BEDROOM WITH PAIRS
As the bedroom represents rest, relaxation and romance, we want to create an environment here that supports partnership and an equal partnership. With this in mind, and if you want to attract or enhance a positive partnership, it’s always a good idea to position your bed centrally and install a pair of equal sized nightstands on either side of the bed. It is important for the night stands to be of equal size, if they are unequal and one is significantly larger than the other, this can represent as imbalance in the relationship with one partner presenting as much more dominant than the other. In the same vein, we encourage equal sized table lamps as well.
ARTWORK FOR THE BEDROOM
This also follows the philosophy of pairs, which represent partnership and union. We definitely want to avoid images of lonely hearts, and singular images like a single person, tree, flower, boat etc.. It is also recommended to avoid really busy and abstract images, which are much too active and yang in their energy which are not supportive to rest, and also avoid images in threes or showing multiple people to avoid inviting unwanted ‘third parties’ into the relationship. Think in pairs for any picture you bring into the bedroom with the intention of enhancing or attracting a beautiful loving and balanced partnership. It’s a great idea to choose an image that sparks a feeling of love, joy, connection, romance and togetherness to you. Pay attention to the photos and ornaments you display in the bedroom as well. This is a space for you and your partner only. It’s the only room in the house where we say ‘no kids pictures!’ In addition we don’t recommend family photos, friend photos, religious and spiritual images or statues either. The artwork and imagery in your bedroom according to feng shui principles should display pairs and photos of you and your partner. You have the rest of the home to display the kids, the family, friends and deities. Small shifts like these can have a big impact on your relationship with yourself and with your partner, so it’s a good one to try!
CLEAR THE CLUTTER
This is so important. Clutter represents unmade decisions, and is a complex topic that I could talk about for days and where it presents in the home provides a lot of information about a person and what is going on in their life and what blocks and problems they may be going through. In essence, clear the clutter! And keep clearing it! Set aside times weekly, daily, monthly just try and do it regularly to stay on top of it and in particular in the bedroom. Do you have shoes and boxes stuffed under your bed? That’s a sleep disruptor! Is there a pile of books on your nightstand and dozens of potions and lotions? That’s another sleep disruptor! Is there artwork or shelving or a window or beams above your bed? Those are all sleep disruptors! Clear that clutter away! Create a space for your potions and lotions on your dresser or in the bathroom. Choose just one book, and place the rest in a book case outside the bedroom. Create a clear space on your nightstand for essentials only. Piles of stuff around our bed and heads does not contribute to a restful night sleep, so it will be in your interest to clear that away.
REMOVE ELECTRONICS & SPORTS EQUIPMENT
EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) are sleep disruptors! Phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, sports equipment all need to live outside the bedroom at night. I promise you and your partner will feel more connected to yourselves and each other when all these distractions are removed from the bedroom and your time there is purely for rest, relaxation and romance!
UPGRADE YOUR SPACE
Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary and sometimes it’s the only room in the home we can claim as our own. Invest in yourself and invest in your bedroom. What affordable changes can you commit to upgrading the space? New pillows? New bed linen? New bed linen that supports your personal trigram and element would be an extra bonus! How can you make your space a haven for relaxation for you?
ADD A SPLASH OF RED!
If you’re looking to ignite a little more passion in the bedroom, add a red cloth under the mattress! I wouldn’t recommend red bedding as that’s a lot of firey energy that can lead to hot heads and arguments and the passion burning out, but accents of red and a splash of red under the mattress will definitely heat things up in the bedroom!
For more feng shui tips or to book a free discovery call to find out if a feng shui consultation is the right choice for you, please follow Lucinda on Instagram .
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